A Pilot Study of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for the Treatment of Narcissism

Exploring a New Treatment for Narcissism

We are doing research to find out if a new kind of treatment is safe and can help people who have narcissism feel better.

What is Narcissism?

People with narcissism – sometimes called narcissistic personality disorder – often:

Feel that others do not really appreciate and understand them.
Have a strong need to feel special and admired.
Expect special treatment without having to give much back.
Often feel badly about themselves and react strongly when stressed or criticized.
Have a hard time recognizing or understanding the feelings and needs of others.
Often feel jealous or envious of others or believe that others are envious of them.
Struggle with feelings of shame, humiliation, and rage.

About the Study

If you recognize these feelings and behaviors in yourself (or have been diagnosed with narcissism) and you’re between 18-64 years old and you’re seeing a therapist, you may qualify for our study. We are testing a new treatment called MDMA-Assisted Therapy or MDMA-AT. If you join, we’ll give you an experimental medicine called MDMA while you talk with two study therapists about your feelings and experiences. Being part of this study will take about 37 weeks (close to 10 months), and you’ll come in for a total of 20 visits.

Your Safety Matters

This study is being done under an FDA Investigational New Drug application and the University of Washington’s institutional review board (IRB) has reviewed and approved the study. We will keep everything we learn about you private. This means your identity will stay private, whether you join the study or not. The MDMA used in this study is made by PharmAla Biotech as a pharmaceutical grade medicine. MDMA is not currently approved by the FDA, and its benefits in this setting are unknown.

See if You Qualify

We have a quick online quiz to see if you might fit into our study. The website won’t track your answers or identity, but it will count how many times the quiz is taken. After the quiz, if it looks like you could join the study, you’ll get an email address to contact us.

Check if You Might Be Right for Our Study

You can read all the requirements and details about the study in the consent form. The study is also listed on clinicaltrials.gov.

Informed Consent Form for Participants