Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
An American nonprofit organization that funds and coordinates psychedelic research, education, policy reform, and harm-reduction initiatives.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, commonly known as MAPS, is an American nonprofit research and educational organization established in 1986 by Rick Doblin. It was created in response to the increasingly restrictive legal status of MDMA and other psychoactive substances, with the aim of developing a lawful scientific and therapeutic basis for their study. MAPS has worked toward what Doblin described as a nonprofit psychedelic-pharmaceutical model: an organization able to finance research, navigate regulatory requirements, and ultimately support access to treatments without relying exclusively on conventional commercial pharmaceutical structures. The organization’s principal area of work has been psychedelic-assisted therapy, especially the investigation of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. MAPS has helped design, fund, coordinate, and seek regulatory approval for clinical studies, working with academic researchers, therapists, government agencies, and institutional review bodies. Its research activities have also covered LSD, psilocybin, ibogaine, ayahuasca, and medical cannabis, with projects addressing conditions and topics such as end-of-life anxiety, depression, substance-use disorders, cluster headaches, PTSD, cannabis delivery systems, and the safety and pharmacology of psychoactive substances. MAPS has maintained close contact with regulators including the United States Food and Drug Administration and, where relevant, European regulatory authorities. Its MDMA program advanced through early-stage and later-stage clinical research and became one of the most prominent attempts to bring a psychedelic-assisted treatment through the modern drug-approval process. In December 2023, MAPS submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD through its associated pharmaceutical development effort, Lykos Therapeutics. The FDA later rejected the application, after which MAPS reduced its staff and reassessed parts of its strategy. Beyond clinical trials, MAPS has supported medical-cannabis research and challenged restrictions affecting the supply of research cannabis in the United States. It backed efforts by researchers to establish an alternative federally authorized cannabis production facility and supported analytical and human research into cannabis vaporizers and other noncombustible delivery systems. These activities reflected MAPS’s broader policy objective of expanding the scientific evidence base surrounding controlled substances rather than treating them solely as criminal-justice issues. MAPS also operates educational and harm-reduction initiatives. Its work has included therapist training, public education, conference activity, and the Zendo Project, which promotes nonjudgmental peer support and harm reduction at psychedelic events. The organization has also supported international and regional initiatives, including work associated with Latin America. Its long-term vision has been a network of clinics in which psychedelic-assisted treatments could be delivered alongside psychotherapy and other clinical services by appropriately trained and licensed professionals. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, MAPS has historically relied on individual and foundation donations rather than public-market financing. In 2020, MAPS and the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative announced that a fundraising campaign had secured more than $30 million to support the remaining research needed for the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy program. The organization remains identified with psychedelic research and reform, although its regulatory setbacks, changes in staffing, and scrutiny over clinical ethics have shaped its recent public profile.
History
MAPS was founded in 1986 by Rick Doblin after MDMA became subject to increasingly restrictive legal controls in the United States. Doblin believed that MDMA had distinctive potential in psychotherapy and might eventually qualify as a prescription medicine, but that demonstrating such potential would require a long, expensive, and highly regulated program of scientific research. MAPS was therefore established as a nonprofit research and educational organization capable of raising donations, sponsoring studies, and working through the regulatory system. During its early development, MAPS supported research into MDMA and other controlled substances while also pursuing broader changes in the legal and scientific environment surrounding psychedelic drugs. Its work expanded to include LSD and psilocybin studies related to anxiety, depression associated with end-of-life conditions, and other clinical questions. The organization also supported investigations of ibogaine for opioid addiction, ayahuasca in relation to addiction and PTSD, and medical cannabis for PTSD and other potential uses. A central long-term project became the development of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. MAPS helped fund and organize clinical research, worked with investigators and therapists, and sought to ensure that protocols met FDA and other regulatory requirements. The program was intended to evaluate MDMA not as a stand-alone intoxicant but as an adjunct to structured psychotherapy administered by trained professionals. Later-stage research helped move the treatment toward formal drug review and contributed to the creation of an associated pharmaceutical development entity, Lykos Therapeutics. MAPS also became involved in cannabis research and cannabis policy. It supported Lyle Craker and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in efforts to obtain a federal license for an alternative medical-cannabis production facility. The initiative challenged the practical effects of the United States government’s longstanding dependence on a limited federally authorized supply of research cannabis. MAPS additionally supported analytical work on cannabis-vaporizer emissions and a human study of vaporized cannabis conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. The organization’s research and policy activities were accompanied by educational and harm-reduction work. MAPS supported therapist education, public-facing scientific communication, and the Zendo Project, which promotes compassionate peer support for people experiencing difficult psychedelic experiences at events. It also participated in international and regional initiatives intended to broaden access to training and harm-reduction knowledge. Fundraising became particularly important as the MDMA program approached the final stages of regulatory review. In 2020, MAPS and the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative announced the completion of the Capstone Campaign, reporting more than $30 million in donations raised in less than six months. The funds were intended to support the remaining research required for an FDA application. In December 2023, MAPS submitted a New Drug Application for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD through its associated development effort. The FDA subsequently rejected the application. Following the rejection, MAPS laid off roughly 33 percent of its staff, marking a significant organizational setback and forcing a reassessment of its strategy. MAPS has also faced criticism over clinical ethics. In a phase 2 PTSD trial, participant Meaghan Buisson experienced inappropriate physical contact from a therapist couple and later entered a sexual relationship with one of the therapists. Buisson brought a civil action in 2018, which was settled out of court. MAPS stated that it ended its relationship with the therapists, notified relevant health authorities, provided financial assistance for therapy, and adopted a code of ethics expressly prohibiting sexual contact between trial participants and therapists. Later reporting and released video footage generated additional criticism concerning the organization’s monitoring and response to the conduct. The controversy remains an important part of MAPS’s institutional history because it highlighted the heightened ethical risks involved when psychotherapy, altered states, and unequal professional relationships intersect.
- 2024
FDA rejection followed by staff reductions
[1]After the FDA rejects the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy application, MAPS lays off approximately one-third of its staff.
- 2023
New Drug Application submitted for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy
[1]MAPS submits an FDA New Drug Application for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD through its associated pharmaceutical development operation.
- 2020
Capstone Campaign reaches its fundraising goal
[1]MAPS and the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative announce that more than $30 million has been raised for the final research needed for FDA review of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.
- 2016
DEA signals possible expansion of research-cannabis licensing
[1]The Obama administration’s DEA announces an intention to authorize additional marijuana growers for research, potentially ending the previous federally authorized supply monopoly.
- 2011
Death of board member Ashawna Hailey
[1]Ashawna Hailey, who had served on the organization’s board, dies.
- 1986
MAPS is founded
[1]Rick Doblin establishes MAPS as a nonprofit organization focused on psychedelic research and education.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit, research-led institution positioned between academic science, clinical care, drug-policy reform, and psychedelic harm reduction. MAPS presents psychedelic substances as subjects for rigorous medical investigation and seeks regulated therapeutic access rather than unrestricted recreational commercialization.
Clinical research program
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research
MAPS’s best-known program studied MDMA as an adjunct to psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. The model combines a controlled dose of MDMA with preparatory and integrative psychotherapy delivered by trained professionals. MAPS funded and coordinated clinical development, regulatory work, therapist training, and evidence generation intended to support a prescription-treatment pathway.
Clinical and analytical research
Medical cannabis research
MAPS has supported research into medical cannabis, including PTSD-related applications, cannabis pharmacology, and alternatives to smoking. Its work included support for research on vaporizer performance and cannabis-vapor constituents, as well as efforts to expand the federally authorized supply of research-grade cannabis.
Research sponsorship · 1986
Psychedelic research portfolio
The organization has funded or supported studies involving LSD, psilocybin, ibogaine, and ayahuasca. Research topics have included end-of-life anxiety and depression, cluster headaches, substance-use disorders, PTSD, and the safety and effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted interventions.
Harm reduction and peer support
Zendo Project
The Zendo Project is a MAPS-associated harm-reduction initiative that promotes compassionate, nonjudgmental support for people undergoing difficult psychedelic experiences. Its approach emphasizes trained peer assistance, safety, de-escalation, and care in event and community settings rather than reflexive criminalization or removal.
Controversies
2018
Therapist misconduct controversy in an MDMA trial
A participant in an MAPS-supported phase 2 PTSD trial alleged that therapists engaged in inappropriate physical and sexual conduct during and after treatment. A civil lawsuit was settled out of court. MAPS cut ties with the therapists, reported the matter to health authorities, provided therapy support, and introduced an explicit ban on sexual contact between therapists and trial participants. Later reporting criticized MAPS’s detection and handling of the recorded conduct.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Capstone Campaign
United States · International donor community
A joint fundraising campaign by MAPS and the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative to finance the final research and regulatory work for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD.
Outcome. The organizations announced that more than $30 million had been raised in less than six months.
Brand decisions
2024
Reduce staffing after regulatory setbackStrategyBackground
The FDA rejection of the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy application created a major setback for MAPS’s central drug-development program.
Action taken
MAPS laid off approximately 33 percent of its staff.
Aftermath
The organization entered a period of strategic reassessment while continuing to be associated with psychedelic research, education, and harm reduction.
2023
Advance MDMA-assisted psychotherapy into FDA reviewStrategyBackground
After decades of research and fundraising, MAPS sought to move MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD from clinical development into formal United States drug regulation.
Action taken
MAPS submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA through its associated pharmaceutical development operation.
Aftermath
The FDA later rejected the application, followed by substantial staff reductions and strategic reassessment.
2020
Complete major nonprofit fundraising effortStrategyBackground
The MDMA program required substantial funding for final-stage research and FDA preparation.
Action taken
MAPS and the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative completed the Capstone Campaign.
Aftermath
The organizations reported more than $30 million in donations raised to support the regulatory pathway.
Donations raised. More than US$30 million (Less than six months, announced August 2020)
Recent events
- 2024
FDA rejects application for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy[1]
Regulation · Leadership change
The FDA rejected the New Drug Application for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. MAPS subsequently laid off approximately one-third of its staff and reassessed its development strategy.
- 2023
MAPS-linked MDMA-assisted psychotherapy application submitted to the FDA[1]
Product launch · Regulation
In December 2023, MAPS submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD through its associated drug-development structure.
- 2020
MAPS and PSFC complete the Capstone Campaign[1]
Campaign
MAPS and the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative announced that their fundraising campaign had raised more than $30 million in nonprofit donations to support the remaining research for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD.
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