The Nautilus team first came together in 2017 to form the New York City study site for the Phase 3 FDA clinical trials sponsored by Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) investigating the effectiveness of MDMA-assisted therapy to treat severe, chronic PTSD, a treatment that was awarded a ‘breakthrough’ designation by the FDA based on the strength of MAPS’ Phase 2 efficacy data. The findings from the first of the two large-scale Phase 3 studies required to obtain FDA approval were recently published in Nature Medicine and indicated that an astounding 67% of the 90 participants treated with this innovative drug-assisted therapy–who had been suffering from PTSD symptoms resistant to conventional treatments for an average of 20 years prior to enrollment–no longer met criteria for PTSD upon completion of the four-month treatment protocol.

As one of 15 clinics contracted with MAPS to execute their MDMA clinical trials, and one of its largest study sites in the United States, Nautilus Sanctuary has been an essential part of the MAPS research, contributing data for the Phase 2 and 3 studies by completing treatment with 23 participants to date. Nautilus’ clinicians, all trained psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers with collectively over 100 years of experience in the field of mental health, have chosen to work at markedly reduced rates in order to provide this remarkable treatment to those in need. They are motivated in large part by their belief that new therapies are desperately needed to address people’s mental distress.