MDMA Therapy Playlists
Music from MAPS clinical trials and the researchers shaping MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.
Practice details
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy sessions are longer than ketamine sessions (5–8 hours including a supplemental booster dose) and the music plays a different role. MDMA sessions include periods of active verbal processing between patient and therapist, with music serving as a container during the internal-focus portions. The playlists follow the same general arc — onset, intensification, peak, return — but tend to include more world and new-age music alongside the neo-classical and ambient tracks common to psilocybin playlists.
MAPS published official music lists for their Phase 2 and Phase 3 PTSD trials (2015 and 2021 versions).
For ketamine-specific playlists, see the KAP playlists page. For psilocybin, see the psilocybin playlists page.
If you've had a psychedelic experience and need help processing what came up, see psychedelic integration.
MAPS — Official Clinical Trial Playlists
MAPS Music Page →The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies published two sets of playlists used in their MDMA-assisted psychotherapy clinical trials for PTSD. Set A and Set B offer different musical selections following the same session arc. Both are available in 2015 and 2021 versions reflecting refinements over the course of the trials.
MAPS MDMA Set A
The primary playlist from the MAPS MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trials. Ethnic, world, new-age, and neo-classical selections. Designed for a full session including booster dose.
Press play to load streaming from Spotify. Open in Spotify ↗
MAPS MDMA Set B
The alternate set. Same arc, different selections. Having two sets prevents habituation across multiple sessions.
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Mendel Kaelen — Psychedelic Therapy Playlist 3
Kaelen's third playlist was designed for use in both psilocybin and MDMA-assisted sessions. More gentle than his first two (which were created specifically for the Imperial College psilocybin depression study). Kaelen's research at Imperial College was the first to demonstrate that music quality significantly predicted therapeutic outcomes in psychedelic therapy — more than drug intensity.
Psychedelic Therapy Playlist 3
Designed for MDMA and psilocybin sessions. More gentle than Playlists 1 and 2. Ambient and neo-classical.
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More Playlists
Playlists curated for other substances and therapeutic modalities.
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