Neurosurgeons with survivors of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on partygoers at the Nova music festival near Gaza’s border say there are early signs those who took the illegal recreational drug MDMA – better known as ecstasy or molly − may have had some psychological protection against trauma.
According to the BBC, the preliminary results, currently being peer-reviewed with a view to publication in the coming months, suggest that the drug is associated with more positive mental states − both during the event and in the months afterwards.
The study, carried out by scientists at Israel’s Haifa University, could contribute to a growing scientific interest in how MDMA might be used to treat psychological trauma.
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