"There's talk that a lot of these substances create plasticity in the brain, so the brain is more open to change,” Professor Roy Salomon, one of the scientists leading the research, told the BBC. “But what happens if you endure this plasticity in such a terrible situation - is it going to be worse, or better?"
The study reportedly examined the psychological responses of over 650 survivors from the festival, two-thirds of whom were under the influence of recreational drugs including MDMA, LSD, marijuana or hallucinogenic mushrooms leading up to the attacks.
According to Professor Salomon, the study found that "MDMA, and especially MDMA that was not mixed with anything else, was the most protective,” with those under the influence of the drug during the attacks exhibiting better sleep and less mental distress in the five months afterwards than those who didn’t take any substance.
The scientists attribute this effect to hormones released when taking MDMA, particularly oxytocin, which is sometimes referred to as the “love hormone” for its association with social bonding and feelings of camaraderie.
One survivor, Michal Ohana, said she believed the drug was the difference between life and death, and without it she may have frozen or collapsed.
"I feel like it saved my life, because I was so high, like I'm not in the real world," she told the BBC. "Because regular humans can't see all these things - it's not normal."
Family and friends gather at the one-year Nova festival memorial in Re'im, Israel. Survivors who were on mind-altering drugs during the attack in 2023 may have been able to cope better in the following months, a new study suggests. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)Getty Images
MDMA, also known as ecstasy, is illegal in the UK and Israel, and even psychological research around the substance is heavily restricted. But in Israel, where psychologists can only use MDMA to treat clients for experimental research, clinicians have been pushing for the use of MDMA-assisted therapy to help October 7 survivors cope with PTSD, and this latest study may help their case.
Dr Anna Harwood-Gross, a clinical psychologist and director of research at Israel's Metiv Psychotrauma Centre, is experimenting with using the drug to treat PTSD for IDF soldiers and told the BBC that the study’s initial findings are "really important" for therapists like her.
"At the beginning of the war, we questioned whether we were able to do this," she said. "Can we give people MDMA when there's a risk of an air raid siren? That's going to re-traumatise them potentially. This study has shown us that even if there's a traumatic event during therapy, the MDMA might also help process that trauma."
In the UK, clinical research into the effects of MDMA and other psychedelics has been slowly but steadily progressing over the past two decades. Universities like King’s College London, University College London and Imperial College London have undertaken clinical trials with psychedelics including MDMA to study their effects on PTSD and treatment-resistant depression, among other psychological disorders.
The general findings of such studies have indicated that MDMA-assisted therapy can be a safe and effective treatment, offering a potential new solution to those suffering from difficult-to-cure psychological conditions. However, when such treatments will become available outside of clinical research settings remains unclear.
