Getting in Touch with Touch: The Importance of Studying Touch in MDMA-Assisted Therapy and the Development of a New Self-Report Measure.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) – March 01, 2024
Source: PubMed
Summary
Touch plays a vital role in MDMA-assisted therapy, enhancing emotional connection and healing. This study introduces the Touch Outcomes Measurement Inventory (TOMI), a new tool designed to assess clients' experiences with touch during therapy. By addressing this gap, TOMI supports ethical practices in psychedelic-assisted therapy, ensuring positive client outcomes.
Abstract
MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) is an emerging treatment modality, with recent phase 3 trials indicating its potential for regulatory approval. Central to this therapy is the role of touch, yet its empirical evaluation in MDMA-AT, and psychotherapy in general, remains limited. The use of touch in combination with MDMA raises concerns about power imbalances and ethical boundaries. This article reviews existing literature on therapeutic touch and introduces the Touch Outcomes Measurement Inventory (TOMI). The TOMI is developed to assess client perceptions of touch in MDMA-AT, addressing a critical gap in the current research landscape. The main outcome of this research is the creation of TOMI, a tool aimed at evaluating the impact of touch on clients in MDMA-AT. The review highlights the lack of empirical evidence in this area and the necessity for such a measure. With the increasing likelihood of MDMA-AT becoming a widely used therapy, understanding how therapeutic touch affects clients is imperative. This article emphasizes the need for evidence-based and ethical guidelines for the use of touch in MDMA-AT. The development of TOMI is a step towards achieving this, providing a means for researchers and program evaluators to assess the implications of touch in MDMA-AT and psychedelic-assisted therapy more generally.