- A white supremacist took MDMA in a scientific study, and then questioned his extreme views.
- MDMA doesn't have a political agenda but is thought to amplify what is going on in a person's head.
A leader in the US white nationalist movement realized he wanted to change his extreme beliefs after he took the psychoactive drug MDMA as part of a scientific study.
The man, who is referred to by his first name, Brendan, was enrolled in an MDMA study in February 2020, which investigated whether the drug could increase the pleasantness of human touch, according to an adaptation of the book "I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World" by Rachel Nuwer, published by the BBC.
After the experience, Brendan returned a form to the researchers and wrote: "This experience has helped me sort out a debilitating personal issue. Google my name. I now know what I need to do."
The researchers looked up Brendan and discovered he was a white supremacist, who had lost his job after being revealed as the leader of a white nationalist group. Brendan had attended the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in 2017.
Immediately they were concerned as to what "sorting out an issue" might refer to, but when they tracked him down, Brendan revealed that what he needed to do was simply love, as opposed to something more sinister.
Researchers are investigating how MDMA could be used to treat mental and physical illnesses
MDMA is one of several psychoactive drugs that researchers are studying to assess whether they can be used to treat mental and physical illnesses. Insider has previously reported on its potential to treat anxiety disorders such as PTSD and alcoholism.
The party drug, also referred to as Molly, is known for causing feelings of empathy and sociability, and as Harriet de Wit, who led the research, told Nuwer: "It's what everyone says about this damn drug, that it makes people feel love."
She added that it's "mind-boggling" that the drug could potentially change someone's beliefs in the way it is thought to have done with Brendan.
However, MDMA doesn't have a political agenda and can't, by itself, solve racism. The authors of one journal article from 2021 argued that psychedelics could just amplify what is going on in that person's head.
MDMA has, for instance, been used by the Taliban to channel connection to the divine during prayer chants, according to Nuwer.
Nuwer pointed out that Brendan's "seemingly spontaneous change" appears to be an exception to the norm. MDMA releases the chemical oxytocin, which our bodies naturally produce. The chemical causes animals to fiercely love their own, but also protect them from others — which can mean a disdain for outsiders may actually increase.
Brendan started therapy after taking MDMA
But in the case of Brendan, he had recently been exposed as a white supremacist and lost his job when he was enrolled in the study. He was full of regret about getting caught out.
30 minutes after taking the MDMA pill, Brendan questioned: "Why am I doing this? Why am I thinking this way?" and wondered why he had jeopardized the relationships in his life.
During his time on the drug, he realized his life was missing connection.
The case suggested that MDMA has the potential to "influence a person's values and priorities," the authors wrote in a case study about Brendan. They hypothesized that if extremist views are fueled by fear, anger, and cognitive biases, they could potentially be treated with drugs.
Since the study, Brendan is trying to make changes for the better: he hired a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant to help him, enrolled in therapy, and began meditating.
"There are moments when I have racist or antisemitic thoughts, definitely," he said. "But now I can recognize that those kinds of thought patterns are harming me more than anyone else."