The Doblin Effect

Edit as of 7/2/2025: The episode has been removed from our podcast due to Sasha Sisko's inappropriate behavior and legal history of harassment and abuse. We believe that the fact-checked content of the episode is still important and thus are keeping the blog post up. We have also made updates to reflect some of the major events related to MAPS and MDMA-AT since the original publication.

Below we share some of the reasons Dr. Rick Doblin, and the organization MAPS, have fallen out of favor with some of the psychedelic community.

1. Harmful Rhetoric

While appearing on the Joe Rogan podcast, Dr. Doblin engaged in harmful rhetoric describing Native American culture. He used phrasing that suggested Indigenous People were similar to cavemen, primitive, and predators. He has also been noted to make inappropriate jokes about other ethnic groups, including those displaced by war. These comments have been brought up to the MAPS team and were "addressed" internally. Doblin went back on Rogan’s podcast and didn’t address his previous statements or publicly apologize.

In June 2020, MAPS released a “Statement of Solidarity” which asserted that they are “working every single day to integrate a deeper anti-racist practice into our work. We have made slow, deliberate progress, and acknowledge that we have a long way to go. We commit to doing the work for collective liberation.”

It goes without saying that Indigenous Americans have stewarded the use of psychedelic plants and fungi for millennia and if not for them the modern psychedelic community would not exist as it is right now. Our community is indebted to Indigenous communities for every single piece of knowledge and wisdom they have offered with respect to the nature of plant-based psychedelic substances.

At MAPS' Psychedelic Science Conference in 2023, the conference was disrupted by a group of Indigenous Activists calling for the decolonization of psychedelic medicine. As reported in Filter Mag, the activists wanted to educate the crowd on how commercialization and commodification of plant medicines is dangerous and harmful to the Native communities.

“Can we get your attention? This is not a revolutionary movement if you are leaving people out of the conversation. I want you to join me in naming the people who have violated you. Like Rick Doblin.” - Indigenous Protester at PS 2023.

In 2025, Psychedelic Science took the stage again. This year they provided a "Right Relationship" statement on their social media that was co-created by the PS2025 Right Relationship Committee, the Plant Medicine Track curation committee and "other key allies." The statement includes:

• Recognition of the history and ongoing presence of extractive behavior in the psychedelic 'renaissance' which has at times undermined and undervalued Indigenous rights and knowledge, causing erasure and oppression.

• How they have listened to people on how MAPS can do better and they have worked to improve the conference experience, representation and participation of Indigenous and Native Peoples.

When we attempted to find the statement online to link in this blog, the link on their website went to the Juneteenth conference track and not the Plant Medicine Track & Statement.

2. Healing the Masses, Net Zero Trauma & Spiritualized Humanity

Dr. Doblin has repeatedly shared that two of MAPS’ biggest goals that they’re working towards are that of a “Global Spiritualized Humanity by 2050” and an “Net-Zero Trauma World” by either 2050 or 2070, depending upon which statements you’re referring to.

While this buzz-word laced goal has been fuel to the excitement of psychedelic researchers, investors and members of the community, it may not be rationale.

Clinical literature indicates that MDMA does not reliably induce full mystical-type experiences, but instead has a different profile than other classical psychedelics. Dr. Doblin often cites that one trial with 33 participants found that only 9 of the 33 had a full mystical-type experience after bring given a full dose of MDMA --- less than 30%. Furthermore, research by former Master's student on the mystical experience and MDMA has suggested that "MDMA is not correlated with long-term positive symptom change as reported by participants during long-term follow-up (LTFU) interviews and Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) scores."

This comes from data from the Randomized, Triple-Blind Phase 2 Pilot Study Comparing 3 Different Doses of MDMA in conjunction with manualized psychotherapy in 24 Veterans, Firefighters, and Police Officers with Chronic, Treatment-resistant PTSD.

Dr. Doblin has discussed the experimental use of MDMA for refugees as part of this Net Zero Trauma World, in which MAPS could help the situation by engaging in an experiment with war-torn Ukrainian refugees via experimental group therapy. During the World Happiness Festival, he discussed single use MDMA as a pharmacological treatment on this vulnerable population, but noted it would be difficult to engage in proper follow up, manage and support distressed individuals and more.

Given the current political climate and the genocide of Palestinians, the war torn Gaza strip, and more, it feels inappropriate to be continuously suggesting using refugees as a way to test an experimental therapy. Others have suggested it is more than inappropriate and that the mere suggestion breaks the Nuremberg code. 

The degree of risk to be taken should never exceed that determined by the humanitarian importance of the problem to be solved by the experiment. The experiment should be conducted only by scientifically qualified persons. The highest degree of skill and care should be required through all stages of the experiment of those who conduct or engage in the experiment. - Article 6 and 8, Nuremberg Code

3. Practicing Without a License

Dr. Doblin often touts that MDMA will become FDA-approved because of their mission, belief, money and time. As of August 2024, Lykos Therapeutics (formerly MAPS PBC) did not get FDA approval.

Approval by the FDA is based on the results of rigorous and impressively-conducted clinical trials that aptly demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the drug. While adequate research funding is certainly important for conducting high-quality clinical research, it is not a guarantee of success. There are many factors that can affect the success of a clinical trial, including the study design, patient recruitment and retention, adherence to study protocols, and other factors that may be beyond the control of the researchers. For more on what happened and what went wrong, see our blog titled "FDA Meeting of the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee for MDMA-AT: An Overview"

Outside of MAPS therapy manual, Dr. Doblin has encouraged people without medical licensure to practice MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and has admitted that he has provided drug-assisted therapy to folks without a license.

While discussing his work as an alleged "therapist" on Anne Phillipi's podcast, Dr. Doblin admitted that he "occasionally [sat] for people in difficult straights". Dr. Doblin has admitted on the record that he's "worked with people several days before they died". He described giving MDMA to these terminally-ill cancer patients as a "risky situation". He has described the situation in the following terms: “These people were dying anyway [and] we all decided to take the risk."

Psychotherapy is a highly specialized field that requires extensive training and expertise. Those without proper training and licensure should not attempt to provide therapy. Beyond the harm that could come to the people involved, engaging in such behavior places people at risk for severe legal consequences.

Furthermore, the fact that Dr. Doblin continues to repeatedly insist that appropriate licensure is not required to practice psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy suggests a profound lack of concern for professional standards and ethical conduct, and may also indicate a broader culture of disregard for safety and ethical considerations within MAPS. It's important to note that being a therapist is different than providing comfort or "trip-sitting" a friend. While doing psychedelics may have legal consequences in all scenarios (unless you are in a legal or decrim area), it's important to be familiar with harm reduction techniques and the drugs if you plan on being present while someone is taking them.

4. Cover Story

For a complete picture of what is discussed in regards to patient abuse, safety concerns & more please refer to the Cover Story: Power Trip Podcast episodes 6 and 7, as well as Power Tripping on youtube. Recently, following members of Psymposia speaking out at the FDA hearings, some ethical concerns related to the group have been shared publicly which includes poor treatment of employees, consultants and internal disagreements that have led to a reduction in their media presence.

Last year, following the FDA rejection of MDMA-AT application by Lykos Therapeutics, multiple papers were retracted. While Doblin describes their Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials as a complete success, with little to no adverse events or safety concerns, participants came forward following the release of the data discussing their experiences in the clinical trials. More than one participant has expressed that they felt increased suicidal ideation following the clinical trials and has expressed that their experiences were not accurately reported in the data. One participant has talked about how they wanted the therapy to work so badly that they felt compelled to give answers reflecting a positive outcome, despite worsening symptoms. This speaks volumes to the rhetoric and expectancy put on patients who are vulnerable, as well as the misrepresented data that could be due to others feeling compelled to the same thing.

Further, patient sexual abuse by MAPS clinical trial therapists has also been reported and covered extensively. During a clinical trial, video footage shows a patient experiencing an emotional reaction to the MDMA and her therapists respond by touching, cuddling and holding her down during the experience. Following the clinical trial, the participant was encouraged to continue partaking in therapy with therapist Richard Yensin where he continued to manipulate and sexually abuse her. The participant filed a lawsuit against the therapists in 2018/2019 but MAPS didn’t initiate a compliance review until late 2021 — more than five years after the videos were recorded.

In 2019, MAPS stated "Monitoring of study records throughout the course of the trial & afterward didn't indicate signs of ethical violation […] the protective measures in place included having two therapy providers in every therapy visit, video recording of all therapy visits, monitoring of study and therapy activities, and clinical supervision. In this case, none of these measures were sufficient." Per MAPS protocol, it’s a requirement to review video footage of the clinical protocols for the trials and yet this abuse was never discovered or reported. Following the release of the video online, MAPS published just two brief web pages on their website regarding the assault.

Dr. Doblin also claimed on the Psychedelics Today podcast that MAPS was not “liable” for involving Yensen in the MAPS study, claiming MAPS "vetting system was good. We wouldn't have been able to predict this would have happened". However, back in 2016, MAPS published video footage of Richard Yensen at a talk he gave at CIIS where he publicly admitted to being (almost) unable to handle the intense sexual energy of at least one prior patient.

Lastly, MAPS and Doblin have continued to downplay the behavior of Yensen, by use of what evasive euphemisms such as referring to the situation as a "sexual relationship," "bad behavior," or "unethical sexual misconduct." The latter being the closest to admitting the abuse happened. Sexual abuse, by definition, involves a power imbalance in which one person uses force, coercion, or manipulation to engage in sexual activity with another person without their consent. Referring to sexual abuse as a "sexual relationship" minimizes the harm done to the victim and perpetuates the false notion that the abuse was in some way consensual or acceptable. It also places blame on the victim, suggesting that they somehow contributed to or participated in the abuse.

Final Thoughts

We encourage everyone to dig into the references, question things, do your own research but please, do not ignore when people in positions of power act without consequence.