MDMA is still illegal in Canada, and we do not provide any clinical services or advice related to MDMA-Assisted Therapy, with the exception of our Special Access Program clients 

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MDMA-Assisted Therapy is available in Canada only in cases where Health Canada grants an s.56 exemption, or Special Access Program request.

MDMA-Assisted Therapy has been studied most extensively for treating PTSD, with very promising initial results. There is also some preliminary evidence that MDMA-Assisted Therapy might be very helpful for healing relationships. But overall, this therapy is currently still considered an experimental treatment.

Our Blog

Conversations with experts in
MDMA-Assisted Therapy

with

Rick Doblin, Gül Dölen, Stephen Porges
and others.

Listen
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MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training Group
for Manitoba Health Care Professionals

Enhanced Therapy Institute is now offering a training group for licensed healthcare professionals covering the foundations and methods of MDMA-Assisted Therapy.

Led by MAPS-trained

Jessica Gonzalez – Gestalt Psychotherapist &
Darek Dawda – Clinical Psychologist and Host of Enhanced Therapy podcast

Details

Interested therapists, please apply@ 
info@enhancedtherapy.ca

Conversations with experts in
MDMA-Assisted Therapy

with

Rick Doblin, Gül Dölen
and others.

Listen

About Enhanced Therapy Institute

Enhanced Therapy Institute (ETI) was founded in Winnipeg (the heart of North America) in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic by Dr. Darek Dawda (psychologist) and Dr. Artur Winogrodzki (psychiatrist). Dr. Neil McArthur (ethics professor) joined ETI in 2021.

Our mission is to support the global efforts towards medical legalization of ethical, safe, and effective MDMA-Assisted Therapy.

Dr. Winogrodzki and Dr. Dawda have since worked with provincial regulatory bodies to pave the way for this novel treatment in Manitoba. As a result, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba developed accreditation guidelines for psychedelic-assisted therapy clinics, and ETI clinic is currently in the final stages of being accredited.

In 2021, ETI clinical team obtained Advanced MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training from MAPS (the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), a world-leading MDMA therapy and research organization.

Also in 2021, Dr. Dawda and Dr. McArthur organized and hosted a global ethics conference, “MDMA and Psychedelic Assisted Therapy: Ethics and Law,” which featured world experts in the field, including Rick Doblin, founder of MAPS.

For the past several years, Dr. Dawda has been a host of “MDMA Therapy Podcast,” where he talks to world experts in MDMA-Assisted Therapy. Notable podcast guests include Stephen Porges, Gül Dolen, and Rick Doblin.

In 2026, ETI obtained a landmark approval for MDMA-assisted therapy through Health Canada’s Special Access Program for the first-ever approved client in Manitoba. We are grateful for the support provided by TheraPsil during the SAP application process.

ETI is honored to be working with the professional community on the development of ethical and practice standards and protocols that assure safe and effective delivery of MDMA-Assisted Therapy. Our MDMA-assisted therapy protocols are grounded in leading national and international standards and best practices, informed by organizations such as MAPS and TheraPsil, and guided by the latest relevant clinical research.”

In addition to being scientifically-trained professionals, we are also dreamers. We believe that MDMA-Assisted Therapy can help humans heal connections not only with themselves and each other, but also with our greater ecosystem, to help preserve the beauty and health of our gracious host.

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Featured Podcasts

“Why did FDA delay the approval of MDMA Therapy?” with Rick Doblin – MDMA THERAPY PODCAST #24

Rick Doblin, legendary founder of MAPS, discusses his views on the recent unexpected decision by the FDA to delay the approval of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for broad clinical use. In this interview, Rick clarifies each point raised against MDMA therapy in the recent controversy, then counters and dispels most of the criticism that was raised against the studies.

Read More »
December 27, 2024 No Comments

Conversations with experts in the field of
MDMA-Assisted Therapy

With Guests

Rick Doblin, Gül Dölen, Ben Sessa
and others.

Listen

Future MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Relationships

This video offers an overview of how MDMA-assisted therapy for relationships might be conducted when, and if, it becomes available in the future.

Our Goals

Our Vision

Our Goals

We will work with the local and global community to:

  • Pave the regulatory path for MDMA Therapy in Manitoba
  • Work with Health Canada on the future medical legalization of MDMA Therapy
  • Develop ethical and practice standards and protocols for MDMA Therapy
  • Develop MDMA Therapy training for local professionals
  • Provide public education about MDMA Therapy

Our Vision

We envision a world in which scientifically-validated, safe, ethical, and effective MDMA-Assisted Therapy is used to heal our relationships to ourselves, to each other, and to our natural environment. 

Community Partners

Community Partners

Click Logos to Visit Websites

Our Story

The Enhanced Therapy Institute was founded in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic in Winnipeg, the heart of North America. Our mission is to support the global effort towards medical legalization of ethical, safe, and effective MDMA-Assisted Therapy, with the emphasis on relationship healing. 

In our extensive experience treating couples, we have found that mutual acceptance and effective communication are required to achieve high level of relationship well being. MDMA experience appears to provide optimal condition for open communication, deep connection, and radical acceptance, which then with proper therapy can be integrated into everyday life.

We are honored and excited to be working with the professional community on developing ethical and practice standards that assure safe and effective delivery of MDMA-Assisted Therapy. 

In addition to being scientifically trained professionals, we are also dreamers. We believe Enhanced Therapy can help humans heal connections not only with themselves and each other, but also with our greater ecosystem to help heal our gracious life-giving host.

If you are a Manitoba therapist who is interested in joining the ETI team, please email us at info@enhancedtherapy.ca

Contribute

We have donated to support Dr. Anne Wagner’s upcoming study, and we encourage you to do the same. Dr. Wagner is a Canadian psychologist who is currently starting world’s largest to date study aimed at future legalization of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Relationships. Donating to support this study is the most direct way you can advance the future legalization of Enhanced Therapy for Relationships. Your donation is tax deductible and all funds go directly (via MAPS Canada) to Dr. Anne Wagner’s study.

Support an important MDMA study
Donate via Maps.org

Enhanced Therapy Newsletter

Updates on Enhanced Therapy research, legalization, general information, and trivia

Julie Holland

M.D.

Dr. Julie Holland is a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist, and author of the New York Times bestseller “Moody Bitches” and “Weekends at Bellevue”. She is the editor of two non-profit books: “Ecstasy: The Complete Guide” and “The Pot Book: A Complete Guide to Cannabis”. While now a medical advisor to MAPS, she was a medical monitor for several clinical studies examining the efficacy of using MDMA-assisted psychotherapy or cannabis in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her newest book is “Good Chemistry: The Science of Connection, From Soul to Psychedelics”.

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We support anti-spamming laws across the globe. In order to complete your sign up to the Enhanced Therapy Institute’s newsletter, please check your email to confirm your subscription. 

Thank you again for your interest in MDMA assisted therapy.

ETI Team

Anne Wagner

Ph.D., C.Psych.

Dr. Anne Wagner is a clinical psychologist and researcher who is committed to helping understand and improve trauma recovery. She is the founder of Remedy, a mental health innovation community. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology and an Associate Member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies at Ryerson University. She is the Past-Chair of the Traumatic Stress Section of the Canadian Psychological Association, and sits on the Quality Committee of Casey House (Toronto’s HIV/AIDS Hospital). Anne has presented and published extensively in the use of trauma-informed care, trauma treatment, stigma and interpersonal factors. Anne has a particular focus on innovating mental health interventions, for example by using different treatment formats (e.g., with couples), and facilitators of treatment (e.g., MDMA). Anne, alongside Dr. Michael Mithoefer, Annie Mithoefer, BSN, and Dr. Candice Monson, was one of the investigators of the MAPS funded pilot study of Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD + MDMA. Anne is the lead investigator for the upcoming MAPS funded pilot study of Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD + MDMA.

Donate to Dr. Anne Wagner's study

We have donated to support Dr. Anne Wagner’s upcoming study, and we encourage you to do the same. Dr. Wagner is a Canadian psychologist who is currently starting world’s largest to date study aimed at future legalization of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Relationships. Donating to support this study is the most direct way you can advance the future legalization of Enhanced Therapy for Relationships. Your donation is tax deductible and all funds go directly (via MAPS Canada) to Dr. Anne Wagner’s study.

Donating is a direct way to influence change. 

DONATE TO MAPS.ORG

Rick Doblin

Ph.D.

Rick Doblin, Ph.D. is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master’s thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife, dog, and empty rooms from three children, one of whom is in college and two have graduated.

Bruce Sanguin

RMFT

Bruce Sanguin is a psychotherapist living on Denman Island, B.C. After 30 years as an ordained minister he took early retirement and began an intensive period of personal healing with the use of psychedelics. He is the author of seven books, the latest of which Dismantled: How Psychedelics Broke and Clergyman Apart and Put Him Back Together describes his healing journey with various medicines. Bruce is a Clinical Fellow of the Canadian Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. 

 

Ken Tupper

Ph.D.

Kenneth Tupper is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia and Adjunct Professor in the School of Child & Youth Care at the University of Victoria. His doctoral research developed the concept of “entheogenic education,” a theoretical frame for understanding how psychedelic plants and substances can function as cognitive tools for learning. Kenneth’s current research interests include: psychedelic studies; the cross-cultural and historical uses of drugs; public, professional and school-based drug education; and creating healthy public policy to maximize benefits and minimize harms from psychoactive substances. He has published in numerous peer reviewed academic journals, presented at international health and drug policy conferences, and has twice been appointed to Canadian delegations to high-level United Nations international drug policy.

Mark Haden

Ph.D.

• Adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia School of Public and Population Health.
• Executive Director of MAPS Canada (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies).
• Has published on the issue of drug control policy and psychedelics in the following Journals:

  • Canadian Journal of Public Health
  • International Journal of Drug Policy
  • Encyclopaedia of Public Health
  • Harm Reduction Journal
  • Open Medicine
  • Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
  • Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs

• Teaches in the UBC school of medicine (Population and Public Health)
• Obtained an MSW from UBC
• Worked for the Addiction Services for 28 years in counselling and supervisory roles.
• Has provided public education on drugs and drug policy for over 30 years.
• Works with the Health Officers Council of British Columbia on their position papers on the issue of a regulated market for all currently illegal drugs.
• Has presented in conferences and training events in many countries
• Awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for drug policy reform work in 2013.

Erika Dyck

Ph.D.

Erika Dyck is a Professor and a Canada Research Chair in the History of Health & Social Justice. She is the author or co-author of several books, including: Psychedelic Psychiatry (2008); Facing Eugenics (2013); Managing Madness (2017); and Challenging Choices (2020). Erika is the co-editor of the Canadian Bulletin for Medical History/Bulletin canadien d’histoire de la medicine and the co-editor of a book series on the global history of alcohol and drugs, called Intoxicating Histories.

Jazmin Pirozek

M.Sc.

Jazmin is of Kinosao Sipi, Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba and lives in Kenora, Ontario. She is a student of Maestro Juan Flores, a Plant Medicine Teacher of the Peruvian Amazon. Jazmin has received her Master’s degree in Biology, focussing on Boreal Forest Ethnobotany, as well, she is a graduate of Boreal Forest Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology. Jazmin has travelled across Canada to share her knowledge, as well as to the United Kingdom to present at Breaking Convention 2019. She assisted in writing Science North’s Planetarium film “Under the Same Stars: Minwaadiziwin,” including narration and singing for the piece. Jazmin shares her knowledge of Boreal forest medicines, continually working with Indigenous people of Northern Ontario. Currently, Jazmin works as a consultant with a Tribal council and a Community Organization teaching knowledge that promotes well-being, healing and self-knowing. The construction of her Healing Centre, located on Lake of the Woods, begins in 2021.

Zach Walsh

Ph.D.

Zach Walsh is a clinical psychologist, a Research Affiliate with the BC Centre on Substance Use, and an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, where he directs the Therapeutic, Recreational, and Problematic Substance Use lab.  He has published and presented widely on topics related to psychedelics, cannabis, mental health and psychotherapy.  He is an investigator on several clinical trials of psychedelics and cannabis, including the MAPS sponsored study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, and upcoming trials of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for problematic substance use. Zach’s clinical focus is on the application of “third wave” mindfulness-based behavior therapies to address trauma, relationship conflict, and problematic substance use. 

Darek Dawda

Ph.D., C.Psych.

Darek Dawda is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Winnipeg with extensive experience working with trauma and couples. He has been helping Manitobans over 15 years, using a multitude of scientifically validated treatment methods, including CBT, mindfulness, meditation, and focussing.

Darek is the founder of Enhanced Therapy Institute, an information, research, and training hub for future delivery of MDMA-Assisted Therapy. He has special interest is assuring a safe, ethical, and effective delivery of Enhanced Therapy in a medical context, and developing specialized ethical and standard of practice guidelines for Canadian psychologists. He is also invested in developing an Enhanced Relationship Therapy model, and using MDMA to heal relationships, once such treatment is scientifically validated and legalized in the medical context.

Darek believes in a world in which optimal conditions exist for all living creatures to live safe and fulfilling lives. He considers the global health of our eco-system and the growing tribal rifts to be today’s most important issues. He hopes that Enhanced Relationship Therapy will one day play a role in healing our relationship to ourselves, to each other (including our leaders), and to our natural environment

Neil McArthur

Ph.D.

My current teaching and research focuses on philosophy and sexuality, in particular on sexual ethics. I write regularly about sex for VICE. I also have a blog available to read: morallust.com, or you can follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/MoralLust. My research also includes the history of political philosophy, in particular the political philosophy of the British Enlightenment. My book David Hume’s Political Theory was published in 2007.

In addition to philosophy, I am also interested in film-making. My films have played at numerous festivals, including the Toronto World-Wide Short Film Festival, the DOXA Festival (Vancouver), and the Calgary International Film Festival – more information is available at landofoil.com. I have also recently performed a one-person show at both the Toronto and Winnipeg Fringe Festivals. You can read more about that here: neilmcarthur.com.

Contact Us

At this time, we do not provide services or advice related to MDMA-Assisted Therapy, and we do not respond to emails seeking advice or services. We recommend you SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter for upcoming developments. 

We have donated to support Dr. Anne Wagner’s upcoming study, and we encourage you to do the same. Dr. Wagner is a Canadian psychologist who is currently starting world’s largest to date study aimed at future legalization of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Relationships. Donating to support this study is the most direct way you can advance the future legalization of Enhanced Therapy for Relationships. Your donation is tax deductible and all funds go directly (via MAPS Canada) to Dr. Anne Wagner’s study. 

Donating is a direct way to influence change.

donate TO maps.org