In Sydney, Australia, Rebecca Huntley had been seeking psychiatric care on-and-off for thirty years when she heard from an otherwise straight-edged friend about her experience going through MDMA-assisted therapy. At the time, MDMA, also known as the party drug ecstasy, had been outlawed in Australia since 1987, despite research suggesting the drug can treat mental illness. But Rebecca’s friend connected her with an underground therapist providing this service to a select clientele. After a rigorous vetting process, their first session took place at Rebecca’s house, a quiet place surrounded by trees.
“I felt like I needed something other than what I was doing,” she told Salon. “I was grinding my gears in terms of my mental health; I was pretty angry all the time. So I thought I’d give it a go.”
