Richard Rockefeller, M.D., Former Board Member, Rockefeller University; Former Chair, U.S. Advisory Board, Doctors Without Borders

In conversation with Larry Brilliant, M.D., MPH, President, Skoll Global Threats Fund; Co-founder, Seva Foundation

Could ecstasy effectively treat – maybe even cure – post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD)? Dr. Rockefeller says yes – or at least a very strong maybe. He says studies involving a small number of people with moderate to severe treatment-resistant PTSD found most subjects were improved after three treatments with medical-quality ecstasy. He's cautiously optimistic about the prospect of psychedelic medicine, which he believes could heal the trauma in millions from Darfur to the former Yugoslavia. FDA-approved trials of therapy with ecstasy began in 2004, and Dr. Rockefeller believes the U.S. government will eventually approve using the drug for serious medical treatment if research on larger numbers bears out these early findings. What are the possible downsides to this research and what safeguards should be in place to govern it? Is this too good to be true? Join a conversation about the frontiers of brain science and potential for soothing the human condition.