Lorde on MDMA and psilocybin therapy: real story, not the MAPS PTSD protocol
Lorde credits MDMA and psilocybin therapy with ending her stage fright, in a private regimen distinct from the FDA-reviewed MAPS PTSD protocol.
The Statement
Well, it's MDMA therapy. Truly, like, changed the game on my stage fright.
Source: Rolling Stone (Late Show with Stephen Colbert interview).
Context
Lorde discussed her experience with psychedelic therapy during a televised late-night appearance in June 2025, following earlier coverage of her treatment in print media. Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, known professionally as Lorde, appeared on CBS's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on June 24, 2025, to promote her album "Virgin." Headline Planet confirmed the appearance. During the broadcast, she stated that MDMA therapy resolved the severe performance anxiety she had carried since childhood community theatre. Lorde elaborated on the physiological nature of her anxiety during the broadcast: "Some of these things live very deep in the body, and you hold on to it. You hold on to a response like stage fright for reasons that no amount of talk therapy or brain use could get at. But when you bypass that and get to the body, something shifts." She added: "I woke up the next day, and I was like, 'Oh, it's over. I know it's over.'" That television appearance followed a detailed profile published by Rolling Stone in an interview conducted by journalist Brittany Spanos. The cover story reported that Lorde used a combination of MDMA and psilocybin therapy between 2022 and 2024 to address three personal challenges: stage fright, an eating disorder, and the emotional aftermath of a long-term relationship ending. Media outlets reported widely on her disclosures. On May 16, 2025, the NZ Herald covered the Rolling Stone report and described the treatment as "a currently illegal form of psychiatric PTSD treatment." That characterization reflected the legal status of unapproved psychedelic substances rather than Lorde's personal diagnosis, as she cited stage fright, an eating disorder, and grief rather than PTSD. Public reporting provides no details regarding the therapist who administered the sessions, the clinic, the dosages used, the number of sessions, or the jurisdiction where the treatment took place.
What The Evidence Shows
Clinical research does not support treating performance anxiety or grief with combined MDMA and psilocybin. The clinical pipeline for psychedelic medicine has focused almost entirely on single-compound interventions for specific diagnostic indications, subject to federal oversight and standardized protocols. The treatment Lorde described diverged fundamentally from the formal clinical investigations conducted by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and Lykos Therapeutics. MAPS and Lykos conducted Phase 3 clinical trials evaluating single-agent MDMA-assisted psychotherapy exclusively for moderate to severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In August 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declined to approve the Lykos New Drug Application (NDA) for MDMA capsules. The agency issued a complete response letter that requested additional clinical data. Detailed analysis of that regulatory decision and the surrounding clinical data is available in our MDMA guide. Under federal law, Schedule I status indicates a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, and MDMA remains in that classification as of 2026. Three factual distinctions separate Lorde's therapy from formal medical trials. First, Lorde received an off-label, privately arranged combination of MDMA and psilocybin, whereas clinical trials evaluate MDMA alone without co-administering other psychoactive compounds. Second, Lorde used the substances to address stage fright, an eating disorder, and relationship grief, whereas regulatory trials evaluated clinical PTSD. Third, her sessions occurred outside monitored clinical trial parameters between 2022 and 2024. Co-administering MDMA and psilocybin has not been evaluated in randomized controlled trials for anxiety or eating disorders. Personal anecdotes cannot substitute for controlled safety trials or establish reliable therapeutic outcomes for other individuals.
Where It Lands
Lorde stated that MDMA therapy resolved her stage fright.
Lorde stated on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on June 24, 2025, that MDMA therapy ended her severe performance anxiety. She confirmed that the therapy bypassed conscious intellectualization to address somatic responses rooted in childhood theatre experiences.
Lorde received the MAPS MDMA therapy protocol reviewed by the FDA.
Lorde's treatment was an off-label, privately arranged regimen combining MDMA with psilocybin between 2022 and 2024. In contrast, the MAPS and Lykos Therapeutics protocol evaluated by the FDA investigated MDMA alone as an assisted psychotherapy exclusively for PTSD. The FDA rejected that application in August 2024.
MDMA therapy is an approved medical treatment for performance anxiety.
MDMA remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, with no accepted medical use and no FDA approvals for performance anxiety or any other condition. No controlled clinical trials validate MDMA or psilocybin for stage fright.
Bottom Line
Lorde's statements represent personal, anecdotal reports from private therapy rather than evidence from an approved medical treatment. Public records establish that Lorde spoke on the record about using combined MDMA and psilocybin therapy between 2022 and 2024. She credited that intervention with resolving her performance anxiety. However, no clinical evidence validates the safety or efficacy of combining MDMA with psilocybin for stage fright, eating disorders, or relationship grief. Neither substance is approved by the FDA for any psychiatric indication, and her sessions were not part of any regulated trial. Readers evaluating clinical research should consult our MDMA guide for verified updates on federal scheduling, regulatory actions, and active clinical trial standards.
Frequently asked questions
What did Lorde say about MDMA therapy on Stephen Colbert?
On June 24, 2025, Lorde appeared on CBS's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and stated that MDMA therapy resolved her severe stage fright. She explained that the treatment bypassed cognitive talk therapy to address physical tension stored in the body, noting that she woke up the following morning knowing the stage fright had ended.
Did Lorde take part in the MAPS clinical trials for MDMA?
No. Lorde did not participate in the MAPS or Lykos Therapeutics clinical trials. Her therapy occurred privately between 2022 and 2024 and combined MDMA with psilocybin to treat stage fright, an eating disorder, and relationship grief, whereas MAPS studied single-agent MDMA exclusively for PTSD under FDA trial protocols.
Is MDMA therapy legal or approved by the FDA for stage fright?
No. MDMA is not FDA-approved for stage fright or any other psychiatric diagnosis. It remains a Schedule I controlled substance under United States federal law. The FDA rejected the Lykos Therapeutics new drug application for MDMA-assisted PTSD therapy in August 2024, as documented in our MDMA guide.
Editorial commentary. Not medical or legal advice. Not endorsed by or affiliated with Lorde.