The Power of MDMA to Heal Society
In this episode of the Alt-Normal with Charley Wininger, we explore the potential of MDMA to heal personal and societal ills from the lens of a psychotherapist — helping us shift out of the illusion of separation into one of integration.
On episode 20, we go deep with Charley Wininger to unpack the layers of MDMA as a powerful gateway medicine to a new paradigm. Charley Wininger is a licensed psychotherapist and mental health counselor in private practice who just published his book “Listening to Ecstasy,” a personal narrative and guide to the safe, responsible use of MDMA for personal healing and social transformation. He has often been featured in The New York Times and Newsday as “The Love Doctor”, and was recently featured on Forbes in the lead up to his book launch.
The story of MDMA through the lens of a psychotherapist is a highly relevant one, especially during these times of heightened separation and loneliness. While MDMA has gained traction for achieving “breakthrough therapy” status by the FDA thanks to the incredible research of MAPS, Charley’s work shines a light on a complementary story -- how this chemical of connection (through the process of preparation, experience and integration) has the potential to soften our defenses, heighten our capacity for empathy and connection and help us all resource greater wisdom -- no small feat in a culture continuously plagued with systemic “isms” that go unseen and unexamined in society.
Integration is the key for transforming any psychedelic experience, and political action (among many other modalities including prayer, meditation and therapy) can be a particularly useful way to truly show up in the world as “we” over “I” -- to transcend the perceived egoic barriers of separation that keep us from resourcing the best parts of ourselves.
“MDMA has helped me improve and enhance my ability for empathy and compassion, and to bring that into the therapy space.”
Best of all, Charley’s fascinating journey from hippie student radical to psychonaut-leaning psychotherapist demonstrates the rich territory that comes with fully owning your experience and inspiring others to do the same. On this show, we explore:
The experience of “coming out of the chemical closet” as a lifelong integration practice
How to safely and responsibly use MDMA for personal and societal healing (and why integration is the key here)
What an MDMA “roll” typically looks like with Charley and his community, with “set and setting” all consciously considered
What does listening to ecstasy mean in 2021 times and its capacity to heal our world’s most pressing and seemingly impossible problems like systemic racism and violence
The long term therapeutic benefits MDMA could have on veterans and victims of PTSD after just 2-3 sessions and supportive therapy
As an instrumental member of the MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) community for the last 20 years, what kind of world he envisions for the psychedelic space
