Charley Wininger - Listening to Ecstasy: MDMA as the Chemical of Connection
Feb 7, 2021
auto_awesome
Psychotherapist Charley Wininger discusses the transformative power of MDMA in relationships, personal growth, and maintaining optimism. He explores the benefits of using MDMA for fostering empathy, connection, and love within relationships, emphasizing preparation, integration, and dosage adjustments for a transformative experience.
MDMA can enhance relationships by creating a safe space for deep communication and vulnerability.
Safety and set and setting are crucial when using MDMA to explore emotions and strengthen connections in relationships.
Deep dives
MDMA as a Relationship Superglue
Charlie Winninger, a psychotherapist, discusses how MDMA has served as a relationship superglue for him and his partner over the past 20 years. MDMA helps bond couples on a profound and intimate level, strengthening their connection. By creating a safe and open space, MDMA reminds couples of the love and joy that brought them together in the first place. It allows them to drop their defenses, explore vulnerability, and communicate deeply, leading to healing and growth within the relationship.
The Importance of Safety and Set and Setting
Winninger emphasizes the significance of safety and set and setting when working with MDMA. Feeling safe is crucial for individuals to open up and process their emotions. MDMA creates a sense of well-being and serenity, allowing couples to delve into deeper discussions and address underlying fears and hurts. By establishing a supportive environment, where both partners can express themselves without judgment, couples can rediscover the initial spark that brought them together and begin the healing process.
Integration and the Role of Psychotherapy
Integration is a natural process for Winninger, given his training as a psychotherapist. He integrates his MDMA experiences through therapy sessions and writing. By sharing and reflecting on the experiences, he solidifies their impact and incorporates the insights into his being. Additionally, serving others is an essential part of integration, as MDMA teaches the interconnectedness of individuals and promotes empathy. Incorporating the lessons learned from MDMA into therapeutic practice enables him to create a safe space, empathy, and understanding for his clients.
The Potential of MDMA in Couples Therapy
MDMA has shown tremendous potential in couples therapy. By creating safety and opening the heart, MDMA allows couples to reconnect on a profound level. It can serve as a catalyst for processing difficult emotions and healing relationship wounds. MDMA enables couples to have open and vulnerable conversations, where they can express their fears, insecurities, and hurts. The experience helps them rediscover love, connection, and joy, laying the foundation for a healthier and more fulfilling relationship.
A psychotherapist since 1989, Charley Wininger is also a licensed psychoanalyst and a mental health counselor who specializes in relationships and communication skills. His recent book, Listening To Ecstasy, tracks his personal experience with MDMA as a way to enhance his life and strengthen his marriage. In this podcast, he and Paul chat about the power of MDMA to solidify relationships, rediscover joy, and reconnect to ourselves and each other.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode