MICRO: Why MDMA Feels Like Love (And When That Becomes a Problem), James W. Jesso

In this Adventures Through The Mind micro, I explain what MDMA is and why it makes us feel love.

I explain why MDMA is an entactogen rather than a classic psychedelic, and how it floods the brain with serotonin. I also discuss how it raises our sense of safety, lowers our sense of danger, and drops the emotional boundaries we normally hold, which is what made it work in couples therapy. Finally, I cover the PTSD research, and why MDMA with someone new can leave you holding an intimacy you have not earned.

• (00:00) What MDMA is, and how it works in the brain
• (06:25) Love with a capital L
• (11:02) Safety, danger, and the boundaries that drop
• (14:36) Why MDMA worked in couples therapy
• (18:14) The intimacy trap, and MDMA for PTSD
• (21:41) Outro

This is a clip from 'Psychedelics in Research & Practice | James W. Jesso', Adventures Through The Mind 200.

👀 Full episode here

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Related episodes

• Entactogens, MDMA, and Bringing New Love Drugs To Market | Matthew Baggott ~ ATTMind 177
• MDMA for Couples | The Love Doctor, Charley Wininger ~ ATTMind 138