"Riveting."--Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of The Body
Keeps the Score
The unlikely story of how the psychedelic drug MDMA emerged from
the shadows to the forefront of a medical revolution--and the
potential it may hold to help us thrive.
Few drugs in history have generated as much controversy as MDMA--or
held as much promise. Once vilified as a Schedule I substance that
would supposedly eat holes in users' brains, MDMA (also known as
Molly or Ecstasy) is now being hailed as a therapeutic agent that
could transform the field of mental health and outpace psilocybin and
ketamine as the first psychedelic approved for widespread clinical
use. In I Feel Love, science journalist Rachel Nuwer separates
fact from fantasy, hope from hype, in the drug's contested history
and still-evolving future. Evidence from scientific trials suggests
MDMA, properly administered, can be startlingly effective at
relieving the effects of trauma. Results from other studies point to
its usefulness for individual and couples therapy; for treating
depression, alcohol addiction, and eating disorders; and for
cultivating personal growth. Yet scientists are still racing to
discover how MDMA achieves these outcomes, a mystery that is taking
them into the inner recesses of the brain and the deep history of
evolution. With its power to dismantle psychological defenses and
induce feelings of empathy, self-compassion, and love, MDMA may
answer profound questions about how we became human, and how to heal
our broken social bonds.
From cutting-edge labs to pulsing club floors to the intimacy of the
therapist's couch, Nuwer guides readers through a cultural and
scientific upheaval that is rewriting our understanding of our
brains, our selves, and the space between.