Building Community with MDMA: Charley Wininger's 20-Year Experiment

Building Community with MDMA: Charles Wininger's 20-Year Experiment Psychotherapist Charles Wininger shares 20 years of experience leading group MDMA sessions in New York, detailed protocols for creating safe communal experiences, and his vision for a nationwide simultaneous experience to rebuild community connections. Guest: Charles Wininger - Psychotherapist for 35 years, psychonaut for 50 years, author of "Listening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA" Key Topics: Why community is literally life or death Complete protocols for group MDMA experiences The "serious fun" middle way between therapy and raves Ground rules: consent, boundaries, and safety Why mixing substances changes everything Couples using MDMA 2-3x weekly at micro-doses Planning a nationwide simultaneous experience The Fireside Project's 24/7 psychedelic support Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction - Tribal animals need community 01:01 Meet Charles Wininger 01:59 "Community is the medicine" 03:55 MDMA as the "chemical of connection" 06:22 Healing a 7-year rift between friends 10:12 Structuring safe group experiences 12:14 "Serious fun" - the middle way 13:55 Selecting participants carefully 15:02 Ground rules and safety protocols 18:45 Respecting boundaries and consent 20:50 What people fear most: safety 24:04 Creating "chill space" for solitude 25:10 No mixing substances policy 27:16 Saturday sessions with Sunday integration 29:04 Managing the "Tuesday blues" 31:33 Lowering doses with age 33:31 Coming out of the "chemical closet" 38:17 Why not mix ketamine or cannabis 40:29 Psilocybin combinations in therapy 43:03 Community ripple effects 48:09 Couples using MDMA 2-3x weekly 52:21 One day weekly for relationship 57:52 Fireside Project's free support line 01:00:40 Helicopter rides during earthquakes 01:03:38 Connect with Charles Links: Website: higherpurpose.community Book: listeningtoecstasy.com Contact: charles@higherpurpose.community This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe