Listening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA, Charles Wininger

Description

Listening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA

by Charles Wininger
Paperback – November 10, 2020
Autographed copies available

Listening to Ecstasy is a candid memoir and thoughtful guide that explores MDMA as a tool for connection, healing, and emotional renewal when used responsibly by informed adults.

Written by Charles Wininger, a licensed psychoanalyst and mental health counselor, the book blends personal experience with professional insight. Drawing on more than fifty years of responsible engagement with mind-altering substances, Wininger reflects on his coming of age in the 1960s counterculture, his long clinical career, and his role in the modern psychedelic renaissance.

At the heart of the book is a simple but radical idea: MDMA, often known as Ecstasy, can help people reconnect with their capacity for empathy, intimacy, and joy. Wininger describes how the substance deepened his emotional awareness, strengthened his marriage, and enhanced his work as a therapist, particularly around communication and relational healing.

Alongside memoir, Listening to Ecstasy provides clear, practical guidance on the safe, intentional, and celebratory use of MDMA for psychologically healthy adults. Wininger addresses what the experience feels like, how to minimize risks, and why this approach is not appropriate for everyone. Throughout, he pushes back against fear-based narratives while emphasizing responsibility, consent, and self-knowledge.

Reflective rather than sensational, Listening to Ecstasy is a nuanced contribution to conversations about pleasure, healing, aging, and the search for meaningful connection.

Book Details

• Author: Charles Wininger

• Binding: Paperback

• Publication Date: November 10, 2020

• Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir / Psychology

• Publisher: Park Street Press

• Content Notes: Adult nonfiction, MDMA, psychedelics, mental health, relationships, harm reduction
  (Intended for mature readers; informational and reflective in nature.)