I Feel Love

MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World

By: Rachel Nuwer

Narrated by: Jennifer Cole

Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2023 Rachel Nuwer (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

"Riveting." (Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of The Body Keeps the Score)

A gospel for MDMA

Balanced, comprehensive and informative content with a hopeful message driven by a clear intent to share the good news . The reader’s mispronunciations slightly impaired the experience.

Great book but terrible reader

Please consider re-recording this important book. I’m struggling to finish because the reader is so bad. Such good writing and research deserves better

Hard To Get Past The Terrible Narrator

This book is well researched and the author does a great job of weaving personal stories into the science. As someone who no longer meets the criteria for Complex PTSD since using MDMA in conjunction with therapy, I’m glad that more people will learn about how this medicine can change lives.
The choice of narrator was an unfortunate mistake. She sounds like AI - pausing at awkward moments in almost every sentence, and mispronouncing key words and names. It’s extremely distracting.

Eye opening

Wow, I loved this book. it was long but I blew through it in only a few days. It has a really great history of MDMA. additionally, I really appreciate how many diverse situations the author exams MDMA usage across various groups. Well worth a read!

Deep Journalism on an Extraordinary Medicine

While the author is clear on their own biases, this work has a deep journalistic tone covering every conceivable aspect of the history and state of MDMA in 2023. This felt substantially more complete than Wininger’s “Listening to Ecstasy” and on par with “How to Change Your Mind”

Excellent book!

This is an excellent review of the current work on MDMA. The author puts together an interesting blend of personal stories and cutting edge. Research to tell a wonderful story of this amazing molecule.

Really amazing book but pronunciation could use some work

Many words or people and things were mid pronounced.this did not detract from the overall listen experience or content but may make it more difficult for people to look up really key researchers, organizations or scientific terms. Wonderful overview of the history, personal experience and science. Adequately discussed the positives and negatives of mdma but spent more time discussing the benefits. That is not a necessarily a bad thing.

Please consider re-recording

This well-researched and well-told story deserves a prominent place on the history of psychedelics shelf.

The many mispronunciations of key figures’ names, chemical compounds and ordinary words make this Audible version a poor representation of a fine piece.

Thoroughly informative. Well Researched and balanced.

How to take a contentious issue and give it an in depth all angles analysis. As a medical practitioner of over 30 years clinical experience, I highly recommend this publication to all with the curiosity to examine the almost invisible psychedelic revolution that is about to fully blossom onto the world scene.

Read by A.I.? Ugh! Flat narrator.

Content was informative and interesting however the narrator was flat and sounded as if she was artificial intelligence. Having a hard time believing that this was read by a live human woman.