The Gray Area with Sean Illing
Society & Culture:Philosophy
In the ‘80s and ‘90s, MDMA (also known as molly or ecstasy) was dismissed as a club drug and became the target of anti-drug propaganda. Today, it’s on the brink of being legalized for use in clinical therapy to treat conditions like PTSD. How did that happen? And what have we learned about the therapeutic potential of MDMA? Sean discusses all this with Rachel Nuwer, author of I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World. They talk about why they’re excited by the research underway and what it might mean for everyone's well-being.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Rachel Nuwer (@RachelNuwer), journalist and author of I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World
References:
“The extraordinary therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs, explained,” by Sean Illing (Vox; March 8, 2019)
How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, by Michael Pollan
“Rolling under the Sea: Scientists Gave Octopuses Ecstasy to Study Social Behavior,” by Rachel Nuwer (Scientific American, December 1, 2018)
Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of The Gray Area. Subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
This episode was made by:
Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What the internet took from us
Trapped inside with Susanna Clarke's Piranesi
Bryan Stevenson on the legacy of enslavement
What's your status?
Is there a hack for enlightenment?
Fighting a world on fire with fire
Revolutionary Love
How to make meaning out of suffering
Ken Burns's latest on The Greatest
The road from 9/11 to Donald Trump
Rep. Pramila Jayapal on immigrants and America after 9/11
Why America's obsession with rights is wrong
The news is by — and for — rich, white liberals
Clint Smith III on confronting the legacy of slavery
Was the cruelty the point?
How seashells shaped the world — and predict our future
Bill Maher on free speech, comedy, and his haters
Robert Reich wants you to take on the system
Marty Baron on the future of news
The death of cool
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Today, Explained
The Ezra Klein Show
The Daily
Re/Code Decode
The Vergecast