How were your empathy levels before ecstacy?

I'm a little curious on how everyone's empathy was before ecstacy/mdma (I'm not going to suppose everyone has gotten clean pills every single time) I've always been able to read people extremely well, I feel their mood...it can be good or bad. I've just become even more patient and understanding, even more kind since mdma use.

I've never really been good with first impressions. I don't know if it's the MDMA that helped or just growing up in General, but I have noticed a change.

Before ecstasy, I used to look at their actions, and draw conclusions for that.

"Look at the way he holds his cup, that means that ..." things like that, although this example is a little far fetched.

After E, I tend to judge people more with my gut feeling... But even if I get bad vibes off someone I still try my best to treat them with respect.

Ecstasy taught me that my gut feeling is usually right, not my head, lol

I often remark that my favorite thing about MDMA is the positive changes it made to my view of the world in a sober state. In the beginning for me, rolling allowed me (when sober) to understand and accept that I needed to get out of a bad relationship, but rather than "hate" that person, understand he probably felt just as stuck as me.

To be fair, empathy wasn't a foreign concept to me prior to rolling, I was a generally caring and sensitive person, but it probably doubled once I experienced that powerful state that MDMA creates- the beauty, the clarity, the "birds eye view" or life as opposed to being caught up in the storm of it all- MDMA gave me confidence in myself, and the ability to look past others aggression, fear, and otherwise unpleasant behavior- and feel compassion for them.

Good thread. After I rolled for the first time I found myself accepting and hanging out with and even befriending people I never would have thought I would. I think if I had not rolled I would have just written these people off, but since E I can find a common ground with just about everyone just sharing this human existance even.

Careful though. When I first got into it I was also experimenting with alot of new psychedelics and ironically I used that all as an ego builder. I thought that I was so wise and so deep and understanding. If your trippy thoughts that you get on a drug don't end up changing how you live on a daily basis then they don't mean shit to anyone. I guess my point is that even though you can have a good roll with lots of empathy, its not really authentic if you attribute anything you got out of the drug from just some chemical. Only you and your will change you.

Bsiren said:

To be fair, empathy wasn't a foreign concept to me prior to rolling, I was a generally caring and sensitive person, but it probably doubled once I experienced that powerful state that MDMA creates- the beauty, the clarity, the "birds eye view" or life as opposed to being caught up in the storm of it all- MDMA gave me confidence in myself, and the ability to look past others aggression, fear, and otherwise unpleasant behavior- and feel compassion for them.

Click to expand...

That's certainly a beautiful way to explain it.

ganja god said:

Careful though. When I first got into it I was also experimenting with alot of new psychedelics and ironically I used that all as an ego builder. I thought that I was so wise and so deep and understanding. If your trippy thoughts that you get on a drug don't end up changing how you live on a daily basis then they don't mean shit to anyone. I guess my point is that even though you can have a good roll with lots of empathy, its not really authentic if you attribute anything you got out of the drug from just some chemical. Only you and your will change you.

Click to expand...

Yes! I'm glad there are others who believe that integration is the meat of the experience if you're looking for personal growth. (Hopefully I'm not misunderstanding your intent...)

MDMA has improved my empathy levels greatly. I've learned a lot about personal boundaries and just what kind of closeness makes -me personally- happy, with or without drugs.

I'm pretty surprised by the increase in quality of life.

Liquid Sunshine said:

MDMA has improved my empathy levels greatly. I've learned a lot about personal boundaries and just what kind of closeness makes -me personally- happy, with or without drugs.

I'm pretty surprised by the increase in quality of life.

Click to expand...

For me too.

I was a fairly antisocial, angry kid before trying MDMA. I'm not saying it completely cahnged me overnight, but it did open the door to a whole new realm of emotions. I had a different outlook on life afterward.

I've tried very hard to incorporate those feelings of love and understanding into my everyday life, and I have to say I'm a much happier person because of it. Lovin' life here!!

Great thread BTW!!

I had "some" empathy..meaning I always could feel for people in certain bad situations, but I always kept me heart caged up. After using E I had an empathy virus( if you have seen the movie Code46 you will understand). I aways view my intense empathy(sometimes for the entire human race/planet) as both good and bad...I guess I just didn't know how intense and deep that empathy and love could cut!

theotherside26 said:

I had "some" empathy..meaning I always could feel for people in certain bad situations, but I always kept me heart caged up. After using E I had an empathy virus( if you have seen the movie Code46 you will understand). I aways view my intense empathy(sometimes for the entire human race/planet) as both good and bad...I guess I just didn't know how intense and deep that empathy and love could cut!

Click to expand...

Aw, that's how I was before I ever did E...so you can imagine how I am now. I never want to come across the wrong way and cause hurt, but I do realize it would be unrealistic for that to never happen. Quite the conundrum.

PureFire said:

I was a fairly antisocial, angry kid before trying MDMA. I'm not saying it completely cahnged me overnight, but it did open the door to a whole new realm of emotions. I had a different outlook on life afterward.

I've tried very hard to incorporate those feelings of love and understanding into my everyday life, and I have to say I'm a much happier person because of it. Lovin' life here!!

Great thread BTW!!

Click to expand...

Thats beautiful! I can totally relate. I think the enduring empathy and positive look at the world is the reason I (and probably a lot of us) wish they could get some of their friends to try MDMA. I don't think anyone goes into it thinking that trying a drug will improve their views of the world or themselves.

It's an incredible asset to humanity in that sense. I went into it expecting to "get high", and came out of it with an entirely new approach to empathy and an ability to abstract the self from a given situation and take the third person perspective.

Cynics could comment that because the new perspective has come out from underneath a 'drugbrella', it's invalid, but particularly in the case of MDMA, I disagree. It has a rather fascinating ability to allow you to enter a brain-state that does the whole process of evaluation based on a fundamental trust and empathy for others.

We must be careful not to gush too frantically about its virtues though, without a balanced approach; it's still a drug of abuse, and abuse makes life unbearable as with any compound of its nature.