Why Are CEO’s Doing Psychedelics?

Written By Luis Mercado

How I Got Here

In the past year, I've encountered an increasing number of discussions about psychedelics and their potential to revolutionize the treatment of depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions. These conversations have emerged in podcasts, books, and articles. Business executives credit psychedelics for sparking creative ideas, and even mainstream media highlights figures like Elon Musk and Prince Harry, who have turned to hallucinogens to address personal challenges.

Three Types Of Psychedelics

Three forms of psychedelic therapy stand out as particularly valuable to me:

  • Microdosing: This practice involves taking minimal doses of psychedelic substances to achieve subtle mood enhancement and cognitive benefits without inducing full-blown hallucinations or altered states of consciousness. It is typically self-administered.

  • Traditional Psychedelic Therapy: This approach employs higher doses to induce altered states of consciousness, often guided by a therapist in controlled settings. It aims to address specific issues like anxiety, depression, or PTSD with less frequent sessions spaced weeks or months apart.

  • Ayahuasca: This plant-based psychedelic tea, a blend of DMT and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, has deep roots in Amazonian rituals and healing. Administered in a ceremonial context with experienced guides or shamans, it has gained attention for its potential therapeutic benefits in confronting unconscious psychological dynamics.

The Bottom Line

Microdosing and traditional psychedelic therapy share the same hallucinogenic substances but differ in dosage, frequency, and setting. Ayahuasca, in contrast, involves intense ceremonial use and requires professional guidance.

Psychedelics vs. Antidepressants

Antidepressant medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are commonly prescribed for mental health conditions. However, they often necessitate long-term use and may pose side effects.

In contrast, microdosing and traditional psychedelic therapy have demonstrated the potential to rapidly and enduringly alleviate depressive symptoms.

A study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers reported that psychedelic treatment with psilocybin relieved major depressive disorder symptoms in adults, lasting at least a year, outlasting those of traditional antidepressants while posing fewer side effects.

Traditional psychedelic therapy and microdosing are often complemented by psychotherapy, aiding individuals in processing experiences and integrating them into their daily lives.

At the brain level, antidepressants alter neurotransmitter levels, enhancing dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin release. In contrast, psychedelics exhibit a more complex mechanism involving the activation of serotonin receptors and the promotion of neuroplasticity, leading to rapid receptor downregulation. Comparable effects can also be achieved through deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or listening to calming music.

In conclusion,

while antidepressants enjoy broader social and scientific acceptance, recent research challenges the established status quo of mental health therapy and medication.

The Pros And Cons Of Psychedelics

Pros:

  • Positive Long-Term Effects: There is evidence that psychedelic compounds can cause positive personality modification. A study with 20 healthy participants found that two weeks after the administration of 75 μg LSD, patients reported a significant increase in optimism and openness, with a trend toward an increase in the personality trait agreeableness.

  • Increased Focus And Problem-Solving: Individuals claim that micro-dosing improves concentration, promotes creativity, and thus more effective solutions.

  • Reduces Substance Dependence: Micro dosing has been reported to help individuals quit or reduce their use of substances such as alcohol, cigarettes, or caffeine.

Cons:

  • Legal and Moral implications: Many psychedelic substances are classified as controlled substances, making their possession and use illegal in many jurisdictions.

  • Further Research is Still Needed: More research is needed to better understand the risks and benefits of this approach. Moreover, many studies rely on self-reporting, which can introduce an expectancy effect bias.

  • Unpredictable Outcomes: All psychedelics can have unpredictable effects, and people can have very different experiences taking the same drug on different occasions.

The Advocates Of Psychedelics

Prominent advocates of psychedelics include author and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss, who supports and has funded research in the field, mainly at Johns Hopkins University.

Moreover, Silicon Valley executives, including billionaire financers, have reported regularly micro-dosing in the workplace to enhance focus, problem-solving, and overall well-being.

Elon Musk and Sam Altman have spoken about their personal experiences with psychedelics and its benefits. Musk suggested psychedelics could be used to enhance creativity and are a better way to deal with depression compared with antidepressants that are “zombifying” people.

Prince Harry in a publicity tour for his memoir "Spare," revealed that he had taken Ayahuasca with the help of a professional. He stated that his experience had changed how he saw his relationship with Princess Diana, causing a positive impact on his personal growth and understanding.

In her autobiography "In the Shadow of The Mountain," Silvia Vasquez Lavado, the first Peruvian woman to conquer the seven summits, describes how her experience with Ayahuasca played a significant role in confronting and processing her childhood abuse, leading her to her most prominent achievement: climbing Mount Everest. “I was to take her [my inner child]-and my biggest pain- to the mountains”, reflected Lavado after her Ayahuasca session, “to the biggest mountain. Mount Everest.”

My Personal Experience

As someone who has dealt with mental health issues in the recent past, I am amazed by how swiftly antidepressants were prescribed to me as the sole solution. It only took one Zoom call and a twelve-minute therapy session for the therapist to conclude that Prozac was the way to go. This decision occurred even though I would leave the country for studies abroad, leaving me with minimal supervision (only Zoom calls every two weeks) for the start of my six-month antidepressant journey.

Yet, I am also to blame here, since I prompted the idea of medication. I was the one feeling helpless, so I gravitated towards medication as my last resort.

However, that’s the problem, a person dealing with such mental cloudiness can’t rely on their thinking to cope with these mental health problems.

Besides health professionals, loved ones can play a pivotal role in these situations. Fortunately, my parents hesitated more than the therapists did about sending their 20-year-old son grappling with severe depression with a three-month supply of newly prescribed antidepressants without supervision to a different continent during an isolation pandemic.

The point here is to ponder how things might have transpired differently with more options available at the time. I acknowledge that the therapists acted in what they believed was my best interest, based on established practices. Nevertheless, in retrospect, I contemplate whether psychedelic therapy, with its historical track record of faster efficacy, and fewer side effects, might have better suited my circumstances.

In A Few Words

Don’t take my word as gospel; this is simply the conclusion I came to with the information I gathered. I encourage everybody to research more on the topic. My goal through this text is to spark a more nuanced conversation in the mental health arena for psychedelics. Hopefully, it offers a new perspective to those currently struggling with mental health challenges. And to avoid getting yelled at by my parents when they find out their son tried mushrooms, but that’s irrelevant.

 

Sources

  • Fadiman, J. (2011). The psychedelic explorer's guide: Safe, therapeutic, and sacred journeys. Inner Traditions/Bear & Co.

Luis Mercado

Sharing thoughts and ideas that help me “sit my ass where my heart wants to be”.

https://www.luismercado.net
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