MFP Education Center

Why have an interest in…drugs?

Ever since joining the Vital Psychedelic Education program, I’ve been amazed at the diversity of people interested in these substances. Additionally, I’ve learned of the infinite possibilities for psychedelics to improve lifespan/health span, and the science that shows the benefits of these alternative medicines.

The Vital program helped me realize that there is an opportunity to connect, help, and heal people at a more meaningful and deeper level. Although I have had success changing lives and building powerful communities through fitness, I quickly realized that my toolbox of health was limited. I decided to commit to learning and evolving with the psychedelic renaissance that could begin to make a more significant impact in helping others evolve as I have – if they choose to “take the leap” into psychedelics. 

(Psychedelics Today Logo)

What does Psychedelic Mean?

The term was developed due to the specific substances affecting deep layers of the human consciousness/brain aka “Psyche.” Substances in these categories include:

Psilocybin (Mushrooms)

Ayuhasaka (DMT)

MDMA (Ecstasy) 

LSD (Acid)

Ketamine

Peyote (Cactus)

Other Non-Traditional Plant Medicines although not fully categorized as Psychedelics (cannabis, tobacco, coca).

What makes these substances unique in comparison to conventional drugs is the variation in experience. When Psychedelics were initially researched, it was clear the individuals were not having an experience from the substance per se, but the substance was revealing deep layers of the human consciousness to be processed, which no other substances were clinically shown to reveal. To put this into perspective, Stan Grof, a pioneer in researching psychedelics, said, “We were not doing pharmacology because if you do pharmacology, you have to have some idea what you are getting. If you give people apomorphine, you expect that a lot of them will be vomiting. If you give them a hypnotic, you expect them to sleep, whereas here, we had no idea what would happen. So, I realized we were doing something much more interesting. We had a catalyst that made it possible to explore the depth of the human psyche. I realized people were not having LSD experiences; they were having experiences of themselves.”

To put this into context, the specific side effects that categorized these substances to be psychedelics have a wide range, which we will touch on further in this article. Some of these substances have ancient histories and are culturally/indigenously considered plant medicines. Psilocybin comes from various forms of fungi, whereas Ayahuasca comes from a vine and leaf in Amazonian cultures, some were synthetically developed. LSD, for example, was synthetically discovered unintentionally. Other synthetic chemicals such as MDMA and Ketamine (a now clinically legal substance), are typically referred to by their street names that typically give the substance a negative stigma.

*Note: Another Term developed for these substances is “entheogens.” Specifically referring to plant medicines that create non-ordinary states of consciousness for spiritual purposes.

Harm Reduction: Reframing the Psychedelic Stigma

Like many within our local communities, most may have a preconceived stigma about these substances that would make you want to avoid exploring or understanding their benefits. Myself included, as my initial viewpoint of these substances was that these were used for festivals or party purposes to simply “trip.”

Although there are cultures of people who use psychedelic substances to connect in social settings such as a festival, we must reframe our thoughts to individuals who explore these substances for those means. More importantly, it is about changing our perspective to understand the infinite healing potential of benefits that these substances hold. Even if used for purposes that are not considered medicinal, for example, a festival or hanging out with friends in nature (which is therapeutic), there is something we can take positively with all forms of experimentation, regardless of our preconceived notions of normalcy.

I would first invite you to practice the concept of harm reduction. Harm reduction is a tool to create a positive perspective around substances/chemicals/drugs. It is about our language around substance use, to provide us a different viewpoint about safety and having healthy relationships with these substances. This allows productive conversations around minimizing negative effects around health, social, and legal impacts, as well as decreasing judgment towards individuals who use specific substances. The end goal of harm reduction is about understanding these substances have a potential benefit when correctly dosed, applied, and intently used. With that in mind, we should be careful to not discriminate against individuals who use drugs for a variety of reasons (even if negative). Some general principles of using harm reduction include:

1. People use a variety of substances for a variety of reasons.

2. Not all substance use is abuse.
3. Substance abuse is an issue of health. They are people with problems, not problem people.
4. What is the intent? When does the intent become viewed as destructive?

(Module 2 Course about Harm Reduction practices)

This continuum and its principles are just general ways to look at how we all use substances and shift our focus to understanding rather than discrimination. Although our discussion is on psychedelics, let’s challenge our viewpoint on typical drugs/substances our culture uses regularly.

Let’s think about substances such as caffeine and alcohol:

-We know in excess, these substances can produce harmful effects. Caffeine in excess can damage the nervous system, and alcohol has almost no health benefits. Both are commonly used and abused substances, yet our culture has acceptance of these substances, and guidelines about safe usage, regardless of our culture commonly showing destructive behaviors with these.

-We also know that these substances have benefits. Caffeine can produce wonderful neurological effects, and if I were to provide alcohol a benefit, it would be its ability to enhance social/emotional health by enhancing group experiences. 

One practical example of harm reduction I can commonly relate to is with my high school athletes. We know they are going to find opportunities to experiment using a substance (alcohol, cannabis, etc.). It is about having conversations around safety, care, and consequences. Forcing abstinence is not always realistic or effective, so the question is how can we create a mindset towards substance use that is productive from all perspectives?

To be clear, I am not encouraging experimenting with drugs and substances. My end goal is to simply rethink how we commonly use the word “drug,” while being mindful that we all use some form of chemical compounds, aka drugs, daily. Some may be taking daily drugs to regulate their health (medications), while some use them to enhance their performance (such as creatine), some may be using them to enhance their day-to-day function (caffeine), and some to connect more with themselves, others, and the universe (psychedelics).

Let’s come back to psychedelics. There is enough evidence to support that psychedelics can assist with healing addictive behaviors, as well as show no sign of being addictive themselves! A “drug” that helps with not being addicted to other drugs, while also showing positive long-term side effects mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In addition, psychedelics might be used as a tool to improve mental and emotional health more efficiently than SSRIs (antidepressants), and much more that has been clinically studied, which we will explore later. Now that we can begin to open our perspective about these substances, let’s dive deeper into the rich history of some of these…medicines, and how they can teach us how to reframe, transform, and evolve our way of being.

Psychedelic Timeline

Let’s begin by looking at the ancient wisdom of entheogens. Fungi, for example, have been a part of this planet since its very beginning. A simple concept being theorized is that ancient cultures and civilizations used this form of neurological enhancing substance to not just evolve their societies through the physical and cognitive bodies, but more importantly through their spiritual bodies. We also have learned that Indigenous culture honors psychedelic substances as sacred and that these medicines were the teachers and truth seekers to our purposes in life. If we look at substances such as ayahuasca, and peyote, these are honored in tribes as a rite of passage into cultures. Individuals named “Shamans,” who administer these substances, endure rituals and trials to “become” the plant before even using it as a healing tool for others. So, the question is – if these plants hold ancient purpose to our physical and spiritual being, then where did we go wrong?

We are hardwired to have addictions in some way or form, as our brains crave the feeling of a vast range of chemical reactions to enhance our physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual outcomes. As modern civilizations became consumed with various forms of drugs and substances, so did our innate brain chemistry wanting to indulge more. As we know there have been a wide variety of substances and chemicals that have evolved our cultures for the better and the worse, let’s look at how psychedelics came into light within our recent Western society. Here is a quick beginner’s version of our brief history of the usage:

Earliest forms: Both plant and synthetic substances were brought to the awareness of Western culture circa 1896 (Peyote) and MDMA (1912) for their potential benefits, yet neither was pursued clinically for their benefits.

Bicycle Day: In 1943, Swiss Chemist Albert Hoffman accidentally absorbed a small amount of LSD when isolating the chemical from ergot (fungi). His story became notorious due to his bicycle ride home from the lab, as he had a significant and powerful experience with the substance. His new peaked curiosity in consciousness led to a scientific revolution to clinically study this substance for the greater good of others.

The Doors of Perception: As LSD was attaching scientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists, a philosopher Aldous Huxley wrote a book about the metaphysical (spiritual) components of psychedelic experiences after consuming Peyote. As he began experimenting with these substances for research and understanding consciousness, “The Doors of Perception” provided an enlightening perspective to using these tools to have a clearer understanding of our true reality versus the way he saw our society being culturally conditioned at the time.

Magic Mushrooms: An amateur mycologist (a person who studies fungi), heard about a sacred form of fungi used by the Mazatec Culture in Mexico. This led him on a path to meeting the legend, Maria Sabina, who introduced him to psilocybin mushrooms.

Through a powerful ceremonial experience, he then published an article in Time Magazine that introduced Western society to these powerful psychedelic substances.

Clinical Studies: The interest of more professionals in the scientific field of the psyche became attracted to studying these substances due to their profound transformative properties. Two individuals – Anthony Russo and Timothy Leary became intrigued by the psilocybin mushrooms in Mexico. After their experiences, Leary decided to clinically study this substance at Harvard University, creating a paradigm shift in how we think about consciousness. After being fired from Harvard in 1963, due to unethical research practices, Leary began to expand his practices on his own, which led to the downfall of this first renaissance of psychedelics.

The Drug War: Long story short, Leary had the right intentions for his methods to make psychedelics more accessible, specifically LSD. Unconventional ways of publicizing, educating, advocating, and administering became the downfall of psychedelic substances. The irresponsible usage and experimenting with psychedelics were becoming more and more publicized. In 1967, President Richard Nixon banned the use of these drugs. 

Holotropic Breathwork: Although psychedelic substances never really left, they became “underground substances” during the heady days of the drug war. In addition, the clinical research that showed all the infinite benefits of the substances became lost and shut down. Stan Groff, a psychiatrist who was clinically studying LSD after Hoffman’s (Bicycle Day) discovery, became curious to find a way to help people receive psychedelic therapy without the usage of the substances. After putting together pieces from a variety of methods, his practice – Holotropic Breathwork demonstrated similar healing to the psychedelics he was previously studying.

The Renaissance 2.0: Over the past 25 years, psychedelics have re-emerged through interest and research. They are now making a more profound comeback into Western society, especially with Oregon being the first state to decriminalize psychedelics (2016), we are going to need more and more educated advocates as we move towards a hopeful future of our culture decriminalizing and potentially legalizing these substances.

The Benefits of Plant Medicine

Neuroscience: The gateway to making psychedelics more palatable for our culture is to scientifically define how/why they hold so much potential and healing power. This is because our culture needs materialistic data to establish a cultural norm around the usage of these substances. This is important! The data on psychedelics’ effect on the brain is continually being brought out to the public. These general factors include:

• Significant increase in chemical receptors and neurotransmitters that reduce anxiety, depression, and impulsive behavior, as well as promote behavior flexibility and adaptability due to improved synaptic efficiency (the signal between two neurons).
  • aka your brain feels better.

• Reduce inflammatory chemicals that are linked to mental health disorders and chronic stress
  • aka improve the longevity of your brain.

• Create a significant increase in neuron activity within the brain. A few major areas include the Prefrontal Cortex, Hippocampus, and Amygdala, which are responsible for emotional behaviors. However, the Psychedelics affect the entire brain and its ability to process information.
  • aka more brain power.

• Enhance neuroplasticity, allowing the brain to make new connections, and pathways, and change structurally and functionally. This includes the number of new neurons created and the strength and efficacy of the signals between neurons. This would also be a reason why individuals connect to spirituality, as they connect to deeper networks of the brain, and into the soul.
  • aka grow your brain.

(Learned so much through my Neuroscience elective class!)

Although the brain gains are significant in assisting the brain’s ability to learn and become flexible and help people sustain long-lasting change, there is another component to psychedelics, which is the mystical components.

We Are Spiritual Beings

The Mystical: I frequently discuss that we are a physical body and a spiritual body. The energetic body, the central nervous system, which is highly affected by neuroscience, can intertwine the physical and spiritual bodies. I would observe that most of our modern population is disconnected from one or the other (physical/spiritual). Typically, I notice spiritual body disconnections, as my primary form of health care is enhancing the physical body. 

Many psychedelic experiences include mystical/spiritual concepts within our consciousness that cannot be put into words or justified through modern science. Anything that makes you curious during your experience is mystical. Sure, we can look at how the brain’s activity is significantly enhanced, and we can make correlations to people’s psychedelic experiences due to a person’s consciousness/ego being exposed to a lifetime of varied stimuli, trauma, and influences. However, if you refer to my trip report via Jamaica, there can be many concepts that do not fit into the modern viewpoints of our being. Some examples include:

Visualizations: This can include colors and images from our consciousness. We can use this term as harm reduction versus “hallucinations.” Again, what we “see” is already within us and the universe!

Time Being Endless: Time is truly irrelevant within the mystical space. 30 minutes feels like 3 hours, in the best way possible.

Unified Consciousness: These are feelings of energetic connection to all living things. This could be an energetic feeling or an emotional feeling. Yes, if a tree is talking to you, it probably is, so you are not crazy! 

Energetic Vibrations and Sensations within our Sacred Energy: Psychedelics take your senses and dial them up a few notches, or more, depending on your dosage. Your Chakras, aka energetic portals via the CNS, are highly activated. You physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually sense everything.

Entities, Archetypes, Beings with Messages, and Feelings of Past Life Experiences: Our physical body (genetics) will carry pieces of consciousness not just from our current life, but our ancestral and past lives as well. Our spiritual body (soul) will carry pieces of consciousness from other lifetimes and beings it has traveled with. All of this is stored in our mind’s consciousness, leading to deep mystical experiences.

Connection to Elements (fire, air, water, earth): There are ancient stories of lost civilizations (pre-ice age) in which the individuals harness a deep connection to all aspects of nature. This includes the sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, and elements (fire, air, water, earth). Their understanding of astrology and life force allowed them to understand energy in a much more spiritual way than we ever will. As the earth’s gravitational and electromagnetic pull was much different 12,000+ years ago, it would be fair to assume that our physical, energetic, and spiritual bodies did as well. Psychedelics can reveal this inherent DNA we have.

Understanding the Higher Self: In essence, psychedelics are simply a cheat code tool to open an energetic portal of manifestation of our truest selves through consciousness. You will see aspects of your soul and then must put in work to integrate and manifest these new unlocked components of your truth.

*NOTE: Not all experiences include mystical concepts. If you have energetic, genetic, traumatic, and mental resistive blockages, these may affect the outcomes of mystical experiences. However, medicine will show you what you need, even if just an emotionally difficult experience.

Be Open to the Darkness: Everything being revealed within a psychedelic experience is not all sunshine and rainbows. There is darkness that may arise, and with that comes an opportunity to find balance and light. This is especially excepted if psychedelic usage is to help with traumas, addictions, and pain. With the right intention, set, setting, and team, we can create resilience and homeostasis to the darkness, and learn how to transmute into light.

It is essential to provide education that difficult psychedelic scenarios are OK, and even embraced. Instead of looking at an experience as a A “bad trip”, we can dive deeper into these difficult energies that arise to promote inner healing, growth, and transformation. Now that disregards a “bad trip” in consideration to a lack of intention, set, setting and energetic processes leading up to the usage of the substance. From a generalized theory, there is something to be said, even if some cases are not realistic, about learning to develop resilience to difficult experiences by more exposure to adversity. By enhancing our awareness of difficult life circumstances that cause negative energetic fields (trauma, anxiety, ect), we open our innate ability to create a new behavior to enhance adaptation to the negative stimuli. This is the true learning teacher of plant medicine, and this is also true in my daily teaching of fitness. In CrossFit we say, learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, to enlighten growth!

More about Psychedelic Medicine: Accountability 101

Medicine 3.0 approach: Psychedelic therapy/medicine goes directly with Dr. Peter Attia’s (Outlive), and my overall mindset of the Medicine 3.0 method. You are the captain of the ship and YOU DO THE WORK. Psychedelics are an extremely useful tool to help rewire the brain to create new habits and view the world from a different perspective.

You still must take long-term action after the experience. Psychedelics put you in a position to evolve from a basic Pokémon to a leveled-up Pokémon. There will still be obstacles and challenges, especially if you are using this medicine for a more intense diagnosis (ex: Mental Health) or completely disregarding other areas of your health (movement, sleep, nutrition, connection, etc.). By being aware of the medicine as a teacher, you will access your inner healer. In addition, with a supportive environment, you can more efficiently ACCESS energetic pathways, or Chakras, to manifest the BEST version of you. The end goal is not relying on the medicine to BE your higher self.

Microdosing: In simplest terms, you can utilize this medicine without the effects of “tripping.” By taking micro amounts (for example: .1-.3g of psilocybin), via a prescribed schedule (every 2-3 days), you can reap all the neurological advancements of the medicine, without having to take a journey. If you are interested, I recommend having a conversation with a professional. If you need a knowledgeable microdosing coach to point you in the right direction, I know a handful of friends from my spiritual tribe to guide you. I have minimal knowledge from my microdosing practices and Vital’s Microdosing course!

Integration 101: Developing a pre-during-post psychedelic journey gameplan is EVERYTHING to have an enlightening experience. There are many components to the concept of integration in psychedelics. Mainly, this focuses on the period AFTER usage, by what new habits you are using to create new and improved neural pathways. However, integration begins as soon as the individual begins a period of curiosity around the experimentation phase of the substance. Here are some concepts of integration, and why it is important as a psychedelic advocate, facilitator, therapist, psychonaut to have these ethics set in place when helping others.

• Expectations and Education: Open conversations and clear expectations about the possibilities of a psychedelic experience (difficult or enlightening).

• Intention/Set/Setting: Understanding the WHY for experimentation of the substance, as well as creating a container (space), for the experience to be professional, safe, and encouraging. Typically, I have learned that a structured group experience is so beneficial to supporting a psychedelic experience.

• Support systems: It is important to know WHO the individuals have in their support system when going back to reality. How does their family/significant other feel about psychedelic usage? Do they have communities with like-minded people to engage with? Do they need a team of therapists, psychiatrists, or doctors to refer to if needed? Do they have practices at home to help them understand and explore the psychedelic experience? Are there practices to help them benefit from the neuroplasticity and create new behaviors?

• Get Physical: One of my messages of wisdom to this community is to find a consistent practice and lifestyle towards the physical energetic development of the body. We will never truly manifest our soul’s potential if we do not honor and balance the energetic roots of being physically grounded. This is within ourselves and within nature! Basically, do more movement, be more aware of your body. Finding a CrossFit gym is a great start!

A Beginners Guide to Psychonautics Review

#GetMadFit Tips: Evolving, Psychedelics and Spirituality

Manifesting 101: I am a firm believer that the universe wants to set us up for success. The universe works best when we are willing to allow it to set us on a path towards our highest selves. Being Gu to receiving the universe and my calling to this persona as a psychonaut is more than just a coincidence of opportunities. It is a two-way street. We need to be energetically aligned to call it into action, if desired. And if the universe has bigger and better plans for you, and you are not energetically aligned, it will find a way to catch your attention. Trust me on that statement. Once your physical energetic body begins to align with the spiritual energetic body, you can then find that you will have a more efficient nervous system path to open to your life’s true purpose. As general as this statement is here are 4 simple rules, I practice to align myself to manifest and achieve what I am meant to be. To attract what my SOUL truly wants.

Be HERE: “Holistically Engaged, Ready to Embrace”

1. Self-Care and Self Love 
2. Gratitude
3. Acceptance and Surrender
4. Take action with and the intent to serve the greater good of the universe/others.

Educate and Appreciate: I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to develop in this fast-growing field of Psychedelics. As these substances become more mainstream, we NEED to prioritize productive conversations to educate all aspects of psychedelics, both light and dark. Just like CrossFit, I believe ANYONE would benefit, but these tools are NOT for everyone. These medicines work best when we are personally aligned to receive the benefits. However, it is interesting that even if you are not aligned via our manifesting rules, psychedelics can show you the path of the universe from different perspectives.

Try Transpersonal Breathwork First: I can confidently say that I felt well prepared to explore psychedelics because of my breathwork experience in Costa Rica (Part 1 article). Breathwork is a gateway to altered states of consciousness that requires no substances. This makes transpersonal breathwork practices a much more accessible way to introduce the logistics of what a ceremony would be like with psychedelics. Breathwork may also be a more approachable option for those who have fears of psychedelics or simply are not ready to begin experimentation (for a variety of reasons). Lastly, breathwork is legal everywhere and FREE! With psychedelics, you strap on the seatbelt and prepare for a ride without your hands on the steering wheel, in the best way possible. When doing breathwork, you have the option to close or open doors within your consciousness at will. From my curiosity, I am excited to see how the usage of psychedelics allowed me to open deeper portals in my consciousness when I go back to transpersonal breathwork practices. 

Psychedelics and Future: It is a great time to be an advocate and educator of these medicines that hold a high potential for improving our society from a Wholistic perspective. I can assure you that the psychedelic renaissance is not slowing down. With all that said, it is important to understand that these substances are within many of our societies. This means that there is still a long road ahead for our culture to grow with these medicines, and I do think there are a handful of downsides to legalizing psychedelics for non-general reasons (such as irresponsible usage). My main concern is these substances becoming so modernized that they lose their sacred value. Honoring the Spirituality of these medicines is just as important to the awakenings and healings people receive. Currently, we are seeing more states on their way to decriminalizing these substances, which would be beneficial in some cases for my concern. As underground development is constant, this may be the best-case scenario to make it accessible to people who need the benefits. This is in respect to both worlds of modern and sacred. 

Who am I Meant to Be? A Path to Be the Fittest Shaman

Ever since embarking on this path as a psychonaut, I have been filled with more questions than answers. I have learned, evolved, and integrated many new aspects into my life in a very short year. My mind is open and clear at the same time. Throughout my spiritual awakenings with Cancer, Costa Rica, Vital, Jamaica, and the opportunities that have come, I am realizing that I have a deep calling to this path as a healer to others. More often than not, I have been making common connections to the concepts of connecting to sacred energy to teach people how to energetically heal themselves. I am by no means saying that I am qualified, however, many traditional principles have made identical commonalities in Shamanism to my modern life circumstances. If this is a path that I continue to pursue, for the greater good to serve others, I might as well put my unique modern twist on the evolved persona…The Fittest Shaman!

Back to Pokémon: 2023, The year of Charmeleon

My practices in connection to my universal purpose have significantly evolved. I practice what I preach, such as exploring consciousness through a variety of practices has made me more aligned and open to manifesting my purpose. 

• Daily Physical (Somatic) Development through my fitness
• Develop a toolbox of ways to improve my whole being (nutrition, reading, ice baths, writing, creative development)
• Daily practices of breathwork, meditation, grounding, and trance states
• Make deeper connections to understanding energy and vibrations via the Chakra System
• Plant medicine integration to guide my spirit
• Weekly Education about Psychedelics and helping others via plant medicine
• Exploring opportunities to develop practical experience in this field
• Connecting and networking with like-minded individuals. Such as my Group 5 study group in Vital. I truly look forward to every Thursday at noon to discuss and integrate all of our learnings! (See Photos below to when we met at retreats!)
• Projecting my evolved self in ways that attach similar vibrations

If we go back to the concepts of Pokemon, I have started to make my evolution from a Charmander to a Charmeleon. As I have been immersed in knowledge and experiences, I still have so much more to learn and explore. There is a potential to evolve into a Charizard, but striving toward that idea will take me out of alignment. My continuing effort to create self-love, gratitude, and acceptance, and taking action will show me that path to evolving if that is what the universe has for me.

Note: All of this information is credited to the Vital program. Education is KEY