Athletes & Psychedelics
Athletes’ Perspective on Psychedelics & its Function in Sports as Medicine
What some might consider quite a contentious issue, Wake Network hosted a panel of guests to give their perspective on the role psychedelics play in helping athletes improve their physical and mental health & well-being.
Please tune in to our Twitter Spaces Recording for a truly deep dive into the world of psychedelics within the sporting arena and beyond.
An Introduction
This Twitter Spaces session is not one you want to miss, as there are nuggets of wisdom to be found within that transcend the confines of athletics, as well as the psychedelics space as a whole.
For as long as psychedelics have pervaded the human psyche, there is still so much to unpack, learn & understand as the industry (from a modern medical perspective, at least), continues to grow and break boundaries.
Psychedelic medicine is very much in its infancy - a burgeoning industry full of possibility and promise. Against the backdrop of scientific validation, however, society struggles to come to grips with psychedelic’s place amidst traditional medicine.
Many people envision psychedelics as mere recreational hallucinogens, as they remain stuck in a past fraught with misconception and stigma surrounding these extremely misunderstood substances.
One such compound – psilocybin – found itself unfairly demonized for many years, as the ‘war on drugs’ swept the consciousness of a nation, convincing the world of the dangers of ‘magic mushrooms’, condemning it to its (largely still) ‘Schedule I’ narcotic status.
It didn’t really matter that these ‘dangers’ weren’t solidly grounded in evidence and truth. An agenda was being pushed, and the science that would eventually legitimize the medicinal value of psilocybin was defunded and rejected.
Fast forward to the 2020’s, and the scientific literature abounds with evidence to support the countless anecdotal truths we’ve known for centuries, yet have chosen to overlook in obedience to status quo indoctrination.
Certainly, there are dangers inherent to the recreational (often mindless) consumption of almost every drug or substance known to humankind, and it’s probably a good idea to remain skeptically cautious whenever ‘Big Pharma’ becomes overly-enthusiastic in wanting to synthesize a naturally-occurring substance within a clinical setting (in anticipation or prospect of massive profit-incentives).
Yet, between the extreme lines of ‘illicit recreational magic mushroom consumption’ and ‘the race to schedule psilocybin pharmaceutically’ exists a community of individuals and companies truly committed to the mental & physical well-being of others through the recognition that safe, controlled and intentional ingestion of certain plant-medicine has the potential to completely change lives in ways that traditional medication has simply failed to achieve.
Athletes, particularly, have woken up to the fact that their mental & physical wellness is being underserved via the status quo methodologies put in place.
And, as you will learn when listening to the Twitter Space session mentioned above:
Education is key to breaking the stigma surrounding psychedelics and encouraging mass-adoption when it comes to its use by athletes in order to overcome both physical & mental health conditions;
Psychedelics (such as psilocybin) support neuroplasticity in the brain, meaning those suffering from TBIs (Traumatic Brain Injuries) can potentially accelerate the healing process when placed on a properly-formulated regimen of psychedelics; and
Many athlete’s mental health suffers as a result of a ‘loss of self’, ‘loss of purpose’, as well as an ‘incapacity to separate their identity from their career in athletics’. Psychedelics really help players transition gracefully out of their career ‘as an athlete’ by ‘letting go’ (as it were) of their ‘ego’, allowing them to ‘find themselves’ and achieve greatness in another area or arena; something they might otherwise have found difficult to do on their own.
Psychedelics most definitely have their place in athletics but, as the collective consciousness continues to evolve in terms of attitudes and perceptions, there are many issues to consider going forward, such as what procedures/practices can be implemented to best serve athletes, which entities/organizations can (or even should) get involved, as well as which individuals are prime candidates for these alternative medicative solutions.
All of the above (and more) is discussed here and, whether you are an athlete considering psychedelics as a viable route in achieving optimum mental, physical and/or spiritual health, or are simply curious about psychedelics, its applications and various use-cases, this enlightening conversation will most definitely not disappoint.