There was a podcast I listened to where a bitcoiner talked about his experience going to Mexico (I think) and taking a psychedelic. It was done in this hospital setting and they were monitoring him trying to make sure he has a “safe trip.” But he had a bad reaction to it and got super paranoid. He thought they were aliens or something and that they were going to kill him. He started planning his escape while they were trying to keep him there long enough for the trip to end so he doesn’t hurt himself. I don’t remember the episode title but i believe it was on what Bitcoin did. It was pretty funny but in the end, after he came to his senses, he had a new and profound appreciation for life. The problem is that people who try psychedelics misattribute where their benefits are coming from. Our brains are like balances, if you push down on one side of the scale, then the other side goes up. But it can’t stay that way, it has to return to equilibrium. And the balance is regulated by dopamine. If you press down on the pleasure side, then your sensitivity to pain will increase. If you press down on pain, then your sensitivity to pleasure will increase. This is why food tastes so much better after being hungry for a really long time. And this is why eating the same delicious ice cream starts to make you nauseous after the 3rd bowl. People often say that the most difficult life experiences were the most beneficial to them. This is what I think is happening to people that take psychedelics like ayahuasca and have intense trips. They’re basically inducing a lot of discomfort which raises their sensitivity to pleasure. That’s why they feel so much better after the trip ends. Looking at the sky becomes a pleasurable experience. A refugee of war that survives and finds a new home will appreciate the little things in life. While someone who was pampered his whole life will have his day ruined if the internet goes down for an hour. In modern society, we are so addicted to dopamine that any discomfort is extremely intolerable and this makes us need higher levels of stimulation and pleasure just to feel content. So our baseline for happiness keeps increasing because our dopamine sensitivity is fried. Dopamine is the human equivalent of a difficulty adjustment. And you can create discomfort in your own life to raise your sensitivity for pleasure by doing things like taking a cold shower, working out, sitting in silence, meditating, etc. A runner’s high is a good example of this. Running puts your body under a lot of discomfort but there are people who reach a state of bliss after running for a long time. Their brains have adapted to the discomfort and become highly sensitive to dopamine. Pretty crazy but that’s what is happening. This is also why sex is a better experience after you delay it. The tension is uncomfortable and makes your dopamine more sensitive, so when you finally have sex it feels a lot better. Your brain is constantly trying to find equilibrium with dopamine levels. In some cases, you can argue that depression is the result of low dopamine sensitivity. Psychedelics can be helpful at making a dramatic change in that dopamine balance because the experience is so intense and uncomfortable. And once you start it, you can’t stop. Someone that tries to do a cold plunge has the option of exiting at anytime. But the psychedelic experience has to be completed. If you have brainrot from dopamine maxing on TikTok, junk food, and porn with no self discipline, then a psychedelic might be a quick shortcut to reset your brain chemistry. But it’s not necessary if you can just put yourself in uncomfortable situations that are not dangerous. And if you go back to the same unbalanced dopamine maxing lifestyle, your problems will eventually return. That’s my understanding of psychedelics.