If you are about to embark on a private guided session with me or a Rewired retreat, you’re about to enter one of the most transformative and beautiful experiences of your life. It can create lasting changes in your nervous system, rewiring your ability to connect with your own emotions, your ability to process hard things, and your capacity to connect with others in a deep and loving way.
You may also experience a much deeper connection with yourself afterwards, an ability to think more clearly, to intuitively know what you want, and a sense of inner knowingness you’ve never accessed before. You may also experience increased depth in your meditations, prayers, and breathwork. Your nervous system may also release a lot of emotional weight and baggage that it no longer needs to carry, giving you a sense of lightness and joy you’ve rarely if ever accessed.
This Guide: an overview of relevant research, podcasts, documentaries and preparation including supplements before your session:
In this short guide, I’m going to break down some of the additional supplements you’ll want to take in addition to podcasts, videos, and books you may enjoy for further reading and learning.
For preparation and for long-term, optimal brain health and wellness use the following supplements in addition to other supplements you may be taking.
Take the recommended dose on the bottle ideally in the days leading up:
- 5 HTP: help raise serotonin levels in the brain. Since serotonin helps regulate mood and behavior, 5-HTP may have a positive effect on sleep, mood, anxiety, appetite, and pain sensation. 5-HTP is not found in the foods we eat, although tryptophan is found in foods. Take before bed but not the night before or day of ceremony or private session.
- Gaba: Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid that functions as the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter for the central nervous system (CNS). It functions to reduce neuronal excitability by inhibiting nerve transmission. Take before bed but not the night before or day of ceremony or private session.
- Magnesium: This specially patented magnesium really boosts your sleepy. I love it and have noticed a significant improvement in sleep. Magnesium is most common nutrient deficiency in the western diet actually and has significant drawbacks when deficient-less sleep, aging, muscle tremors, etc). Before bed is ideal.
- Kanna Extract: called Nature’s MDMA, it also helps elevate feelings of joy and helps the amygdala self-regulate.This is my favorite brand of kanna.
- Colostrum for gut lining and gut health. With PTSD, heightened stress, it can do a lot of damage on your gut lining so you’ll want to proactively rebuild your gut and that’s the best one for that.
- Jinfiniti NAD optimization supplement (my #1 supplement for peak energy, mental clarity/performance and cellular health). Use discount code restore20. Some can have what feels like a mild hangover the day after the ceremony-I did the 1st time doing the medicine, but the 10 times since no hangover and partly because I am proactive with building up my neurotransmitters and NAD levels which are prevalent in this supplement. NAD is the primary fuel source for ATP and mitochondria and is central in keeping your energy levels naturally high and in slowing aging as well as healthy brain function. Take 2x p/day. Once in morning, once in afternoon with cold water. Ideally let sit on your tongue for 30 seconds.
- Super Omega’s 3’s: 1000+ mg of EPA or DHA fatty acids are the equivalent to the effect of an SSRI (antidepressant) for about 60% of the population (heard on Huberman Labs podcast though I don’t know original source). They’re also really good for brain health for all adults as your brain needs a lot of healthy fats. You’ll take 3x of these p/day.
- Goldenrulemushrooms.com: one of the best psilocybin source for microdosing and full journeys. They ship direct to you. Use code “Mike” for 10% off.
- HAPPY DROPS: Saffron has been shown to really boost your mood and is a great nutrient to be taking regularly.
- No alcohol the night before, the day of, or the day after.
For Adrenal Fatigue/Low Energy:
- Adrenals (Ancestral)
- Vitamin B complex
My favorite nootropics (for focus and energy):
- Genius Consciousness: gives your brain energy and focus for your most productive work sessions.
- Genius Mindfulness: centering, calming, great stack with the Genius Consciousness.
- Ujido Matcha: the best matcha I’ve ever had from an ancient matcha growing region of Japan. Steady energy release. Calming, focusing, and anti-aging too.
See the Results First Hand:
- Listen to Candice share the story of how impactful it was for her and her husband in a podcast interview the day after their private session: Candice is a noted podcaster, influencer and entrepreneur after we did a VIP session with her and her husband…and the amazing results the day after (which have continued weeks later).
- Here raw unedited stories of people’s experience during a private session or retreat.
In the next section I’m going to breakdown the top things to watch, listen, and read.
From recent articles:
- Can MDMA save a marriage?
- Can Psychedelics Revolutionize Couples Therapy?
- How Psychedelics Saved Our Marriage (my article in Biohacker Magazine February 2024)
- FDA’s advisory panel’s controversial vote on mdma and whether MDMA will get approved.
- Podcast on the FDA’s advisory committee vote
What to Watch:
- Michael Pollen’s Netflix Series on How to Change Your Mind is great.
- Roland Griffiths TED talk: 70% of participants said it was one of the most profound experience of their lives.
- Dr. Gabor Mate on Tim Ferriss: Healing Trauma and more.
- Michael Pollan’s 30 Min talk at Pioneers.
- How to Reprogram the Mind by Dr. Bruce Lipton
- The Real Risks of Psychedelics by Matthew Johnson
- Why Andrew Huberman Changed his Mind about Psychedelics
- Neuroplasticity and Psychedelics from my friend Dr. Manesh Girn
- Couples Therapy on MDMA
What to listen to:
- Kanna, a Gentle Alley for Opening the Heart
- Dr. Andrew Weil: the future of healing through Psychedelics
- Dr. Andrew Huberman on Psychedelics
- Claim Your Power NLP Meditation by Mike Zeller
Some Relevant Research links:
- MDMA cost comparisons and savings
- Psychedelics reopen social reward critical learning period
- Drug Harm: Safety and Efficacy of Psychedelics (see graph below from the study and Real Risks of Psychedelics video from Matthew Johnson)
- The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelics
- PTSD/Trauma’s Effect on the Immune System (Auto-immune Diseases).
- Why are Women Far More Likely to Get an Auto-Immune Disease (Stanford article)
Psychedelic treatments in the news, approval status and more:
Additional interviews and research on the relevance of NAD, nutrition, gut health and more on your brain and mental health:
What to read (or listen to on Audible or Scribd.com):
- Healing Trauma by Dr. Peter Levine
- Myth of Normal by Dr. Gabor Mate
- Art of Impossible by Steven Kotler (all about Flow State)
- The Theradelic Approach by Sunny Strasburg
- Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza
- Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by Dr. David Hawkins
- The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel Van Del Kolk
- Internal Family Systems by Dr. Richard Schwartz
Images:
Safety and efficacy: What the research, initially published in 2010 clearly demonstrates is that the safety of MDMA (ecstasy), psilocybin, and LSD are far safer and do far less harm than alcohol (most dangerous), tobacco, and cannabis as comparisons. See original research here.
Length of Critical Period Reopening: the acute and the critical window show how you experience a massive surge in neuroplasticity for a short window (acute) and then a prolonged period of neuroplasticity increase (critical period) that is similar to being a small child where your brain is very adaptive and absorbent. Utilizing both of these windows intentionally and effectively to rewire your nervous system, heal and integrate traumas and to rewire yourself for peak performance is vital. It’s like the ski slopes of your mind have been blanketed with fresh white powder and you just need the proper guidance to create new neuro grooves. Plus, during these windows, especially the acute windows, your nervous system is especially open to healing deeper levels of pain, ptsd, and trauma. Original article in Nature Magazine: Psychedelics Reopen the Social Reward Learning Critical Period.
