Man Walks Again After Shroom-Fueled Festival!
After competing in Physique at the Emerald Cup Bodybuilding Competition, where bodybuilding legend (and partial amputee) Flex Wheeler appeared, I stumbled upon a story that challenged everything I thought about healing.
Traditionally studied for their impact on mental health, psychedelic drugs are now capturing the attention of researchers for their potential role in aiding physical recovery.
My Goals
This emerging field of research investigates how these substances might influence the body’s healing processes.
Today, I will explore how psychedelics may be working their magic.
You’ll learn how drugs such as magic mushrooms may enhance physical recovery by targeting a neurotransmitter, taming inflammation, and facilitating brain rewiring.
A Story of Paralysis
November 2014. A split second in Chile.
A snowkiting accident.
Jim Harris, the mountaineering instructor turned adventure photographer, felt his world shift beneath him.
A recent article in Outside magazine explored the remarkable story of Jim Harris, a mountain athlete whose life took a dramatic turn after a snowkiting accident in 2014 left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Gone were the days of scaling frozen peaks and capturing breathtaking vistas.
His new reality was a harsh symphony of endless gym sessions, battling to regain movement in his paralyzed right leg.
Harris Goes To A Music Festival
Then, a glimmer of hope.
A chance invitation from a friend, a former physical therapist, to the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, California.
It was a lifeline thrown across the chasm of his despair, an opportunity to escape the confines of his rehabilitation and feel like a regular 33-year-old again, even for a fleeting moment.
He Feels Isolated
Outside Magazine gives us the rest of the story.
The festival pulsed with music, a vibrant counterpoint to the monotonous rhythm of his rehab routine.
Settling into the festival atmosphere amidst towering trees and rolling hills, Jim felt like an outsider.
Spirits Dampened
Alcohol was off-limits, further dampening his spirits.
His walker, adorned with LED lights in a futile attempt at festivity, only underscored his limitations.
“Disability” — the word hung heavy, a constant reminder of his isolation.
Then He Eats Magic Mushrooms
Then, an unexpected offer: magic mushrooms.
Driven by a desperate desire to experience genuine enjoyment, Jim accepted.
Could these mind-altering fungi be the key to unlocking a shred of normalcy?
His memory latched onto the spectacle above a canvas of pink and orange hues bleeding across the sunset, the clouds morphing into mesmerizing patterns that seemed to repeat endlessly.
It was a captivating display, a stark contrast to the monotony of his rehab routine.
Things Get Weird
The pulsing music of the Denver jam band thrummed in the background, a faint echo compared to the symphony of colors exploding across the sky.
The sunset, a masterpiece of bleeding pinks and oranges, was the true spectacle for Jim.
While others reveled in the music with the aid of hallucinogens, a different kind of magic unfolded for him.
Borrowing a friend’s padded knee scooter to rest his legs, Jim swayed to the beat, the rhythm an undeniable force.
But then, something extraordinary happened.
Mid-sway, a movement long absent returned. He lifted his right foot, which had been impossible since the accident.
Hope, a fragile ember, flickered to life within him. A tentative tap on his right hamstring sent a jolt — the muscle, unresponsive for eight grueling months despite physiotherapy and aquatic exercises, contracted!
He hadn’t dared to dream of this movement, a flicker of life in a limb resigned to paralysis.
How Might Psychedelic Drugs Have Worked?
You probably know about the mind-altering effects of psychedelic drugs.
LSD. Magic mushrooms. Psilocybin.
But did you know that psychedelics are being investigated for their potential mental health benefits?
Here are some potential ways psychedelic use may have given back Harris’ leg function:
- Targeting Serotonin: Psychedelics might interact with serotonin receptors in the body, which play a role in various functions, including healing.
- Taming Inflammation: Drugs such as magic mushrooms might help reduce inflammation, a process linked to many health problems.
- Boosting Brain Rewiring: The mind-altering drugs might also promote neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new connections, which could be crucial for recovery after injury.
Or do psychedelics change sensory perception in a significant and long-lasting way?
While this is an exciting area of research, it’s still early days.
More studies are needed to fully understand the potential benefits and risks of using psychedelics for physical healing.
Our Protagonist – Man Walks Again After Shroom-Fueled Festival
A sliver of doubt crept in as dawn broke.
Did he imagine it all?
Had the flicker of movement been a cruel illusion? But as Jim stirred, a reassuring response came from his body.
His hamstring, once silent, still fired with a faint echo of the previous night’s surprise.
The newfound connection, forged amidst the music and light show, hadn’t vanished.
Harris still takes two high-dose psychedelic trips a year and two to four moderate-dose trips a year. He believes these practices support his emotional and physical healing.
I’ll close with Harris’ words in Outside magazine:
“Psychedelics both are the way and merely point to the way.”
Very zen.
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