00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.120
microdosing itself for me getting over it.
00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:08.240
I think I did that on my own, like entirely throughout the the year.
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And then microdosing just allowed me to, yeah, I guess like do some extra processing now.
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Maybe on some things I wasn't quite like aware that I hadn't processed, you know.
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Uh-huh.
00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:25.199
Uh yeah, so it just it's just that a little bit of assistance in the healing journey.
00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:31.519
Today's guest is Keisha Julius, a content creator documenting her recovery after a car accident left her paralyzed.
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Keisha has added psychedelics to her recovery story as she shares her brave journey of hard work, positivity, and microdosing.
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Welcome to the Human Journeys Podcast by States of Mind.
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Real people, real stories, life-changing conversations of personal growth and healing.
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Okay, we're here with Keisha Julius.
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Keisha, thank you for joining us.
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Thank you for having me.
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Yeah welcome to the Human Journeys podcast.
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I think as far as human journeys go, you have a real interesting one.
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I think you're you're you're the perfect uh candidate.
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When I saw your story online, I said that's there's a human journey going on over there.
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Uh yeah.
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Why don't you give a brief introduction to to your story, however you feel like uh yeah sure.
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So um basically I uh got into a car accident that led to a spinal cord injury and this was in November of 2024 so about a little over a year and a half ago and I um you know it it led to me becoming paralyzed from like the chest level down.
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And uh and so basically I just knew right away that I wanted to share the journey so I was just started recording and asked for help recording and I didn't really know what was going to come of it.
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I figured and I just compiled a lot of footage before I started posting and then um I was just focusing on like the healing aspect like what what is my life now becoming you know being in this new body and so it's been a long journey but basically I'm here now because I I discovered through another podcast the like the effects of microdosing on a paralyzed body um I that was all very under undershared or under I guess talked about in the community and normalized pretty fast that that psychedelics or mushrooms they just increase spasticity in the body and spasticity is basically it's described as like uncontrollable muscular movements in a paralyzed body so um yes for those who don't know spasticity um is pretty common once you become paralyzed like it can be initiated from just like going from sitting to laying down your legs will just kick straight out often you'll have different it'll show up differently for everybody.
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So I heard on a podcast on the Live to Walk Again podcast and it was episode 179.
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I think everyone should check it out because it's really informative on the effects on a paralyzed body um and the reason why I want them to check it out is because there's a lot of safety safety that needs to be considered with it because it can be dangerous to um experiment with mushrooms.
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And the reason why is because we uh can't regulate our body temperature and so when you take mushrooms you can become hypothermic and overheat and so basically yeah I'm just sharing my journey um making that discovery and being very open about what it is like what I can do because there's some benefits.
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So it helps turn on my muscles I can stand up with some assistance um because if you take a certain amount certain potency it'll turn my my muscles will use their full strength um in their legs at least temporarily for and that's how it shows up in spasticity.
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So then I use that to help with training to hopefully lead towards recovery or at least document what it does.
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I'm not gonna uh say it's promising anything yeah um miraculous but I am just a human like you said like I'm just a regular person sharing um the entire process and what I do with it until I get another, I don't know, I guess intuitive moment to try something else.
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That's a there's so much there.
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I guess we'll uh yeah just take like a brief moment to say that and I'm glad you mentioned that podcast and we'll link to it uh because it seems like your your journey is definitely like a like a human one and and you you say it on your on your Instagram page that you're this is this is like a self-experiment you're just documenting your journey so I guess just for um just to be responsible we'll say that like this is just your experience like you're not a doctor like yeah exactly and we'll just like take a moment there because states of mind and our work is is like very like um expert backed and we like to back things up with science but this is the human journeys podcast this is like these are human stories so um yeah I guess like disclaimer this is this is a story and and anyone who's listening you know should should check things out for themselves and you know I guess we may take a second also here to say like the research around how this could be working how psilocybin could be working for situations like yours is still pretty like new and uh you know so it you know double disclaimer it hasn't been proven in trials and all like all of that it's like and any there is some research on how it could be working on inflammation and neuroplasticity and all those things but it is still quite early level research.
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So got that out of the way these is these are these are not formal medical recommendations for anyone this is Keisha's story.
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This is Keisha's story perfect now I can just say whatever I want yeah exactly you should go crazy um so uh yeah I guess maybe let's let's go and like chronologically so you had your I don't know if you use the word accident like I don't know yeah I I guess I just describe it as an accident uh oopsie oopsie daisy I uh yeah and that was um I had my accident and then I so I do have prior experience you know microdosing and taking mushrooms beforehand so I did have an understanding of what that was like yeah so that's important to know I knew I knew what it was like to take higher doses and to microdose.
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Um and so yeah I felt very comfortable with it I think there are some people that have spinal cord injuries that had never tried it before um and that I couldn't imagine like the first time trying it trying it with spinal cord injury just because of the um physical bodily effects uh but yeah so I had my accident in November a few months out it was probably about three months I started microdosing or at least I tried my first dose three months fresh from the accident I still had like a back brace on um and things were still so sensitive so fresh the the way it showed up was I was still having like I had lots of tingles in my body lots of pain and um was still you know trying to learn how to even move my body like scoot from side to side and lift it up um so still getting a lot of assistance everywhere and then we heard that podcast me and my partner and I was like okay let me give it a shot and I tried it uh safely at home with you know my partner around and family around and we kind of like took it and then you don't really think about it and it's it's pretty immediate once it hits.
00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:16.080
So once it hits about it could be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour I don't know it could be earlier I don't know depends on how you metabolize it.
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Um and then all of a sudden it's just like whoa my legs were just like okay we're gonna kick out now we're gonna we're going now and so I um and it's in you know because I'm paralyzed from here down it also activates the stomach muscles so that is what sends me backwards and could send somebody backwards and uh so so yeah I was just kind of flopping around in bed and being like well this is crazy there's something like like alive like woke everything up in my body and um we started moving around with some or messing around with some movements like I was twisting and turning in bed just kind of like you know as best as I could trying to see with my legs kind of like doing this crazy kicking out motion just to see what would happen and I and I remember thinking I was tripping right I was like okay I think I saw my leg kick when I wanted it to and then I told myself yeah sorry to jump in for a second were these kind of spasticity moments common before you had microdose or was this completely new at that at that point for you or in the way that it shows up it was it was new um so spasticity you do like for me it looked like before dosing it just looked like I would um kick out like extension extensure I think is what's called um and so I would just kick out straight and just do completely flexed pointed toes when I went into laying down and then uh if I was in sitting I would grab my leg and my leg would start jumping every now and then you know like it wasn't all the time and so it's pretty it's just like it's just like tone.
00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:26.960
There's another term tone and spasticity it just looks like I have high tone.
00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:53.200
Um spasticity is I think those more jolty movements the you know and so that's how it showed up it was all of a sudden like my leg my knee would come up like this and then kick out up kick out based on how it was moving my body and so and you felt and that shows up differently but yeah.
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And and you've you felt moments of control maybe uh I felt yeah I remember thinking like oh I'm crazy this didn't happen and telling myself like I didn't even tell anybody that I felt that way and so I just held on to that and um and uh I think with more time just having like I had to take a a bit of a break I think just adapting to the new life I didn't take microdosing with a serious regiment.
00:12:28.960 --> 00:13:27.039
So I then revisited it after I got more comfortable so about a few months ago I'd say I got more comfortable with um with uh you know I've already adapted to this life I've gained independence and been able to do relearn how to do things on my own and then I decided to take up microdosing more strictly and then I think that um that's when I was like this is amazing I've gone through all the different kinds of therapies to like hook my muscles up to stimulation pads and paying like$200 an hour you know like it's it's crazy and I just felt so I was getting burnt out from that and then I realized I was like oh I can just take a microdose and it'll send those signals back down.
00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:28.879
So then I was like what am I doing?
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Like I should revisit this and try to um and again you know it's a story of self-experimentation.
00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:43.519
So I was also frustrated with the fact how little was out there.
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So I decided to just put it all out there.
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And yeah so far so good.
00:13:49.679 --> 00:14:03.679
I think that there's still some concerns with the fact that it's it's not quite accepted but I am I am just still going to just keep going because I feel like that's more important is just to keep sharing as much as I can.
00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:22.879
And in and I know it's entirely anecdotal but um I always felt comfort in hearing at least an individual story and you know we go on Reddit for a reason right we go on these uh things to hear what other people experience so so yeah that's mine.
00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:57.600
Uh yeah you're like your the documenting of your story is I mean it's not only like your your your posts are not only about microdose right it's just your your document your story in general um but that you know are are you becoming the the microdosing poster child for the paralyzed community I mean um I think so and like that's definitely you know credit to the people that shared it with me uh Dr.
00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:06.480
David McMillan and uh Devin Colbert are or Colbert I think are the ones that they're on that podcast that did it themselves.
00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:08.480
And um well Dr.
00:15:08.639 --> 00:16:58.080
David McMillan is a neuroscientist and and then David or Devin is a a paraplegic and so so yeah credit to them but I have sort of become like the one that people are reaching out to about uh okay what do I do uh what are the protocols what should I do for the you know kind of for advice and so that's when I'm you know I am just have having to share that I am just a person with a very specific spinal cord injury um and I have my recommendations from what I've you know experienced personally and I always just say like the smaller the better because it'll say in this podcast too um but if you know somebody with a spinal cord injury or you have one um we both found like I just re-listened to it because the we both found out that at 0.5 which is 500 milligrams 0.5 grams is when that temperature regulation we experience the temperature regulation um uh issues kick in so uh that's when you will become really hot um and hypothermic and so just imagine you know like I've I've I've received a lot of product and looked at how they dose it out and often it's like 0.1 you know they'll be in those typically it's 0.1 is microdose but the like median amount is like around 0.5 I've seen and so that's a big just being careful.
00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:12.559
Yeah I'm like just be careful with just 0.5 because I realized this whole time I was taking like less than 0.1 and I was still seeing my muscles kind of activate and the spasticity sort of turn on.
00:17:12.799 --> 00:19:07.920
And so I the topic was the when does it become you know remove the psychoactive yeah generally a 0.5 is up is the upper upper it's almost not even a microdose anymore like you know 0.1 yeah it's like definitely point to 0.25 like when you get to half a gram you're starting you're starting to flirt with uh you're you're out of microdose you're starting to get out of out of microdosing territory um so yeah you would start to feel maybe some other effects um so yeah it's interesting how I mean if you were you were at such a small dose at point one or under point one and you I mean you would still have I mean did you feel that you your body was more sensitive to things after the incidents as compared to before um you know that there's like like to the just dosing in general I guess yeah um yeah it's uh something that I'm still so new at experiencing but with um talking with many people and also like I uh did an interview with Jessica Haber Shadow Jesca she's been paralyzed for 30 years and she microdosed for six months before she and then she was able to get some movement back so she got on video of her being able to kind of like clench and kick out her leg slightly and um but that's something that I think that you know she again too is pioneering her own like journey of self-experimentation and so we can't really like define okay what it was that did this.
00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:19.680
I just stayed consistent so I feel like consistency was the big thing that I took from it and so she described it as energy returning back to her legs first.
00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:42.319
So that and that sense of awareness of your legs because if when you're paralyzed you sort of lose awareness um in space and so then so I feel that building if I were to just to describe early on what this like I'm still within like the first couple months of the microdosing journey.
00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:54.799
So I feel energy is returning to my legs I feel slight more sensitivity like even pressure like I brushed my leg the other day and it wasn't like that hard.
00:19:54.960 --> 00:20:04.720
I was just kind of doing this and I felt like the tingles where my hands were so it's it's definitely a journey.
00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:34.480
I am not making claims I am just saying like again it's just experimenting and seeing what happens um and often I have heard too it's while the dose is in your system so you know if it's off I don't think you have the same amount of like uh core stability like I think all of that enhances while you're on the dose but that's just my take on it right now.
00:20:34.720 --> 00:21:59.440
Um I've I think I've seen so you're you'll take it sometimes while you're doing your therapy your uh physical your physical therapy so you'll microdose uh in advance of you doing your your PE or your and and and um you you find that that's giving you is like it's improving potentially improving your physical therapy uh yes I think so because um because of uh especially with getting like assistance with getting certain movements in um I think it just again it enhances that ability for you to kind of rewire your brain into uh focused movements or repetitive movements and so um just allowing that uh that I guess like extra supplement or that support of that supplement helps like again it's kind of like taking pre-workout like you're getting your it helps with kind of mood energy and um just priming yourself for the gym so I'm not yeah like I'm not there are some athletes who've reported increased performance on psychedelics like focus
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.400
Uh from microdose even to higher doses.
00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:10.319
I think I saw like a Joe Rogan episode where some fighters and uh would microdose and they felt you know increased focus.
00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:20.000
They could be in the moment, you know, they could they would they would be hyper even uh experience like hyper focus uh psychedelics.
00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:29.039
So uh yeah, I mean there's so many un not medically uh confirmed reasons why, right?
00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:37.359
So there's like neuroplasticity and then there's anti-inflammation, there's pain relief, there's like just uh anti-anxiety relief, you know.
00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:42.799
Maybe you're you're able to focus better because you know, there's there's mental health relief from psychedelics.
00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:46.319
There's so many, you know, we don't know why it feels good for you.
00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:54.880
Um, you know, maybe like a couple of you know more difficult questions like placebo effect is also a thing.
00:22:55.359 --> 00:23:01.440
I don't want not discrediting what you're feeling whatsoever, but like I, you know, I microdose.
00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:05.839
Are there times where and I think it's working for my own stuff?
00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:08.799
Uh, you know, could that be real?
00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:09.519
I don't know.
00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:11.440
Have you thought about that?
00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:12.400
Yeah, yeah.
00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:26.559
I think placebo is a really uh interesting topic with with what I'm doing, because I'm also sharing like the manifestation and belief paired with this microdosing.
00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:33.599
And so um, or at least it come it came about while I was sharing that journey of manifestation.
00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:38.559
So this idea of the placebo, I totally believe in.
00:23:38.799 --> 00:23:48.240
Um the it's kind of like, you know, again, connecting back to like Joe Dispens's work and he had that book, You Are the Placebo.
00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:55.279
And I was, you know, recommended that book a bunch of times, like to early on in this journey.
00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:58.319
Um, and that is really what I'm sharing.
00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:16.319
I feel like as far as experimentation goes, I am seeing what it is like and sharing what it is like to pair that that belief system with, you know, the experience of having a spinal cord injury.
00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:24.319
Um, because even in his book, he shares his own personal story of having um a spinal cord injury himself.
00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:32.640
I think he dealt with a spinal compression of some sort, a really extreme um injury.
00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:42.000
And and then, you know, coming out of the hospital and being able to walk and uh obtaining a recovery, right?
00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:48.880
Uh and to me, I'm like, I'm not just like following like a specific like way of doing things.
00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:54.079
I'm just, you know, I'm just sharing that that that has been recommended to me a lot.
00:24:54.319 --> 00:25:15.200
But um, yeah, this idea of the placebo, uh I think two, I have to share that I was also in a clinical trial and I um I just found out that I I I have made improvements, but I was I was in the placebo group.
00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:19.759
Um and I really thought I wasn't like they got me good.
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:28.640
And so I think too that that kind of affirmed the placebo effect within myself.
00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:30.559
Um and you're okay with that?
00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:33.119
How do you feel about being placeboed?
00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:34.960
Um, I feel great.
00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:43.599
Like I think that it's uh I after the fact though, too, they were like, okay, now you're gonna receive it.
00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:50.240
Um they're like, gotcha.
00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:51.920
Yeah, double placeboed.
00:25:52.400 --> 00:26:07.200
Um and so yeah, I actually I was actually relieved when I found out because I think going into it, you know that you could be receiving the placebo, you could not be.
00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:16.079
Yeah, it was the not knowing that created that that sense of that unease, you know, you're just sitting there like wondering.
00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:21.279
And I feel like they did something in the trial that made me be like, oh, I know I got it now.
00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:26.319
Like I I'm not the placebo uh in this trial.
00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:33.920
And it switched something on, and then I was like, Yes, I'm receiving, I'm seeing uh improvements.
00:26:34.079 --> 00:26:46.000
Like it uh it totally worked, and so that's why it's definitely a practice to work on this whole belief aspect of things.
00:26:46.240 --> 00:26:59.599
Um it's also something I think we put too much practice in at times, and I am just trying to share like that side of things paired with this microdurcing journey.
00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:00.640
See what it does.
00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:02.720
Yeah, you're right.
00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:03.119
Yeah.
00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:11.119
I mean, um worst case scenario, uh you're you're people you can be motivated.
00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:23.359
Um and even if it's placebo, I mean, if if it's if it's motivating you, if it's uh giving you, you know, go bringing you to physical therapy with a with a fresher mindset and a positive mindset.
00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:30.319
I mean, uh right, like might as well achieve your dreams in the process, like side effect.
00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:31.279
Yeah.
00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:33.039
There's like really no losing.
00:27:33.119 --> 00:27:34.079
So yeah.
00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:36.079
Um all right.
00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:51.759
So yeah, I guess so have you run into resistance when it comes to I mean, has there been a therapist or a doctor or a family member who's told you, Gasha, what are you doing?
00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:59.359
You know, taking drugs, taking drugs, not in your not in your state, in your condition.
00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:01.759
No, I actually didn't have any of that.
00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:11.519
I think I um I uh yeah, I I only recently like everyone kind of find found out, I guess, like through online.
00:28:14.079 --> 00:28:18.480
And then they were like, okay, why, you know, what are these packages?
00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:22.720
Like, why uh and I was like, Yeah, they're mushrooms, that's it.
00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:50.799
And they were just like immediately kind of like, huh, okay, like what do you mean, you know, and there was a little bit of confusion, but um curiosity, and I think just because they they um they could just see it in me, and I'm like, I'm so assured with it that they're not worried, like, you know, so um I think maybe they're worried for themselves, you know.
00:28:50.880 --> 00:29:08.799
I think there's always that fear that like, oh, I'm gonna lose myself, I'm gonna lose my mind, or you know, uh as far as like escape the escapism part of reality, or there's just the experiencing psychedelics in their in their like higher dosed form, right?
00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:17.759
Um so they I I actually think I introduced or like exposed like some of my family members to the idea of microdosing.
00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:26.720
When I thought everyone kind of knew about it, but um yeah, but I I had to tell them I'm like I'm not tripping every time I take this.
00:29:26.880 --> 00:29:29.759
Like it's it's I can hardly tell.
00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:34.400
Like the point is that I can't tell, you know, mentally that it's there.
00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:40.640
So yeah, I've had to I've had to explain that hundreds of times over this career of mine.
00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:43.119
Yeah, I know that conversation very well.
00:29:43.359 --> 00:29:59.440
Um so uh I mean you seem to be a um positive, hopeful person in general, from what I could see, uh considering your your uh your situation, uh you're not necessarily the easiest.
00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:08.160
And um so I I commend you with that anyways, but uh has microdosing added some hope for you?
00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:10.319
Yes, for sure.
00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:35.279
I mean, the microdosing aside from the hope of the physical side effects, um the thing that I think we people in the community already know this, but just to reaffirm that microdosing, it doesn't just like make you feel good um daily, I think that's a misconception.
00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:41.279
Um, yes, you feel I think overall, I felt I feel good most of the time.
00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:46.079
The thing that it does is it allows some things to come up too for me to work through them.
00:30:46.319 --> 00:31:01.839
So the therapeutic side of having to navigate this new life and it's it's allowed me to kind of like process things um as they come up instead of you know holding them in.
00:31:02.160 --> 00:31:12.720
Um so I could imagine for some people they might be like, okay, I don't really want to, you know, that to happen, but that truly is one of the side effects I experienced.
00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:16.400
Um and that's okay, like it's totally safe.
00:31:16.559 --> 00:31:37.039
I think that um there's a sense of vulnerability that comes with it, but there's just something about microdosing that it allows you to to experience it with clarity and give yourself, you know, the whatever processing or healing you need.
00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:43.039
Um and it literally comes in doses, like as it is in the name.
00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:48.319
So it's it's not like I'm like, oh my God, I'm dealing with the trauma of my injury.
00:31:48.480 --> 00:31:52.799
It's like, no, it's like way more subtle than that.
00:31:52.880 --> 00:31:58.720
And I wouldn't attribute to like my microdosing itself for me getting over it.
00:31:58.880 --> 00:32:04.000
I think I did that on my own, like entirely throughout the the year.
00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:20.720
Um, and then microdosing just allowed me to to uh yeah, I guess like do some extra processing that maybe on some things I wasn't quite like aware that I hadn't processed, you know.
00:32:21.759 --> 00:32:26.799
Uh yeah, so it just it's just that a little bit of assistance and uh healing journey.
00:32:27.359 --> 00:32:33.279
Yeah, you use you subtle, you use the word subtle, and that's the word I often use when I'm describing it to to people.
00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:45.200
Um and you know, for me, I've always described microdosing as it I'll use some fancy writer English, but it gives me better, better access to the to the present moment.
00:32:45.920 --> 00:33:04.559
So I'm better able to be here rather than like stuck in whatever in my head, whatever it is I'm would be lost in, generally my thoughts, my crazy thoughts, and and uh psychedelics, microdosing, allow me to be like a little bit more here in the present moment.
00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:19.519
And uh I think for me that's the core, like that's the foundational benefits of psychedelics and microdosing is that I'm I'm more in the present moment, and then there's all those spillover effects.
00:33:19.680 --> 00:33:27.200
Like if people say they're more focused with psychedelics, well, they're more focused because they're more in the present moment and they're not lost in their own stuff.
00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:42.720
And you know, if you're able to better focus during therapy, maybe it's because you're you know, you're more here and there's all these other positive effects, and you can better pro things are coming up because you're allowed, you know, you're you're uh allowing them to.
00:33:42.960 --> 00:33:49.119
Yeah, so um that's the foundational effect for me and on all the things potential positive.
00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:50.240
And that's huge.
00:33:50.400 --> 00:33:54.400
That's huge for dealing with anything.
00:33:54.559 --> 00:34:11.280
Um, but with this navigating this injury, it is really challenging because when you go through such a life altering change, um, especially early on, I hear this with people in the spinal cord injury community.
00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:30.239
They say the first few years, people that are out longer, you know, that they have been in it for years, they say the first few years they were still in hyper recovery mode because they were still that version, living as that version that they were before.
00:34:30.480 --> 00:34:33.440
Um, and so presence is huge.
00:34:33.760 --> 00:34:40.880
So um this too, like I'm I'm fully aware of that too, that I could be experiencing that.
00:34:41.039 --> 00:34:54.639
You know, I am a year and a half in and I am in recovery mode, and I've just embraced that, like that I um that I still just want to test it out just to see.
00:34:54.960 --> 00:35:05.920
And so basically, yeah, this what microdosing does is help with that presence because if you're thinking of the past, you're thinking of what you lost, you think you think you, you know, you lost your mobility.
00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:14.079
You know, you're just thinking as that person that used to do these things um and have all this independence that you had before.
00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:20.320
And then if you're thinking of the future, right, you're thinking of okay, how when am I gonna make more progress?
00:35:20.480 --> 00:35:23.280
When am I going to get the thing that I want?
00:35:23.599 --> 00:35:29.119
So you have to just eliminate as best as you can, eliminate both of those worlds.
00:35:29.280 --> 00:35:30.800
None of those worlds exist.
00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:34.159
Nothing exists but this moment.
00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:36.880
It's so, it's so hard.
00:35:37.280 --> 00:35:42.239
It's important for everyone, and especially important for when you're going through something big.
00:35:43.119 --> 00:35:47.599
If you are, uh yeah, you that was what you that was very well said.
00:35:47.840 --> 00:35:54.559
Uh dwelling on the past and dwelling on something that happened and then worrying about the future.
00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:57.360
That's not that's not a good place to be in general.
00:35:59.039 --> 00:35:59.599
Yeah.
00:35:59.920 --> 00:36:01.519
Especially when you're going through something big.
00:36:01.679 --> 00:36:04.719
So yeah, the to the present moment.
00:36:04.880 --> 00:36:06.320
Cheers to the present moment.
00:36:06.639 --> 00:36:07.280
Cheers.
00:36:08.960 --> 00:36:17.519
It's yeah, and I and I uh think like uh the work of it's like The Power of Now by Eckhart Toll or Eckhart Tolle.
00:36:17.679 --> 00:36:18.159
I don't know what to say.
00:36:18.239 --> 00:36:20.320
Yeah, most never quite sure how to pronounce it.
00:36:20.480 --> 00:36:21.840
Eckhart Toll, I don't know.
00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:24.320
Um, anyways, great, great book.
00:36:24.400 --> 00:36:33.199
I always recommend uh huge for anybody, but also yeah, if you are going through massive injury, massive life change.
00:36:33.440 --> 00:36:45.119
Um and if it in if you're curious about like how I am manifesting, you know, something that is probably deemed as like, you know, you're crazy.
00:36:45.199 --> 00:36:47.360
Why how could you manifest something like this?
00:36:47.679 --> 00:36:51.039
Um just being present, like that's it.
00:36:51.119 --> 00:36:53.599
Like you manifest through the present moment.
00:36:54.079 --> 00:37:11.360
Um and so if anyone else aligns with that, I don't know if you share like a similar interest in in those practices, but yes, uh microdosing does allow you to become present, but it doesn't.
00:37:11.599 --> 00:37:17.920
I'm not also gonna advocate, like, oh, you need to microdose to be present because yeah, there's other ways.
00:37:18.079 --> 00:37:18.800
There's other ways to do that.
00:37:18.960 --> 00:37:19.360
Right, right.
00:37:19.920 --> 00:37:22.880
Yeah, I always say psychedelics are like a tool.
00:37:23.039 --> 00:37:30.239
When when I added microdosing to my life when I was going through a tough time, it was it's it's not a cure all.
00:37:30.559 --> 00:37:42.719
Um I when I added microdosing during this rough patch in my life, I also went to I increased my yoga and I went, I said, okay, I'm gonna go to yoga four times a week.
00:37:42.880 --> 00:38:06.079
Uh when I added microdosing to my life, and I increased and I started to meditate a bit more and read about these topics that we're talking about, and you know, learn about mindfulness, and you know, I'm able the I'm able to better experience the effects of microdosing because I understand the concept of mindfulness and how to how to notice my own mind.
00:38:06.159 --> 00:38:12.800
And if I can if I'm noticing my own mind, I could notice the effects of microdosing because the it's subtle, like we said.
00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:22.719
And if you you know, I remember I gave uh I helped someone in my life and my family, I won't mention who, but let's just say uh subtlety is not his uh strong suit.
00:38:22.880 --> 00:38:31.280
And I uh and I like gave him a microdose, and you know, after a few minutes he's like, I don't fucking feel anything.
00:38:31.360 --> 00:38:37.519
And I was like, well, let's just say his mindfulness practice wasn't quite there.
00:38:37.679 --> 00:38:42.320
And I I was like, you know, come on, let's take a moment, let's look at it.
00:38:42.480 --> 00:38:45.119
Uh so like one doesn't really work without the other.
00:38:45.280 --> 00:39:06.239
Like if you just like take a microdose and just like cross your arms and be like, I don't feel anything, it's not, you know, you may get some physical effects, but if if it's if it's a low enough dose, you have to have like other tools in your toolkit to to be able to notice it, the subtlety and to you know, lean that oh, here it is, there's something there.
00:39:06.400 --> 00:39:08.559
Let me notice it and feel into it.
00:39:08.719 --> 00:39:10.480
And yeah, yeah.
00:39:10.719 --> 00:39:11.280
It's huge.
00:39:11.440 --> 00:39:17.360
And it's just like experiencing, just showing like how different everyone experiences the world.
00:39:17.679 --> 00:39:41.280
Because I think if you have that sense though, of um connectivity and uh spirituality too, um I think pairing it with like a spiritual practice is something like if you already like are a spiritual person, you just see the world differently.
00:39:41.519 --> 00:39:58.239
So you're able to to detect um kind of a different realm, detect like how like okay, even connective conversations, for example, those are my favorite things, is like this person brought this thing up that led to this thing that led to that.
00:39:58.559 --> 00:40:13.360
So that's why I love um this practice with spirituality, because it um again, it just it just enhances that connectivity with other people.
00:40:13.840 --> 00:40:23.440
And you only get that through pre the present moment, you know, you only get that when you're paying attention to um things that approach you or come your way.
00:40:23.599 --> 00:40:25.760
Um, so yeah, just people are built differently.
00:40:25.840 --> 00:40:34.000
I think it's too, it's also it's also really fun when you have uh like different people trying these things out.
00:40:34.239 --> 00:40:37.920
And um, it's not like they're it's not like it's wrong or anything.
00:40:38.079 --> 00:40:49.280
It's just uh it's like I feel like there's just some people that are built to not like be hyper processing like the world in this realm.
00:40:49.599 --> 00:40:52.079
Um, but it's like there's like an art of that.
00:40:52.239 --> 00:40:56.639
Like I always look at those people and I'm like, that's I kind of envy that a little bit.
00:40:56.719 --> 00:41:03.840
Like that's the ones who are outer uh in a different dimension, or they're really anchored at anchored in this one.
00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:04.639
Which one?
00:41:05.199 --> 00:41:08.000
Uh they're like I guess in a different one.
00:41:08.159 --> 00:41:19.199
They're one that they're not hyper processing the connective thoughts or how things are connected, they're just there, they're just ex they feel more present sometimes.
00:41:19.519 --> 00:41:25.199
Um uh yeah, and I and I love I love being around that as well.
00:41:25.440 --> 00:41:39.039
Uh but yeah, yeah, I'm I'm I'm rambling now on I could get into so many different like philosophical debates about this, but um well we'll save that for another podcast.
00:41:39.280 --> 00:41:40.079
You need a ground, yeah.
00:41:40.159 --> 00:41:41.840
I need to ground myself, right?
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:56.719
Okay, uh yeah, so uh I get I get we could start like wrapping things up, but I guess as you go forward, I mean, um have you seen an increase in people reaching out to you?
00:41:57.039 --> 00:42:10.639
I mean, I can imagine if someone has been in a situation like yours or similar, and you know, hope is a word I used before, and you know, you maybe you had hope when you started taking in.
00:42:10.800 --> 00:42:16.400
Someone sees your story, and if they're good in a tough place, yeah, have have you been getting stories like that?
00:42:16.559 --> 00:42:20.639
Do you do you feel the hope even in the in the messages they send you?
00:42:20.800 --> 00:42:23.199
Can you can you sense that people are looking for?
00:42:23.760 --> 00:42:24.480
Yeah, yeah.
00:42:24.800 --> 00:42:27.119
I get a I get a ton of messages.
00:42:27.199 --> 00:42:39.840
I get messages about people, like people seeking help, seeking uh seeking a safe place, but also I get messages of people saying, like, finally, someone's talking about this.
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:41.679
I've experienced this.
00:42:42.159 --> 00:42:44.559
Um, and a lot of that is so affirming.
00:42:44.639 --> 00:42:58.159
I'm like, okay, now that it's kind of opened up this this pathway, I I feel like I'm just getting a lot of encouragement through those stories that are people are sharing of it working for them.
00:42:58.480 --> 00:43:03.840
And they'll say it's worked for them in a vast variety of ways.
00:43:04.000 --> 00:43:08.880
It's not just people with spinal cord injuries, people with many different ailments.
00:43:09.280 --> 00:43:29.280
Um and so, yeah, and for that, I I'm really grateful that I like sort of built the community to so I would like if anybody here is listening and wants like that space, a similar space where people are experimenting, people are sharing, and also supporting each other.
00:43:29.519 --> 00:43:31.760
Um, I do have a Discord for that.
00:43:31.840 --> 00:43:35.039
So you can just reach out to me and ask for the Discord link.
00:43:35.280 --> 00:43:44.159
Um, and so yeah, I think that that has been huge, is is all of the support I've gotten.
00:43:44.559 --> 00:43:58.639
Um, I want to do like a big thank you to everybody that, you know, I'm still just like catching up and I'm still so new in this journey that uh and just since content creation in general.
00:43:58.960 --> 00:44:02.719
So So yes, this that hope is there.
00:44:03.039 --> 00:44:05.039
There's also people seeking hope.
00:44:05.360 --> 00:44:26.000
And I am uh I guess hoping to inspire people to trust themselves and trust trust in in the power that they can hold in in embarking on their own journey.
00:44:26.320 --> 00:44:39.920
Uh I don't know whether healing or whether that is there's always like something to to discover, and that's what I want to put out there is that every spinal cord injury is different too.
00:44:40.320 --> 00:44:47.519
So I knew that my me putting my story out there wasn't going to like speak for everybody with a spinal cord injury.
00:44:47.679 --> 00:45:00.000
It just it's again, it's like if you don't see yourself represented in a clinical setting, um I wanted to create that for myself.
00:45:00.239 --> 00:45:03.760
I am now representing myself as that experiment.
00:45:04.559 --> 00:45:11.360
And uh, you know, a lot of people like from all different backgrounds may not be represented in clinical settings.
00:45:11.679 --> 00:45:20.000
So I just wanted to um advocate for that and also being safe.
00:45:20.239 --> 00:45:22.639
Um, you know, yada, yada, yada, yada, right?
00:45:22.719 --> 00:45:36.159
Like I'm not a medical professional, but again, uh there's still a lot to learn in this realm of of healing and health and and yeah, we're figuring out a lot.
00:45:36.480 --> 00:45:39.599
Yeah, and I mean it's just similar to the met with mental health.
00:45:39.760 --> 00:45:46.800
Uh I haven't had to go like navigate the the medical system physically that much.
00:45:47.039 --> 00:46:02.719
But um, having worked in the in the kind of kind of mental health world now for several years, and the stories that we keep hearing is that you know, the the people would try the regular things that their doctor or therapist told them to, and it just wasn't working.
00:46:02.960 --> 00:46:17.679
And the reason psychedelics are getting so mainstream when it comes to mental health is that now we're starting to show that, you know, okay, we and we have clinical results, that it is giving people an option when they thought there was none, it is giving people hope and they've tried everything now.
00:46:17.760 --> 00:46:33.199
So, I mean, maybe we're we're not quite there with psychedelics and the physical, although now that psychedelics and and is getting mainstream medical acceptance, and you know, the FDA is very close to approving it for mental health, and you know, it's in the it's in the White House now.
00:46:33.360 --> 00:46:46.480
Like the future, the future of psychedelics once the men once mental health gets properly mainstream, like people are already talking about psychedelics for more of the more physical stuff for for inflammation and for other wellness things.
00:46:46.639 --> 00:47:00.079
So uh maybe sometime in the future, people uh with physical conditions will have more tools when it comes to psychedelics, maybe coming in the future.
00:47:00.320 --> 00:47:01.280
So you're playing.
00:47:03.840 --> 00:47:05.280
Thank you, thank you.
00:47:05.599 --> 00:47:27.760
Um yeah, so the yeah, thanks for for I guess having me and being able to share like at least like a real human story that um, you know, I don't have any expertise in anything, but I do like I will share and be the first to tell you when I don't know something.
00:47:28.079 --> 00:47:37.599
Um so yeah, I just hope people like feel less fearful about this, um, what they don't know.
00:47:37.840 --> 00:47:50.719
Um and because, you know, the more I I share it, the I think uh it's allowed more people to be more courageous with with understanding this.
00:47:50.800 --> 00:47:54.400
And again, this is something to be to be careful with.
00:47:54.639 --> 00:47:57.920
Uh as I described earlier, like what can happen.
00:47:58.400 --> 00:48:04.239
Um but yeah, it is it has it has a lot of potential.
00:48:04.400 --> 00:48:05.760
I'm really hopeful.
00:48:06.079 --> 00:48:09.039
And we've only like scratched the surface.
00:48:09.280 --> 00:48:13.360
So I know that clinical settings are picking this up.
00:48:13.840 --> 00:48:26.880
So, you know, like in places like Oregon and Colorado, they have um studies going on for people with spinal cord injuries, even um experimenting with psychedelics.
00:48:27.039 --> 00:48:42.159
So I think that, you know, definitely advocate for clinical research, um, especially because it can give you access to something that you don't have access to yet.
00:48:42.559 --> 00:48:54.559
Um and you can also contribute, you know, um to and represent yourself, somebody who who may share a similar background to you.
00:48:54.880 --> 00:49:01.760
So so yes, I am I am a big like clinical research uh junkie, I guess.
00:49:01.920 --> 00:49:05.199
Like I'm bouncing around to different clinical studies.
00:49:05.519 --> 00:49:09.840
Uh once I'm done with this one, I'm starting another one uh this summer.
00:49:10.159 --> 00:49:11.760
So so yes.
00:49:12.000 --> 00:49:19.360
Um big I haven't started a psychedelic one yet, but that is that is hopefully in the future.
00:49:19.679 --> 00:49:23.679
Okay, a mix of the spiritual and the clinical and the hopeful.
00:49:24.639 --> 00:49:25.199
Yeah.
00:49:25.440 --> 00:49:25.760
All right.
00:49:26.639 --> 00:49:28.480
Uh well, I really appreciate it.
00:49:28.719 --> 00:49:41.840
And um, we'll link to all of your links and we'll add as much information as possible so people have the full context and and maybe some c maybe some research that's uh relevant and helpful for people.
00:49:42.079 --> 00:49:48.239
Uh so yeah, thank you for sharing your story and uh Of course, thanks for having me.
00:49:48.480 --> 00:49:50.639
Yeah, and I I w I wish you luck.
00:49:50.880 --> 00:49:53.280
Uh yeah, all the best.
00:49:53.519 --> 00:49:56.000
And let's uh and keep it up.
00:49:56.079 --> 00:49:56.400
All right.
00:49:56.480 --> 00:49:57.679
Uh yeah, thank you.
00:49:58.159 --> 00:49:59.199
I'll keep following you.
00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:00.400
Awesome.
00:50:00.480 --> 00:50:04.079
Yeah, I'm gonna keep putting it out there so you know where to find me.
00:50:04.880 --> 00:50:06.480
All right, thanks a lot.
00:50:07.119 --> 00:50:07.599
Thank you.