Sports stars are our icons, heroes, and role models. We look to them because we feel they can do the impossible. So, when the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers, and star quarterback credit Ayahuasca for winning back-to-back MVP awards, you can be sure we listened.
You may be wondering how true this is or if this is just clickbait; do not worry; a full scope will convince you.
Aaron Rodgers and his ayahuasca experience
The month of August opened up a new chapter for the popularity of psychedelics as Rodgers made the revelation public this week. The star quarterback shared how he travelled to South America to take ayahuasca and how this related to his success as the league MVP for two seasons. Rodgers credits the psychedelic concoction with helping him to change his mindset as well as improving his mental health. He shared all of this during an expository interview on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast.
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The successive wins as MVP gave Rodgers his third and fourth awards in 2020 and 2021. In his words, Rodgers stated that he knew after the ayahuasca experience that he would not be the same again. He believes the psychedelic drug was instrumental in him finding self-love and mental wellness. He was quoted by USA Today stating that the drug gave him a deep and meaningful appreciation of life.
When asked to comment on the experience, Rodgers explained that he went into the experience with a particular intention. This was to feel what pure love feels like, which he gained on his first night. He expressed the feeling as a magical sensation backed with a special, unique sensation. He likened this sensation to having over a hundred different hands imparting essence into his bodyt. He further explained that this essence felt like an impartation of a blessing of love, forgiveness, and gratitude for him.
What is ayahuasca?
For those who do not know, we will give a brief overview of what this psychedelic brew is. Ayahuasca is a unique psychedelic brew native to the South American Amazon basin. The brew contains different leaves and vines used for social and shamanic ceremonies. The potent psychedelic drug present in the brew is dimethyltryptamine (DMT). DMT is known to have a substantial effect on causing vivid hallucinations and intense sensations. The popularity of ayahuasca is just gaining traction as a psychedelic brew compared to popular psychedelics like psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms.
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris carried out a recent study from the Centre of Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London. The study published in 2019 examined the psychedelic effect of the brew. The study showed an effect on the brainwaves caused by the brew. Researchers believed that the brew stimulated the brainwaves to give a sense of dreaming while awake. Much of this effect is tagged to the effect of DMT, which remains a very intriguing psychedelic. Carhart-Harris described the experience of DMT as a near-death experience or dreaming while awake. A high dose of DMT is also known to produce intense visual vividness and depth of immersion. Reports also have these effects to be higher than those recorded with psilocybin, which is a more popular psychedelic.
How did Ayahuasca give Rodgers his best season?
Rodgers shared all as he explained deeply the effect the experience with ayahuasca had on him and his career. In his own words, the experience set him back on course and allowed him to focus on his job and gain perspective. This ultimately translated into how he approached things before him. He became more accessible to be the best he could be at work, at home, as a lover, as a friend, and as a teammate. This is why he attributes much of his success in 2020 to the effect of his encounter with ayahuasca.
When asked if the perceived relationship might result from a coincidence, Rodgers stated that he does not believe it is. He stated that he chooses not to ascribe things to coincidences. Instead, he described the feeling as the universe’s way of bringing things to happen as they should. Rodgers explains that the signs are always there around us, waiting to see if we are conscious enough to notice and listen to them. He explained that it is more like intuition is peeking to use and hammering it and that this is what you are meant to be doing.
Rodgers explained that he was comfortable going to experience ayahuasca thanks to his previous experience with psychedelic drugs. He had also stated personally to the interviewer that one of the best days of his life came after an experience with psychedelic mushrooms. He stated that the experience occurred while on a beach, and he felt himself merging with the ocean that day.
Rodgers believes that too much emphasis is being placed on some of the possible side effects of ayahuasca. Examples of some of these common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and hallucinations. Instead, he believes attention should also be placed on the profound effects of promoting self-love and healing. Rodgers explains that this self-love prompted by ayahuasca was the key to his mental health journey. He explains that ayahuasca helped him see how to love himself unconditionally, which is the first step in helping him love others around him unconditionally.
Bottom line
From the testimony of NFL star Aaron Rodgers, we can tell that something special in ayahuasca needs attention. There is limited scientific knowledge about the psychedelic brew presently, but all that is bound to change with such testimonies. Until then, we can only remain happy for Aaron Rodgers and be grateful that he had his experience with ayahuasca. Hopefully, this same effect will be translated to some other sports stars as they aim for greatness.
Posted by: Times Of Hemp, TOH, #TOH, #TimesOfHemp
