Excerpts From The Book
"The day before my psilocybin journey was the last day I ever broke down about my life situation. Life was beautiful again, and best of all, it made perfect sense. So strong was the relief from my depression that I immediately began weaning off the antidepressants I had become dependent on. As discussed earlier, the following night after my last dose was the first night I slept a full eight hours in ten months, revealing the damage the antidepressants had been doing to my sleep. This would make sense, given the manipulation antidepressants (SSRI's) have on serotonin levels. Serotonin produces melatonin which is vital for our circadian rhythm which regulates sleep cycles. My sleep has improved dramatically ever since, contributing to my rapidly improving physical, emotional, and mental health."
"On May 7, 2019, Denver became first city in the United States to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms, a landmark victory in a decades long battle against prohibition. Oakland and Santa Cruz quickly followed with the decriminalization of all entheogens, and many other cities are following closely behind. At the time of writing, Berkeley, Chicago, Portland, and Port Townsend, Washington have introduced City Council resolutions, or are in the process of getting such measures on legislative agendas for the 2020 elections. At the state level, Decriminalize California, which just partnered with the Beckley Foundation, is looking to decriminalize psilocybin, and Oregon is hoping to put a measure to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic purposes on Oregon’s ballot for 2020. At the federal level, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat - NY) introduced an amendment to a spending bill that would have removed a budget rider that inhibits research into the potential medical benefits of psychedelics. The proposal was rejected by the House in a floor vote, however. Ocasio-Cortez also called for the decriminalizing of psychedelics for personal use and later broadened that to include all illicit drugs."
"...perhaps the most powerful of these addiction deterrents lies in the Wim Hof Method (WHM) alone. In only thirty breaths and about thirty seconds, we have the ability to activate our endogenous feel good hormones and molecules. During a recent study, it was found that the breathing cycles activate our cannabinoid and opioid systems (the natural, necessary, non addictive kind) as well dymethyltryptamine (DMT), dopamine, serotonin, nor-epinephrine, adrenaline, and nor-adrenaline. We truly are our own alchemists, fully equipped to "get high on our own supply," as Wim Hof says, while boosting our immune system in the process, instead of seeking exogenous, many times harmful substances to provide relief. In fact, I have not gotten sick since I started the Wim Hof Method over two years ago and feel better than I ever have."
"Life is a delicate dance between the present moment, the future, and history, intrinsically tied together, and all happening, quite literally, at the same time. Our reactions to the present moment dictate the flow of the dance. The truth is that we don’t actually make anything happen, we react to things already happening around us. Unless we actively lead this dance, our emotions lead, and emotions have had their dancing shoes on for millennia. Let’s just say they are better dancers. In the words of Marcus Aurelius, “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing, in so far as it stands ready against the accidental and the unforeseen, and is not apt to fall.” To lead this dance requires acute awareness and acceptance of the present moment and a cultivated control of our mind, which fuels our emotions, which determines our reactions."
