Can Athletes Benefit From Microdosing Psychedelics?

The psychedelic revolution is upon us and things are only going to get better.

Magic mushrooms and many other psychedelics such as LSD are now commonly used, particularly in microdoses, to improve the overall quality of life. It has been shown to be helpful in fighting anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression—even in treatment-resistant cases. Consuming low doses of psilocybin, typically 1/20th of a normal dose, is far too low to induce hallucinations and has been shown to result in significant improvements in mental and emotional health. It can also enhance creativity.

But can athletes reap these therapeutic and cognitive benefits of psychedelics?

Psychedelics may not even have been considered a performance-enhancing drug until now. But what if LSD, magic mushrooms and the like have been shown to increase athletic performance? Would it have an impact on elite sport?

From the studies and anecdotal evidence we have on the effects of psychedelics, it’s safe to say that if we can reap the cognitive and psychological benefits of psychedelics, shouldn’t the same be true for athletes? They are human too, and they also suffer from extreme stress and pressure that comes with their job. And who knows – maybe one day psychedelics would be accepted as performance enhancers?

One of the most famous stories about this occurred in 1970 when Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter while under the influence of LSD. No-hitters are defined as the moment when pitchers prevent the opponent from hitting the ball even once during a game. Such an event is a rare feat in baseball. Ellis later shared his experiences with NPR before he died, and his story was later adapted into a short film.

“I had this crazy idea in the fourth inning that Richard Nixon would be the home plate umpire,” Ellis revealed in an interview. “And one time I thought I was going to throw a ball to Jimi Hendrix, who was holding a guitar for me and swinging it over the plate,” he said.

Recently, James Oroc, an athlete and author, discussed how winter sports enthusiasts used psychedelics in an editorial for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He discusses that psycholytic doses are low, which is essentially microdosing.

“Virtually all athletes who learn to use LSD in psycholytic doses believe that using these compounds improves both their endurance and their ability,” he says. Athletes reported improvements in focus, reflexes and balance, as well as an improved ability to manage fatigue and altitude sickness. The athletes explain that the microdosed psychedelics helped put them in a “state of flow” and said they were even able to coordinate more efficiently without thinking too much about it.

In 2020, a research paper entitled “Advancing Elite Athlete Mental Health Treatment with Psychedelic-Assistant Psychotherapy” was the first to discuss the therapeutic potential of psychedelics on athlete mental health. According to the researchers, “The field of exercise psychology and psychiatry would be well advised to take note of this promising area of ​​research and begin a dialogue on how best to meet the challenge and explore the possibilities of psychedelic medicine for elite athletes.”

Where are we legally?

Although psychedelics have been on the Schedule I drug classification since the 1970s, this has not stopped many cities in the United States from decriminalizing or legalizing their use for therapeutic purposes. After all, the Controlled Substances Act is already considered archaic and we have dozens, maybe even hundreds, of clinical studies already proving how safe psychedelics are.

Currently, psilocybin is not on the list of banned performance-enhancing drugs according to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). They state on their website that certain sports prohibit their use and may prohibit other psychedelic drugs. Of course, since hallucinations can interfere with athletic performance, they realize that doing so has its risks. But microdosing is different – and it can have numerous benefits off the field or in the gym.

A world of opportunities for athletes

Psychedelics may not even be just about performance enhancement. Researchers are studying the potential of using psychedelics to treat traumatic brain injury. An estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million cases of traumatic brain injury occur each year while playing sports.

Last year, MINDCURE, a wellness company, announced that it would invest effort into researching whether psychedelics could treat traumatic brain injury. They will use Psycollage, their bioinformatics platform, to support research and identify opportunities for the use of ibogaine, a psychoactive substance. MINDCURE sees ibogaine’s potential for the treatment of neuropathic pain and brain trauma thanks to research showing it may promote the growth of new dopamine neurons while helping to repair the brain’s reward system.

Additionally, psychedelics can also be used as an alternative to dangerous and addictive opioids for athletes to manage pain. A study published by UC San Diego Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative (PHRI) members Timothy Furnish and Joel Castellano and others shows just how promising this could be for chronic pain.

“Neuropathic pain conditions like phantom limb pain are often difficult to treat,” explains Furnish. “The possibility that psychedelics could reorganize pain pathways in the brain promises a much longer-lasting treatment than current drugs can offer.”

Conclusion

We are optimistic that, just like with cannabis, it will only be a matter of time before top sports organizations recognize the myriad benefits that psychedelics can offer. Even in sports, cannabis is becoming more and more socially accepted – soon also psychedelics.

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