The use of psychedelics dates back to ancient cultures like the Aztecs, who used psilocybin mushrooms in religious ceremonies to communicate with their gods. Some findings even suggest earlier use of hallucinogens dating back to the Late Bronze Age. Despite this millennia-long history, modern society is only beginning to understand the therapeutic potential of these psychoactive substances.
To learn more, Benzinga talked to Zappy Zapolin, who is a well-known and respected figure in the mysterious world of psychedelics. When he was just a teenager, Zapolin experimented with psychedelics and had his first "frequency experience" or "aha" moment.
Psychedelics allowed him to see everything as frequency, the air between him and his friend. "It was the same atoms, just vibrating at a different frequency. That's something I could never see after the trip was over, but it made me realize that my five senses were tricking me by muting things to a level that allowed me to deal with them."
Experiencing the transformative power of natural plant medicine led him to find his calling, and become a psychedelics concierge. Zapolin has served as an advisor to companies like KetaMD–acquired by Braxia Scientific BRAXF. As chief visionary officer and co-founder of Psycheceutical Bioscience BWVI, Zapolin is the driving force behind The Mind Army, a nonprofit ‘fighting for the right to pursue happiness’ by advocating for legal accessibility of psychedelic medicines like ketamine, psilocybin, mushrooms and ibogaine.
"We want people to be able to access these compounds as quickly as possible to disrupt their suicidal ideation, overcome their PTSD, and cure their addiction," Zapolin told Benzinga.
Zapolin says the biggest myth around psychedelics is that scientists have yet to prove their safety. According to him, much of the stigma surrounding plant medicine came from the alcohol industry. "They knew a day would come when psilocybin mushrooms and cannabis would cause people to drink less alcohol. They also knew that ibogaine, an African root, can break an addiction to alcohol and drugs in a single treatment."
The stigma remains so strong that the Food and Drug Administration recently declined to approve the use of MDMA, popularly known as Ecstasy or Molly, for MDMA-assisted therapy to treat PTSD.
Neuroplasticity, Reconnecting To The Miracle
"The most important thing to know about psilocybin is its connection to neuroplasticity," Zapolin explains. Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, is the nervous system’s ability to change its activity by reorganizing its structure and connections in response to stimuli. This adaptability helps people navigate reality more flexibly, making them less reactive and better equipped to handle everyday challenges.
Zapolin believes psychedelics reconnect us to the miracle, "bringing you back to your original frequency before society, your family and institutions put their imprint on you for how you should live and think about reality."
While in a mid-life crisis, Zapolin shared his psychedelic experiences in the film "The Reality of Truth," which won the Amsterdam Film Festival and inspired over a million people to explore psychedelics. The film has been viewed more than 25 million times.
"In addition to ‘The Reality of Truth,' my film ‘Lamar Odom Reborn‘ follows a psychedelic intervention I did with Lamar Odom that helped him break his lifelong battle with addiction," Zapolin said.
Through his storytelling, Zapolin aims to shed light on plant medicine and psychedelics, especially in this challenging post-pandemic era. "Nothing else can disrupt these out-of-control trends. Psychedelics give people instantly more empathy, which is what we need right now."
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© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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