In this episode, researcher Mikael Palner reveals the surprising science behind the psychedelic renaissance, how compounds like psilocybin create a "window of opportunity" to rewire the brain for creativity and healing, and the unspoken dangers of "hero doses," emotional addiction, and the shocking risks of long-term microdosing.
Dr. Mikael Palner is a neuroscientist with over 15 years of experience in psychedelic research and advanced preclinical brain imaging. He leads his own research team investigating how psychedelic drugs impact neuronal circuits in the brain and has been awarded prestigious grants from the Danish Independent Research Foundation and the Danish Innovation Fund for his work.
He explains:
◻️️ The real reason psychedelics were banned for decades and why they're exploding in popularity now.
◻️ The surprising scientific difference between DMT, psilocybin (mushrooms), and LSD.
◻️ How psychedelics create a temporary "window of plasticity" to permanently rewire your brain and habits.
◻️ The unspoken truth about addiction: the difference between physical dependency and the "emotional addiction" many users experience.
◻️ Why a "hero dose" can be a dangerous mistake and how a proper therapeutic dose is determined.
◻️ The chilling risk that psychedelics can create traumatic memories of events that never actually happened.
◻️ The long-term dangers of microdosing and why being in a constant state of brain plasticity is like having a "teenager brain".
◻️ The future of mental health: how scientists are trying to create non-psychedelic versions of these compounds to treat anxiety.
◻️Why anxiety may be the real epidemic of our time—and the top five tools anyone can use to manage it.
⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction
02:15 – The most surprising discovery about psychedelics
04:00 – Why research stopped for decades (and the failed CIA experiments)
08:00 – Breathwork, DMT, and natural psychedelic states
12:00 – Categories of psychedelics: mushrooms, LSD, mescaline, MDMA & ketamine
16:00 – Brain plasticity, learning windows, and long-term effects
20:00 – The risk of emotional addiction and the problem with “47 ayahuasca trips”
24:00 – Hero doses vs therapeutic doses: where science draws the line
28:00 – Inside clinical trials: psilocybin, LSD, and ketamine in therapy
36:00 – Psychedelics vs alcohol: which is more damaging?
40:00 – What science knows (and doesn’t) about microdosing long-term
44:00 – False memories, trauma, and the dark side of psychedelics
48:00 – New brain scanners, rodent studies & reducing psychedelic risks
52:00 – Who funds psychedelic research and the million-dollar machines behind it
56:00 – Anxiety as a global epidemic and why it affects 60% of people
58:00 – The 5 tools everyone can use to manage anxiety
Follow Mikael:
Website: https://www.palnerlab.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaelpalner/
Growth Island-Mads Friis:
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