Earlier this week, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers opened up about his experience with psychedelics during the "Aubrey Marcus Podcast."
Rodgers said that ayahuasca, a South American (pan-Amazonian) ceremonial hallucinogenic brew from the Amazon basin, helped him “unconditionally love” himself and, consequently, others.
“That’s what ayahuasca did for me, was help me see how to unconditionally love myself,” he said. “It’s only in that unconditional self-love, that then I’m able to truly be able to unconditionally love others. And what better way to work on my mental health than to have an experience like that?”
Ayahuasca, which contains a powerful hallucinogen DMT, helped him with his mental health, Rodgers said, adding that one of the core tenets of mental health is self-love. Furthermore, the psychedelic drink also helped him achieve the “best season” of his NFL career.
See also: Ayahuasca Helped Will Smith 'Surrender' And More Psychedelic Revelations From Actor's Memoir 'Will'
“What better way to work on my mental health than to have an experience like that? The greatest gift I can give my teammates, in my opinion, is to be able to show up and to be someone who can model unconditional love to them,” Rodgers said. “They won’t care about what you say until they know how much you care.”
Rogers also talked about how psychedelics helped him heal broken relationships with his parents and two brothers and that there’s “no bitterness” in his heart around the separation.
Take a look at the full interview below.
Trevor Weighs In
Comedian Trevor Noah also weighed in during "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah."
Per Noah, Rodgers' declarations are a big deal. "That shows you how much times have changed... Remember back in the 90's they'd bring someone like Shaq on TV to be like, 'remember, kids, I'd rather kill myself than get high on marijuana. Don't do drugs.' But now this is accepted."
And he added, "Please, please, don't get it twisted. He wasn't playing while he was on ayahuasca. Although, I kind of wish he was... I'd love to see what kind of plays a quarterback would think of while they're on the journey."
Noah concluded saying it is great "to see people like Aaron Rodgers normalizing conversations about whether we can use psychedelics to improve people's mental health and cure them from addiction."
Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/dtKeojxoUEM
Lee en español:
- ¿Qué Es y Para Qué Sirve la Ayahuasca? Todo lo que Necesitas Saber
- ¿Qué Dieta Debo Realizar si Quiero Tomar Ayahuasca?
- Antes de los Oscar, Will Smith Contó que Vio su Ruina Durante un Viaje con Ayahuasca: ‘Vi Como mi Carrera se Esfumaba’
Photos via WikiMedia Commons: by Hayden Schiff & Chad Davis. Edit by Javier Hasse.
