Bryan Johnson: I Just Took the Most Powerful Dose of DMT in the World... Here's What It Was Like
In a Nutshell
Bryan Johnson describes his intense 5-MeO-DMT experience (9mg IM + 18mg vaporized), the world's most powerful psychedelic, as an ego-dissolving reset of consciousness that annihilated the default mode network, induced unimaginable bliss upon surrender, and restored childlike joy, openness, and conflict resolution—far surpassing psilocybin's effects. He frames it as a longevity breakthrough, enhancing neuroplasticity, reducing inflammation, and providing psychological rejuvenation unmatched by diet, exercise, or sleep, with post-trip brain scans showing youthful patterns. Future plans include mitochondrial therapy, FOXO3 plasmids, and organoids from his iPSCs to push biological age reversal, positioning psychedelics as essential for mental youthfulness amid emerging cell/gene therapies.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Brian Johnson took 5-MeO-DMT, the most powerful psychedelic on the planet, 5-10 times more powerful than DMT. It's been 48 hours, and he's still learning how to talk about it.
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Primarily as a longevity experiment. His project started 5 years ago: reviewed all scientific evidence on health and longevity, prioritized interventions by effect size—exercise, nutrition, sleep, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, sauna, rapamycin, metformin. Psychedelics were not on radar; seen as ancient ritual medicines or for depression/anxiety, not anti-aging. Found pre-clinical mouse evidence on psilocybin, conducted world's most studied experiment: three doses at 25 mg psilocybin (clinical/near-hero doses), concluded it's a longevity therapy.
Livestreamed the session; appeared calm. Impossible to fully explain, but: stunned, floored, speechless. Experienced raw consciousness and raw intelligence. Take words, multiply by a thousand, extend to infinite depth, width, dimensions. Hits fast: 9 mg intramuscular + 18 mg vaporized, effects in 10 seconds. Not very visual like DMT (no elves); lock into a space where you either panic (gates of hell opening, existence tearing you to shreds, threatening sanity) or relent completely—release all attachment, preconditions, wants, desires, self, ego, control. Relenting opens unimaginable bliss and euphoria. Most dynamic human experience ever (surpassing accomplishments, marriage, child, overcoming difficulties).
Internal chatter/ego monologue turns off completely. Hyper-aware viscerally; first few minutes disorienting, then majestic depths of existence—most miraculous experience for intelligent life.
Dissolves default mode network (DMN), the engine constructing self and ego (constant rumination: what's next, feelings, self-judgment). Kids have quiet DMN; adults build stiff patterns, narrowing reality into ruts (adults less open than children). Psilocybin dampens DMN (measured via Kernel brain interface). Brain like globe with airports: strong connections (e.g., New York-London flights) vs. weak. Psilocybin scrambles/repositions, increasing randomness, driving neuroplasticity, new connections, behaviors, thinking. Post-psilocybin Kernel data: new emergent patterns, old ones quieted.
Neuroplasticity rewires trauma/anxiety loops, dissolving them (documented in psilocybin).
Mouse data showed reduced inflammation (key for longevity). Psilocybin: first-in-human metabolic reset—blood glucose from top 99.5th percentile to 99.9th percentile (hard to achieve); changed microbiome. Hypothesized 5-MeO-DMT similar: animal evidence; smooths brain 'barnacles'. 5-MeO-DMT annihilated DMN (psilocybin softens/dampens).
Laughed in a dream (childlike trait, rare for adults). Felt childlike past couple days: emergent excitement, bubbling joy for new experiences. Persistent DMN change: easier conflict resolution (e.g., with partner Kate—direct like kids, no escalation/defense/weaponizing; breakthrough). Feels renewed, funnier, quicker quips.
Before longevity project: therapeutic post-selling Braintree (acquired by PayPal?), divorce, leaving Mormon church—remapping life/identity. Did ketamine at Kernel (world's most extensive measurement: before/during/after; transient depression therapy effects, 'little league' vs. 5-MeO-DMT).
Structural MRI (physical brain), functional MRI (activity, neurons firing), Kernel (optical), real-time EEG. High-fidelity: blood flow, molecular, wave patterns. Brain rejuvenation hardest (success with heart/lungs/muscle/fat). Psilocybin results: dramatic restoration of youthful brain patterns.
Encouraged; psychedelics uniquely powerful for longevity (not just retreats/rituals). Caution: extremely powerful, needs licensed professional, proper state/setting. Risks: permanent psychosis, schizophrenia in predisposed, bad trips. Mitigate via rigor (quantified dose, supervision, setting) vs. unquantified social use (e.g., unknown mushroom strain/dose).
Neurogenesis, neuroplasticity, trauma resolution. Subjectively, 5-MeO-DMT more efficacious reset than diet, exercise, sleep, sauna, hyperbaric—incomparable. Unknown duration/decay curve.
Heavy psychedelics (e.g., ayahuasca) cause dramatic shifts: CEOs quit, leave family/company. Victims: investors, employees, family. Investors ban psychedelics in deal docs to avoid losing founders. Bryan: came back more motivated for current work, no desire to flee to woods. Dramatic perspective shift.
Who am I? Psychedelics = dramatic reconstruction of 60+ trillion cells (near near-death experience). Rewires neurons/values (pre/post religion/family responsibilities). Are we persistent persons? In fast-changing AI world, psychedelics aid adaptation (psychoflexibility).
Would use Neuralink-like implant for on-demand info/personality change, transgenic plasmid to rewire gene expression. No limits; most exciting: frontier, novelty, expedition, challenge. Roots: overcompensation from structured Mormon childhood (opposite reaction); suspicious of internal reality (188 cognitive biases), doesn't take self seriously.
Bryan Johnson expresses suspicion of all things and doesn't take himself too seriously. He views building a company as opening a toolkit to see what can be built and modified. He agrees with a strong proclivity towards openness of play.
He has three kids and being a father is a really important part of his identity, which has not changed. Fortunately, his social group encourages him to go and play with no one trying to claw him back. Everyone around him is willing to take the risks. His partner Kate took a ton of risk when he sat down for 5 MeO, as something could have gone poorly, changed his perspectives, or something bad could have happened. One argument is that people around him are enabling versus supportive, but that's a consequence.
Upcoming therapies include cell therapy and gene therapy, all in the pipeline but not ready yet. They've exhausted all current interventions. Next are mitochondrial rejuvenation and mitochondrial augmentation therapy. A paper described coding mitochondria in a red blood cell envelope for better transport into cells and less immune system attack.
Bryan has mitochondria of a 48-year-old (he's at 99.9% health). Trials in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's patients showed profound shifts. Mitochondria pass maternally through the egg, so going down the mother's line—like a sister's child—provides young mitochondria. Take a blood sample, grow them extensively for a biological match. This extends the idea of having a "blood boy" son to a family project.
He's working with a third-party company: blood draw in the next week or two, they'll spin it up. Problem is mitochondrial DNA degradation over time. Using young mitochondria, multiply and select healthier ones, then put back in. They're one of the first; company in phase two. Suggestion to measure via sprinting intramuscularly to see score changes beyond biomarkers. Sprinting is an underappreciated longevity therapy.
Considered plasmids: take a gene as DNA, put in body, gene makes a protein. Example: FOXO3 expression via mesenchymal stem cells packaged for delivery, showing over 50% tissues rejuvenated—best demonstration worldwide, perfect for tissue regeneration, safe. Reached out to the Chinese professor on that paper to replicate. Would love to build it themselves, but that's a two-year project; AI can accelerate as project manager.
Using his iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) to create organoids: Brian Johnson heart, liver, lungs. Test molecules on them in a dish. Process: take skin or blood cells, apply Yamanaka factors to make stem cells, then differentiate into specific cells like heart or eye. Simulate drug effects: what happens, good/bad, side effects, dose, combinations—accelerates decisions.
Organoids are stood up but first tests not done yet. Still requires old-school: put in body, wait, observe effects.
Tracks alternatives like New Limit (investor there; Blake and Brian's company). They've computationally solved discovery, progressing faster than expected. Challenge with Yamanaka: dosing—one overdose turns a cell cancerous. Theory: solved by cellular switches for machinery turning protein synthesis on/off based on gene expression measurement—feedback loop essential, as one error is trouble.
This is the most profound technology besides AI; fusion distant third. Future: GLP-1s first big drop (inject to solve hunger), then New Limit or plasmid-based FOXO3 for dramatic changes. Shifts longevity from sci-fi/rich pursuit to mainstream, enabling robust health pursuit—impacts society like other abundances (food, energy, housing, mobility, lifespan). Abundance makes people happier.
External conflict stems from internal unhappiness. American society malaise: 84% metabolic disorder, over 40% obese, poor sleep, phone addiction, mental health issues—leads to poor outcomes. Fixing health fosters can-do attitude.
Foxo3 study didn't show brain rejuvenation; brain is complicated—neurons might regrow wrong. Psychedelics like psilocybin and 5 MeO may not aid basic body functions but excel in youthfulness of disposition. At 48, worry about narrowing ambition into 50s/60s; psychedelics provide snapback to childlike "I can do anything" state—30-40 years of psychological rejuvenation. Not achieved via sauna, eating well, or sleep. Unique role.
I'm going to go drink alcohol and eat carbs and stay out late... I'm gonna go to bed on time. Do my wind down routine.
Appreciation exchanged. Going all in.
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