Warning: This article contains discussion of drug use which some readers may find distressing.
Biohacker Bryan Johnson decided to post live updates of his trip on magic mushrooms after taking 5g of the substance into the body he is attempting to make younger.
This is the guy who is spending millions every year in an attempt to reverse the natural aging process, with the 48-year-old even attempting to 'de-age his penis'.
He wears a special device over his privates at night, and during the day, he has a strict 'longevity routine' which dominates his day as he wakes up at 4:30am, eats his last meal of the day at 11am and goes to bed again at 8:30.
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Johnson is also the guy who founded tech company Braintree and bought Venmo before selling both to PayPal in 2013 for millions... that money for all his treatments and supplements has to come from somewhere.
For a man who treats his body like a temple, albeit one in constant need of renovation and improvement, you might think he'd stay away from something like magic mushrooms. But he tried them, and his colleague Kate confiscated his phone so she could record the process.
The first hour on magic mushrooms
Kate's first picture of the biohacker had him in bed with a mask over his eyes as she announced 'it officially hit'.
Johnson said he was feeling 'calm and pleasant' and was enjoying the drums music he was listening to, but his 'sense of time is definitely warped' as he thought more of it had elapsed than just an hour.
The 'giggling' man also wanted to look after the people in the room with him as Kate wrote that he was checking whether or not she'd had anything to eat.
He was also hallucinating as he thought Kate's face and the trees around him were 'alive' and moving.
Toilet break
While he was having a 'fantastic time' on magic mushrooms, the biological realities kicked in and Johnson had to answer a call of nature.
When he returned, he apparently stared at the same cup for a long period of time.
"Upon returning, he stared at this cup for 10 mins. What does it mean?" Kate wrote, as she said the biohacker was still doing plenty of laughing and giggling.
FRANK says that taking magic mushrooms can make a person 'giggly' or 'excited', as well as 'in awe of the people and things around you', but they warned that this could also push you into paranoia, anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed.
Collecting samples
About three hours into the trip, Kate said she had the 'not easy' task of collecting a vial of Johnson's spit while she also scanned his brain, took his blood pressure and used the saliva sample to measure his adrenal stress profile.
This is where they hit the 'peak' of the trip as Johnson found it 'hard to stay on task'
"Keeps talking about the universe and how we’re all one," she explained. "He wants to go back to his bed and 'return to the playground'."
He also kept calling her a flower, and she reckoned it was 'progress' when she got a gizmo on his head.
Salad cravings
Around an hour later it was time for him to have something to eat, and the biohacker chowed down on a salad, which he dubbed 'the best salad I've ever eaten'.
He also picked a mushroom out as the first bit of the meal he would eat and personally 'thanked it'.
FRANK warns that magic mushrooms can result in you losing control of what you're doing with a risk involved, and if you're at a stage where you're thanking a mushroom you're eating for being part of the meal that's a bit of a concern.
The 'beaming' biohacker seemed quite happy with his meal overall.
'I'm just so happy to be alive'
Another hour or so later and Kate announced she was giving Johnson his phone back as his trip was over and he was able to describe his own feelings.
He wrote: "Hey all, I’m just so happy to be alive. Yes, this trip changed me. Probably not as you’d expect. People assume I am fearful of death. I’m not. In my darkest days of depression, I reconciled with death.
"Need a few days to collect my thoughts. Will share more soon."
'Soon' in this case was about half an hour later as he then posted another message where he talked about his consciousness and called people 'assholes and terrible' even if he still loved them.
"Also much love to all of you," the biohacker wrote. "It weirdly feels like my consciousness is deeply intertwined with yours. Feels like family. You’re assholes and terrible. You’re also…nah, just mostly assholes and terrible. Still love you all anyways."
It sounds like he had a nice time, though many people who take magic mushrooms have bad trips which are 'frightening and unsettling'.
There's also the risk of eating poisonous mushrooms, which can be seriously damaging to your body.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week
Topics: Bryan Johnson, Drugs, Health, Mental Health
Joe Harker