How Different Psychedelics Rewire Your Capacity for Joy

Welcome to the Psychedelic Blog. I write about the Impact of Psychedelics on Grieving, Relationships, Culture & Death. This week, I’m exploring how different Psychedelics uniquely rewire our capacity for joy—and why that might be their most underrated gift.

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“Psychedelics don’t show you what’s true. They show you what’s possible.” — James Fadiman

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Intro

For all the talk about trauma healing & shadow work, there’s something else these medicines do that gets less airtime: they bring joy back online.

Not the performative kind. Not the dopamine-chasing, selfie-in-Tulum kind.
But the kind you feel in your body—spontaneous laughter, awe that brings you to tears, quiet appreciation for your partner.

The sunset. A couple holding hands. An old song. A text from a friend. The fact you exist.

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Photo by Nattipat Vesvarute on Unsplash

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Baseline Joy Isn't Universal

We all enter this world with a different emotional starting point. Every human is having a biological experience—and like all biology, there's variance.

Some people are born with higher baseline serotonin levels. You know them when you meet them. They're light. Buoyant. Unbothered. Serendipity seems to follow them.

I was not one of those people.

I was anxious. Prone to a scarcity mindset. Easily triggered into negativity.
But six years of Psychedelic exploration changed that. Not overnight, not all at once—but piece by piece, molecule by molecule, my system recalibrated.

Here’s how different Psychedelics uniquely rewires our ability to experience joy.

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🍄 Psilocybin: Gratitude, Awe & Emotional Reset

Section 1: The Science

• Mystical Experiences = Meaningful Shifts

High-dose Psilocybin sessions have been shown to catalyze long-term increases in life satisfaction, gratitude, purpose, and social connectedness. These aren’t temporary mood boosts—they’re tectonic emotional shifts.

• Microdosing, a SSRI Replacement

Psilocybin is proven to have enduring antidepressant effects. Unlike Lexapro, however, which creates emotional blunting, Psilocybin catalyzes emotional reconnection. Same outcome, very different path.

• Rewiring Threat & Negativity Bias

Psilocybin calms the amygdala, making it easier to experience joy without the constant background hum of anxiety or threat. It boosts openness & emotional fluidity. The irony here is that those who would benefit most from Psilocybin—close-minded, judgmental types—are the least likely to try it.

• It’s Also Just… Fun

For those without psychiatric contraindications (SSRIs, mania, schizophrenia), mushrooms can be joyfully playful. Music sounds better. Trees come alive. Sex gets better. You laugh—not the dreaded polite laughter—but actual laughter.

Section 2: The Personal

Psilocybin is a gift from God. It’s a magic drug—capable of helping with PTSD, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s. It’s also the best alcohol replacement I’ve found.

Alcohol is culturally sanctioned, but it kills ~100,000 people a year. I had my last drink seven years ago. I quit cannabis earlier this year. But my desire for pleasure didn’t just disappear—I redirected it. I replaced those substances with Psilocybin. It has made my life infinitely better. No hangovers, no withdrawals, no regrets. Very few compounds can offer that.

And no, you don’t need a self-anointed mushroom guru charging $400 to walk you through your own consciousness. You’re allowed to enjoy joy. On your own. With a partner. With friends. Just be smart: don’t drive, know your dose, have someone you can call. But let’s stop treating Psilocybin like it’s 5-MeO-DMT. It’s not. It’s gentler. It’s social. It’s sacred—but it’s also fun.

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💊 MDMA: Love, Safety, and Connection

Section 1: The Science

• Amplifies Positive Social Emotions

MDMA lights up the reward centers linked to connection, safety, and belonging. You feel accepted—and more capable of accepting others.

• Alters Emotional Filtering

It slows the brain’s response to negative emotional cues while enhancing perception of positive ones, flipping your internal script from “What’s wrong with me?” to “I am lovable.”

• Long-Term Benefits When Used Intentionally

Users report persistent increases in emotional openness, especially when MDMA is used with intention (as opposed to on a nightclub floor). It rewires the way you receive love.

Section 2: The Personal

MDMA has been a godsend for me. From the first time I communed with it back in 2020, I knew it was the perfect compound for my neurobiology. And clearly, I’m not alone. Whether it’s veterans battling PTSD or couples trying to reconnect, MDMA is a miracle drug.

It’s one of the only compounds that releases norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, and vasopressin simultaneously. The result? Clarity. Connection. Euphoria. Bliss.

Unfortunately, MDMA’s reputation as a “rave drug” still holds it back from reaching its full potential. But the tide is turning—slowly. It’s a potent substance and shouldn’t be used every weekend. Depleting serotonin that frequently is risky. But once every few months? It’s a powerful tool to reconnect with yourself, your partner, your joy.

We’re all pleasure-seekers, after all.

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🧬 LSD: Expanding Joy, Curiosity & Imagination

Section 1: The Science

• Enhances Empathy and Connection

LSD increases both conscious (explicit) & subconscious (implicit) empathy. People feel more bonded, even with strangers. You trust, share, soften.

• Broadens Emotional Range

Unlike MDMA or Psilocybin, LSD stretches your imaginative & sensory palette. You don’t just feel joy—you feel it creatively. Joy can become surreal, bizarre, mystical.

• Boosts Well-Being & Openness

Higher doses are associated with long-lasting boosts in optimism, self-compassion, and flexibility—the psychological conditions joy needs to flourish.

Section 2: The Personal

I’ve only worked with LSD once. It was weird, thrilling, long—and weird. Did I mention weird? It’s worth saying twice. LSD is a mind-bending adventure into an alternate reality. Digital. Synthetic. Like borrowing the motorcycle from Tron and riding it through whatever world Blade Runner exists in.

And yet, amidst all that strangeness, there was joy. A cosmic kind. The kind that reminds you you’re made of stardust. That everything is connected. That time isn’t a trap—it’s a dance.

For many, that alone is fun. Exploring the outer limits of consciousness is its own kind of vacation. Some people are satisfied with Turks & Caicos. Others of us are wired for novelty & exploration. For us, LSD can be the perfect modality to satiate that desire—and in doing so, it can bring a surprising amount of joy.

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🌌 DMT: The Joy of Revelation

Section 1: The Science

• Awe as a Catalyst

DMT is short-acting but often intensely profound. Many report euphoric visions filled with radiant beings, geometric beauty, and a sense of homecoming.

• Spiritual Joy Through Contact

In clinical studies & anecdotal reports, encounters with “entities” often leave people with a deep sense of joy, reverence, or relief—especially when fear is transcended.

• Reality Reframe

Even when the trip is intense or bizarre, many come back with a kind of joy that’s less about pleasure and more about knowing. A knowing that life is bigger than it seems, and that we’re part of something meaningful.

Section 2: The Personal

While I’ve worked with DMT a handful of times, only one experience was truly transcendent. This is not uncommon—whatever realm we enter on DMT seems to have locked doors at times.

But the experience I did have was nothing short of fascinating. I was immersed in the most beautiful, perfect sacred geometry I had ever seen. The realm itself was undulating, vibrating—alive.

The rest of that afternoon was pure joy. I had the experience with my girlfriend at the time, and we’d been experiencing a lot of friction in the days leading up to the ceremony—we nearly cancelled it more than once. I’m so glad we didn’t. In the post-DMT glow, we were able to interact with one another the way we once had. We laughed. We softened. We were as joyful as we were in the beginning.

What a powerful & beautiful substance.

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🌿 Ayahuasca / Samadhi: The Joy of Clarity

Section 1: The Science

• Mystical Experiences = Meaningful Shifts

Ayahuasca reliably induces peak mystical states, which have been directly linked to sustained increases in well-being, emotional regulation, and life satisfaction. These aren’t surface-level mood lifts. They’re seismic shifts in how one relates to self, others, and the cosmos.

• Boosting Neuroplasticity & Mood Regulation

The DMT-MAOI combo in Ayahuasca & Samadhi increases BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), a key driver of emotional resilience & long-term joy. Simultaneously, harmine & harmaline (the MAOIs) exhibit antidepressant-like effects in both animal and early human studies.

• The Gut-Brain Axis & Serotonin

Ayahuasca affects not only the brain but the gut microbiome, which produces ~90% of the body’s serotonin. The intense purging (“la purga”) isn't just metaphor—it resets the digestive system and may improve serotonin signaling, enhancing mood & emotional clarity.

• Releasing Stored Emotion

Ayahuasca lowers Default Mode Network (DMN) activity—the brain’s hub for ego, rumination, and depressive thought loops. This allows for suppressed memories & emotions to surface & move, which is often experienced as catharsis, tears, or deep laughter.

• It’s Also… Intense, But Can be Worth It

You won’t be giggling under a tree. But the aftermath? People report feeling cleansed, reborn, and deeply grateful. One study found dramatic increases in joy & optimism that lasted weeks after a single ceremony.

Section 2: The Personal

I wouldn’t call Samadhi—something I’ve communed with twice—joyful. At least, not entirely. There are moments of pure joy. Others are darker. But as is often the case with potent Psychedelics that catalyze transcendence, it’s what happens after that’s nothing short of extraordinary.

The aftermath is blissful. A level of clarity most of us have never known. It’s like putting a quarter into one of those cityscape viewers—suddenly, everything sharpens into focus.

These medicines aren’t for everyone. They’re potent & demand respect. But they can offer joy—not in the hedonistic sense, but in the form of perspective. Clarity where there was none. Lightness where we’d grown heavy.

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🐸 5-MeO-DMT: Joy Beyond Identity

Section 1: The Science

• Ego Dissolution as Emotional Rebirth

Unlike DMT, 5-MeO rarely features visions or beings. It dissolves everything—including you. And in the wake of that death? Stillness. Peace. Sometimes the deepest joy imaginable.

• Post-Experience Glow

Many describe a lingering sense of serenity, clarity, and gratitude—like being reset to factory settings. It’s certainly not the most fun molecule—but when done safely & integrated well, it’s the most liberating.

• Transcendent Joy, Not Hedonic Joy

This isn’t the joy of dopamine—it’s the joy of no longer clinging. A kind of bliss that emerges when the self drops away and there’s nothing left to defend.

Section 2: The Personal

I’ve often described the moments following a 5-MeO-DMT journey as some of the most profound & blissful imaginable. In those first few minutes, we feel more alive—more connected to the earth, to existence—than perhaps ever before. After my last experience, I wrote:

I raised my arms, looked up at the sun, and closed my eyes. In that moment, I felt deeply rooted as a child of this earth. I was reminded of philosopher Alan Watts’ story of a UFO flying by Earth millions of years ago. At first, the aliens would have seen nothing but "a bunch of rocks." But on a return flight, after millions of years, they would look down, see cities and civilizations, and realize, "Oh, those were people-ing rocks." The takeaway is profound—we are the earth. We don’t come into this world, we come out of it.

Five MeO is not for everyone and it’s certainly not for everyone all of the time. But for those who find themselves in a place where launching into the source of all creation makes sense, it can provide immeasurable joy. The kind a baby experiences when their parents play with them. The deepest, most authentic version of joy humans can experience during our time here.

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Across the Board: Psychedelics & Joy

While each Psychedelic carries its own distinct fingerprint, certain patterns consistently emerge. One of the most reliable is a kind of positive emotional recalibration—a neurological reset that lowers our threat sensitivity & increases our openness to experience. With the inner critic turned down and curiosity turned up, joy becomes easier to access.

Just as vital is the way these compounds foster empathy, both toward others and ourselves. Psychedelics unlock a deeper sense of self-compassion & relational empathy, which can feel like being bathed in emotional safety. And it’s in that safety that joy finally has room to grow.

Then there’s awe. From seeing a leaf shimmer like a gem to crying at the sound of wind, Psychedelics heighten our sensitivity to beauty. They remind us that wonder isn’t something we have to seek—it’s something we’ve simply forgotten how to feel.

These compounds remind us that life itself is the trip.

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Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash

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Final Thought

The goal isn’t happiness. That’s where so many people go wrong—chasing a fleeting emotion as if it’s a permanent destination. Happiness is like ice cream on the beach: amazing in the moment, but try having five and it loses its magic. It’s ephemeral by design.

Joy is different. Joy is a state of being, not an emotion. It’s quieter, more resilient. It doesn’t demand conditions. It just is.

Psychedelics didn’t just help me process old pain—they made room for play. They softened the armor. They reminded me what it feels like to be light again. They didn’t make me happier. They made me joyful.

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