Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has experienced a form of spirituality that has allowed him to be a better leader for his team. Recently, that “baaad man” discussed an experience with psychedelic drugs that led him to an increased self-awareness that he thinks can translate to the field.
“I had heard about ayahuasca and I think there’s so many myths and rumors about it,” said Rodgers on the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast.” “The fear around it is, you’re going to s*** yourself, it’s just a big throw-up fest … but the negative framework of it is that is the experience, not the deep and meaningful and crazy mind-expanding possibilities and also deep self-love and healing that can happen on the other side.”
Ayahuasca is a tea containing the hallucinogenic drug DMT advocated by stars like Joe Rogan and Mike Tyson. Herbal medicine shamans have traditionally administered it during sweat lodge sessions, and users have claimed to get in touch with another part of themselves during the trip.
“I had a magical experience with the sensation of feeling a hundred different hands on my body imparting a blessing of love and forgiveness for myself and gratitude for this life from what seemed to be my ancestors,” he continued.
“I really feel like that set me on my course to be able to go back into my job and have a different perspective on things and to be way more free at work, as a leader, as a teammate, as a friend, as a lover. I really feel like that experience paved the way for me to have the best season of my career.”
Rodgers reportedly took a trip to Peru in 2020 before his MVP season and indulged in the drug. Now he credits it to improving his play after he threw 48 touchdowns and only five interceptions. His completion rate was a staggering 70.7 percent also that year, which was one of the two best seasons of his 17-year NFL career.
“For me and my mental health — we talk so much about mental health. Marshawn Lynch had a classic kind of retirement press conference talking about taking care of your mentals. We talk so much about mental health, and to me, one of the core tenets of your mental health is self-love, and that’s what ayahuasca did for me. It’s only in that unconditional self-love that I’m able to unconditionally love others.
“What better way for me to work on my mental health than to have an experience like that? I mean, the greatest gift I can give to my teammates in my opinion, is to show up and to be someone who can model unconditional love to them. I mean, obviously, it’s important I play well and show up and lead and all that stuff, but they won’t care about what you say until they know how much you care.”
For Aaron Rodgers, life is a constant adventure as one of the most talented quarterbacks to ever play at a high level. However, even he needed to find greater meaning, and he joined the list of those recommending the remedy for how it elevated their overall wellness.
