Four years ago, Netflix made psychedelics mainstream.

Michael Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind" brought ayahuasca, mescaline, psilocybin, and MDMA into living rooms worldwide. Suddenly, everyone was talking about "10 years of therapy in one day" and "resetting the brain."

But after guiding tens of leaders through psychedelic transformation at INLIBRIUM, I need to tell you what Netflix won't:

You're being sold a dangerous lie.

Pollan's work is brilliant. The stories of healing are deeply moving. But here's what the cameras don't capture:

The depression that comes roaring back six weeks later. The executives who become "journey junkies," chasing experience after experience. The fact that clinical trial participants receive MONTHS of professional support that you won't get at a retreat in Costa Rica.

This isn't just misleading. It's dangerous.

The Magic Pill That Doesn't Exist

Some time ago, I was contacted by a CEO. Let's call him Marcus.

"I need the strongest dose possible," he said. "I want to break through everything at once."

Marcus had built three companies. Sold one. Worth millions.

And was dying inside.

His plan? One heroic dose of psilocybin to "fix" 20 years of workaholism, a failing marriage, and a relationship with his kids that existed only in board meeting mentions of "work-life balance."

This is the Netflix effect in action.

The idea that transformation is something you consume, not something you become.

I've sat with several of leaders like Marcus. CEOs convinced that one psychedelic ceremony will cure their burnout. Founders are certain that mushrooms will solve problems they spent decades creating.

They all learn the same hard truth:

The substance isn't the therapy. It's just the catalyst.

Your Body Keeps the Score

Here's what actually happens in psychedelic therapy — the part Netflix glosses over:

You don't just "change your mind." You confront everything stored in your body.

• That chronic back pain? It might be 20 years of carrying burdens that weren't yours.

• The insomnia? It could be your nervous system stuck in hypervigilance since childhood.

• That need to control everything? Often a protection mechanism from when you had no control.

Psychedelics don't magically erase these patterns. They reveal them. Intensely. Undeniably.

One venture capitalist described it perfectly: "I thought I was taking medicine. Instead, I got a mirror."

And mirrors don't lie.

The real shock comes when leaders realise that trauma isn't just psychological — it's physiological. Your body has been keeping score of every betrayal, every loss, every moment you chose achievement over authenticity.

This is why the "just change your mind" narrative is so dangerous. It ignores the fundamental truth:

Healing happens in the body, not just the brain.

Integration: The 90% Netflix Ignores

Want to know the biggest lie in the psychedelic renaissance?

That the journey is the work.

Here's the reality: The psychedelic experience is maybe 20% of transformation. The other 80%? That's integration — the unsexy, unglamorous, day-by-day work of becoming who you glimpsed you could be.

Rosalind Watts, who led the groundbreaking psilocybin trials at Imperial College London, learned this the hard way. Initially, she thought a couple of integration sessions would suffice.

Now? She recommends a FULL YEAR of integration support.

Not a weekend workshop. Not a month of coaching. A year.

Why? Because integration is where the real work happens:

• Processing the insights — Not all revelations are true or helpful

• Rewiring patterns — Changing decades-old behaviours takes time

• Building new structures — You need systems to support your new way of being

• Navigating the fallout — Transformation often disrupts everything around you

I've seen executives have profound realisations about their marriage during a journey, only to return home and slip back into the same destructive patterns within weeks.

The psychedelics showed them the door. But they still had to walk through it.

And that walk? It's the hardest part.

The Myth of Overnight Transformation

The psychedelic hype machine loves transformation porn.

"CEO takes ayahuasca, saves company!"

"Founder does mushrooms, finds purpose!"

These stories sell retreats. They don't sell reality.

Here's what actual transformation looks like:

Month 1-3: The Honeymoon

You're high on insights. Everything makes sense. You buy meditation cushions, start journaling. Your spouse is cautiously optimistic.

Month 4-6: The Crash

Old patterns resurface. The insights feel distant. This is where most people book another journey, thinking they need a "booster."

Month 7-12: The Real Work

You realise transformation isn't a destination — it's a daily practice. You start therapy. Real therapy. You have hard conversations.

Year 2 and Beyond: Integration

The spectacular insights fade, replaced by sustainable practices. You're not who you thought you'd become. You're something more real — yourself, finally.

One tech founder put it perfectly: "I thought psychedelics would make me a better CEO. Instead, they made me realise I didn't want to be a CEO at all."

That's transformation. Messy, nonlinear, and nothing like the Netflix version.

When Healing Becomes Bypassing

Here's a pattern I see constantly:

Successful leader feels empty → Discovers psychedelics → Has profound experience → Believes they're "healed" → Avoids the actual work → Crashes harder → Repeats cycle

This is spiritual bypassing with a chemical accelerant.

I've watched executives become journey collectors, flying from Peru to Costa Rica to Portugal, accumulating experiences like LinkedIn badges. They can describe their DMT visuals in detail but can't have an honest conversation with their teenage daughter.

They've confused peak experiences with transformation.

Real healing is boring. It's showing up to therapy every week. It's learning to feel your feelings without numbing them with work. It's having the same difficult conversation with your partner for the 50th time until something finally shifts (based on my personal experience).

Psychedelics can catalyse this process. They can't replace it.

The Body Problem

Remember Marcus, our CEO who wanted the "strongest dose possible"?

During his session, something unexpected happened. Instead of cosmic insights, he felt... nothing.

For six hours, absolutely nothing.

Except pain. Emotional pain. Everywhere.

No visions. No entities. No universal consciousness. Only tears like rivers running down his cheeks.

Just a body finally allowed to feel what it had been holding.

This is what Netflix doesn't show you: Sometimes the most profound journeys look like nothing from the outside.

Marcus spent six hours on a mat, occasionally sobbing, mostly just breathing. No fireworks. Just a man's body finally releasing two decades of suppressed life force.

The Preparation Nobody Talks About

Want to know why so many psychedelic experiences go sideways?

Zero preparation.

People treat these medicines like recreational drugs — show up, tune in, blast off. Then wonder why they're traumatised instead of transformed.

At INLIBRIUM, preparation takes months:

- Nervous system regulation and somatic practices

- Building emotional vocabulary and support systems

- Setting realistic intentions (hint: "fix everything" isn't one)

- How to talk with family about the journey

- Developing daily practices (meditation, breathwork, movement)

Most people skip all of this. They book a retreat, fly to Peru, and hope for the best.

That's not brave. It's reckless.

The Integration Trap

Even leaders who understand integration often fall into a trap:

They try to integrate alone.

After a profound experience, they return thinking they can handle it. They've built billion-dollar companies, after all. How hard can integration be?

Six weeks later, they're falling apart.

Because integration isn't a solo sport. It requires:

- Therapists who understand psychedelics

- Community of others on the same path

- Daily practices and accountability

- Patience with the non-linear nature of healing

The leaders who transform aren't the ones who have the biggest experiences. They're the ones who do the daily work when no one's watching.

The Real Question

The psychedelic renaissance is here. The tools are increasingly available. The stigma is fading.

But the question isn't whether psychedelics can change your life.

The question is: Are you ready for what real change demands?

Because transformation isn't something you schedule between board meetings. It's not a weekend experience you can optimise for efficiency.

• It's a complete reorganisation of who you are and how you live.

• It means disappointing people who prefer your old patterns.

• It means admitting that your success might be your biggest failure.

• It means feeling everything you've been running from.

But on the other side?

Real transformation. The kind that changes how you show up in every moment. The kind that ripples through your family, your company, your legacy.

The kind that lets you finally answer "IS THIS IT?" with a resounding "No" — and then do something about it.

The Path Forward

At INLIBRIUM, we don't promise overnight transformation. We don't sell peak experiences. We don't pretend that a week of residential will solve decades of patterns.

What we offer is a complete protocol:

• Months of preparation for your body, mind, and life

• Carefully crafted journeys with medical support

• A full year of integration support

• Community connection with others on the same path

• Ongoing practices for sustained transformation

It's not sexy. It's not simple. It's definitely not made for TV.

But it works.

Because real transformation happens in the space between the spectacular and the mundane. In the daily choice to show up differently. In the courage to feel what you've been avoiding.

Psychedelics can show you the door.

But you still have to walk through it.

One breath at a time.

One day at a time.

One choice at a time.

Until one day you wake up and realise — you're not the person who needed transformation anymore.

You're the person who found it. And you can proudly say: "THIS IS IT!"