Managers on magic mushrooms: «Psychedelic leadership» is trending
Managers on magic mushrooms: «Psychedelic leadership» is trending
There has been a boom in seminars that offer psychedelic mushroom therapy to business leaders. Two participants and an organizer talk about their experiences.    Psilocybin alters people’s consciousness and thinking – even in the case of managers. Illustration Simon Tanner / NZZ «There were dark moments when I was confronted with a feeling of loneliness,» says Claudia.* «But there were also great moments when I felt like I was being carried and held.»Claudia still remembers her trip well. She and the others lay on mats on the floor, blindfolded. Relaxing music was playing in the background. «The first hour was really tough,» she says, «I asked myself, ‹What did I get myself into?› Then I spoke to a supervisor and increased my dose.»Claudia is 54 years old and has her own agency in Hamburg that offers coaching for business leaders. She helps her clients with topics such as communication, leadership roles and personal growth. In September 2023, however, she was working on herself. Along with other managers, business founders and self-employed people, she took part in a retreat organized by the Evolute Institute «for personal transformation.» They all took mushrooms containing psilocybin – also known as magic mushrooms.Magic mushrooms are popular with business leadersUnder the keyword «psychedelic leadership,» psychedelic drugs like mushrooms have found their way into the business world in recent years. Therapists have been experimenting with substances such as MDMA, ketamine and psilocybin for years in the hope of finding treatments for depression and other mental illnesses. For business leaders, these substances are appealing for other reasons: They hope to advance professionally, release mental blocks or develop more creativity on the job.He has never been interested in drugs, Ivan* insists. But two years ago, he says, he was in a crisis. Ivan is the founder of several companies in the fintech and blockchain sector. After the pandemic, however, business took a turn for the worse. He didn't enjoy his work, and his everyday life was characterized by uncertainty and anxiety. He had repeatedly heard about psilocybin from people around him. «There are a lot of entrepreneurs in my circle of friends. I don’t know anyone now who hasn’t tried it at some point.» This is how he heard about Evolute and eventually decided to take part in a seminar in late 2022.In a survey conducted by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm among 3,150 managers from the U.S. and the U.K., 18% stated that they had tried psychedelics in the past – most of them while in a management position. Google founder Sergey Brin is also said to take magic mushrooms, and Steve Jobs attached great importance to his LSD experiences. German investor and billionaire Christian Angermayer has the chemical formula for psilocybin tattooed on his arm.Psilocybin alters perception and thinkingThe substance is found in over 300 species of fungi. When ingested, the body converts it to psilocin, which is chemically similar to the «happiness hormone» serotonin. Psilocin binds to serotonin receptors in the brain. This leads to sequential processes that influence brain chemistry.Psilocybin alters thinking and perception. Minutes can feel like hours and hours like minutes. The effect is different from person to person, and most find it difficult to put into words.Many test subjects describe feeling like they are part of something bigger. Psilocybin also often brings up memories that they would otherwise not have access to. Ivan says he rode a carousel on which each seat represented a different stage of his life. Claudia remembers a feeling of all-embracing love and connection.Consumption is legal in the NetherlandsThe substance is banned in most countries, including Switzerland and Germany. However, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health may authorize exceptions for medical use. Several hundred patients in Switzerland are being treated with psilocybin, LSD or MDMA.In the Netherlands, however, the consumption of psilocybin mushrooms is permitted. For several years, companies offering psychedelic coaching have been springing up there like the mushrooms themselves. Evolute is one of them.The startup was founded in 2022 by entrepreneurs Dmitrij Achelrod and Christopher Kabakis. They both describe it as a passion project, as they usually work in other areas. Kabakis runs a consulting and coaching company, while Achelrod has a doctorate in health economics and most recently worked for a data science startup. Psychedelic trips as a passion projectAchelrod tells us about his first psychedelic trip over five years ago, which inspired him to delve deeper into the subject. «It was a very formative experience for me. And I thought to myself that other people could probably benefit from this too, especially those who bear a lot of responsibility.»Achelrod and Kabakis see their work as a way to improve the business world and, in turn, society as a whole. They emphasize that there is not a lot of money in psychedelic-supported coaching formats, and that they make just enough to cover their expenses.Their EvoLEAD program, which according to the website is aimed specifically at entrepreneurs, leaders and «other pioneering minds,» is designed to help participants «unlock their creative powers» and «connect with their innermost purpose,» among other things. Participants decide for themselves how much they want to pay, but the minimum amount is 3,500 euros.Preparation and follow-up are particularly importantThe program includes much more than the psilocybin trip itself. The participants work on themselves for two to three months. In a preparatory phase lasting several weeks, participants attend individual and group discussions to define the issues that are important to them and that may be blocking them. They are also informed about the challenges and risks of a psychedelic trip and learn how to deal with possible negative experiences.The preliminary discussions are held online, while the seminar itself takes place in the Netherlands over the course of four days. «The day usually starts at half past seven and ends at 9 p.m.,» says Dmitri Achelrod. The program, which includes meditation, yoga, individual and group talks, breath work, and time spent in nature, is designed to help participants learn more about their inner selves and get a taste of the psychedelic experience to come. The «truffle trip,» as Evolute calls the psilocybin trip, is intended to be the climax of the meeting. But it does not mark the end of the road to a new self. In a subsequent two-month integration phase, participants are supposed to process their experience in further individual and group discussions and find ways to integrate the knowledge they have gained into their everyday lives. Claudia says the retreat changed something for her «on a very deep level. I feel more determined in my demeanor and in what I do. Many of my mental blocks have been released.» She tells us that she hardly ever has time to deal with important issues in her day-to-day life.Executives do not have enough timeThis could also explain the great success of such psilocybin trips among executives. A health expert at Harvard Hospital McLean told the Bloomberg news agency that many managers do not have enough time for themselves to switch off and deal with their issues due to their long working hours. People who do not have time to exercise regularly or see friends and family, for instance, often long for a quick, supposedly uncomplicated solution to deal with their problems, he said.According to this expert, managers are usually expected to solve their problems independently and without much fuss. As a result, people are more willing to try out new substances than to give up tasks or admit weakness, he said. He also warned that this is not a long-term solution, however, since people run the risk of developing an addiction.Ivan says that psilocybin helped him find himself more fully, and that he is ready to stand up for himself again. «I do not compare myself to others as much anymore, and I’m able to understand them better at the same time. I no longer get annoyed by taxi drivers, for instance.» After the retreat, he resolved to take on more responsibility and take risks again. He does not currently believe that he will take another trip in the near future.* Name has been changedLatest articlesBelow, you’ll find links to a selection of our free content. If you’d like access to all of our content, including the full version of our twice-weekly newsletter, please upgrade here.Global reporting from Switzerland. Independent since 1780.The NZZ is one of the preeminent news sources in the German-speaking world, with a tradition of independent, high-quality journalism reaching back over 240 years. With an industry-leading network of foreign correspondents and a team of expert editors in Zurich, we offer fact-based analyses, in-depth investigations and top-notch reporting: a global view with a fresh perspective.Sign up for our free newsletter or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or WhatsApp.