How Psychedelics are Taking Capitol Hill by Storm 🔥

Interview with Melissa Lavasani Founder and President of the Psychedelic Medicine PAC 🍄

A lot of exciting initiatives are happening in the psychedelic industry. Not least the legislative changes that are ushering a new era for all the players in the space. Whether you are conscious of your mental health, an investor interested in new opportunities, an entrepreneur looking for your next big thing, or a citizen concerned by the public good, read on! You will learn wonderful insights from my guest, DC’s powerhouse, Melissa Lavasani, Founder and President of the Psychedelic Medicine PAC and Founder and Chief Executive Officer at the Psychedelic Medicine Coalition.

Like many in the psychedelic space, Melissa Lavasani got acquainted with the industry to solve for her personal mental health challenges. After the birth of her second child, Melissa suffered from postpartum depression. Naturally, she tried to find help via the traditional healthcare system, albeit it was clear for Melissa that she would not take prescribed drugs such as anti-depressants - two of her friends had indeed taken their lives while being on anti-depressants. After being told by a M.D. that it was normal to have suicidal thoughts she did what many of us did, she took matters into her own hands. This is when she started to educate herself on psychedelics, after stumbling upon a podcast explaining the healing properties of psilocybin mushrooms. Despite having no previous experience with psychedelics but comforted by all the scientific studies she read, she decided to microdose psilocybin. After her 3rd day of microdosing she felt human again, her husband commented that it was the first time she was playing with her new-born son since the birth.

This is how and when Melissa Lavasani became a fervent advocate for change in the American legislative landscape and saw a gap in advocacy with the Federal government. She indeed had to grow her own mushrooms, illegaly, in order to heal herself. She strongly believes that Americans should have access to psychedelics for their own healing.

After her experience, Melissa Lavasani launched in 2021 the Psychedelic Medicine Coalition to lobby Congress, based on the assumption that mental health is a public health issue that needs to be addressed at the federal level.

The Coalition is a membership organization that advocates on behalf of the psychedelic ecosystem on Capitol Hill. By now the organization has educated +250 offices about the amazing potential of psychedelic medicines.

One of the goals of the organization is to influence Congress to develop an entire comprehensive policy outlook. There is a lot of urgency around this issue and it is important to get it right, as it is very challenging to undo bad policies.

From Melissa’s perspective, the discussions around psychedelic medicines needs to remain fact-based, leading with the Science, when advising politicians on the changes needed to better support the mental health of American people. Letting Science speaks for itself will help undo the stigma associated with psychedelic medicines.

A lot of education has been done by the Coalition towards the members of Congress to explain the incredible potential of psychedelic medicines.

Why the Psychedelic Medicine PAC 💸

First things first, PAC stands for Political Action Committee. It is a tool to pool dollars from people who want to influence political elections. The amounts donated by the general public will be directed by the PAC towards elected officials supporting the agenda of giving access to psychedelic medicines for healing purposes to Americans.

The PAC wants to insure that the early supporters of psychedelic medicines remain in office and continue their support of this issue. The next presidential election will be the time to show maturity and get a seat at the table. So far, the bi-partisan support has been very strong, showing the opportunity to unite the country around this topic.

The policy framework will have to be set up properly to insure that the system is equitable and that most Americans can have access to these medicines.

Psychedelic medicine is a healthcare issue, not a political one.

Melissa Lavasani and her team saw a need for a PAC that would be detached from the Coalition but complementary. One of the aims is to educate communities that are not spoken to about psychedelics, similarly to what they have been doing on Capital Hill with politicians. By first polling communities to understand where they stand on the topic and then creating a global messaging campaign, they will target influential communities in need of more education on psychedelic medicines.

A different Approach to Healthcare is Needed 💊

The medical community is trained to treat our bodies as if we are machines and mental health has been considered secondary to all of it. A lot of people struggling from mental health and addiction problems could really benefit from psychedelic medicines.

In order to create a coherent and fair system, there is a need to thoughtfully bring together insurance companies, Medicare coverage, psychedelic advocates, scientific communities, the psychedelic medicine industry and to make workforce investments.

“We need to take a different approach to the healthcare system, particularly mental healthcare.”

On the theme of the healthcare system you can read, watch or listen to a recent piece of mine re the inconsistencies of the healthcare system.

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If you are interested in knowing more about me, you can visit my website or my YouTube channel.

This newsletter is designed to entertain and inform, not provide medical advice. You should always consult your doctor when it comes to your personal health or before you start any treatment.

Good-bye Boredom, Depression and Anxiety; Hello Focus, Fun and Flow🔥 Part I

The Microdose Diet; The 90 Day Plan for Passion, Success and Happiness 🍄

Are you tired of feeling, well, tired, bored, anxious, depressed, in a word blah? Would you like more zest for life, more energy, more enthusiasm? I used to be there not so long ago. This is not a fun place to be stuck in. Read on and discover how you can get your mojo back and enjoy life more!

I am Peggy Van de Plassche, a former banker and VC who now speaks and writes about the psychedelic industry & the benefits of microdosing psilocybin. I created The Microdose Diet - the 90 Day Plan for Passion, Success and Happiness.

Many of you have read about the great benefits I have been experiencing from microdosing psilocybin in combination with other practices such as tapping meditation, visualization and guided meditation. Since publicizing my foray into psychedelics I have been contacted many many times by some of you who are curious and would also like to experience the same benefits. Namely focus, productivity, presence, elevated mood, reduction in stress, anxiety and depression, as well as awareness. In a nutshell, you want more passion, success and happiness!

As luck and timing would have it, earlier this year, I was contacted by a New-York-based literary agent who asked me to formalize the process I have developed, followed and advised many to follow already. The result is a book called The Microdose Diet - The 90 day plan for Success and Happiness, or at least this is the temporary title subject to publishers modification😀 The book will be out next year, but I thought I would share with you a summary of this process. I will also launch a private community on this topic, so if you are interested in joining, please let me know

The 90 day plan has 4 parts lasting 3 weeks each. Every week is different, building on the previous one. The below is a simplified version of TMD, and should already give you great benefits if you do follow it…if you don’t, well, nothing will happen.😁 You will notice that I focus a lot on clearing. This is simply because before adding life-affirming thoughts, words and actions we need to create space by getting rid of the life-negating thoughts, words and actions. When you want to transform your home you first throw away the old furniture before bringing new ones. This is the same rationale!

Launching The Microdose Diet Private Community!

Access resources to enable your mindful microdosing experience;

Share your experience anonymously with like-minded individuals;

Participate in private and confidential discussions;

Attend exclusive presentations and events held under the Chatham House Rule.

Week 1-3; Assessment and Clearing 🧹

Before you begin, get a journal that you can dedicate just to this program. Bear with me - I know what you’re thinking. I too hate when I am told that I will need a journal (almost as much as when I am told I have to meditate). Writing down your thoughts and feelings is a key part of the process. Because we live with ourselves 24 hours per day, seven days per week, it can be hard to see progress otherwise. In addition, journaling focuses your mind. Don’t forget that your unconscious is always watching you. By recording your progress, you are “brainwashing” yourself and your mind into getting more of what you want. Many studies have shown that by priming your mind, you can influence your mindset and performance. It is in your control to decide what you want your mind to be primed with; success and happiness or negativity and despair.

On the first page of the journal, write down your intention for the next 90 days. Why are you doing this in the first place?

After you’ve identified your intention, it’s time to gain a better understanding of your starting point and begin the process of clearing out your body to prepare for the benefits of the plan to take hold.

The first tool to assess your starting point is fairly straight-forward. I like to start with a simple assessment exercise. On the next page of your journal, write down ten different categories: Relationship with Yourself; Relationship with your Partner; Relationship with your Family; Relationship with Others/the World around you; Health; Money; Career; Spirituality; Leisure; and Zest for Life.

Rank yourself on a scale of 0-10 in each category. Don’t overthink it. Write the first number that comes to your mind. No one has to see it. Do it for yourself. Then, calculate your overall score.

One of the other assessment tools I use in The Microdose Diet is the energy map, you can refer to 😁 How to have an amazing year 🙌 to triangulate your situation.

You now have your starting point; Where are you doing great, not so great, not great at all. Is there an area that is dragging down your overall score, or are the scores fairly aligned between categories? Can you identify any common threads between the various categories? When I did this exercise, I realized how often my own needs were put last, not met, or unknown thanks to my people pleasing tendency.

During the first weeks, gradually limit your intake of alcohol, tobacco, recreational drugs, sugar, and meat. Increase your water intake, drink herbal cleansing teas, dry brush. We want these toxins to leave your body and mind. We also want to give a message to your unconscious: you are off the auto-pilot and you are committed to seeing your life change for the best. As the weeks go on, I want you to continue to pay attention to this.

Last but not least, I want you to clear your space! You have started to clear your body and mind; now is the time to get rid of everything that is not aligned with success. Old magazines, newspapers, books, clothes, knick-knacks… all of that needs to go. Would the Happy, Successful You wear ill-fitted clothes? Or surround her/himself with knick-knacks? Likely not!

Announcing The Microdose Diet Private Community!

Access resources to enable your mindful microdosing experience;

Share your experience anonymously with like-minded individuals;

Participate in private and confidential discussions;

Attend exclusive presentations and events held under the Chatham House Rule

I hope you enjoyed this abbreviated version of The Microdose Diet! Congratulations for allocating time, energy, and resources to feeling happier and more successful.

My book, The Microdose Diet, is in the work, and should hit the shelves in 2024. The book will contain many more tools to bring more happiness and success in your life, as well as a comprehensive overview of psychedelics.

If you decide to join The Microdose Diet community you will receive tons of guidance and support to uplevel your life. Life is too short not to experience it fully!! Send me a note if you wish to do so.

Thank you for reading this newsletter. This post is public so feel free to share it.

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If you are interested in knowing more about me, you can visit my website or my YouTube channel.

😎Key Takeaways:

• Are you tired of feeling, well, tired, bored, anxious, depressed, in a word blah? Would you like more zest for life, more energy, more enthusiasm?

• The Microdose Diet - The 90 day plan for Success and Happiness is a formalized process combining microdosing psilocybin and alternative healing modalities such as tapping.

• The 90 day plan has 4 parts lasting 3 weeks each; Week 1-3, Assessment and Clearing; Week 4-6, Microdosing and Tapping; Week 7-9, Accelerating the Transformation; Week 10-12; Anchoring the Changes.

• Part 1; Writing down your thoughts and feelings is a key part of the process. Assess your starting point with a couple of tools. Start clearing your body, mind, space. Now is the time to get rid of everything that is not aligned with your vision of success and the person you want to be.

This newsletter is designed to entertain and inform, not provide medical advice. You should always consult your doctor when it comes to your personal health or before you start any treatment.