🫠 Psychonaut POV

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that rejects the “no pain, no gain” mentality. We’re starting a “no fun? you’re done” revolution. Who’s with us? 🙋

When most people hear “psychedelic medicine,” they think of mental health first. But Jon Clark has built a practice around the use of psychedelics to treat chronic physical pain. And it all started with his own long road to recovery.

We spoke to Jon about healing debilitating chronic pain with psychedelics, the tragedy that inspired him to create a new psychedelic therapy model, and what most people get wrong about mobility.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

One book can change your life.

Especially when that book posits a new theory for how the brain works and completely reimagines the way we measure mental health.

Inflamed isn’t another pop psychedelics book, recycling the same ideas you’ve heard a million times. It’s a manual for your mind.

Kathryn Walker, a mental health nurse practitioner and CEO of Revitalist, wrote it for anyone who’s tired of struggling. One reader said it quite literally saved his life.

For a limited time, she’s offering it to Tricycle Day readers at no cost.

Grab a free copy of the book.

You’re no stranger to pain yourself. Can you tell us the story of how you overcame debilitating chronic pain with psychedelics?

In December 2002, at age 17, I broke my L5 vertebra in a skiing accident. A month later while I was changing a tire, my body erupted into spasms. From that day, it took nearly 20 years to get out of pain.

Initially, I thought I'd hurt my knee. The doctors explained that my vertebra had split in two, but my musculature held it together for a while. Eventually, the pain spiraled. I had ups and downs. I went to college on a scholarship but struggled to walk by junior year. I had back surgery, which ultimately failed and nearly killed me from a MRSA infection.

Five years post-surgery, I was in bad shape. I quit my job, moved back with my parents, and started doctor-hopping. A year later, I was in a wheelchair. Over the next three years, my condition only worsened. That's when my dad bought me a book on posture therapy. Unlike physical therapy, which always caused more pain, these gentle exercises didn't hurt. After two months, I stood up from my wheelchair for the first time. It took another nine months to leave the wheelchair behind completely.

A year and a half later, I was still in considerable pain. My healing had plateaued, and I fell once again into depression. That's when I found mushrooms. A guy I barely knew gave me some, saying they might help. I was skeptical but desperate. To my surprise, they eased my muscle spasms and nerve pain better than any prescribed medication.

When I combined mushrooms with posture therapy, it opened the door to progress on previously intractable problems. Six months later, I competed in my first disc golf tournament—essentially a nine-mile mountain hike. That's the kind of progress I started making after this experience.

In your experience, what are the limitations of conventional posture therapy? What is it about psychedelics that helps people break through?

Posture therapy isn't just about the musculoskeletal system; it's about changing the brain's body schema models. These models control everything from how we move to how we experience pain. Conventional therapy slowly chips away at these models, like carving granite.

Psychedelics can accelerate the process. They make the body schema models more pliable, reducing muscle spasticity and allowing for safer, more effective exercises. Most people don’t realize that mobility isn’t purely a physical issue; it's actually an interplay between body and mind.

After my own breakthrough, I finished my posture therapy certification and started treating others. I hesitated to bring in psychedelics, however, because I noticed my experience with mushrooms wasn't typical in the community. Most discussions around psychedelics and chronic pain focused on reframing one's relationship with pain. It was about accepting it, not eliminating it.

The turning point for me came when a client committed suicide. I couldn't shake the thought: what if I had told her about mushrooms? That haunting feeling drove me to figure out what had happened to me, understand the mechanism of action, and develop a safe and repeatable protocol. That's what my book is about. My goal is to provide a comprehensive system for people to explore psychedelics for pain relief.

Posturedelic Therapy looks quite different from most psychedelic-assisted therapy sessions. How have you adapted your protocol to meet the needs of your clients?

While I incorporate some aspects of traditional facilitation, like minimal talking and inward focus, the major difference is the use of mobility exercises. My standard protocol alternates between dynamic movements and static positions. Dynamic movements disrupt body schema models, while static positions allow new models to imprint. This cycle continues throughout the session, with extended periods in corrective positions at key points.

The goal is to trigger an innate healing response. Ideally, the planned routine gets abandoned at some point, letting this response take over. This is where it can start to resemble more traditional facilitation.

I'll illustrate my approach with a case study. A client I'd worked with for two years had made significant progress with posture therapy but hit a wall. During our psychedelic session, I noticed something unusual in a familiar exercise—his foot was misaligned. When I corrected it, he lost all visuals on one side. That change in perception, to me, indicated his brain lacked the body schema models to process the new foot position.

I guided him to regain his visuals, using tactics like Internal Family Systems-inspired coaching and body scanning meditation. After about 20 minutes, he started moving spontaneously. He said, "the mushrooms are telling me what to do to fix it."

Immediately after the session, he could lift a weight over his head—something he hadn't done in over two years. This was someone who'd been diligent with conventional therapies but wasn't getting better. Six hours on psilocybin achieved what years of traditional methods couldn't.

Why psilocybin specifically? Have you experimented with any other substances?

I've primarily used psilocybin, LSD, and changa (DMT) for Posturedelic Therapy. MDMA hasn't shown success for my specific goals, as it doesn't seem to affect body schema in the same way. I've tested combinations like hippie flipping, too, but found it muddied the effects.

Changa is excellent for static poses, particularly focusing on the hip flexors. It seems to induce a more intense degree of neuroplasticity, leading to improvements in areas that psilocybin couldn't touch. However, the integration period is more demanding. It takes more work to maintain the improvements.

LSD is my go-to for focusing on a single pose for an extended period. Its long duration allows for patience and deep exploration. I once used it to address a postural issue in my supine frog position. I spent hours in the pose experiencing a sort of synesthetic biofeedback interface. I felt like a spider traversing a web of scar tissue, learning how the web affected my movement, and carefully mending the weak points.

Psilocybin is versatile and effective for general postural work. It's particularly useful for inducing what I call a "body schema shake-up," where we alternate between dynamic movement and static poses.

Importantly, this therapy requires a great deal of preparation. If I were to put someone on mushrooms without prior posture therapy, they'd likely find it frustrating and ineffective. We need several weeks of standard posture therapy beforehand to build a scaffolding of body schema models in the brain. The psychedelic experience then allows us to access and modify these models more profoundly. The goal is to turn our pain into a model of the past instead of the present.

Apart from reading your book or joining one of your retreats, what steps would you suggest for any of our readers currently suffering from chronic pain?

For quick wins, check out my YouTube channel, Posture Monster Jon. You can find posture therapy routines for specific issues like low back pain that you can do at home.

If you're interested in exploring the psychedelic aspect but aren't ready to buy the book or join a retreat, I host a free integration community online, where you can connect with others pursuing Posturedelic Therapy, participate in live Q&As, and get some guidance on best practices for DIY approaches. I want to make sure this support is available because, while the risks of this therapy can be managed, I don't want to assert that anyone can do it without proper precautions.

But beyond the practical advice, here's what I really want to say to those struggling with chronic pain:

I've been where you are. After a year in a wheelchair, I made the mistake of listening to a doctor who told me I had the spine of an 80-year-old man at 32. I slipped into deep depression, became jaded, and stopped trying things that might have helped me. I thought my life was over.

If you're at that point, know that others have been there and gotten out of it. I'm a shining example of that. You can even turn this experience into your superpower if you approach it the right way. It took a long time to shift my perspective, but breaking my back ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me.

Want more from Jon?

Grab a copy of his new book, Psychedelics, Chronic Pain, and the Posturedelic Hypothesis.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

That’s all for today, Cyclists! Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help.

• 📣 Put your brand in front of 52k psychedelic enthusiasts by sponsoring Tricycle Day. Book an ad.

• 📈 Grow your psychedelic business with our marketing agency. Apply to work with us.

• 🫂 Get professional support from a vetted therapist, guide, or coach. Browse Maria’s List.

• 😎 Style yourself out in our iconic merch. Collect a shirt.

• ✍️ Need something else? Reply to this email. (We read every response.)

ONE CYCLIST’S REVIEW

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here.

DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.