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Suicidal Ideation

Chris Sproul shares his story here

How MDMA and Psilocybin Helped an Attorney Overcome Suicidal Thoughts and Find Freedom

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Chris Sproul, an environmental attorney who represents nonprofit environmental groups and Native American tribes, shares his journey with mental health challenges and psychedelic therapy. For most of his life, he suffered from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia, trying various conventional therapies and psychiatric medications (SSRIs, lithium, benzodiazepines) with limited success.

His healing journey began with ketamine therapy, undergoing five intravenous administrations in a psychiatrist’s office. While he found the hallucinogenic experience surprisingly comforting and beautiful rather than frightening, it provided only short-term relief from his depression.

Watch: How Psychedelics Helped me ESCAPE the PSYCHIATRIC TRAP

https://youtu.be/wmQFuV_GBiw

Watch: Inspiring stories of transformation from depression

“I was suicidal at one point, and I mean that’s the farthest, it seems like that was a different person. I mean I feel most of the time now happy, joyous and free.”
-Chris

Read: From Suicidal to ‘Happy, Joyous and Free’: How Psychedelic Therapy Transformed an Attorney’s Life

The breakthrough came when a trusted therapist friend guided him through an all-day session combining MDMA and psilocybin. During this experience, he felt safe and had a profound encounter with what he describes as his “totem animal,” a purple and green glowing octopus. This led to further journeys with various psychedelics.

“I now tell anyone who’ll listen, I feel 90 percent cured of depression, 70 percent cured of anxiety, 55 percent cured of PTSD. And I don’t have insomnia anymore. I sleep like a baby.”

The results have been transformative. Chris reports feeling “90 percent cured of depression, 70 percent cured of anxiety, 55 percent cured of PTSD,” and no longer suffers from insomnia. He has discontinued all conventional psychiatric medications and even stopped microdosing psilocybin. What began as a desperate search for mental health relief has evolved into a spiritual quest.

Chris emphasizes that his healing came not just from the substances themselves but from the therapeutic context—the set, setting, and human connection involved in the process. He describes his current state as not just the absence of pain but “the presence of joy and possibility,” a dramatic contrast to his previous suicidal thoughts and constant struggle.

Q&A With Chris

What traditional treatments did you try before turning to psychedelic therapy, and how effective were they?

Chris: I’d suffered for a lifetime of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and tried various forms of therapy and traditional psychiatric medicines, various SSRIs, lithium, terrible insomnia. I took a lot of benzodiazepines to sleep and cope with anxiety. Some of these things helped, but they were never really that effective.

How would you describe the difference in your mental health before and after psychedelic therapy?

Before I was so much of the time just white knuckling it. I mean, I felt so anxious, just so clinging. And then I would vacillate to feeling just crushing depression. And then just really anxious, a different form of anxiety that I would identify as PTSD. Just very easily startled and so on. That would manifest in not being able to sleep. And now I feel 90 percent cured of depression, 70 percent cured of anxiety, 55 percent cured of PTSD. And I don’t have insomnia anymore. I sleep like a baby. It’s not just the absence of pain, it’s the presence of joy and possibility

What aspects of psychedelic therapy were most important for your healing process?

A key component for me is not been just the medicine. It’s really the therapeutic element, the set and setting, and how much it has allowed me to trust and open up and feel connected to others. And then the healing power of that loving connection to other humans has been so much part of it.

About Normalize Psychedelics​

Normalize Psychedelics is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) working to transform public perception of psychedelic medicine through real stories of healing. Our mission is to collect 1,000 powerful testimonials from individuals whose lives have been transformed by psychedelic experiences. By sharing these authentic voices, we aim to reduce stigma, advance the conversation around mental health, and expand our understanding of wellness.

Your donation will help us amplify these important stories and create lasting change. Every contribution, whether $5 or $500, directly supports our work to document and share these transformative experiences. As a registered 501(c)(3), all donations are tax-deductible. Join us in building a future where psychedelic healing is better understood and accepted

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Your donation will help us publish more personal stories involving psychedelics to transform public opinion, reduce stigmas, and redefine wellness. It can also help self lives.
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Acceptance of any contribution, gift or grant is at the discretion of the Alone Covid 19. The Alone Covid 19 will not accept any gift unless it can be used or expended consistently with the purpose and mission of the Alone Covid 19.

No irrevocable gift, whether outright or life-income in character, will be accepted if under any reasonable set of circumstances the gift would jeopardize the donor’s financial security.

The Alone Covid 19 will refrain from providing advice about the tax or other treatment of gifts and will encourage donors to seek guidance from their own professional advisers to assist them in the process of making their donation.

The Alone Covid 19 will accept donations of cash or publicly traded securities. Gifts of in-kind services will be accepted at the discretion of the Alone Covid 19.

Certain other gifts, real property, personal property, in-kind gifts, non-liquid securities, and contributions whose sources are not transparent or whose use is restricted in some manner, must be reviewed prior to acceptance due to the special obligations raised or liabilities they may pose for Alone Covid 19.

The Alone Covid 19 will provide acknowledgments to donors meeting tax requirements for property received by the charity as a gift. However, except for gifts of cash and publicly traded securities, no value shall be ascribed to any receipt or other form of substantiation of a gift received by Alone Covid 19.

The Alone Covid 19 will respect the intent of the donor relating to gifts for restricted purposes and those relating to the desire to remain anonymous. With respect to anonymous gifts, the Alone Covid 19 will restrict information about the donor to only those staff members with a need to know.

The Alone Covid 19 will not compensate, whether through commissions, finders’ fees, or other means, any third party for directing a gift or a donor to the Alone Covid 19.

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Nathan Ostrowski Normalize Psychedelics

How Bufo Alvarius Helped Me Beat Fentanyl Addiction and Create ‘Music With A Purpose’

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Full Interview with Nate Ostrowski at the bottom of the page

Nathan Ostrowski, a Navy veteran from Tucson and founder of Music With a Purpose Tucson, shares his journey from addiction to recovery and purpose.

For 35 years, he lived in “chaos” without direction, using alcohol and drugs to avoid his issues. During COVID, his fentanyl addiction led to two suicide attempts. After surviving, he committed to change and entered detox.

Watch: Navy Veteran’s Journey with 5-MEO-DMT – Fentanyl, Grieving Loss, & Finding Purpose

https://youtu.be/xaxMhsaG2lo?si=ZA18u3y-pK9f-Vxx

Watch: Inspiring stories of transformation from depression

 For me, once I found that self love, I found my purpose. I couldn’t be more thankful for the Seri tribe and for Mexico.
-Nate

Read: How Bufo Alvarius Helped Me Beat Fentanyl Addiction and Create ‘Music With Purpose’

Two months into recovery, Nathan met Michael at a drum circle, leading to his introduction to Bufo (5-MeO-DMT from the Sonoran Desert toad). In Mexico, he had a transformative experience he describes as a “baptismal rebirth,” helping him find peace and self-love. When his sister later died from fentanyl, he turned to medicine again rather than relapsing, processing his grief in just five days.

“The natural DMT. That’s where it is. That’s where you can tap into yourself and who you are and have a different understanding of why we’re here.”

These experiences transformed Nathan from a self-described selfish person to someone dedicated to helping others. He founded Music With a Purpose Tucson, which hosts reggae concerts to fund healing experiences for veterans in Mexico with the Seri tribe. So far, they’ve sent four veterans. Nathan believes people shouldn’t wait for the “right headspace” to seek help, as waiting keeps them trapped. He sees reggae music as inherently healing and unifying, using it to create healing opportunities for others.

Q&A With Nate

How did your addiction escalate to fentanyl and what happened as a result?

When COVID happened, I hit a real rough point, still struggling with addiction and, just let the struggle get the best of me. My addiction led to, you know, me doing fentanyl and getting hooked on that, and that started a real big spiral downhill. I was looking for that one that would just take all my problems away. And in that spiral, the final straw was just, miserable with my life stuck in that cycle and the lowest of lows. So, I tried to take the easy way out and take a bunch and not wake up and, tried it twice. And it’s funny cause every morning I woke up the next morning I was pissed. It was like, damn, it didn’t work.

What was your experience trying Bufo (5-MeO-DMT) for the first time?

Two months into my recovery, I was introduced to Bufo. I put it off for a long time. I kept using life excuses to try to hinder me from what the real work I needed to do. This is one of those things where Mike showed up at the park and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to go do this.’ And I said, ‘Oh shit. Are we? I’m not ready,’ but when are we ever ready? So I’m thankful we went to a park, middle and just a big open field.

I could just imagine if people were looking at us, what they were seeing, like, what are those guys doing? And instantly I knew it’s what I needed. So three weeks later, I was down in Mexico. And that was the life changing moment for me. My most profound experience was on Sunday. We went across to their island and a shark island. And my Sunday ceremony was floating in the ocean. It was one of the most beautiful, unexplainable experiences, but the best way I’d describe it is it was my baptismal rebirth. It was a cleansing of everything that I was running from, and when everything was said and done, I felt peace and I felt self love.

What is Music With a Purpose Tucson and how did it start?

I knew this changed my life. And I talked about previously being selfish. One thing I learned is selfish doesn’t get you anything. Being selfless is more rewarding. And I knew this changed my life. So I’m like, how can I create an opportunity to help other people get this experience? So I’ve always been big into music. I love reggae music. So that’s where the concept of music with the purpose of Tucson came into play. The whole vision is to provide a space where the community at Tucson can come together to help a veteran.

Why do you focus specifically on reggae music for your events?

For me, I’m a reggae guy. For me, reggae brings all walks of life together. That’s one of the beautiful things I get feedback from. You know, at a reggae show I got everything from those hippies to motorcycles to motorcycle clubs. It brings a wide variety and reggae music is about unity. And for me personally, I don’t, there’s not a lot of genres that have that unity. So that’s why I love reggae. Reggae saved my life.

Watch the full interview with Nate Ostrowksi​

https://vimeo.com/1061655840?share=copy

About Normalize Psychedelics​

Normalize Psychedelics is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) working to transform public perception of psychedelic medicine through real stories of healing. Our mission is to collect 1,000 powerful testimonials from individuals whose lives have been transformed by psychedelic experiences. By sharing these authentic voices, we aim to reduce stigma, advance the conversation around mental health, and expand our understanding of wellness.

Your donation will help us amplify these important stories and create lasting change. Every contribution, whether $5 or $500, directly supports our work to document and share these transformative experiences. As a registered 501(c)(3), all donations are tax-deductible. Join us in building a future where psychedelic healing is better understood and accepted

Make a Donation

Your donation will help us publish more personal stories involving psychedelics to transform public opinion, reduce stigmas, and redefine wellness. It can also help self lives.
$
Select Payment Method
Personal Info

Terms

Acceptance of any contribution, gift or grant is at the discretion of the Alone Covid 19. The Alone Covid 19 will not accept any gift unless it can be used or expended consistently with the purpose and mission of the Alone Covid 19.

No irrevocable gift, whether outright or life-income in character, will be accepted if under any reasonable set of circumstances the gift would jeopardize the donor’s financial security.

The Alone Covid 19 will refrain from providing advice about the tax or other treatment of gifts and will encourage donors to seek guidance from their own professional advisers to assist them in the process of making their donation.

The Alone Covid 19 will accept donations of cash or publicly traded securities. Gifts of in-kind services will be accepted at the discretion of the Alone Covid 19.

Certain other gifts, real property, personal property, in-kind gifts, non-liquid securities, and contributions whose sources are not transparent or whose use is restricted in some manner, must be reviewed prior to acceptance due to the special obligations raised or liabilities they may pose for Alone Covid 19.

The Alone Covid 19 will provide acknowledgments to donors meeting tax requirements for property received by the charity as a gift. However, except for gifts of cash and publicly traded securities, no value shall be ascribed to any receipt or other form of substantiation of a gift received by Alone Covid 19.

The Alone Covid 19 will respect the intent of the donor relating to gifts for restricted purposes and those relating to the desire to remain anonymous. With respect to anonymous gifts, the Alone Covid 19 will restrict information about the donor to only those staff members with a need to know.

The Alone Covid 19 will not compensate, whether through commissions, finders’ fees, or other means, any third party for directing a gift or a donor to the Alone Covid 19.

Show Terms Hide Terms

Donation Total: $100