In almost every career field, the topic of mental health is buzzing. We’ve heard much about it in the sports world, especially among football players who suffer from CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This week, the subject of mental health took center stage once again after Naomi Osaka decided to pull out of the French Open altogether after receiving a fine for not appearing for the press junkets. She’s been praised by her competitors and fellow athletes around the globe, and Mike Tyson recently revealed to Reuters that he has an unconventional way of dealing with his mental health struggles.
The Brooklyn boxing icon spoke with the publication about using psilocybin mushrooms, or magic mushrooms, and how he’s used them to combat the issues that he’s dealt with. The change Tyson has gone through mentally and spiritually is partially thanks to his dosing, he said.
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“Everyone thought I was crazy, I bit this guy’s ear off,” the boxing legend said of his infamous 1997 match with Evander Holyfield. “I did all this stuff, and once I got introduced to the shrooms … my whole life changed.” Medical professionals have often spoken against people using such substances without a professional’s guidance because many users have experienced adverse effects that have permanently altered their reality or mental state.
Yet, Tyson sings shrooms praises. “To think where I was – almost suicidal – to this now. Isn’t life a trip, man? It’s amazing medicine, and people don’t look at it from that perspective.” Last year, Tyson appeared on the Impaulsive podcast and ate a few shrooms on camera. You can check that out below. Are you for or against the use of “magic mushrooms”?
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