Rachael Madori , social activist, entrepreneur and former adult film star, shares her experiences with psychedelics, and how they’ve helped her cope with substance misuse, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. Rachael says that without psychedelics, she wouldn’t be here today – a message that she strongly believes in sharing.

Podcast Highlights

Rachael suffers from Bipolar 1 and Borderline Personality Disorder. She has survived substance addiction and suicide attempts.

She found therapeutic benefit from psychedelics

Although it was hard for some friends and family to accept her choice, she says she wouldn’t be here today without psychedelics

Rachael’s teenage years were dominated by her addiction to stimulants. It was her fiancé at the time who introduced her to psychedelics – “It was crazy to experience a drug that didn’t numb me.” Since that first trip, Rachael took psychedelics regularly. After a few years, she had a profound experience that laid out the patterns of behavior that caused much of the pain in her life.

It was then that Rachael realized she needed help for her mental instability. She sought treatment and continued self-medicating with psychedelics to help battle her demons. “Now they’re vital to my survival.”

Rachael’s friends and family were initially skeptical about her use of psychedelics. Many just assumed she was misusing substances again. It was particularly hard to talk to her father, who had helped her recover from her drug addiction. However, she managed to convince people that psychedelics were showing her how to break free of her addictions – and showed her that the underlying cause for her substance misuse was an attempt to self medicate a disease she wasn’t even aware she had.

Rachael only recently discovered microdosing and was instantly attracted to the idea of psychedelic medicine as an alternative to the prescription medication she was suggested to take. “I’ve been microdosing for two months now and haven’t had a severe episode – this is unusual for me.” Before, Rachael would rely on a high-dose experience every month, which was exhausting. Now, she microdoses 17ug every three days and it reduces her symptoms dramatically. “I’ve felt generally normal for two months – and that hasn’t happened to me since I was 12 years old.”

Click here to read more about psychedelics and mental health

Rachael hopes that more research will be done on the potential of psychedelics for Bipolar Disorders and Personality Disorders. “Everyone I’ve spoken to with a mental illness is afraid to use psychedelics.” If research can show they’re safe and effective, more people would be willing to take the leap. “Even if psychedelics take you somewhere dark, I can’t see it going somewhere that won’t benefit you. They will show you what you need to see, negative or positive.”