BDNF Superpowers Through MDMA and Ketamine | Dr. Dave Rabin : 1486

Ketamine Therapy, MDMA, Psilocybin, and the Science of Psychedelic Assisted Healing 

Most people struggling with depression, anxiety, and trauma have never felt safe in their nervous system, and the treatments they have been prescribed are making that worse. This episode breaks down the neuroscience of psychedelic therapy, why ketamine is the safest and most accessible starting point, how MDMA triggers a BDNF dependent pathway that repairs trauma all the way down to the epigenetic code, and why your antidepressant may be blocking the very brain states required for real healing. 

-Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience: https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR 

-Order Dr. Rabin’s Book ‘A Simple Guide to Being Alive’: https://apolloneuro.com/pages/a-simple-guide-to-being-alive 

Host Dave Asprey sits down with Dr. Dave Rabin, MD, PhD, a senior research scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Executive Director of The Board of Medicine, and co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Apollo Neuroscience. Dr. Rabin received his MD and PhD in neuroscience from Albany Medical College and specialized in psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He has spent 20 years studying chronic stress and non-invasive therapies for treatment-resistant illness, and his primary research on MDMA assisted therapy for severe PTSD has demonstrated that trauma can be reversed at the epigenetic level, offering a genuine path to a cure. His upcoming book A Simple Guide to Being Alive publishes June 1, 2026 and is a science-backed manual for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by the modern world. 

Dave and Dr. Rabin break down why nearly 50% of people prescribed psychiatric medication never achieve remission, why SSRIs and SNRIs physically block the brain states required for emotional healing, and why the FDA rejected MDMA therapy after three trials showed an 88% response rate. They dig into the exact BDNF pathway that makes MDMA and ketamine so transformative, how psychedelics amplify safety learning in the amygdala at the molecular level, and why trauma passes down up to 14 generations through epigenetic code that can now be measured and repaired. They also cover why your breathing rate at the doctor's office is already a stress signal nobody is reading, how your smartphone puts your nervous system into a chronic fear state before you even get out of bed, and why ketamine is the right starting point for anyone curious about psychedelic therapy right now. 

You'll Learn: 

• Why nearly 50% of psychiatric patients never get better and what treatment-resistant actually means 
• How ketamine therapy works, why it is legal in every state, and why it is the safest place to start 
• The exact BDNF pathway through which MDMA repairs fear extinction in the amygdala 
• How MDMA assisted therapy produces measurable epigenetic repair of the cortisol receptor gene damaged by trauma 
• Why SSRIs and SNRIs block the insula mediated brain states required for real emotional healing 
• Why combining serotonergic psychedelics with SSRIs puts you at risk of life-threatening serotonin syndrome 
• Why trauma passes down up to 14 generations and what you can do to stop the cycle now 
• Why smartphones put your nervous system into a toxic overstimulation state before the day even starts 
• How the FDA rejected MDMA therapy after 88% of patients responded and who paid to make that happen 

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Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights inhealth, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living. 

New episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (BONUS). Dave asks the questions no one else will and gives you real tools to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient. 

Keywords: Dave Rabin, Dr. Dave Rabin, Apollo Neuroscience, A Simple Guide to Being Alive, ketamine therapy, MDMA assisted therapy, psilocybin therapy, psychedelic assisted therapy, treatment-resistant depression, treatment-resistant mental illness, BDNF pathway, fear extinction amygdala, vagus nerve activation, trauma epigenetics, cortisol receptor gene, epigenetic repair, serotonin syndrome, SSRI alternatives, MDMA BDNF, ketamine BDNF, nervous system safety, autonomic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system, generational trauma, trauma self-trust, MAPS MDMA trial, FDA MDMA rejection, pharmaceutical interference MDMA, breathing rate stress, smartphone nervous system, Apollo Neuro wearable, Board of Medicine, theboardofmedicine.org, insula cortex, psychedelic safety protocol, ketamine legal therapy, MDMA 88 percent, bottom-up learning psychedelics, trauma fractured self-trust, 14 generations trauma, stress breathing range 

Resources:    

• Order Dr. Rabin’s Book ‘A Simple Guide to Being Alive’: https://apolloneuro.com/pages/a-simple-guide-to-being-alive 

• Purchase Dr. Fotuhi’s New Book The Invincible Brain: https://a.co/d/0iHCgPpL 

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Timestamps:  

00:00 – Trailer 

01:34 – Dave Rabin Introduction 

05:01 – Psychedelics and Psychiatry 

08:35 – Psychedelic Safety and Dosing 

14:53 – Serotonin Syndrome Warning 

21:17 – Vagus Nerve and Safety 

27:36 – Smartphones and Chronic Stress 

34:18 – Defining Trauma 

38:00 – Trauma and Epigenetics 

40:23 – MDMA Cortisol Gene Repair 

44:44 – Therapy vs. Medicine Alone 

49:15 – FDA MDMA Rejection 

55:35 – Ketamine Personal Experience 

59:15 – Closing and Book Recommendation 

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