Aaron Rodgers details experiences with psychedelic drug ayahuasca: ‘It’s unlocked a lot of my heart’
Aaron Rodgers had a unique offseason himself. The reigning NFL MVP signed the league’s biggest contract, underwent a 12-day panchakarma regimen and dressed like Nicolas Cage in con air ahead of the first day of Packers training camp.
Amidst those events, Rodgers revealed that he went on an “ayahuasca journey” this summer, traveling to Peru to take the herbal psychedelic.
In a recent appearance on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast, Rodgers likened his experience on the drug to “feeling 100 different about my body, of love and forgiveness for myself and gratitude for this life.”
MORE: What is Ayahuasca?
Speaking to NBC Sports’ Peter King, he offered some more details of his journey:
We sat with the medicine three different nights. I came with the intention of healing other relationships and inviting specific people to talk to. Most of the work has revolved around myself and figuring out what unconditional love for myself looks like. By doing this I allow myself to understand how to love other people unconditionally, but first you realize that you have to start with myself. I need to be a little gentler with myself and be compassionate and forgiving because I’ve had some negative voices, negative self talk for a long time. Many healings took place.
Rodgers explained that he used the substance as a vehicle to discover himself and his motivation. For the four-time MVP winner, the journey has been fruitful and has allowed him to come to terms with some of the conflicts in his personal life – mostly around relationships with others and with himself.
I think it unlocked a lot of my heart. Being able to give my heart fully to my teammates, loved ones and relationships because I can accept myself unconditionally. … If you find a better way to love yourself, I think you can love people better because you don’t make the same judgments about other people that you make about yourself. I’m really thankful for that.
Poetic Rodgers stuff, really. The 38-year-old admitted he still has work to do to reconcile ties with those he broke up with years ago. However, he feels he has the tools to understand the surge of emotions that clash amid the daily clutter of the NFL schedule.
MORE: Where Rodgers is among the NFL’s top quarterbacks in 2022
Rodgers also noted that the experience coupled with therapy and meditation helped him fall in love with football all over again. Rodgers has never disliked the game. But he wasn’t sure if he was “in love” with football.
Now he knows.
I think I’m just a little bit more in love with football. Again, I think a lot of this is due to the work I’ve done on myself. It wasn’t all just the ayahuasca journey. It was therapy. It was meditation. It changed habits that didn’t bring me any joy. Eat better. Take care of me a little better. be gentle with me All of these things have allowed me to look at each day with a little more joy.