Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI and the mastermind behind ChatGPT, recently opened up about his transformative experiences with psychedelics during an appearance on the podcast ‘Life in Seven Songs.’ The tech entrepreneur shared personal anecdotes about how psychedelic experiences profoundly impacted his mental health, helping him overcome anxiety and find happiness.
Altman told host Sophie Bearman that he once considered himself a “very anxious, unhappy person,” but psychedelic experiences, particularly a retreat in Mexico, significantly changed his life. “Doing psychedelics was one of the most transformative experiences of my life,” he said, noting that the experience helped him become a “calm person” and allowed him to focus more effectively on his work.
While Altman didn’t specify which psychedelics he used, he emphasized the profound impact of the Mexican retreat. “If you had told me that, like, one weekend-long retreat in Mexico was going to significantly change that, I would have said absolutely not. And it really did,” Altman remarked, highlighting the unexpected influence the experience had on his mental state.
Altman’s Vision for Safe and Effective Psychedelic Therapy: Journey Colab
Altman is now dedicated to revolutionizing mental health care with psychedelic drugs. As chairman of the startup Journey Colab, he’s investing in the potential of psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin to treat mental health conditions like depression, PTSD, and drug addiction. Journey Colab, led by CEO Jeeshan Chowdhury, aims to guide these powerful substances through the final stages of clinical trials and develop a safe, effective model for administering them.
Their approach is to collaborate with luxury rehab centers like All Points North to ensure that psychedelic treatments are offered in controlled, high-support environments. Altman explains his interest in psychedelics stems from their unrealized potential. Reflecting on early MDMA studies, he said, “I remember looking at it thinking, like, ‘That can’t be real, it’s too good.'”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the economic trajectory of psychedelic medicine, Altman hopes Journey Colab’s approach will shape a model that is both effective and safe. Chowdhury envisions Journey Colab as a specialty service that provides psychedelic care at rehab centers, similar to how hospitals contract wound-care specialists.
Initially, Journey plans to partner with firms conducting clinical trials on MDMA and psilocybin, utilizing the All Points North rehab center near Vail, Colorado as a testing ground. All Points North, known for its luxury services and veteran care contracts, provides the high-end environment Journey needs to develop its treatment model.
However, Journey Colab also aims to make psychedelic therapy accessible to marginalized communities, reserving 10% of its founding equity for a trust benefiting U.S. Indigenous groups. Chowdhury likens Journey’s strategy to Tesla’s: “We’re building the Tesla Roadster to try and get to the Model 3.” While the focus is currently on luxury rehab environments, the long-term goal is to make these therapies more widely available.
