All-In

Bryan Johnson: I Just Took the Most Powerful Dose of DMT in the World... Here's What It Was Like

with Bryan Johnson
26 Mar 2026 28 min read 2h 15m
TL;DR

Bryan Johnson took 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic 5-10x more powerful than DMT, as a longevity experiment and describes it as the most profound human experience imaginable—dissolving his default mode network and producing lasting changes in how he relates to stress, relationships, and his sense of self. His brain imaging shows psilocybin restored youthful neural connectivity patterns, though the long-term effects and risks of psychedelic-induced personality changes remain unclear.

Key Moments
Bryan Johnson
“You basically experience raw consciousness and raw intelligence. It's this So, whatever when I say these words, take these words that I convey to you, take that idea, multiply it by a thousand, and then move out infinite depth, infinite width width and then dimensions.”
Describing the subjective experience of taking 5-MeO-DMT and how inadequate language is to capture it
▶ 2:48
Bryan Johnson
“This is without question the most dynamic experience I've ever experienced as a human.”
Comparing 5-MeO-DMT to major life accomplishments like marriage, having children, and overcoming difficulties
▶ 5:13
Bryan Johnson
“It completely dissolves your default mode network. So, like um it's this is the engine that constructs self and ego.”
Explaining the neurological mechanism of how 5-MeO-DMT works on the brain, the system responsible for rumination and self-identity
▶ 6:21
Bryan Johnson
“I subjectively compare my experience with 5-MeO to having a better diet and exercising every day and uh sleeping well and doing the sauna and doing hyperbaric oxygen therapy, this was more efficacious than all of them in terms of the reset of me as a human.”
Assessing 5-MeO-DMT's impact compared to other longevity interventions he has tested
▶ 17:49
Bryan Johnson
“We never actually had on our radar psychedelics. They were always either an ancient medicine you know, being used in in ritualistic practices or being pointed at things like depression and anxiety and in certain trials. But it was never understood as a rejuvenation protocol, something that was for anti-aging.”
Explaining why psychedelics were not initially part of his longevity research despite reviewing all scientific evidence
▶ 1:29
About Bryan Johnson
›
Bryan Johnson is a biohacker and longevity researcher who founded Kernel, a company focused on brain imaging and understanding neuroscience. He previously sold his company Nootrobox and has spent the last five years systematically testing interventions backed by scientific evidence to reverse aging. Johnson has become known for his extreme self-experimentation, including taking high doses of psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT while measuring their effects on his brain through advanced neuroimaging.
Takeaways
1
Psychedelics Show Promise as Longevity Therapy Bryan Johnson's quantified experiments with psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT suggest psychedelics may constitute a novel class of rejuvenation therapy rather than just psychiatric treatments. His brain imaging via Kernel showed psilocybin restored youthful connectivity patterns and metabolic resets in blood glucose and microbiome. However, this remains exploratory; the durability of effects and mechanism in humans requires further study before clinical adoption.
2
Default Mode Network Dissolution Drives Behavioral Change 5-MeO-DMT appears to more completely dissolve the brain's default mode network—the system responsible for self-referential thought and rumination—compared to psilocybin's dampening effect. This dissolution correlates with reported improvements in emotional regulation, relationship dynamics, and childlike wonder. The persistence and reversibility of this rewiring remain unknown, creating both therapeutic potential and risk of unwanted personality shifts.
3
Psychedelics Demand Rigorous Set, Setting, and Supervision Johnson emphasizes that recreational psychedelic use—unquantified doses, uncontrolled environments, untrained guides—likely explains adverse outcomes like persistent bad trips and induced psychosis. Proper deployment requires clinical supervision, correct set and setting, appropriate candidate screening, and measured dosing. His 48-hour livestreamed 5-MeO experience with professional oversight demonstrates a model for safer exploration, though systemic risks like life-altering perspective shifts remain for high-functioning individuals.