Life Support with Dr. John Briffa & Carl Munson

Carl Munson and Dr. John Briffa discuss growing scientific legitimacy for psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, MDMA) as therapeutic tools that may “collapse the ego” and help conditions like trauma, treatment-resistant depression, and chronic anxiety, contrasting modern research with lingering 1960s stigma.

John references institutions such as Johns Hopkins and Imperial College London, Michael Pollan’s work, and a New Scientist report on a study of roughly 200 people given a single dose of LSD (100 micrograms) versus placebo and a lower-dose control (50 micrograms), with reduced anxiety seen at six-month follow-up, plus speculation about future licensing.

Podcast pivots to LinkedIn debates about supplements versus “just eat fruit and veg,” arguing common deficiencies (vitamin D, iron, B12) often require supplementation and that nutrient-dense foods like meat and fish matter.

Finally, the pair highlight a “functional longevity” trend prioritizing strength, mobility, and fall prevention, using 80-year-old Paul Smith’s playfulness and physical capability to explore how people “practice” limiting identities with age - and how curiosity and change can break that pattern.

Carl and Dr. John discuss how many self-beliefs are untested hypotheses that become limiting “facts,” linking the idea to CBT-style thinking that beliefs aren’t reality and can be challenged.

John shares relearning front crawl in his mid-50s after childhood humiliation, and they explore how people wear exhausting social masks instead of being themselves.

The conversation connects mindset to ageing, highlighting examples of youthful movement and playfulness, and reviews research including Ellen Langer’s 'counterclockwise' study and an epidemiological study (Becca Levy) finding positive attitudes to ageing associated with longer lifespan, plus a milkshake/ghrelin placebo-style experiment showing beliefs can drive physiological changes.

They close by critiquing simplistic advice to “exercise more to get energy,” noting fatigue can reflect metabolic or hormonal issues where pushing harder may worsen health.

00:00 Podcast Kick-off

00:25 Beliefs Need Testing

01:39 CBT And Core Beliefs

03:55 Rewriting Self Stories

07:47 Masks And Authenticity

13:05 Actionable Self Inquiry

14:31 Aging Through Movement

17:45 Research On Mindset Aging

18:27 Mindset Rewinds Aging

18:45 Attitudes That Extend Life

20:37 Placebo Effects Explained

23:03 Process Over Outcomes

25:54 Avoiding The Living Tomb

27:07 Small Beliefs Big Shifts

27:32 Stretching To Stay Young

30:07 When Pushing Backfires

33:16 Marathon Culture Critique

35:10 Final Thoughts Farewell