The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance

Episode 1267: Psychedelic States On-Demand (No Substances Needed) | Dr. Patrick Porter
Host: Dave Asprey
Guest: Dr. Patrick K. Porter (Founder & Chief Brain Officer, Braintap)
Date: April 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This focused episode dives into how you can induce altered, even psychedelic, states on demand—without traditional substances—using technology that targets your brain with light, sound, and guided visualization. Dave Asprey sits down with Dr. Patrick Porter, creator of Braintap, to explore the science behind these methods, the impact on brain function, sleep, and overall cognition, and how these advances fit into the broader biohacking movement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Energy-Sleep-Cognition Connection

• Brain energy is essential: Low brain energy leads to poor sleep, which further drains energy, creating a negative cycle.
  Dave Asprey: "It's totally crazy. What happens when your brain is tapped out on energy. Then you're not going to be able to get the quality sleep that you want, which makes you more tapped out of energy, and you just get stuck in this negative cycle." (00:00)
• Efficient sleep, not just quantity:
  Dr. Porter challenges the “eight-hours-a-night” myth, advocating for quality over quantity.

  "Most people are. The misconception is we need eight hours of sleep. That's not true. Studies show six and a half hours is the optimum..." (00:11)

2. Biohacking with Light and Sound

• How light rewrites biology:
  Braintap uses low-level retinal flashing, sound, and vibration to synchronize and energize the brain via the frequency following response.

  "Now they're proving it actually changes your DNA because... it's absorbing light energy and transmitting that energy as codes." (01:56) "If we can bring that energy up, then we can function better, we can think better, we can perform better. And most importantly...sleep better." (02:52)

• Devices mimic nature’s cues:
  Rhythmic light and sound patterns can induce desired brainwave states, such as alpha (relaxation), theta (creativity), and gamma (peak cognition).

  "When you close your eyes, 30% of your brain actually goes to sleep unless you're activating it with light." (03:55)

3. Quantum Biology & Frequency Medicine

• Emerging science supports energetic healing:
  Quantum biology is increasingly being accepted in mainstream research.

  "Every illness comes from the field... it comes from energy, it comes from frequency, it comes from what we're emitting." (05:18)

4. Music, Cognition, and Brainwave Entrainment

• The Mozart Effect:
  Exposure to certain sounds and frequencies (e.g., classical music, isochronic tones) can enhance cognition—even without conscious learning.

  "If we listen to classical music or 10 cycle music... we just get smarter. You don't have to learn anything more." (06:10)

• Photobiomodulation:
  Sunlight (and red light therapy) are highlighted as natural entrainment tools—impacting melatonin, liver function, and circadian rhythms.

5. Measuring Impact: Real-World Results

• Biohacking communities thrive:
  Attendees at biohacking events, especially those using Braintap, often experience increased energy, improved sleep, and even life-changing social/networking outcomes.

  "You see all these people with glowing eyes and big smiles and they're not angry... People will... meet their best friends. I’ve seen people meet and get married at the event..." (09:09)

• Documented transformative stories:
  Dr. Porter shares a striking case: A woman, given six months to live, experienced dramatic shifts after mindset and Braintap work—finding both color and hope in her life again.

  "By the third week, she was coming in looking like she was going to a spring party... She started wearing colored clothes again..." (12:38)

6. Mindset, Perception, and Biological Change

• Belief and environment matter:
  The right mindset and a shift in perception can catalyze significant health improvements, exploiting the placebo effect positively.

  "Every cell changes every day. There's an infinite amount of opportunities for you to have health..." (14:32)

• Healthcare vs. sick care:
  Genuine health arises from daily biohacking practices, not reactive medical treatment.

  "The health care system is the biohacking conference... Health care is taking care of yourself every day." (15:30)

7. Gamma State and Psychedelic Brainwaves

• What is gamma?
  Once thought abnormal, gamma brainwaves (>40Hz) are now recognized as critical for high-functioning cognitive processes and expanded consciousness.

  "That’s where the Buddhist adepts go when they meditate. ...Think about it like you have a marching band and you don't have a bass drum to keep the rhythm of the brain." (21:51)

• Tech-induced psychedelia:
  Dr. Porter has recorded EEG patterns showing that Braintap sessions can replicate psychedelic brainwave states, such as those experienced with psilocybin, delivering "psychedelic states on-demand."

  "People were having these psilocybin experiences with no psilocybin. ...What else can we do now?" (23:20)

8. Default Mode Network (DMN), Integration, and Safety

• DMN shutdown:
  Both Braintap and classical psychedelics are shown to "turn off" the DMN—the region that maintains our sense of self and normal constraints of consciousness.

  "We’ve actually proven that now. We've proven that we shut down that default mode network. The monkey mind." (26:56)

• The importance of integration:
  Whether the altered state is tech- or substance-induced, integrating the experience into everyday life is key to long-term benefit.

  "You can have the experience—that’s great. But… that’s not reality. So when I come back here, I gotta remember, what do we do here... you need to have the integration." (27:44)

9. Felt Experience: Braintap vs. Psychedelics

• Control and setting:
  Unlike with psychedelics, users retain full control during Braintap sessions.

  "The biggest difference is that you're still in control with Brain Tap. Sometimes when you take a substance, ...there's a saying in AA that alcohol is more powerful than you. I don't believe that's true." (29:23)

• Negative experiences and mindset:
  A "bad trip" is typically more about mindset and preparation than the experience itself.

  "It's really hard to put words to a psychedelic journey. Or to a brain tap journey. But you're much less likely to have a negative experience with light and sound." (31:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On energy and brain aging:

  "When we're born...we had 18.1 volts in our brain. ...By the time we're 27, it's about 10.1 volts. If that voltage goes down below 6, we're going to start having dementia. If it goes down below 4, we're going to start having Alzheimer's symptoms. It's all about energy." — Dr. Patrick Porter (02:22)

• On the placebo/nocebo effect:

  "We should be using the placebo effect in a positive way. ...There's an infinite amount of opportunities for you to have health and opportunity." — Dr. Patrick Porter (14:32)

• On living with intention:

  "Nobody has the right to tell you when you're going to live or die. Make the decision today that you decide today is your day. ...The shamans say today is the last day of the rest of my life. But I'm going to plan my life as if I'm going to live forever." — Dr. Patrick Porter (15:36)

• On the efficiency of sleep:

  "Studies show six and a half hours is the optimum and one hour of deep sleep and two hours of REM sleep..." (17:34)

• On technological versus substance-induced altered states:

  "People were having these psilocybin experiences with no psilocybin...Why don't we just go with the electrical signal and trigger those responses in the brain?" — Dr. Patrick Porter (23:20)

• On DMN and consciousness:

  "We've proven that we shut down that default mode network. The monkey mind...All states of consciousness are okay in the right environment." — Dr. Patrick Porter (26:56)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00 — Brain energy, sleep, and negative cycles
• 01:53 — How do light and sound rewrite biology?
• 03:48 — Inducing sleep with light; frequency following response
• 05:10 — Quantum biology, the scientific case
• 06:10 — The Mozart effect and alpha brainwaves
• 11:49 — Most striking transformation using Braintap
• 14:32 — Mindset, energy, and the placebo effect
• 17:24 — Documented 19% improvement in brain function for 90+ year old adults (with specifics on protocol)
• 21:24 — Gamma brainwaves and their significance
• 23:20 — Inducing psilocybin-like states without substances
• 26:56 — Shutting down the default mode network; integration
• 29:23 — Braintap vs. psychedelic experience
• 31:13 — Importance of integration and safe altered states

Conclusion

In this episode, Dave Asprey and Dr. Patrick Porter demystify how modern biohacking technology—specifically multisensory devices like Braintap—can induce profound altered states that mimic those of psychedelics, all without ingesting substances. The conversation weaves together cutting-edge neuroscience, ancient wisdom, quantum biology, practical health strategies, and a strong focus on mindset and sustainability. For those seeking peak performance, deeper sleep, or transcendental mental states, this episode offers insight, inspiration, and actionable paths—making clear that the next frontier of consciousness hacking is both accessible and safe.

For more:

• Braintap.com
• Biohacking Conference info: May 28-30, 2025, Austin, TX