He had built the company. The team. The success.
From the outside, everything appeared to be working.
But inside, Emil felt flat. Stuck. Uninspired.
A few months earlier, he had lost his father.
The grief was heavy, but buried.
He didn’t know how to feel it, and didn’t feel safe to feel it.
So instead, he kept going. Performing. Pushing through.
Until something inside him had enough.
Despite being the co-founder of a thriving multi-million-dollar business, something vital had gone quiet.
He found himself procrastinating. Disconnecting. Drifting through the days without the fire that once fuelled him.
This is more common than we think, especially among entrepreneurs. The pressure to perform. The constant decision-making. The hidden toll of always holding it together.
Eventually, something cracks.
For Emil, that crack became a doorway.
What started as burnout became the beginning of something far more meaningful: a return to clarity, purpose, and Self.
In this case study, we’ll walk through his journey—from the moment he said “something needs to change” to the months after his psilocybin experience, where a new version of leadership began to take root.
This is story is about courageous introspection, expert guidance, and the willingness to let go of old identities to make room for something deeper.
Let’s dive in.
Emil didn’t collapse overnight.
There was no dramatic scene.
Just a steady dimming of his inner light.
After his father passed, something in him started to unravel.
He didn’t know how to grieve.
He didn’t feel safe to fall apart.
So he did what most high performers do—he pushed through.
But slowly, the spark that once drove him began to fade.
He couldn’t find the motivation.
Meetings felt dull. His purpose blurred.
Even small decisions became heavy.
This wasn’t Emil being lazy it was the result of emotional shutdown.
Grief, unprocessed and unspoken, had wrapped itself around his life.
And the coping strategies that had once worked—busyness, structure, control—no longer held.
Emil reached out not because he had all the answers, but because he finally admitted:
Something isn’t working.
And more than strategy, he needed space to feel, to be held, and to rediscover what truly matters.
What he didn’t know yet, but would come to realise, is that true performance doesn’t have to come from pressure. That it’s possible to work less, not more, and achieve more, not less. Not by pushing harder, but by aligning with his own natural rhythm—and letting that rhythm guide his energy, his leadership, and his life.
Emil needed a reset.
Not just cognitively, but emotionally, somatically, and spiritually.
That’s where our work began.
We designed a tailored programme combining three core elements:
A guided psilocybin session here in Portugal, held in a safe and resourced space where Emil could finally let go, feel, and reconnect with the parts of himself that had been frozen in grief.
But the journey didn’t start there.
We had four preparation sessions before the ceremony, where Emil was already beginning to feel more connected to himself through somatic experiencing, parts work, and emotional inquiry.
What surprised us both was what happened a couple of nights before the journey.
As soon as Emil landed in Portugal, something opened.
One evening, while sitting alone, he experienced a flood of insights.
Everything he needed came through before we even entered the ceremony space.
The journey itself became the cherry on top.
I see this again and again: once we say yes to this work, the inner doorway is already opened.
A structured microdosing protocol—low, sub-perceptual doses of psilocybin—to help Emil stay emotionally open, more present, and gently process what surfaced in daily life.
Weekly sessions to turn insight into action. We explored not just what was breaking down, but what was trying to break through—clarifying Emil’s deeper purpose, values, and direction.
And throughout, we anchored the work in the body:
This wasn’t about fixing Emil.
It was about meeting him with compassion, presence, and powerful tools for transformation.
From that space, a new kind of productivity emerged. One rooted not in urgency or proving, but in clarity and alignment. It became clear that high performance was not only possible—but more sustainable—when guided by the cycles of his body, energy, and truth.
And once he felt seen and understood… things started to move.
The psilocybin journey was about letting go to the wisdom of the medicine.
In the safety of a held space, Emil took the medicine, lay down, and began to listen.
To his body. His breath. His heart.
At first, there was resistance—old mental patterns trying to stay in control.
But as the medicine deepened, something cracked open.
He met the grief he hadn’t let himself feel.
Memories of his father surfaced—some painful, some beautiful.
Tears came.
And with them, relief.
Later in the session, Emil described a moment of stillness, as if time paused, and he could see his life from a higher vantage point with compassion.
What emerged was:
“I’ve been trying to earn my worth. But I’m already enough.”
From that place, clarity returned.
There was no need to rush.
No big decisions to make.
Just a deeper listening… that continued long after the session ended.
Within three months, Emil wasn’t just feeling better—he was leading from a different place.
Here’s what shifted:
The numbers are helpful, but the deeper truth is this:
Emil remembered who he was—beneath the pressure, the grief, and the roles he had played.
And from that place, everything changed.
Entrepreneurs are wired to push through. To lead, to perform, to solve. But many were never taught how to slow down, feel, and be with what’s real.
That’s what psychedelic therapy offers.
Psychedelic therapy is not a shortcut or escape, but a space to reconnect. To grieve what’s ungrieved. To feel what’s been avoided. To remember what matters.
What if high performance didn’t require hustle? What if the real unlock was slowing down, tuning in, and learning to work with your energy instead of against it? This is what I see again and again: when leaders reconnect with their inner truth, their output doesn’t decrease—it becomes cleaner, more intentional, more impactful. Often while doing less.
For high performers like Emil, it’s not about “fixing” something that’s broken. It’s about unravelling what’s been held in for too long. It’s about rediscovering the parts of you that were never broken to begin with.
The business still matters. The goals still matter. But they no longer define you.
What defines you is the presence you bring. The honesty you embody. The peace you carry.
That’s the breakthrough. And it starts with the courage to feel.
Emil’s story is just one example of what’s possible when we create space for deep, honest transformation.
This work isn’t about chasing peak states or performing at a higher level. It’s about clearing what blocks your truth, so you can lead, live, and love from who you really are.
Whether you’re facing burnout, grief, disconnection, or simply the sense that something needs to change… You don’t have to go it alone.
The doorway is open. The real you is waiting.
👉 Explore 1:1 Psilocyin-Assisted Therapy with Martin
Or if you’re ready now, schedule a free clarity call with Martin here.
What could this work look like for you?
Explore the full guide: The Complete Guide to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Portugal
Or read next:
Read the latest insights and stories on the power of psychedelic-assisted therapy and holistic personal development for leaders and entrepreneurs.
