For over 40 years, Steinberg operated under the belief that his worth was tied to his ability to solve problems and scan the horizon for threats. As a successful entrepreneur who sold his first company before age 40, he viewed his constant mental agitation as a necessary tool for survival. However, in his 50s, this hyper-vigilance unraveled when his second venture, dLife, failed and his marriage ended. Left in a New York City apartment during the pandemic, he realized his success was a mask for profound emotional numbness.
Inspired by Ram Dass’s teachings on consciousness, Steinberg sought out underground psychedelic sessions in New York. Under the guidance of a practitioner, he used psilocybin and MDMA to confront the childhood trauma of being the son of Holocaust survivors and a boy diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. These experiences did not serve as a magic cure, but rather as a mechanism to bypass his ego’s defensive armor. By processing these long-suppressed wounds, he transitioned from a state of constant, reactive motion to one of self-compassion and stillness. Today, at 60, he views his past over-functioning not as a character trait, but as a survival strategy he no longer needs to sustain.
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