About
From the Slopes to Rock Bottom
In February 2022, I was living the life I'd built, passionate skier and surfer, Director of Growth and Marketing at a major international company, someone who thrived on challenges and loved being out and social. Then, in a split second on a familiar ski slope, going around 60 km/h, everything changed.
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What seemed like a manageable fall became the beginning of a nightmare. My head never hit the ground (it’s a misunderstanding that needs to happen for the brain get injured), but the violent whipping motion at high speed shook head and neck so severely that within hours, my world began to collapse.
Simple things became impossible: a 5-minute conversation in which I lost track of what I was trying to say mid-sentence, would leave me crumbed in pain and exhausting for the rest of the day. I had to sleep sitting upright because lying down made me violently nauseous for months. Walking to the kitchen left me with a blurry vision and confused about why I'd gone there. Waking up and getting out of bed or trying to go to sleep took hours and a stack of painkillers. Grocery shopping became an overwhelming ordeal that reduced me to tears.
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The medical system diagnosed me with severe whiplash, TBI, vestibular (balance) damage, my proprioception only functioning at 18% compared to others my age and my eyes not being level nor centered. I essentially got told to go home, rest, and wait. "In three months we'II see if you're ready for cognitive therapy," they said. But three months came and went, and I was still living hour to hour in a fog of pain, confusion, and despair.
My last selfie in my happy place, 2 days before my life would never be the same again.
"The decision wasn't difficult. My old life was gone. My career, my independence, my dreams for the future, my ability to care for myself…
all obliterated. I had nothing left to lose and everything to gain."
When The System Falls Short, Curiosity Steps In
Faced with the devastating possibility that this might be my new reality for the rest of my life, I refused to simply wait and hope. As a former editor-in-chief of a ski magazine, l'd already written about concussions and the long term effects. Now, with every ounce of focus I could muster, I put my 'forever curious' hat on tighter than ever and dove deeper into the latest neuroscience research.
I was 35, loving the life I had created for myself up to that point, but none of it mattered anymore. The decision wasn't difficult. My old life was gone. My career, my independence, my dreams for the future, my ability to care for myself… all obliterated. I had nothing left to lose and everything to gain. And although my tolerance for pretty much anything was shredded to pieces, my intellect and determination were still there. Although that last one could also have been desperation, ha! ​​
That's when I really discovered the science of neuroplasticity; the brain's ability to form new neural connections throughout our lives. I already knew how sports elevates neuroplasticity but that route wasn't an option for me at the time. I could barely walk. But I found research showing that psilocybin could dramatically enhance this natural healing process, while also re-opening the brains"critical learning period” that was thought to close permanently around the age of 11, or six months after a big brain injuring situation.
The Breakthrough Moment
Six or seven months after my accident, I began microdosing psilocybin. By then I had already exhausted all the paths in the general healthcare system: deemed not damaged enough for official rehabilitation in a hospital or clinic, all 'normal' therapies exhausted and/or finding them too limiting. Because 3x per week physiotherapy treatment for 30-45min and exercises doesn't even scratch the surface for a real contribution to real recovery gains on a timeline that felt like getting a bit of my life back.
So I focused on my own research.
On day one of microdosing, something happened that convinced me to double down on this path: I completed a simple sudoku puzzle for the first time since my injury. My brain could process some information again, create new output! The bonus? It felt like my whole nervous system was calming down a bit too. But the real transformation came after my first supervised high-dose session.
Before that session, I could only spin around my own axis once before losing balance and falling thanks to my PPPD. Afterward? Fifteen times! It didn’t stay the same in the following days, as expected thanks to my research on timelines for new neural connections becoming solidified, but it proved my hypothesis backed by scientific research on neuroplasticity: this would help me. I was still nauseous but progress with discomfort is infinitely better than standing still.
Through careful protocol development, combining psilocybin with more researched targeted therapies, supplements, and exercises, I started, and to this day am, rebuilding my life. Not back to who I was - that person is gone - but forward to someone new, someone who understands both the devastation of TBI and the hope that science can offer. Especially after the many doctors in the medical system have said "This is it, learn to live with it." about a life full of pain, void of dreams, connection and fun.
"On day one of microdosing, I completed my first sudoku puzzle since getting injured. My brain could process information again, and my nervous system felt calmer than it had since my accident."
"The current system focuses on helping people survive, not thrive.
It treats symptoms in isolation."
From Personal Recovery to Purpose
As I shared my journey with others, a pattern emerged. Too many TBI survivors were trapped in the same cycle I'd experienced: scattered medical care, outdated protocols, and no comprehensive approach to thriving and being part of society again. Friends (of friends) and family members reached out, recognizing their own struggles in my story.
One colleague of my sister had suffered for years severe headaches and exhaustion after work that prevented him from enjoying evenings with his family. His neurologist had never mentioned post-concussion visual syndrome being a possibility. After getting the right glasses at the neuro-optometrist I forwarded, his life changed overnight.
Stories like these made it clear: the current system focuses on helping people survive, not thrive. It’s not designed to properly inform and help people understand their brain and body in a truly holistic way when recovering. It treats symptoms in isolation rather than addressing the brain's remarkable capacity for healing when given the right tools.
From Science to Hope
What drives me isn't just personal experience, it's the growing body of peer-reviewed research showing that psilocybin can:
• Increase neuroplasticity up to double normal rates
• Promote the growth of entirely new brain cells (neurogenesis)
• Create lasting structural changes in regions crucial tor cognitive function
• Work synergistically with traditional therapies to accelerate recovery
This isn't about "doing drugs" or "having fun trip". It's about utilizing cutting-edge neuroscience to unlock the brain's natural healing potential. It's about giving TBI survivors something the medical system often can't: genuine hope for a better future.
(Learn more on the science page.)
(Carhart-Harris, 2019)
"Every TBI survivor deserves comprehensive care that helps them thrive, not just survive. NeuraNovo holds everything I've learned since my crash, and represents everything I wish had existed when I was struggling through those dark days."
Founded on personal experience, driven by scientific research, dedicated to unlocking lives.
Why NeuraNovo Exists
NeuraNovo was born from a simple realization: if I could connect these complex scientific dots and create a protocol that helped me reclaim my life, others deserve that same opportunity. Not everyone has the time, energy, or interest to become a "self-taught TBI x psychedelics neuroscience nerd" while barely functioning.
Every TBI survivor deserves comprehensive, holistic care that doesn't stop at "you can make your own sandwich again." They deserve programs designed to help them thrive, to reconnect with their loved ones, to pursue their dreams-even if those dreams have changed.
The research is clear: neuroplasticity can be enhanced years after injury. New neural connections take three months to fully form, giving us a precise timeline for meaningful change. Combined with the right support, therapies, and environment, I’m convinced psilocybin offers something unprecedented in TBI recovery: the ability to literally grow new brain pathways around damaged areas.
I'm not the same person who fell on that ski slope in 2022. I live with limitations, I follow protocols, and yes, I have down days when I don’t properly keep my limits in check. But I also have something I'd lost completely: hope, purpose, joyful moments, connection with people, and the ability to help others find their way through the darkness I once knew so well.
NeuraNovo represents everything I wish had existed when I was sleeping upright, afraid to leave my house, wondering if life would ever be joyful again.
It's comprehensive, it's innovative, and most importantly, it works.
Your brain wants to heal. Your life is waiting to be unlocked. Let's grow those connections together.
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Ananda​