Cold Water Immersion (Ice Baths)
Głuch uses this protocol as a two-pronged tool. Physically, he believes it has health benefits. Mentally, it's a form of dopamine detox. By subjecting himself to an intensely negative stimulus, his brain's baseline for 'normal' is lowered. This means that small, everyday positive events—a good conversation, a piece of good news—trigger a much larger dopamine response than they would otherwise. He contrasts this with the hedonic treadmill of drugs or material success, where you need more and more to feel the same level of happiness.
The practice works by leveraging the brain's dopamine system. Just as the brain down-regulates dopamine receptors in response to constant high-dopamine hits (drugs, social media), it up-regulates or resensitizes them in response to a lack of dopamine or the presence of pain. The intense discomfort of the cold plunge acts as a 'negative' stimulus, which paradoxically resets the pleasure-pain balance, making subsequent positive experiences feel more rewarding.
Głuch does this every morning. He describes the first minute as a battle against the body's urge to escape, but he persists for the mental and physical benefits.
The first thing I do is go to the freezer filled with ice-cold water. I jump into it sometimes for two, sometimes three, sometimes 5 minutes.

