The Problem Child dropped his trash-talking fighter persona and spoke from the heart in a sit-down with Aubrey Marcus this week ... where they discussed a wide range of topics -- his highs and lows as an internet celebrity, his transition to boxing and spiritual awakenings.

Of course, ayahuasca is the same brew that NFL superstar Aaron Rodgers has sworn by -- he previously credited it for the best season in his career.

Jake labels his first time with the psychedelic as a mirror-like experience ... where he was walked through specific moments of his life when he acted in a negative manner -- incidents he didn't even remember happening.

"It made me take a hard look at some of those situations and the big thing was me being, like, snarky sometimes to people," Jake said. "Like sometimes I'll just snap. It's like, 'Why? Why do you do this?'"

Jake pointed out he viewed these interactions from the other perspective ... which made him question his actions and body language toward his peers.

He continued to explain how a lot of his issues came from his struggles with self-love and the amount of pressure he put on himself -- which created a state of fear and anxiety.

On the other hand, Jake said that same flaw also made him want to work nonstop and pursue perfection ... which got him to where he is today.

But the biggest part of the journey -- Jake claims ayahuasca taught him how to love himself.

"It felt like this love that I needed," Paul said. "It was so cerebral ... that was really powerful and I think that was my biggest takeaway from the whole week is working on that self-love and giving myself credit sometimes."