Bear632

I was contemplating this question, and I wrote down the following. This is the answer to whether or not free will is real. I'd like additional input from others, especially if you disagree or would like to add a caveat or change something. Defn: the ability of individuals to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention. The question is bad, because: It assumes that the answer will be the same for everyone. It is not. It assumes that a person's degree of free will is fixed. It is not. It assumes that the answer is binary: free will or determinism. It is a spectrum. An individual has some fixed parameters on their free will (physics - they cannot flap their arms and begin to fly, age - a 90 y.o. has less energy/cognitive power than a 20 y.o., past - what has happened has happened and that shaped you to who you are now to a large extent). But there are many variables through which a person can increase their degree of free will. The "entry points" which enable someone to begin building their free will "muscle" are 1) Belief that they can & 2) Beyond a low/moderate threshold of self-awareness and maybe consciousness too With those two entry points as a foundation, a person can build up their free will muscle by addressing all the other controllable variables that contribute to free will. Crystal intelligence - learning more will lead to greater awareness and better decisions Brain chemistry - taking vitamins, herbs, nootropics can modify brain chemistry temporarily for preferred brain chemistry (especially applicable to people with mental disorders) Nutrition - eating healthy will enhance brain f(x), increasing self awareness, which will continue to increase free will These aren't simply ways to feel better, but actually increase one's own level of free will. Factors that contribute to a person's degree of free will: CONTROLLABLE Level of consciousness Level of self awareness Crystal Intelligence Brain chemistry & neurology Nutrition & brain f(x) Personality traits Financial status One's own morality, ideology/religious programming Emotional state Personal beliefs about self, others, and world Cognitive effort NOT CONTROLLABLE Fluid intelligence Genetics Biological Age Psychological developmental stage Economic conditions (on local to global scale) Historical context (21st century) Sociopolitical context (on local to global scale) Past experiences Early family life & parenting styles of Mom/Dad Sociocultural norms & expectations (cultural programming) Laws & regulations Randomness & chance Tell me if I'm missing something. What questions would you ask to better understand free will?

@ZenAlex Yes I have chronically low T3. T4 and TSH are normal. The standard of care as it's currently practiced only uses TSH to diagnose thyroid problems, but thyroid health is far more complex than whether or not TSH is in a normal range. Even if your blood tests come back normal, you could be hypothyroid. For example, the timing of the blood test could have happened as the thyroid was transitioning from a hypothyroid to a hyperthyroid state -- which can happen in some people. Your exercise issue sounds like hypothyroid, but it could also be 50 other things causing that. Do you have other symptoms of thyroid problems? Hypo: cold, fatigue, low energy, achy body, diffuse hair loss/thinning, dry skin, brain fog hyper: heart palpitations, heat flashes, insomnia

@ZenAlex I diagnosed my self. Do you have hypothyroid? I can share my notes with you if you like.

Like a frog placed in lukewarm water slowly boiled… the decline into hypothyroid symptoms was gradual and imperceivable. My top symptoms being: Low energy & motivation Low mood Chronic fatigue Brain fog Memory issues Achy joints And now that I've identified the problem and it's being treated, hopefully will completely resolve it… I see it as an opportunity for reflection. What are the lessons I can learn from this experience? Take responsibility and withhold authority over your health decisions Do not expect doctors to save you, save yourself No doctor or specialist deserves to be placed on a pedestal Get routine comprehensive blood work, at least annually Do specific tests for health concerns, and do not expect doctors to know or want to order them (doctors won't even do the bare minimum of health bloodwork -- YOU have to demand for it) Study health and physiology more so that you can: Prevent future health problems; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (learning about and doing preventive practices yields a far better outcome in your health than having a health problem and then having to treat it and try to reverse it) Spot patterns in your physical and/or psychological symptoms faster and without the mediocre assistance of doctors The mind and body are connected When you have psychological symptoms, don't rule out physiological causes. (MISTAKE: I assumed my low mood/motivation was related to anxiety and depression… without considering low thyroid) When you have physiological symptoms, don't rule out psychological causes. ^ Have epistemic humility You made the mistake of making assumptions about why you were feeling like you were, and didn't question those assumptions or research alternative explanations… you suffered unnecessarily as a result Hypothyroid overlaps with symptoms associated with old age. In a way, I've experienced a simulated experience of what it'll be like when I am old, tired, and close to death. Orgasms/sex won't be as nice when you're old, for many reasons, but also bc your body isn't functioning as well (why meaningful pursuits in life matter, sources of pleasure are unreliable and finite) Appreciate the energy and drive that you have each day, bc that is physiological, and NO amount of development of my psyche or spiritual progress will increase my energy physiologically when it decreases with age Take more photos of things you want to remember (people, places, things, experiences) bc your memory will fail you Don't make the physical body or self-development the primary goal of your life, these have to serve something else you believe in bc body and ego are a guaranteed tragedy. Stop spending your time/energy like it's not finite, it's very finite and you'll get less and less energy each year as you age

@oldhandle Negative constructive criticism: - Music doesn't directly have a therapeutic effect on addiction, psychological interventions do. Music is at best a healthy distraction for someone who's trying to recover. - Choose one or the other (addiction recovery coach or musician-- being both on a professional level is spreading yourself too thin) - It sounds too lofty, and isn't entirely coherent Positive ideas to prove me wrong: - You could create a retreat/recovery center that uses music therapy (similar to art therapy) for people with addiction/mental health issues -- having a team of musician-therapist hybrids who teach people how to play instruments as they recover. - Or create a general retreat center for musicians not focused on mental health; just a place for musicians to go on vacation/relax but still play and be around other musicians. I spent time at such a place in North Carolina. It's called Snaggy Mountain. Good luck pursuing your LP!

@Yimpa I just signed up for ChatGPT-4.

ChatGPT generates superior responses compared to Claude in my experience, maybe because I am using the unpaid version of both. The main topics I've experimented with are: supplements, fitness, OCD, marketing, business, brainstorming creative ideas Claude avoids answering health-related questions (for liability reasons I assume). For example, I asked: What are the most popular exogenous substances to increase T3 alternative to prescription thyroid meds? Claude gave a weak answer essentially saying "I cannot provide medical advice, consult a doctor." ChatGPT generated a list of over a dozen options. ChatGPT gave me more creative ideas for my business. It also summarized several mental health conditions more comprehensively and accurately than Claude.

@Ulax Massages are relaxing, but I've never experienced any kind of healing from them for inner issues. Are you referring to a specific technique or massage practice I may be unaware of?

@CoolDreamThanks Why would I do that? Is there a purpose or lesson I'm supposed to get or is it just a roll of the dice experience in infinity? Is this karma?

My Russian father has a strong deficiency of love due to the severe trauma he experienced as a child that I will not detail. He passed that on to me via verbal/emotional abuse growing up, and not "filling me with love" so to speak, because he had none in himself to draw from. Intellectually, I understand it all more or less perfectly. But I still cannot get over it. I'm on a path now that I feel is fruitful (weekly somatic/IFS/depth psychotherapy + 1.5-2.5 g psilocybin every 1-2 weeks). But I'd like to ask for input from others. This trauma has been a major hindrance to my meditation practice and spiritual growth at large. Other things I've tried: - Substances to fix symptoms (none addressed root cause -- modafinil, weed, nicotine, yerba mate, L-theanine, ashwagandha, etc.) - Intense meditation "This time I'm really gonna sit for 1 hour (I would, and then I'd fall off again in practice -- feels like 1 step is on gas, other is on brake) - Gradual meditation (start small, 1-5 min "sets", do as many as you can) - Breathwork (causes me to cry 50% of the time, effective but hard to stick to) - Exercise (effective for feeling better for the day, but seems more like a band-aid approach) - Talking to my father. Told him how he hurt me and how it's negatively affected my life (felt good briefly, but had little long-term therapeutic value. I actually feel bad about it now because it was essentially a laundry list of how he failed me as a father, but he's so deeply unconscious from his own trauma that I think I just caused more unnecessary suffering. Anyways, anyone's input is appreciated. Thanks for reading!

@happyhappy I re-read the guidelines and think I'm OK. But thanks for pointing this out.

Hey there, I'm looking for 1-2 people with OCD who'd like to join an OCD mastermind group I'm in the process of creating. This group is free (minus your time), and is specifically for the benefit of its members. You must have OCD and want to improve it to be considered. A basic understanding of the nuances of the condition is preferred, but not required. Our mission is to support and provide feedback to each other to facilitate better management of OCD symptoms. We meet Mondays after 6:00pm Pacific standard time. If you have any questions, or are interested, comment or message me. Otherwise, here is the outline of what a meeting would be like: 1. Welcome each other (4 minutes) 2. Facilitator asks who wants to go 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th (1 minute) 3. Opening round: facilitator asks each person to complete the following: (10 minutes) A) Right now I'm feeling ____________. B) My "win" for the past week was _______________. C) Regarding my commitment from last week, I _________________. 4. Facilitator sets a timer for 16 minutes, and the first person uses that time to share how they are feeling, discuss struggles or challenges they're having related to their OCD, and get support from the other people in the group. Sharing for 10 minutes and leaving 6 minutes to get feedback and support is a good practice. When the timer goes off, it's the next person's turn. (64 minutes) 5. Closing round: facilitator asks each person to complete the following: (8 minutes) A) My "takeaway" from this week's call is ________________. B) This week I commit to ____________________. (One person writes down these commitments in a safe place so they can be referenced the following week.) 6. Scheduling. Double check we can all make next week's meeting, or find an alternative time if not, and pick a new facilitator for the upcoming week. (3 minutes)

Thanks for your responses, you're right, thanks again for directly and clearly answering the 1st question.

@Space Thank you for answering the first question directly. You are right that I am new to this work. This is a perfect example of what I'm struggling with. What do you mean by that POV "dissolving"? Is this dissolving process coming to you in the form of a thought or a feeling? I find it difficult to relate to when some have told me before "you will just know"... to which my response would be, how do you not know that that feeling of "just knowing" is not your own self-delusion? Yes, a better way of phrasing the question would be that. Hmm, ok. While on retreat I experienced an extended no-mind where there were no thoughts. And one time while tripping I had a samadhi-like experience where my sense of self and a tree I was staring at merged into what felt like a single form of existing. But both times after the fact I couldn't help but question what had happened. Thinking possibly I am just telling myself a story that THAT was "elevated consciousness" but really it's because I read it in a book or heard it on some video. I can't help but wonder if I'm deluding myself. So yes, I definitely lack experience compared to @Leo Gura and you @Space (at least it sounds like it). But I have had at least 2 pretty bizarre experiences that run parallel to what spiritual teachers have talked about... and I personally don't see how conclusions about reality or the universe can be drawn from such experiences.

I've dabbled with breathwork, psilocybin, and a couple of retreats over the past 2-3 years. I've gone deeper with meditation, up to 80 mins/day for a period of a few months. With every practice though, it seems things are explainable from a rational-scientific POV as well. Mushrooms are just making you high, meditation is relaxing you, and so on. And if I'm being honest, even after some pretty profound experiences I can't say confidently whether my interpretation of the experience is correct. Do elevated states of consciousness become more clear and verifiable as one progresses on this path? How do you know you're not interpreting your experience with a bias? (i.e.) How do you know what's real?