youngshinzen

Mental Health And Psychedelics

7 posts in this topic

I want to take psychedelics, but there are a few problems which make me think that it's almost impossible for me.

(All the following events came from a place of not knowing I was mentally unstable, I'm very responsible and taking care of my mental health.)

Since my early childhood, I had to fight with anxiety. Throughout the years, I became more and more depressed, but because I blamed myself for the problems, I did not seek help. At my lowest point I ate a hash cookie (2 grams), causing a 9 hour long thinking trip. I realized that the whole universe is nothing and learned a lot of other very positive things. So no negative experience here.

After that I smoked weed a few times, but my depression got worse. But suddenly, after a few weeks the insight of infinite determinism hit me. It was such a powerful aha-moment that my muscles relaxed totally and after 5 years of strong depression and not feeling anything, I finally felt something again. But this effect increased and I went through a mania for one month until I had a nervous breakdown. But it was not a typical manic phase, it had a lot of spiritual awakening traits and almost every insight I had turned out to be true and relevant for me today. My doctor said, that manics have spiritual ideas, but they delude themselves and the insights are dismissed later on when coming back to the normal state.

This was two years ago and there were no signs of mania every since, but I do become depressed every now and then. 

On top of all of that, I was just diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, leading to high blood pressure (because of all the previous stressful years). Eventually, the heart will recover in a year with the help of meds.

So with all this background info, is there a solution? 

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On 14/09/2017 at 8:00 PM, youngshinzen said:

I want to take psychedelics, but there are a few problems which make me think that it's almost impossible for me.

(All the following events came from a place of not knowing I was mentally unstable, I'm very responsible and taking care of my mental health.)

Since my early childhood, I had to fight with anxiety. Throughout the years, I became more and more depressed, but because I blamed myself for the problems, I did not seek help. At my lowest point I ate a hash cookie (2 grams), causing a 9 hour long thinking trip. I realized that the whole universe is nothing and learned a lot of other very positive things. So no negative experience here.

After that I smoked weed a few times, but my depression got worse. But suddenly, after a few weeks the insight of infinite determinism hit me. It was such a powerful aha-moment that my muscles relaxed totally and after 5 years of strong depression and not feeling anything, I finally felt something again. But this effect increased and I went through a mania for one month until I had a nervous breakdown. But it was not a typical manic phase, it had a lot of spiritual awakening traits and almost every insight I had turned out to be true and relevant for me today. My doctor said, that manics have spiritual ideas, but they delude themselves and the insights are dismissed later on when coming back to the normal state.

This was two years ago and there were no signs of mania every since, but I do become depressed every now and then. 

On top of all of that, I was just diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, leading to high blood pressure (because of all the previous stressful years). Eventually, the heart will recover in a year with the help of meds.

So with all this background info, is there a solution? 

Yes there is. 

Firstly, remove all the emotional baggage from your mind. Write down all your stressful thoughts and beliefs on paper, and start questioning them until you drop all of them.

Then, start taking psychedelics for spiritual growth, and because you cleaned your mind, you won't feel any anxiety from taking them. Then you can progress with your spirituality. 


"Not believing your own thoughts, you’re free from the primal desire: the thought that reality should be different than it is. You realise the wordless, the unthinkable. You understand that any mystery is only what you yourself have created. In fact, there’s no mystery. Everything is as clear as day. It’s simple, because there really isn’t anything. There’s only the story appearing now. And not even that.” — Byron Katie

 

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@youngshinzen Why not put the psychedelics/ drugs down? And perhaps pick up a meditation habit? Because you're really just using it as a tool to neglect your own growth. Do you not see this?


"It is YOU that must change for all else to change." - Me.

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@How to be wise That's what I'm already doing on a daily basis, but I'm more interested in the effects on the brain. The problem with a potential bipolar depression is, if manic phases happen more often, the neural pathways behave like a river. The chance of flowing towards that direction is increased, wich would lead to more imbalances in the brain. So that's why I want to be really cautious with taking psychedelics. 

@The Monk I'm aware of that attitude, but that's not the case. I'm already meditating and contemplating daily, but it would be nice to know if the possibility is given. 

Edited by youngshinzen

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1 hour ago, youngshinzen said:

@How to be wise That's what I'm already doing on a daily basis, but I'm more interested in the effects on the brain. The problem with a potential bipolar depression is, if manic phases happen more often, the neural pathways behave like a river. The chance of flowing towards that direction is increased, wich would lead to more imbalances in the brain. So that's why I want to be really cautious with taking psychedelics. 

You should speak to your doctor about that, or some neurologist.


"Not believing your own thoughts, you’re free from the primal desire: the thought that reality should be different than it is. You realise the wordless, the unthinkable. You understand that any mystery is only what you yourself have created. In fact, there’s no mystery. Everything is as clear as day. It’s simple, because there really isn’t anything. There’s only the story appearing now. And not even that.” — Byron Katie

 

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I would hold off until you've done at least 2 years of mindfulness, acceptance and meditation practice. When struggling with your mental health it's almost too easy to see these things as an escape from our problems, an escape from our unpleasant feelings and thoughts, which our bullshit thought stories will label as "personal growth" or "purging of the impurities of the mind". If you do decide to take psychedelics now instead of later when you've done more practice, it should realistically be almost expected that you are going to face many, if not all your demons, and if you don't feel ready for that then don't take psychedelics until you really are. 

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@youngshinzen You don't need them.  Check out Dave Asprey's recent podcast on interviewing some LSD Master (forgot his name).  They're now saying (from podcast and other places) that you can get the same effects from hypertrophic breathing, which I would imagine, is the Wim Hof technique (of which I have been dabbling about).

Although many who have experienced the Kundalini Awakening, reportedly had different experiences.  For some people it was positive and others negative, just like psychedelics.  I've searched YouTube and I've seen several videos where the people who had these experiences were wishing they could take it all back & NEVER know about it!!   But you can't put the lid back on Pandora's Box.  Remember that.

I struggle to see the wisdom of rushing a powerful phenomenon upon yourself...unless it comes of its own accord, like Eckert Tolle, etc...gradually.

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