Psilocybin Was the Biggest Mistake of My Life (2021)
medium.com
medium.com
This logic I hear parroted in every discussion about psychedelics and it’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. If you have a great life, why would you take strong drugs that can alter your mind and throw it all away? The hubris that such a hyper successful life as described could be better?
When I took LSD for the first time after being told over and over how dangerous it is because it could even lead to suicide I went “great, it’s either going to make me end all the pain I’m feeling, or I’ll get better”. I didn’t have good set and setting because it wasn’t possible. I took a serious drug because I was literally willing risk death to escape pain and it worked. Because I did this, I got better quickly and I figure I saved YEARS of my youth that a “cautious, sensible” approach would have likely stolen from me. It could have gone bad, but I pushed my chips in anyways.
When I read stories about this, a healthy person who thus can responsibly use psychedelics do shit like this and fuck up at least a year of their life it makes me mad although not at the person suffering, more at this generally this attitude that super healthy and functional people should be taking strong drugs because that means it’s low risk! There’s always risk, which is why you shouldn’t use strong drugs without a strong upside potential.
That said, it’s a difficult state to determine. There’s really no objective blood test that states, if you have levels > X you will be okay to take this.
This comes from deeply observing folks and realizing that the ones with really bad trips with lasting consequences tend to be the ones who seem to be compromised with reduced brain reserve of the neurotransmitters that get blasted by using psychedelics.
So many people are magnesium, omega 3, and nutritionally deficient that in my observational experiences, they tend to be the folks with the highest propensity for bad trips.
I would say that if one feels that they have chronic health issues and want the psychedelic experience but want to mitigate the damage, they would be well served by supplementing magnesium Threonate, and getting about 10 cups of deep color from raw veggies and fruits per day for about 1-3 months before embarking on a trip. I would imagine that regimen would improve overall mental and bodily health where the brain has enough reserve capacity to withstand a trip.
jostle the human just right, and it can do incredible things.
go just a bit farther, not far enough, or to the left, or… and it falls apart.
and that’s with just one of them.
Feeling like one is overflowing with enthusiasm and positivity is a common response to psychdelics, indiscriminately foisting it on everyone else is not. It's hard to reconcile this person's impressive career achievements and extensive therapy/psychiatric experience with such a shallow, ego-driven abreaction. All the discourse around psychedelics stresses that it's not risk free, that it's possible to get carried away, and that melting your brain with drugs requires some reflection and time to process the experience.
"You may not think it will happen to you. But drug-induced mania and drug-induced psychosis are well-documented phenomena. They should not be dismissed or waved off as fear-mongering. This applies to cannabis, cocaine, alcohol, and even antidepressants."
Lede. It’s the lede that gets buried.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/bury-the-lede-....
People want an easy answer to solve mental health problems. There already is one: sleep well, eat well, exercise regularly. If you can do those three things the mental tools like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy are easier. Also just being kind to yourself is easier if you’ve got a full belly and can feel the warm ache of a long run.
TLDR: this guy is naive at best, don’t listen to him. Go look after yourself instead.
> This time last year, I was a rising star in the medical field. I had survived residency and my entire life was ahead of me.
this babe had only just made it through residency.
Do SSRIs interact safely with psilocybin?
Maybe the pharmaceutical companies should study these interactions more and have the warnings printed there.
We are inherent acquirers of knowledge, primarily tutored by other learners who themselves were also taught by others before us, tracing back to the inception of life and the universe. The physical bodies we inhabit are renewable; the most crucial component is the learning process itself. This is classically referred to as the "spirit," and it can be channeled, like mimicking someone's voice and mannerisms or being conscious of their influence within us (i.e., recollecting what someone is like).
Those who fail to grasp this fundamental concept are the ones deficient in understanding. In your situation, the individuals around you are affected by negative spirits influenced by pharmaceutical profits, such as the demonic spirit of greed, and this basic spiritual understanding doesn't align with their goals. Hence, they have expended an abundance of resources manipulating public opinion against anything that doesn't maximize their profit, using predominantly negative spirits that are unreal. This was not their original idea. It originates from a long series of governing structures like monarchies, dictatorships, lords, corrupt religious bodies, etc., which have evolved in unique ways in the contemporary world.
> I began to wonder if I was being followed and whether I was safe at home.
It sounds like you were being stalked by the greed demon, which portrayed itself through your brother, your therapist, and others in your surroundings. After you freed yourself, the demon desired your return.
Psilocybin exposed the truth to you. The truth is not readily accepted by those who don't abide by it, which is why solutions involving drugs are often discouraged in most religious practices. Recognize that the people around you aren't living in reality. Refrain from engaging in discussions or quarrels with them about it. They aren't to blame. You can help purify them, but be aware they may confront the same issues you did.
Re-integrate into your environment by following societal expectations, but retain the wisdom you acquired. There's no need for excessive efforts. You may also return to pharmaceutical drugs during this period. Once you have re-established yourself reasonably, seek out the following communities and abandon the pharmaceutical drugs if you've resumed:
- A church or a mosque
- A Vipassana retreat and corresponding community
- Other Buddhist communities, Tibetan, Zen, or Thai also provide excellent platforms.
- Tantra community
- Mediums and witches
- Alternative therapists
These communities comprise individuals at varying stages of understanding, so don't be overly expressive. Only share your understanding when it is appropriate to do so. Safely, you can initiate discussion ONLY when someone else does, and don't contribute excessively. Over time, you will surround yourself with higher spirits and be more capable of dealing with negative spirits.
Because, everything we ever observe in life are correlations.
Or if correlation is a function, causation referes to such a function that would be inversible.
> Or if correlation is a function, causation referes to such a function that would be inversible.
So you would say that clouds cause rain iff rain causes clouds. Big brain.
If the pavement is wet and there are clouds, there is correlation but not causation. Might have spilled a beer or something.
However if I can show that the pavement is wet because it rained and if it rains, then the pavement is going to get wet, I have a clearly established causation. (in general ceteris paribus).
What kind of Phd do you have again? :o)