When science classifies drugs or substances they are typically grouped by biochemical “how” or mechanism: what they block, what they inhibit, what they bind to, what they regulate, etc. As psychedelic research continues to unfold, this type of classification of psychedelics (and related substances) will continue to expand and be refined in this way.
Classifying substances in this manner can be helpful in the medical model by providing insight in to further research and discovery and to provide alternative pathways in to different intervention options.
But for the purposes of this thought project, I want to classify psychedelic substances by their cognitive and emotional function and outcome rather than by their biochemical action. When seen through this lens, psychedelics are a catalyst, and the apparatus that creates the actual healing arises through a variety of subjective experiences; creating cognitive space by decreasing emotional processing, disrupting our current default programming, providing cathartic releases, and creating a cognitive reframe and a new understanding of Life and of one’s place in it.
So the psychedelic inspired biochemical effect creates the fertile soil from which transformational subjective experiences take root and grow. Much of the actual healing arises from both the subjective experience and, more importantly, from the narrative and meaning we assign to that experience.
Psychedelics seem to allow many to break through some deep programming or (mis)understanding, which allows a new, updated program and understanding to be installed; one that changes how we want to live going forward.
After interviewing at an integrative psychiatry clinic last year, it occurred to me that based on the business models of many who will be practicing psychedelic-assisted therapy, there are likely going to be many, many people who could benefit from this therapy that are going to be left out; due to financial constraints, logistics, or legal/moral issues.
So I started thinking about alternatives; ones that operate via the functions I mentioned above: subjective experiences that create cognitive space, disrupt old programs, provide cathartic release, and reframe our understanding of the world and our place in it.
Of course, we can probably find a few things in the conventional medical and pharmaceutical models that fit those criteria, but those models have not been fantastic, so I was looking in a different direction; one that includes the larger experiences of ego dissolution, a sensed holism, a continuity of life, and the perception of a larger purpose.
Other places where we have heard that same language used to describe healing experiences and major life changes come from near death experiences, out of body experiences, breath work, meditation, yoga, qigong, and other mystical and spiritual practices.
These areas have always contained the same potential for healing and transformative experiences, they just don’t tend to have the same immediacy that psychedelics provide.
Outside of the near death experience example, these practices usually need to be cultivated for a long period of time before the individual enters the room of transformative experience, whereas taking psychedelics is like kicking down the door to the room.
But the opportunities are there, and some claim that the understanding is different. I will take a closer look at these opportunities in Part 2, and in Part 3, I will shed some light on what technological solutions might be available for addressing issues of mental health and performance.
If you peek in to the deep explanations of “ego” and “self” in philosophies like Buddhism, you will find the concept of “illusion.” That is, there is no real, inherent “self.” “Ego” is illusory.
This can be a lot to wrap your head around, but if you back out of this ontological explanation one step and just look at it all from a psychological perspective, the concept of “illusion” is much easier to see, regardless of what is happening from a higher perspective of Truth.
From this vantage point, we can eventually come to see that the “you” that you take with full confidence to be “you” is actually a constructed multi-variable narrative that you have accepted to be true. This is not to question your experiences that you have used to construct your version of “you,” but to point out that those things that happened aren’t as straight-forward as you think they are. In reality, the actual events have been skewed and embedded with bias and emotion, resulting in an interpretation that wasn’t inherently true. This means that, to some degree, you created your own version of the meaning and significance of those events, and made that part of your story. And then this version of “you” becomes the lens through which you view and interpret future experiences, which further ingrains the narrative.
Therefore, your version of “you,” of who you think you are based on past experiences, is heavily fabricated by variables that aren’t necessarily in alignment with reality.
So what does this mean?
It means this: you have the power to (re)create who you are, because the definition that you have now of who you are is at least partially self-fabricated. So if you aren’t happy with the person you believe yourself to be, you can work to change it by changing the narrative that you have held on to so tightly. A different version of you is so much closer than you think. Break free from the hypnotic spell that you have cast upon yourself and move in to a future of more freedom and volition.
Understand the illusion, and then change the story. Step in to, and live as, the person you most long to be.
We humans are peculiar in a number of ways; many of them being a direct result of our high powered brains. For instance, we share the stress response that other animals have, but we have the unique ability to store those events in our brain and bury the subsequent tensions deep in to our tissues, which can lead to future suffering and angst.
One of the peculiarities that stands out to me the most, however, is our ability to willingly ignore and/or relinquish our power, especially when it comes to choosing how we want to feel. Despite all we have learned, via both philosophy and science, we seem more than happy to give up happiness to feel anxious, angry, and crappy. On a daily basis.
Over two thousand years ago, when the Buddha declared that life was suffering (technically, dukkha), he added that the root cause of that suffering was due to our desire and ignorance regarding the nature of life.
Without going in to all of the philosophical bits (we will do that on another post), the immediate take-away is that it is not life, inherently, that is “suffering,” but rather our misguided ideas about it. This knowledge, rather than being depressing, should be liberating, but it typically isn’t, because rather than choosing a different relationship with life…one that might bring about more happiness…we resolutely dig our heels in and fight back against it.
Even modern day brain science and psychology are showing us that yes, happiness is more a by-product of a conscious decision, rather than the result of external circumstances.
But we still fight it; as if we find some pleasure or satisfaction in feeling angry or anxious. So we refuse to let it go and find the happiness (or at least contentedness) that lies within our reach.
First, let’s be clear…
If a person has had some trauma in their background, the idea of “choice” gets more complicated. A host of psychological and biological processes hijack our volition and instead we are taken for a ride that is difficult to recover from. I would argue that this is not the case for most of us, however.
Additionally, I am not of the mindset that we always need to be happy. Most times, feelings of anger, sadness, anxiety, etc, are indicators that something is out of alignment. These feelings are valid, and should be expressed appropriately.
But how long do we hang on to them?
Because more often than we would like to admit, we hang on to them far longer than we need to. And that’s the peculiar piece…when we choose to hang on to them by refusing to acknowledge that we can choose differently.
There are many different thoughts and ideas as to why we do this. I will address these in upcoming posts. For now, here is my challenge to all of us:
When you catch yourself in an inner space of anxiety, or worry, or anger, first ask yourself why, so that you can take the appropriate action to change any circumstances that need to be (and can be) changed or addressed. Then, give yourself permission to let the negative energy go and see if you can find a more joyful moment.
That moment is accessible to you right now, at any time. If you don’t want to find it, that’s fine, but ask yourself why you are choosing differently. What are you getting out of holding on to it? How is it best serving you? The answers to those questions might lead you to a great deal of insight regarding how you feel throughout the day.
(Originally Published June 20, 2019 on LinkedIn. HypnotIQ, as mentioned in the article, is a process that we use in MindBody Ops.)
One of the most difficult things to explain to people is that they can’t trust their thoughts. We live in a society that idolizes intellectualism and thinking, and yet very few people understand how thoughts arise in their minds, or where they come from.
I am not talking about consciously willed thoughts, like when you are thinking about a problem; those thoughts have directive and function. I am talking about the thoughts that ramble through our mind all day long; many of which we are aware of, but most of which we are not.
If you have a meditation practice you have experienced these thoughts firsthand. You have witnessed the crazy drama that unfolds moment to moment in your mind. The more you see how it all happens during your practice, the better you get at witnessing it as you go about your day, making you less reactive and giving you more control over your life. (If your meditation practice is more like a guided visualization, that might help you relax in the moment, but it likely isn’t providing you many tools with which to make real change and growth.)
As a therapist, there are numerous techniques that can be used to help people address their issues, but developing this awareness of one’s inner “thought world” might be one of the most important tools in the toolbox.
And yet, a very close second in terms tool importance, is the ability to not associate with or attach to the thoughts that your awareness brings to light. This isn’t just some philosophical Buddhist non-attachment concept; this is based on the fact that most of these thoughts are just the ramblings of programs that other people installed in us (or that we, in a reduced state of consciousness, installed in ourselves). And many times these stories, or programs, are rooted in very little reality.
If you aren’t conscious of these thoughts, or if you are aware of them but can’t help but become entranced in the narrative, they will determine 90 percent of how you are feeling during the day. Thus, you are not really in charge of your life, they are.
I always chuckle to myself when people say that they don’t believe in hypnotism, or that they can’t be hypnotized. We LIVE in a hypnotic state, and are always open to suggestion. It is how our minds work. If you listen closely, you will hear when people fall in to a narrative. It’s like they go on autopilot when they are talking; as if they have told the story a thousand times before (it likely that they have, by the way, even if many of those times it was only in their own minds).
To be fair, the narrative in and of itself might not be the issue. It could be that they are just good at telling the details of the story. The problem lies in the entrancement. They become fully consumed by their own story. They have a visceral experience of it as if it is reality, when in many cases it is based on projection and fantasy.
If you have never considered this, you won’t agree with what I am saying. I understand. Trust me. I know how easy it is to be duped by our own cleverness and intellect. It is true, though. And you can discover it yourself if you take the steps that are required to see behind the veil.
It is time that we all learn the mechanism of thought; to see it for what it is. And then, once we have gained an inner awareness and the ability to not associate with those thoughts, if we want to investigate the content of the thoughts, we can do so in a reasonable way.
But if we just get caught up in the content, without ever examining the actual origin of the thought, we are already caught in the sticky web of make-believe, and it is extremely difficult to find perspective and truth and power from that place.
The fact is, regardless of our life circumstances, a great deal of our suffering and unhappiness is self-inflicted via our lack of understanding of this inner world.
It is time to break out of this prison. You are holding the key to the cell, you just might not know it yet. HypnotIQ is here to help lead you to your own path to freedom.
