I'm uncertain if psychedelics would improve my life or not. Advice?

[whiteroom67]

I know that many people with anxiety and panic disorder use Passion Flower as an alternative to conventional anti-anxiety medication. Would that work the same as a benzo if the trip gets rough? I have never taken Passion Flower but supposedly it chills you right out.

I wouldn't say Passion Flower works the same as a benzo, but it could help just as much if enough is taken. I have tried it and it seemed to do little for me, but my doses were also pretty low (~1 gram) and again everyone is different. Also, Passion Flower is a mild MAOI, so you may need to be careful taking it with anything else, especially something like Zoloft. If you are taking yourself off of Zoloft though it shouldn't be an issue, and PF's MAOI properties are definitely mild in comparison to other things.

My experiences with psyches is that they can help or they can hurt. As others have said, set and setting are everything. Also like jason said keep the dose low for sure. Don't expect a cure of anything, as a matter of fact don't expect anything in general, they key would be to go with the flow of it. But they could help if used properly, just listen to your mind and body and relax. Give yourself time afterward to integrate the experience. If you try it and do have a good experience, don't plunge into tripping every other weekend to learn more and more, you will only end up leaving yourself behind and end up in a confused place. On the other hand, if you have what you feel was a bad trip, but dismiss it or fight against what you felt either. Calmly accept what it was and allow yourself to understand what was bad about it, and why. Watch those thoughts and feelings - during and after the trip.

If you were to try a psychedelic, I would say mescaline tends to be the gentlest while also being beautiful and profound, but it's also the hardest to find. LSD is also good, as it tends to be easy to direct thoughts with for a lot of people, but it can last a long while and can feel somewhat artificial. It's more analytical, but ironically is good for artistic expression (playing music, dancing, art - all of these though will be characterized by more geometric and angular thought patters and movements, as opposed to free-flowing organic movements, just my experience, but it's cool). It can also be pretty stimulating. Mushrooms are the shortest acting and feel natural and can definitely be quite fun, but as someone else said they are a bit of a wild card and can be a little unpredictable in where they will take you. Those are the main 3, though there are others obviously.

Meditation, exercise, diet and yoga are other options that may help you just as much, with or without psychedelics. You seem smart and emotionally mature, so generally I would say you should be fine, but of course, I can't read your genetics so there's no way of knowing anything for sure regarding what could happen. Either way, if you do trip, just don't go into it with a lot of fear, because that will do nothing but unnecessarily increase the likelihood of a bad trip. I come of a family of addicts, and I myself am one also (opiates mostly, and Kratom, but I like to do almost anything), and I have to say I have gotten some pretty good insights into my own addictions through the use of psychedelics. Now this is a good example... it didn't cure my addiction - I still use on and off, sometimes more than I like, but I do have a clearer perspective of my addiction and understand it better now due to my use of psychedelics (especially Ayahuasca), and I wasn't even using them for that purpose, it just kind of happened. So, it probably won't cure your problems, but it may help you understand them better, see them from a different perspective, and may give you some tools (knowledge, strength, etc) to use when you do decide to face and conquer your problems, which will only ultimately be done by yourself, again, with or without psychedelics.

 

[whiteroom67]

^Oddly enough though, meditation requires practise before its truly effective at anything. Its a worthwhile skill to try and attain, despite the emphasis of many meditational practises on removing desires. Given the common quandary in modern humans of busy lives with no time for self-improvement, meditation is ideal yet antithetical to much of our modern ideology. Its certainly worthy of practise and can truly have extremely positive effects. I found that being actively taught to meditate (I live near a Buddhist temple that hold "free" meditation nights each Monday) has really enhanced my ability to meditate and increased the benefits of it. I always meditate once a day, usually in the evenings, though I am trying to inspire myself to meditate in the mornings too. I believe that I will do that, because my life has significantly improved since I learned and practised my meditation.

Mushrooms, on the other hand, require no effort at all to eat.

Yeah this is true. I found meditation to be both easy and hard. It depends on the type of meditation, and how you perceive it. Meditation is easy in the sense that of course it just involves sitting. Now the difference is are you trying to still your mind? Or are you merely attempting to watch your thoughts? I believe the key is watching your thoughts, because when you watch them, truly watch them, and can even watch yourself watching them, your thoughts tend to stop and your mind stills on its own. Usually. But if it doesn't it shouldn't matter because all you need to do is just stay aware of it. I think that is referred to as mindfulness. Reaching the point where your thoughts actually stop and your mind stills with no effort, I think that might be transcendental? Or maybe transcendental is the one that involves chanting. I'm not sure, but I know there are different types of meditation. A lot of times I can observe my mind still going even when I'm watching it, but as long as you are aware of it while watching it, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it's good to stop your thoughts and be completely present, other times thoughts and feelings are fine, as long as you are aware of them. I of course still need work in both of these areas

 

[Ismene]

^Oddly enough though, meditation requires practise before its truly effective at anything. Its a worthwhile skill to try and attain

Maybe for some people. I never found it of any benefit at all. And the idea that you practise it for 40 years before you notice anything isn't something that appeals to me. As you point out, whatever benefits meditation has it can't be compared in any way to what mushrooms do to you within about 2 hours of taking them. But if you get something out of it then be my guest willow

I do try and practise a bit of mindfulness tho - where you concentrate on being in the present moment as you go about your day.

 

[thikal]

Maybe for some people. I never found it of any benefit at all. And the idea that you practise it for 40 years before you notice anything isn't something that appeals to me. As you point out, whatever benefits meditation has it can't be compared in any way to what mushrooms do to you within about 2 hours of taking them. But if you get something out of it then be my guest willow

I do try and practise a bit of mindfulness tho - where you concentrate on being in the present moment as you go about your day.

Maybe you need an intensive retreat to feel the real meditation effect and erase your doubts about meditation and learn to do it right (I never managed to meditate efficiently before a 10 day retreat, really difficult to start just from a book )! That's for sure a powerfull practise. You don't have to practise for 40 years to have benefits. For example when your concentration arise, you have and feel benefits directly after the meditation. A mind more focused, clear and peaceful, refreshed like when you are in afterglow. Maybe meditation isn't as fast as mushrooms, but the benefits you gain from a daily practice don't fade as a psychedelic experience can fade over time.

Anyway I hope I'm not totally of topic, this topic is really interesting thanks everybody

 

[jason7]

I meditate a lot but I don't call it meditation, I call it laying in bed with my eyes closed. How do you tell the difference? Do you have to repeat a word or sound in your mind for it to be meditation? Or do you just have to try not to think about anything? I usually just fall asleep when I lay down and don't think about anything for a while. If meditation is that simple you would think that people would accidentally meditate and become enlightened without even trying. I'm not sure if meditation is even a real thing. One thing's for sure, I never got enlightened when I laid down with my eyes closed. BTW, surely it would be more relaxing to meditate lying down than seated. I think seated meditation would be hard on my back. My back isn't in that great a shape. I don't even like sitting for more than a few minutes.

 

[Xorkoth]

You should work on your core man! That's how I was but once I got it strong, that disappeared. You'll feel a whole lot better in life.

 

[letherman]

You should work on your core man! That's how I was but once I got it strong, that disappeared. You'll feel a whole lot better in life.

Really, this helps with meditation? I've been trying to find a Yoga/meditation class that I can afford, but in the meantime I've been working on my core while walking, pulling in the different muscles.... I've been feeling a lot better, and now find my core is in "compression" more and generally more at peace/able to just sit quietly but I put it down to a confidence boost from finally seeing my beer belly disappear and suddenly eating much healthier

 

[Xorkoth]

No, not with meditation, sorry I went off-topic I guess. I was responding to the last sentence of the post above mine. It does help with sitting comfortably which would help with sitting meditation.

 

[jason7]

No, not with meditation, sorry I went off-topic I guess. I was responding to the last sentence of the post above mine. It does help with sitting comfortably which would help with sitting meditation.

What do you mean by "work on your core"? I do exercise, push ups and squats with bodyweight while also bending forward as I squat and straightening as I rise up from it. I don't like exercising so I got it down to just pushups and squats but the squats also involve my lower back and my calves because I also go up on my toes as I come up. I sort of combine lower back, thighs and calves in one exercise. Three sets, same with the pushups. I do the pushups from my knees rather than toes to keep the stress off my lower back. I have kind of a bad back. Hurt it squatting 400 lbs without warming up enough in my younger years. It was fine after it healed from that but now about 20 years later it's showing up as osteoarthritis also starts to develop. That's all an X-ray showed but I think there's something else wrong too from that weightlifting injury. If I work for a whole day like 8 hours I will hardly be able to walk or bend over and I'll be in agony the rest of the night until the next morning when it's almost back to normal again.

I just started taking boron citrate 3 mgs three times a day and after a week of it I seem to be getting noticeably better. You need the boron to counteract the weakening of the bones caused by fluoride (water where I live is fluoridated) and lack of boron in the diet, both of which weaken the bones and cause osteoarthritis. It's supposed to take a few months of that dosage for osteoarthritis to be cured. After that you can drop it down to 3 mgs per day. I sure hope it works because so far it's been getting worse and worse and I'm only 53. If the boron doesn't work, what will I be like when I'm 60? I'll be like crippled or something. It's actually pretty scary to think about. How will I support myself if I can't work? Can't get old age pension until I'm 65. It's so much trouble to get disability that it's probably not even worth trying unless I'm like in a wheelchair or something. Getting old is a bitch.

 

[Xorkoth]

Your core is your chest and abdomen muscles basically... your upper and lower back muscles, abs, and chest. I used to hate exercising too but once I got into it and broke through the barrier, and realized how insanely much better I felt every moment of every day, it has become one of my favorite parts of the day. I work out for 50 minutes a day and then stretch for 10 minutes, 20-25 minutes of cardio and then various weight machines. And I'm 31 also.

However I don't have any injuries so I can't comment on that, sorry you hurt your back man.

 

[Shimmerchasm]

I totally gotta work on my core! Thanks for the reminder.

Meditation changes the brain, so it's a real thing. I am not expert by any means so perhaps someone else can chime in, but my understanding is that meditation is the practice of focusing on the present moment. "Being here now". At least, this is how I practice my own form of meditation and it does seem to help me deal with stress better. When I make the time to do it consistently, that is.

 

[Shimmerchasm]

Sort of off topic, but I had my first reiki session tonight. I went into the experience with a neutral attitude. WOW. Totally amazing. I felt like my body was melting into the massage table. Three hours later and my muscles still feel like a still pond, like calm liquid. So cool. I would take reiki over a massage any day. My sister was with me and she was a total skeptic but after her session she cried a lot. She said she just felt the urge to let go and cry. She's been through a lot of trauma and I think maybe this experience has started her on a path to healing. Pretty rad stuff!

 

[Ismene]

I'm going to work on my core too!

 

[Xorkoth]

Awesome about the reiki! I've been curious about it, and I live in a place that has a whole lot of that sort of thing everywhere.

I'm glad my more or less off-topic comments about working out your core have had an effect on someone, multiple someones even.

 

[Xorkoth]

Awesome about the reiki! I've been curious about it, and I live in a place that has a whole lot of that sort of thing everywhere.

I'm glad my more or less off-topic comments about working out your core have had an effect on someone, multiple someones even.

 

[jason7]

Your core is your chest and abdomen muscles basically... your upper and lower back muscles, abs, and chest. I used to hate exercising too but once I got into it and broke through the barrier, and realized how insanely much better I felt every moment of every day, it has become one of my favorite parts of the day. I work out for 50 minutes a day and then stretch for 10 minutes, 20-25 minutes of cardio and then various weight machines. And I'm 31 also.

However I don't have any injuries so I can't comment on that, sorry you hurt your back man.

Yes, exercise is very important. If you don't do it you just waste away. I can feel myself get pathetically weak and I lose about 15 pounds of muscle if I stop exercising for a month or more. Everyone should do some basic exercises at least, like pushups and squats. I think it also helps the mental condition. You can't feel good when you're weak and have no energy.

 

[pmoseman]

I think core means the muscles responsible for posture, especially the smaller muscles that align your pelvis and spine, as opposed to the larger muscles that control movement.

....

I would add back bridges to some days of your routine, Jason Seven.

Once, I had started (Ashtanga) yoga and had never worked out my back muscles before. It took weeks to recover from the fatigue of that first day. At the same time, this almost immediately helped my tight shoulders and probably saved my shoulders from being in worse shape than they currently are. Other things, like walking on the sides of my feet to fix bad ankles just sort of came to me once I realized the formula.

Back bridges help me recover faster from lower back pain and stops it from creeping in. Not that this will ever repair a bad disc, but your muscles will protect joints. One cannot exercise joints and they struggle even at rest, ie sloppy form when sitting relaxed on your vertebrae instead of your muscles.

....

Yoga may make you very uncomfortable at first and is a serious challenge to learn. Yoga is not just about flexibility. Your own body weight can damage from bouncing on your joints or simply be too much weight [ACCENT]for your little baby muscles[/ACCENT].

 

[jason7]

Yeah I'll check out back bridges then. maybe they'll help. I just have to be very careful not to injure my back so I'll start out very mildly. Thanks for the tip. The boron supplements seem to be helping though. I haven't had significant back pain recently even after doing a lot of walking or sitting for a fairly long time. I actually suggest that everyone take 3 mg of boron daily to avoid ever getting osteoarthritis, weak bones or tooth decay, especially if they use fluoridated water. Sorry to take this thread on a bit of a tangent there but I don't really have anyone else to discuss this with and I did want to share the information about boron supplements seeming to be quite helpful for back problems. I'm kind of alone in life so forums are my only outlet for stuff like this and I'm only a member of a few. Just happened to join this one.

 

[whiteroom67]

Yeah core muscles involve the stabilizing muscles of the mid body, mainly the abs, obliques, and spinal erectors. Back bridges are great for your spinal erectors, from your hips all the way up to your neck. Hyperextensions are also good for the lower back/spinal erectors. If you move on to weights, squats and deadlifts are king, along with the Olympic movements. Those all actually work your whole body really. When you do the big exercises with free weights, your core will mostly get worked naturally. Free weights force you to use your core and all your other stabilizing muscles to balance the weight. Certain types of yoga and bodyweight exercises are great for this too.

 

[pmoseman]

I don't really have anyone else to discuss this with

The desperate have always been my favorite kind of people.

Olympic movements.

Had to look that one up.

....

I heard that walking was supposed to be an all body workout. I arrived at the conclusion this was some kind of perfect exercise and ended up walking quite a lot but it did not do much for my back at all. Swimming is the other one I heard with the same sort of mythology. The reason given was that building certain muscles can improve strength in other areas, which now strikes me as a silly idea. It just burns fat and reveals the other muscles.

So the difficulty with any kind of strength training involving weights is finding a movement for every muscle you want to work on and the correct weight to start out with and adding weight in stages to improve.

I absolutely think soft conditioning (yoga mostly) is an integral part of strength training. It makes one better aware of how to coordinate the muscles and gives the flexibility to put more muscles into a movement. I think the performance of many little muscles can add much more to a lift than bulk, which works against movement.

Hot showers are great after a work out to prevent sore muscles.

I haven't found the miracle cure for ache in the joints but I am definitely going to look into borox; but also need to catch up on sleep.

EDIT: Wanted to make sure I mention this is hypothetical and more accurately I am discussing power (work/time) more than I am strength (work).