On navigating The Psychedelic Corner
Slow down and look ahead where you want to be
Since I started this newsletter in 2022, I have made so many changes. Having to relearn who I am, gaining old memories back, attempting new ways to cope, especially this last year. I’ve been anxious and at times depressed. There have been many good days, but not enough to focus and write. The more I pressured myself, the worse writer’s block became. Withdrawing from psychiatric medicines can be beyond challenging. Writing this paragraph means success.
Today though I am able to focus. It feels as if I have myself back, my thoughts, not following someone else’s narrative on social media. My intentions going forward are to continue to work on fulfillment in life, creativity, good social connections, a sense of accomplishment. I will continue to write in this newsletter, but I believe my focus will be a little more varied. I’d like to focus on consciousness raising through various forms including meditation.
Since I had gotten so much out of my therapeutic and spiritual experiences on psychedelics, I did feel very positive about them. However, after reading about the real possibilities of bad trips that can last for years, I feel more cautious. I believe I have to get into a better sense of self, to be more grounded before I am ready to trip again.
I still feel a sense of reverence toward psychedelics, but also more caution. More and more I believe they can be powerful tools of wisdom and restoration, but they come with great risks. A person has to be ready. A better way to approach this is with a lot of soul searching, meditation and the realization these could help or greatly harm. They are a risk. I truly wish we had a society that realized their potential and had the wisdom to handle them wisely.
Where I’m at with psychiatric medicines. I withdrew from Cymbalta last year - it’s been extremely challenging dealing with emotions without the numbness. I have relied on Seroquel in order to sleep and at times to deal with depressed days (when they last more than 2 days) and attempt to sleep through them. Although not the best coping method, at times this does work. Sleep and dreams help reset me. And if I don’t make any major decisions I can get through.
My concern about the advocacy for them is that we do not have an adequate support system. Western society in the 21st century does not have the structure in place to support people’s inner journeys similar to the indigenous groups that use psychedelics. This is a huge glaring red light that we believe we can medicalize them and I believe we will have the same issues as today with people struggling on antidepressants and never truly addressing the core issues. Challenges with side effects including suicidal ideation, emotional numbness are real with antidepressants. How do we know what the side effects of wide use of psychedelics will be?