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this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2024
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Psychedelic Therapy
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It can do wonders. I have a (semi) quarterly ritual - one I'll be partaking in soon to coincide with the Vernal Equinox - of taking a large dose of psilocybin and diving into my own psyche for an afternoon. Its hard to explain the way it helps to change thought patterns.
With the right set going in you can really see the harmful ruts you've fallen into, recognize their manifestations and reroute. My last trip, during the winter solstice, snapped me out of a depressive episode I'd been battling for a year. It helped me see that I'd been spending my time and effort trying to live a life I'd long since stopped being excited for, for reasons unrelated to my depression, and it helped me feel empathy towards myself, so I could move forward on a new path, at peace.
It wouldn't have happened had I not been working on getting myself out of that rut for weeks prior through art, self reflection and seeking support, but it truly came to fruition after breaking down the barriers of my mind, destroying my ego for an afternoon, travelling through time and space and coming out the other side renewed.
One dose of 6 g of mushrooms made my depression go away for several months. I also had a harrowing and terrifying trip, and I can totally see why some people have a psychotic break after taking them.
If tripping at a specific time of the year puts you in a good headspace, so be it. Roll with what your beliefs are. (My point is about ensuring that a person should always be in a comfortable state when using psychedelics for self-repair. There is a chance that a person may confront some very uncomfortable things so every little bit helps.)
Still, I like that psychedelics are self-regulating for the most part. Quite honestly, I can only handle a super-deep trip every few months. Other than that, a few grams on the weekends, if my schedule allows, is ok with me.
It has really helped my anxiety, depression and helps keep my alcoholism at bay. (I don't count days, but I haven't had a drink in almost 2 years? Dunno.) Psychedelics are awesome tools for self-reflection, for sure.
Yeah once every 3 months seems to be about the sweet spot for me. The Solstice/Equinox thing is mostly just a way of preparing myself mentally. It flows with the changing of seasons and gives a naturally occuring cadence to it.
Body chemistry works on a cadence, so there is that. Dopamine and serotonin (and most neurotransmitters, speaking generally) have their own ebb and flow over the course of the day and likely through the year as well.
Again, there is a mild point to be made here and I am trying to leverage your choice of words with my own personal perspective. (It's a bit redundant, TBH. I just feel the need to elaborate a little more for anyone else reading.)
To my understanding, most psychotropic medications (all classes of drugs designed to alter brain chemistry) are intended to work in concert with our natural cycles. If there is one thing that I know with certainty, is that SRIs, SNRIs, etc., absolutely must be taken on a consistent schedule for this reason, regardless of what a person's state of mind is at any particular moment.
It makes logical sense that psilocybin and other psychedelics that function similar to, or better than, existing antidepressants may need to be taken on a regular basis as well. This is the theory behind microdosing, anyway. (I personally believe it may be more complicated and/or nuanced than what microdosing proponents say, but that is neither here nor there.)