Off topic question if you feel comfortable answering: ever taken a pure hallucinogen, like LSD or psilocybin? I wonder if it's just much easier to be able to delve into the possibilities and take "my ego out of it" then as research shows.
Yes it is, but results are unpredictable and you don't really get to control the ride. Meditation can put you in a similar place. MDMA can get you there in a different way, instead of losing your ego entirely you can set it aside with amusement and observe it from an empathetic perspective. That's often more useful to me, it lets me look at things without all the baggage and there's somewhat less of a wild ride to go with it.
I don't really do that stuff much anymore because it's very easy for me to go into a mindset where I feel like I'm tripping anyways. Chemicals are a dirty shortcut that can be a good teaching tool, they can show you things that you need to see that will help you later on but ultimately you need to learn to get there on your own.
Wow, I could have written that response myself. I haven't touched anything since I was a teen (many moons ago), but it certainly helped unlock the door for me. I utilize mindfulness myself in order to achieve similar results.
Off topic question if you feel comfortable answering: ever taken a pure hallucinogen, like LSD or psilocybin? I wonder if it's just much easier to be able to delve into the possibilities and take "my ego out of it" then as research shows.
Yes it is, but results are unpredictable and you don't really get to control the ride. Meditation can put you in a similar place. MDMA can get you there in a different way, instead of losing your ego entirely you can set it aside with amusement and observe it from an empathetic perspective. That's often more useful to me, it lets me look at things without all the baggage and there's somewhat less of a wild ride to go with it.
I don't really do that stuff much anymore because it's very easy for me to go into a mindset where I feel like I'm tripping anyways. Chemicals are a dirty shortcut that can be a good teaching tool, they can show you things that you need to see that will help you later on but ultimately you need to learn to get there on your own.
Wow, I could have written that response myself. I haven't touched anything since I was a teen (many moons ago), but it certainly helped unlock the door for me. I utilize mindfulness myself in order to achieve similar results.
Haha, I like that approach, too. And therapy :)