Yimpa

In the beginning, the task of the shaman was to guide me on how to set high quality intentions for the trip and what to do post-trip so that I’m not caught off guard. A few sessions later, the task was to guide me on learning how to trust myself and derive the answers for myself. I don’t think mentally unstable individuals who have no experience with tripping should be tripping on their own (in the beginning, at least). Case in point: I’m mentally unstable; my first “trips” were on cannabis a few years ago, unguided. While they were beautiful, I still had to call for mommy and daddy to save me due to it being way too intense (they don’t have any tripping experience, which makes it even more challenging). Counterproductive in the long-term, in my opinion. Setting was in a small rectangular room. I was lying down on a couch with a weighted blanket, an eye mask, and shamanic music playing on a speaker. I had a heart rate monitor on my index finger and a couple ECG leads near my collarbones. Shaman/therapist was sitting next to me. Also, an “improv setting” was during one of my sessions when my therapist happened to be under the weather and coughing a bit that day. It was unplanned (and ironically perfect) because I have contamination OCD, so it actually exposed me to one of my fears strategically. There honestly was no set. When you’re dealing with mentally unstable individuals, that’s the set.

Getting into a major car crash on the highway can also provide serious baseline changes.

The ego objectively finds that to be absolutely terrible. God is Absolute.

Sure, it’ll just be like Star Wars. We’ll just find another reason to ruin world peace and milk the hell out of it

Yes Imagine building a beautiful Lego set and being pissed off that it isn’t real

Agreed. The ultimate “goal” is to realize that you’re God; that the depressed person is a fiction / imaginary. When you realize that depression is not original to you, freedom becomes a possibility. From my experience, SSRIs can enhance the quality of life for the depressed person, whereas ketamine can reveal what you are beyond a person. The plot twist: all of it is imagination. all of it

Yep, 7 sessions with the shaman; then 1 solo (well, technically still a medical worker monitoring me in the room lol). Also, she’s not a self-proclaimed shaman, some patients just poke fun at that label onto her since she’s pretty out there and definitely not a conventional therapist. I’ve never done ketamine in a clinical trial or research study, so I don’t have a reference for what the difference could potentially be. If I had to guess, though, it would be that I felt more free to be myself doing it under a shaman/therapist. I don’t think I’d have the same level of comfort doing it in a super controlled setting with scientists and researches who most likely haven’t tripped themselves. She claims she has guided thousands of trips, plus she’s done a bunch of psychedelics herself. I’d say direct experience is the major difference.

Ketamine IV works for me, but I also take other medication and supplements + I’ve chosen to made drastic life changes in my life recently. I’ve also been privileged to do ketamine IV under the guidance of a shaman / therapist. So it’s not a black and white answer whether or not ketamine works on depression. I certainly wouldn’t be eligible to be in a scientific research study due to the various drugs and supplements I take + having comorbidity (i.e. depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, autism). Science is too rigid with how they operate, which is kinda why I’m glad I don’t fit into their narrow paradigm.

It’s all relative

I have a feeling this is why my shaman / therapist who used to work at the ketamine clinic I went to left and started her own practice. The clinic became corrupt and started focusing more and more on the money/Tik Tok like advertising, and hyping ketamine as magic fix for mental health issues. Nevertheless, mental health issues are an extremely complex issue, so the fact that ketamine is becoming more mainstream - I’m all for it. The medicines we have for mental health issues currently are so limited and poor; I believe psychedelics are a necessary option for people who have tried every traditional anti depression / anti-anxiety / anti whatever to no avail (such as myself).

I’ve experienced ego death on weed. It’s not a toy when used for spiritual reasons. I’ve ended up in the hospital because I thought I was dying. Hell, I was dying and it was the most beautiful experience of my life.

I remember the first week I bought a VR headset I played a demo of a boxing game. Shit appeared so real; as soon as I was punched in the game for the first time, my head “in real life” twisted back as if I was really hit. Ironically, I’ve never been punched in the face “in real life”.

It’s also selfmoreness, division, and acceptance of nothing. Riddle me that!

I have ADHD and been taking Vyvanse since 2018. I’ve tried virtually every dose, and then some. It’s a hell of a trip.

It comes and goes much quicker.

If they need anything, it’s actually to see themselves as you. The pathless path.

Quite literally if someone were to chop your arm off right now… hell both arms. Can you still love yourself? Or would you wish that it didn’t happen and the person who did it should be punished?

“I used to think there was a difference between rich men and poor men, until I realized… amen!”

What

Has anyone else here reached a state where you’re able to access psychedelic experiences without actively being on one? My theory is that once you take a psychedelic, your brain remembers it; therefore you’re able to access those states “sober” in the future.

What is.

Who is the doer? Who is meditating? Who is doing yoga?