Awakening possible while on SSRI ?

[Vagos]

Is there anyone here that has experienced an enlightening experience while being on an SSRI? (Not due to the SSRI, just during the same period he/she was on one) Is it possible ?

[AlldayLoop]

Yes. There are no excuses here. 

[kieranperez]

I suggest you let this sink for a bit and be honest with yourself. What is being communicated is the fundamental crux of the issue. Eventually you’ll find that the reason you’re not enlightened is that  you don’t want it. Interesting. Why are you afraid to be free? Why are you afraid to let go? 

[Vagos]

Just now, AlldayLoop said:

Yes. There are no excuses here. 

Have you actually experienced it while on an SSRI. I'm not looking for an excuse at all!! I'm worried that I might not be able to get enlightened because I'm on an SSRI. But if you have been there while on an SSRI then that's a nugget of hope for me!

[kieranperez]

Just now, Vagos said:

experienced it

Examine that

[Vagos]

Just now, kieranperez said:

Examine that

Has enlightenment happened*

[AlldayLoop]

3 minutes ago, Vagos said:

Have you actually experienced it while on an SSRI. I'm not looking for an excuse at all!! I'm worried that I might not be able to get enlightened because I'm on an SSRI. But if you have been there while on an SSRI then that's a nugget of hope for me!

I’ve been in your shoes worrying if this, that, or there will prevent me from getting enlightened. Ultimately you are your own obstacle, nothing else is. 

And who goes “there”? Please be careful with this work because you can make many wrong assumptions like I have and waste a lot of time.

[kieranperez]

2 minutes ago, Vagos said:

enlightenment happened

Examine that. What is the assumption there? That there’s something to happen? Do you imagine there’s something to happen? Do you believe enlightenment happens? After all, a happening suggest a beginning and an end and enlightenment is said to be truth that has never had a beginning nor an end. So what does that leave you with? Where does that leave you? Further, that would also suggest that enlightenment is right now irrespective of what is occurring or is even being experienced. 

[Leo Gura]

@Vagos Why are you on SSRI's and what is your plan for ultimately getting off them?

[AlldayLoop]

Just now, Keyhole said:

I went off of them cold turkey

Please don’t do follow this advice. I don’t care if one person claims they’re successful doing it or not... it’s still a gamble you’re playing on yourself. I’ve personally done this a few times, and the last time was not pleasant (I’ll not go into the details of that). 

Otherwise, for those who want to get off them, please do the mature thing and let your doctor know. There can be huge consequences for going off them cold turkey, especially if you’ve been on them for a long time since your body has been accustomed to it. 

[Vagos]

Just now, Leo Gura said:

@Vagos Why are you on SSRI's and what is your plan for ultimately getting off them?

I have serious panic disorder based on hypochondria and the fear of death. My plan for ultimately getting off them is firstly in depth psychoanalysis and simultaneously doing consciousness work, meditation, self inquiry and yoga in order to ultimately reach enlightenment, go through the experience of being absolute infinity, realize I'm not the same as this body so I don't have to obsess over defending its existence.

Edit: My pursuit of enlightenment though is different, it starts from curiosity more than a need to heal. Honestly ssri's are doing a wonderful job at the moment with zero to little side effects and I am back to an almost fully functional state, so in a sense they solve the problem. I could go on SSRI's and never have another panic attack. I want to pursuit the truth, being healed from my trauma is for me something a little more secondary.

 

Edited August 13, 2019 by Vagos

[AlldayLoop]

@Vagos Damn, you have one hell of a plan there! I admire your tenacity. 

That right there, what you said, that is your first step to awakening. You’ve got this. 

My advice is to take the SSRIs in the meantime. Nobody is forcing you to take them forever, so that right there should be reassuring. But also don’t be in a rush to get off them. This work is long term, so be strategic  

[Vagos]

Just now, AlldayLoop said:

@Vagos Damn, you have one hell of a plan there! I admire your tenacity. 

That right there, what you said, that is your first step to awakening. You’ve got this. 

My advice is to take the SSRIs in the meantime. Nobody is forcing you to take them forever, so that right there should be reassuring. But also don’t be in a rush to get off them. This work is long term, so be strategic  

Thanks man  I was just worried if they block certain thought processes that have to do with the happening of awakening. For example if a person is constantly on xanax or other depressants their brain might be very suppressed for awakening to happen. I'm just speculating

[Vagos]

@Keyhole I have been on them for 4 months, no weight gain, no sexual side effects, I overall feel a lot healthier. The only side effect is they make me sleepy a lot for the first half of the day but it's much easier to battle sleepiness than panic attacks

[kieranperez]

@Vagos as someone who got off 6 different psych meds all at once - DONT DO THAT! I seriously got lucky and don’t know how that time around I had no withdrawal - I really do commend your plan. Honestly similar to me. Granted, it’s only been 4 months so I imagine you haven’t built any sort of long term tolerance. Get off them while you can and in whatever way works best for you. I was on 17 years of Adderall and also a whole lot of different SSRIs, mood stabilizers, and even some tranquilizers. 

Speaking from experience, side effects and downsides of these drugs tend to happen through long term prescription. In the beginning, it can honestly be scary how well certain psych meds work. You think your life is transformed from here on out. It’s kinda like how one feels when having a very cosmic nondual seeming experience (I use “experience” deliberately). You could never fathom how you could possibly fall back. The problem is when time passes by. You will (likely) fall back into old tendencies but now you will have a physiological addiction that can be very hard to not only break but recover from. Honesty, since getting off Adderall, my body, energy levels, cognition, is not the same at all. It’s kinda like a woman after pregnancy. Once she liked sushi. Now she barfs at the smell of it. 

As far as enlightenment goes, I will tell you, as Ive had glimpses of truth (or as you term it - enlightement experiences) happen to me while on 6 different meds at the same time while even being a total state of utter depression. Granted, once I let go I wasn’t upset (not that I had any context for what I realized) but understand, enlightenment is true and you are actually aware of it in a certain sense right now already. Be careful with how you interpret this but in certain senseX and maybe this is just me, I’ve found mental health issues drive me further and further into disidentification because you are in sense disassociating with everthing that’s arising and is seemingly being experienced including the very sense of being a self or a perceived or a witness or an ego. Enlightenment is true regardless of the condition or state of experience. Nothingness doesn’t change.

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, Vagos said:

I have serious panic disorder based on hypochondria and the fear of death. My plan for ultimately getting off them is firstly in depth psychoanalysis and simultaneously doing consciousness work, meditation, self inquiry and yoga in order to ultimately reach enlightenment, go through the experience of being absolute infinity, realize I'm not the same as this body so I don't have to obsess over defending its existence.

Edit: My pursuit of enlightenment though is different, it starts from curiosity more than a need to heal. Honestly ssri's are doing a wonderful job at the moment with zero to little side effects and I am back to an almost fully functional state, so in a sense they solve the problem. I could go on SSRI's and never have another panic attack. I want to pursuit the truth, being healed from my trauma is for me something a little more secondary.

So what this tells me is you got A LOT of work to do before anything like enlightenment will dawn. Probably years of work.

That's okay, but what I mean is, you don't have to worry too much about enlightenment right now. Focus building up your meditation skills, psychoanalysis, yoga, etc. All of that will build up your foundation. At some point you should begin to slowly ween yourself off the medication and pursue the Truth full-bore.

Enlightenment is about facing your own death. So you need to build yourself up to the point where you're not having panic attacks and you a ready to face ego dissolution. You are not going to be able to avoid facing death. That is the whole aim of enlightenment work. Enlightenment is all about facing your deepest fears and seeing through them with extraordinary levels of consciousness and concentration.

Weening yourself off SSRI's will also allow you to play around with psychedelics -- which are one of the most effective tools for facing death and fear.

[pluto]

They are said to target the pineal and block its activation. They are flooded with fluoride, prozac is a good example.

Stick to natural herbs/flowers like CBD, Adaptogens, Medicinal Mushrooms, Passionflower, St-Johns wort ect.., they work much better and don't mess your brain up in long term.

Sure anything is possible, but in my personal experience i only experienced true sight and optimal function when i cleaned my body completely of all chemicals and UN-natural substances. Do a long detox on fresh fruits, veggies, herbs, spices and those i mentioned above for 1 - 3 months paired with a healthy lifestyle then do a 1 - 2 week fast on pure water only and maybe some raw honey if you cannot tolerate the hunger urges.

This will rewire/reset you better than any other method i have found, you will forget all about weed or psychedelics and other methods. Also meditation and spiritual practice when the body/mind is pure is 100x more effective so use all that you can, fully immerse yourself in spiritual playfulness.

Eventually you wind up realizing and realigning with the natural, purified self.

[Vagos]

@Leo Gura  Thanks for your answer Leo! Does that also mean I should stop thinking about the questions you have on your practical guide to enlightenment (Who is the observer? etc..) during meditation and instead try to not think at all ? I do this one hour every day

[Leo Gura]

@Vagos I would focus more on not thinking for a while and building up your meditation, concentration, and yoga skills.

I find the questioning to be ineffective without first being in a calm mind state.

[AlldayLoop]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

@Vagos I would focus more on not thinking for a while and building up your meditation, concentration, and yoga skills.

I find the questioning to be ineffective without first being in a calm mind state.

This is true from my experience. When I was a newbie I decided to jump into a 10-day silent retreat by myself at home. I only completed 9; most of the time was spent sleeping and overthinking.

This is not to say it was a complete failure. You can actually learn through your failures what you are and are not ready for and adjust your plan accordingly.