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Hrmph. Poppycock. I grew up with depression. I suffered from it for over two decades. Between Ayahuasca and daily meditation, I have most definitely unwoven any

Hrmph. Poppycock. I grew up with depression. I suffered from it for over two decades. Between Ayahuasca and daily meditation, I have most definitely unwoven any of these "permanent" changes. You can always, always get better. The brain is plastic. The spirit is fearless.

no_one_ever 9y ago
I totally agree. I was/am stuck in a similar place, but during a wellness workshop my speaker reminded everyone that the brain is like a muscle: you can train it to perform as desired so long as you condition it every day. I'm not suggesting it is as easy as physical exercise, but this definitely changed my perspective on my personal well-being.
oligopoly 9y ago
Changing focus is key. It can be hard to change habits however instead of trying 'not to do something' you start focusing on doing something else entirely great changes can happen. Try it. You do need it enforce it few times but you can drop a lot of bad habits this way just because it doesnt matter to you anymore.
- grinsekatze 9y ago
  And changing location can make it a lot easier to actually changing the focus. The only question is how you "bring the changed focus home". It's easy to redefine/-invent yourself when you are removed from the environment in which you suffer, but it does not solve the problem. What it does though, is help you realize that your suffering is not permanent and that it is possible to overcome it. The real work comes when you return to the "old" environment. Personally, after having been away for 5 years I got sucked back into "my old self" quickly after my return and I had to consciously close a few doors, let go of some friendships and have the courage to put myself out there again and trust that I am "ok" and that what i need comes to me. It's an ongoing process. Saying "yes" to what comes to me also helps create pleasant experiences for myself.
u28uij 9y ago
Changing focus/behavior patterns creates new neuronal pathways or reuses what’s there if relevant But it doesn’t erase old pathways You have moved into a new normal externally, but the physical traits (neuron paths) from the old behavior don’t necessarily vanish
icc97 9y ago
Similar to the other top-voted comment here [0], specifically what type of meditation did you follow. I've been using headspace for a couple of years. Where as it feels positive, I can't see that I've noticed any fundamental change. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16495483 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16495483
- goodroot 9y ago
  My meditation practice started with Vipassana meditation: https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/vipassana https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/vipassana After dabbling for awhile with nothing but a pillow and my psyche, I participated in a 10-day silent meditation program by Dhamma. They do them in many places; they're free -- the food was great, the instruction, and the accommodations were excellent. It was powerful. Daily meditation is a slow, gradual process. A couple years of consistent practice in most case should result in a noticeable change in perspectives. I enjoy Headspace for the routine but philosophically Andy never gets too deep. That can be good a general audience, but for the intellectual, perhaps not. I mentioned Ayahuasca; I know this is not everyones cup of tea and hesitate to recommend it to due to the amount of New Age dogma and legal ambiguity that surrounds it. But in my own personal experience, I had something deep, a knot in my spirit that needed to be unwoven. My Opa (German for Grandfather) was conscripted in WW2, work-camps, forced enlistment, combat, murder, torture, the whole wretched shabang. He escape, to Canada, had a family. He was, as a result of his environments, understandably terrorizing. He suffered. My father suffered. My brother suffered. I suffered. Born into it, like I mentioned. As a busy etch-a-sketch becomes a clean slate for new art, so did my mind, body, and spirit after Ayahuasca. It was only when that knot had been removed that the tools I had learned through meditation could take me, day by day, into a beautiful new narrative where I am content and fulfilled. Perhaps you need something to get that knot out. I truly hope that you find it, and give you all my love and empathy, dear stranger.
fwip 9y ago
I've tried meditation, and I gotta say: I find my daily medication to be a lot more useful.
anythingnonidin 9y ago
The ayahuasca comment makes me think of this: > In their other research, the authors have also proposed that the serotonin receptors that psychedelics interact with are involved in bringing about “a state of rapid plasticity that is conducive to major change (e.g. in outlook and/or behaviour)—when such change feels necessary (e.g. to aid mental or physical survival). Such a function may be related to humans’ unique capacity for adaptability.” Quote from https://tripsafe.org/psychedelics-and-connectedness/ https://tripsafe.org/psychedelics-and-connectedness/ So it seems plausible that ayahuasca may be helpful to people in cases like this. (Of course, additional evidence being that psilocybin seems very helpful for people with depression)
adamsea 9y ago
You mean you got your brain measured to see if the swelling decreased ;) (iirc slight brain swelling was mentioned in the article).
slothtrop 9y ago
Can attest to this, but it's probably incrementally harder as you age. Best hack/alter your brain as early as possible. Same goes for any habit-forming.

no_one_ever 9y ago

I totally agree. I was/am stuck in a similar place, but during a wellness workshop my speaker reminded everyone that the brain is like a muscle: you can train it to perform as desired so long as you condition it every day. I'm not suggesting it is as easy as physical exercise, but this definitely changed my perspective on my personal well-being.

oligopoly 9y ago

Changing focus is key. It can be hard to change habits however instead of trying 'not to do something' you start focusing on doing something else entirely great changes can happen. Try it. You do need it enforce it few times but you can drop a lot of bad habits this way just because it doesnt matter to you anymore.

grinsekatze 9y ago
And changing location can make it a lot easier to actually changing the focus. The only question is how you "bring the changed focus home". It's easy to redefine/-invent yourself when you are removed from the environment in which you suffer, but it does not solve the problem. What it does though, is help you realize that your suffering is not permanent and that it is possible to overcome it. The real work comes when you return to the "old" environment. Personally, after having been away for 5 years I got sucked back into "my old self" quickly after my return and I had to consciously close a few doors, let go of some friendships and have the courage to put myself out there again and trust that I am "ok" and that what i need comes to me. It's an ongoing process. Saying "yes" to what comes to me also helps create pleasant experiences for myself.

u28uij 9y ago

Changing focus/behavior patterns creates new neuronal pathways or reuses what’s there if relevant But it doesn’t erase old pathways You have moved into a new normal externally, but the physical traits (neuron paths) from the old behavior don’t necessarily vanish

icc97 9y ago

Similar to the other top-voted comment here [0], specifically what type of meditation did you follow. I've been using headspace for a couple of years. Where as it feels positive, I can't see that I've noticed any fundamental change. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16495483 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16495483

goodroot 9y ago
My meditation practice started with Vipassana meditation: https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/vipassana https://www.dhamma.org/en/about/vipassana After dabbling for awhile with nothing but a pillow and my psyche, I participated in a 10-day silent meditation program by Dhamma. They do them in many places; they're free -- the food was great, the instruction, and the accommodations were excellent. It was powerful. Daily meditation is a slow, gradual process. A couple years of consistent practice in most case should result in a noticeable change in perspectives. I enjoy Headspace for the routine but philosophically Andy never gets too deep. That can be good a general audience, but for the intellectual, perhaps not. I mentioned Ayahuasca; I know this is not everyones cup of tea and hesitate to recommend it to due to the amount of New Age dogma and legal ambiguity that surrounds it. But in my own personal experience, I had something deep, a knot in my spirit that needed to be unwoven. My Opa (German for Grandfather) was conscripted in WW2, work-camps, forced enlistment, combat, murder, torture, the whole wretched shabang. He escape, to Canada, had a family. He was, as a result of his environments, understandably terrorizing. He suffered. My father suffered. My brother suffered. I suffered. Born into it, like I mentioned. As a busy etch-a-sketch becomes a clean slate for new art, so did my mind, body, and spirit after Ayahuasca. It was only when that knot had been removed that the tools I had learned through meditation could take me, day by day, into a beautiful new narrative where I am content and fulfilled. Perhaps you need something to get that knot out. I truly hope that you find it, and give you all my love and empathy, dear stranger.

fwip 9y ago

I've tried meditation, and I gotta say: I find my daily medication to be a lot more useful.

anythingnonidin 9y ago

The ayahuasca comment makes me think of this: > In their other research, the authors have also proposed that the serotonin receptors that psychedelics interact with are involved in bringing about “a state of rapid plasticity that is conducive to major change (e.g. in outlook and/or behaviour)—when such change feels necessary (e.g. to aid mental or physical survival). Such a function may be related to humans’ unique capacity for adaptability.” Quote from https://tripsafe.org/psychedelics-and-connectedness/ https://tripsafe.org/psychedelics-and-connectedness/ So it seems plausible that ayahuasca may be helpful to people in cases like this. (Of course, additional evidence being that psilocybin seems very helpful for people with depression)

adamsea 9y ago

You mean you got your brain measured to see if the swelling decreased ;) (iirc slight brain swelling was mentioned in the article).

slothtrop 9y ago

Can attest to this, but it's probably incrementally harder as you age. Best hack/alter your brain as early as possible. Same goes for any habit-forming.