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For those seeking the anti-anxiety benefits of a daily dose of high grade medicinal cannabis without the cognitive impairment associated with THC (notably impai

For those seeking the anti-anxiety benefits of a daily dose of high grade medicinal cannabis without the cognitive impairment associated with THC (notably impairment of short term memory, which is crucial for maintaining flow state while doing complex tasks like coding or chess) - may I recommend looking into high CBD, low THC flower. You want THC <1% and CBD > 10%. I recently switched over to a high CBD strain and it has been a godsend for productivity. Another nice benefit of minimizing daily THC intake is I have started dreaming and remembering dreams again. THC tends to suppress dreaming activity. In the Bay Area, you can find high CBD flower at most reputable dispensaries. I’ve tried a few products and the best one by far I’ve experienced is a strain called C3P0, sold under the Marley Naturals Red/Jellyfish brand. (Shameless plug notwithstanding, I’m not affiliated with that brand in any way, just a very happy customer wanting to share a quality product with others who might appreciate it)

rhcom2 8y ago
> Another nice benefit of minimizing daily THC intake is I have started dreaming and remembering dreams again. THC tends to suppress dreaming activity. I had the same experience with increased dreams but they were just all anxiety dreams for a month or so, it was very unpleasant.
- mindgam3 8y ago
  I’ve also experienced anxiety dreams at various times going back to early childhood. If you can get over the unpleasantness, they’re nothing to be afraid of. In fact they’re usually useful indications from your subconscious about things that are happening in real life. The best way to reduce the frequency of these dreams is to figure out what they’re about and fix the underlying problem. Easier said than done, obviously, but still a better solution that trying to fight the dreams or suppress them. In general it’s good practice to maintain a close and cordial relationship with your subconscious. Dreams are one of the best ways to access this part of your self. To improve dream recall and understanding, practice writing down dreams first thing in the morning upon waking. It’s hard at first, and definitely unpleasant for anxiety dreams. But power through it. As you get in the habit, your dream recall will improve, then you will be able to decode the messages from your dreams, and then make changes as necessary. For example, I have noticed an increase in anxiety dreams after interactions with certain emotionally abusive people in my family. Noticing this pattern motivated me to minimize my contact with these people, at which point the anxiety dreams stopped.
- prolikewh0a 8y ago
  I took a 2.5 week break about a month or more ago after 3 years of continuous use, and my dreams are WILD in a good way.
  - mindgam3 8y ago
    I've also experienced this. Intense dreams are a common withdrawal symptom, apparently.
bloopernova 8y ago
I've recently started taking 50 or 100mg CBD capsules. They're made from hemp so their THC content is vanishingly low (but still there, beware those who must take drug tests) So far it seems to be working well for me in that it suppresses/blocks or otherwise mitigates the nerve pain associated with sciatic nerve damage. Larger doses do send me to sleep, which for me is very strange because most pain relief medication prevents me from sleeping (as a side effect, it is very, very annoying) I've only ever had a very hard time with THC, smoked or digested. Smoked and spent the weekend with a migraine. Ate and slept for about 2 days. Ate a different thing and freaked out for about a day. I really don't know what it is that makes my reaction to pot so negative; makes me wish we could pinpoint just which protein or receptor or whatever I have that's broken or overactive. I haven't experienced any productivity beyond that which accompanies a lower pain level. Although I do very much recommend people with pain trying CBD capsules or oil. I've bought from Lazarus Naturals (I have no other relationship with them) and can recommend them as a vendor.
WalterSear 8y ago
Fwiw, high CBD cannabis gives me memory problems. Specifically: a 5-10 minute period in the next 24 hours that simply disappears, leaving me standing somewhere, wondering how I got there. It has happened every time, with multiple strains. I kept returning to it because it turns off my almost perpetual emotional pain like a lightswitch. I have yet to met anyone who has shared this experience, or read anything about in the academic literature.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- mindgam3 8y ago
  That is a bit odd. I often have the experience of standing somewhere wondering what I was doing, but that's more of a momentary thing that I would call garden variety absent-mindedness. The other experience that comes to mind is driving - my brain sometimes shuts off for minutes at a time. Not a good thing. I suspect this has more to do with what's on my mind than what substance I'm taking. I'd be skeptical that it's the CBD causing this experience in your case, but without more data it's hard to say. The one thing I'd recommend is practicing some attention-based meditation, like counting breaths for a few minutes each day. It may strengthen the meta-awareness muscle and reduce the likelihood of these blank-outs.
  - WalterSear 8y ago
    No, it's the CBD, and no, I'm not distracted - I know that feeling well :) It's reasonable to be skeptical - I get some kind of pushback every time I mention this. I'm not high when it happens. And it's not a moment - at least one time was over ten minutes, involved parking a car, doing some shopping and who the fuck knows what else. I spent an hour searching for my car. And it's never happened, ever, unless I'd smoked high CBD cannabis within the last 24 hours. I've smoke vastly more regular cannabis - but hadn't been, at least during one period when this happened. And, I'm not otherwise prone to this kind of episodic memory problem - as far as I've noticed :) I haven't had one since I stopped trying CBD cannabis. Fwiw, I've been practicing mindfulness meditation on and off for 20 years. For a couple of years, during a period of disability, I was meditating over an hour each day.

rhcom2 8y ago

> Another nice benefit of minimizing daily THC intake is I have started dreaming and remembering dreams again. THC tends to suppress dreaming activity. I had the same experience with increased dreams but they were just all anxiety dreams for a month or so, it was very unpleasant.

mindgam3 8y ago
I’ve also experienced anxiety dreams at various times going back to early childhood. If you can get over the unpleasantness, they’re nothing to be afraid of. In fact they’re usually useful indications from your subconscious about things that are happening in real life. The best way to reduce the frequency of these dreams is to figure out what they’re about and fix the underlying problem. Easier said than done, obviously, but still a better solution that trying to fight the dreams or suppress them. In general it’s good practice to maintain a close and cordial relationship with your subconscious. Dreams are one of the best ways to access this part of your self. To improve dream recall and understanding, practice writing down dreams first thing in the morning upon waking. It’s hard at first, and definitely unpleasant for anxiety dreams. But power through it. As you get in the habit, your dream recall will improve, then you will be able to decode the messages from your dreams, and then make changes as necessary. For example, I have noticed an increase in anxiety dreams after interactions with certain emotionally abusive people in my family. Noticing this pattern motivated me to minimize my contact with these people, at which point the anxiety dreams stopped.
prolikewh0a 8y ago
I took a 2.5 week break about a month or more ago after 3 years of continuous use, and my dreams are WILD in a good way.
- mindgam3 8y ago
  I've also experienced this. Intense dreams are a common withdrawal symptom, apparently.

bloopernova 8y ago

I've recently started taking 50 or 100mg CBD capsules. They're made from hemp so their THC content is vanishingly low (but still there, beware those who must take drug tests) So far it seems to be working well for me in that it suppresses/blocks or otherwise mitigates the nerve pain associated with sciatic nerve damage. Larger doses do send me to sleep, which for me is very strange because most pain relief medication prevents me from sleeping (as a side effect, it is very, very annoying) I've only ever had a very hard time with THC, smoked or digested. Smoked and spent the weekend with a migraine. Ate and slept for about 2 days. Ate a different thing and freaked out for about a day. I really don't know what it is that makes my reaction to pot so negative; makes me wish we could pinpoint just which protein or receptor or whatever I have that's broken or overactive. I haven't experienced any productivity beyond that which accompanies a lower pain level. Although I do very much recommend people with pain trying CBD capsules or oil. I've bought from Lazarus Naturals (I have no other relationship with them) and can recommend them as a vendor.

WalterSear 8y ago

Fwiw, high CBD cannabis gives me memory problems. Specifically: a 5-10 minute period in the next 24 hours that simply disappears, leaving me standing somewhere, wondering how I got there. It has happened every time, with multiple strains. I kept returning to it because it turns off my almost perpetual emotional pain like a lightswitch. I have yet to met anyone who has shared this experience, or read anything about in the academic literature.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
mindgam3 8y ago
That is a bit odd. I often have the experience of standing somewhere wondering what I was doing, but that's more of a momentary thing that I would call garden variety absent-mindedness. The other experience that comes to mind is driving - my brain sometimes shuts off for minutes at a time. Not a good thing. I suspect this has more to do with what's on my mind than what substance I'm taking. I'd be skeptical that it's the CBD causing this experience in your case, but without more data it's hard to say. The one thing I'd recommend is practicing some attention-based meditation, like counting breaths for a few minutes each day. It may strengthen the meta-awareness muscle and reduce the likelihood of these blank-outs.
- WalterSear 8y ago
  No, it's the CBD, and no, I'm not distracted - I know that feeling well :) It's reasonable to be skeptical - I get some kind of pushback every time I mention this. I'm not high when it happens. And it's not a moment - at least one time was over ten minutes, involved parking a car, doing some shopping and who the fuck knows what else. I spent an hour searching for my car. And it's never happened, ever, unless I'd smoked high CBD cannabis within the last 24 hours. I've smoke vastly more regular cannabis - but hadn't been, at least during one period when this happened. And, I'm not otherwise prone to this kind of episodic memory problem - as far as I've noticed :) I haven't had one since I stopped trying CBD cannabis. Fwiw, I've been practicing mindfulness meditation on and off for 20 years. For a couple of years, during a period of disability, I was meditating over an hour each day.