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Seven ayahuasca ceremonies and two bufo ceremonies over the course of 2 years changed my life. I experienced a paradigm shift and healed a lot of repressed trau

by rblion 7y ago

Seven ayahuasca ceremonies and two bufo ceremonies over the course of 2 years changed my life. I experienced a paradigm shift and healed a lot of repressed trauma, let go of a lot of internal drama. I feel I got to the root of the issue and built a solid foundation upon mindfulness and compassion. Every day I work to train my mind to be one-pointed while keeping my heart open towards all, even those who wish me harm. Forgiveness for myself and towards others is the most powerful medicine I've ever known. We are all human, yet so many people judge so harshly. I've learned that the energy expended upon blame/shame is not worth it compared to the energy recycled by forgiving and forgetting. I wish more people realized this, this simple truth could transform the whole world. I've quit smoking weed, drinking, vaping nicotine, eating meat, porn. This is a big deal for me at age 29, I didn't think I'd ever be able to let all these vices go. I've started to wake up at 5am everyday (most days without an alarm). I feel grateful as I brush my now straight teeth (they were crooked 2 years ago). I like how I look and feel, this natural confidence attracts women I thought were 'out of my league' not too long ago. I spend my mornings working towards my highest aspiration of spreading good by design through my agency/consultancy. Under this umbrella, I have started to improve my skills as a developer to build products/platforms that I feel should exist that don't. I read books/articles by people who have done the things I aspire to do and offer concrete principles to help me keep evolving. I got rid of my smartphone, don't miss it to be honest. I use my Sony a6000 for photography now. I don't use Facebook at all, use Instagram only to see nature photography (a few interesting people I admire), use reddit and twitter to keep up with my interests (culled most of my feed in both down to high-signal, low-noise). I'm just happy to be alive. I was morbidly depressed in May 2017. I was feeling like a loser for not getting into YC, for getting laid off, for not having a degree, for not being married like most people my age in my culture, for being a joke to many people I grew up around. I don't care about any of that anymore, I am a victor, not a victim! I'll shut up now. Hopefully this helps someone out there struggling, we are all in this together.

cheeko1234 7y ago
I keep reading about ayahuasca. Care to elaborate on how/where, etc. I've been using thc as self-medication for a decade and decided to quit cold turkey, and my anxiety and self-doubt is through the roof. I know the baggage is coming from childhood, but I'm not sure how to solve it.
- rblion 7y ago
  I used to self-medicate with pot too and after a break-up with a girl, alcohol. I've since learned coping skills and to enjoy 'the little things' that actually aren't so little. It's so cliche but the most important quality for happiness, creativity, and learning is to have the heart of a child. It's important to balance that with discipline of course but the foundation is 'beginner's mind'. First time was in October 2017, I flew to Colombia after getting a 'scholarship'. They let me do a 10-day retreat with 3 ceremonies (plus 2 sweat lodges and 2 san pedro ceremonies) for $400 instead of the $2K+ that most centers charge. I would not have been able to afford it otherwise. Before going, I had already gone 4 months without drinking, smoking, meat, or sex though. I was all-in on this transformation and saw this plant medicine as a way to reach the deepest parts of my psyche to do a 'reboot' of sorts. That's what I got from it. The 2nd and 3rd retreats were in upstate NY through a girl I know who has pure intentions and good connections. She runs a center that is donation-based and is basically a commune. I couldn't live there but it's nice to know I can always go there if I find myself at a crossroads again. Quitting pot was difficult, it's everywhere these days. Ultimately, my grandma's death put everything into perspective for me. I listened to the Steve Jobs Stanford speech recently and everything he said echoes what I realized in the last few months. Do you journal? Do you have access to a steam room/sauna? Sweating the THC out of your body is a good start. Meditation and fitness can help curb your anxiety. I didn't go looking for ayahuasca or bufo, they both kinda found me. It's a long story, so I'll spare you.
mikelyons 7y ago
I've had this same positive life transformation from ~30 psilocybin experiences over the last 15 years, combined with meditation and lots of other spiritual / psychological work, which culminated with a "heroic" mushroom experience that caused transformation for me this year. Anybody who has limited experience with psychedelics can greatly benefit from just learning about them, this two part video gives you all you need to know really before exploring the options to have an experience yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TazyFTavMyA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TazyFTavMyA
- rblion 7y ago
  If used with pure intentions, entheogens/psychedelics are medicine. It's sad that so many just see them as recreational drugs. It's only a matter of time now until mainstream society accepts this truth that indigenous people and the mystically-inclined already know. I started out with psilocybin in 2009 when I was 19. Over the course of the last decade, I dove deep into EVERYTHING from Antiquity to the Renaissance to the Counterculture. I feel psychedelics helped me synthesize so many different aspects of STEAM fields in a meaningful and practical way. Meditation and gratitude keep me child-like, I can't even put it into words really. It's just something that has to be experienced to be understood, I'm sure you know what I mean!
hiram112 7y ago
Had you ever tried any of the typical anti-depressants before deciding to use one not developed by Big Pharma? I don't doubt that a lot of these psychedelics, about which almost every person who tries them for depression raves, are effective for some people. But like any strong drug affecting the brain, I'm wary that they could just as easily cause even more anxiety and depression in those already predisposed.
- rblion 7y ago
  I went through an existential crisis and needed to learn better coping skills to start a new chapter in life as I approached 30. I don't think prescriptions were the answer for my case to be perfectly honest, I'm not going to speak for anyone else though (do what works for you). I got screened to be sure I wasn't bipolar or schizophrenic and I was told by more than one professional that I don't meet the criteria for either one. It's been almost 2 years since my first ayahuasca ceremony and I don't feel depressed at all, I feel a child-like absorption with life and a need to serve the planet I call home. I wouldn't attribute all of this to the entheogen itself, I made a conscious choice to change and the ceremonies were catalysts that helped. People go to ceremonies and revert back to their old ways if they don't 'integrate'. Integration is just as important, if not more, than the ceremony itself.
- nabnob 7y ago
  Antidepressants are no more effective than placebo and the "chemical imbalance" theory has very little research to actually support it - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4172306/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4172306/

by rblion 7y ago

cheeko1234 7y ago

I keep reading about ayahuasca. Care to elaborate on how/where, etc. I've been using thc as self-medication for a decade and decided to quit cold turkey, and my anxiety and self-doubt is through the roof. I know the baggage is coming from childhood, but I'm not sure how to solve it.

rblion 7y ago
I used to self-medicate with pot too and after a break-up with a girl, alcohol. I've since learned coping skills and to enjoy 'the little things' that actually aren't so little. It's so cliche but the most important quality for happiness, creativity, and learning is to have the heart of a child. It's important to balance that with discipline of course but the foundation is 'beginner's mind'. First time was in October 2017, I flew to Colombia after getting a 'scholarship'. They let me do a 10-day retreat with 3 ceremonies (plus 2 sweat lodges and 2 san pedro ceremonies) for $400 instead of the $2K+ that most centers charge. I would not have been able to afford it otherwise. Before going, I had already gone 4 months without drinking, smoking, meat, or sex though. I was all-in on this transformation and saw this plant medicine as a way to reach the deepest parts of my psyche to do a 'reboot' of sorts. That's what I got from it. The 2nd and 3rd retreats were in upstate NY through a girl I know who has pure intentions and good connections. She runs a center that is donation-based and is basically a commune. I couldn't live there but it's nice to know I can always go there if I find myself at a crossroads again. Quitting pot was difficult, it's everywhere these days. Ultimately, my grandma's death put everything into perspective for me. I listened to the Steve Jobs Stanford speech recently and everything he said echoes what I realized in the last few months. Do you journal? Do you have access to a steam room/sauna? Sweating the THC out of your body is a good start. Meditation and fitness can help curb your anxiety. I didn't go looking for ayahuasca or bufo, they both kinda found me. It's a long story, so I'll spare you.

mikelyons 7y ago

I've had this same positive life transformation from ~30 psilocybin experiences over the last 15 years, combined with meditation and lots of other spiritual / psychological work, which culminated with a "heroic" mushroom experience that caused transformation for me this year. Anybody who has limited experience with psychedelics can greatly benefit from just learning about them, this two part video gives you all you need to know really before exploring the options to have an experience yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TazyFTavMyA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TazyFTavMyA

rblion 7y ago
If used with pure intentions, entheogens/psychedelics are medicine. It's sad that so many just see them as recreational drugs. It's only a matter of time now until mainstream society accepts this truth that indigenous people and the mystically-inclined already know. I started out with psilocybin in 2009 when I was 19. Over the course of the last decade, I dove deep into EVERYTHING from Antiquity to the Renaissance to the Counterculture. I feel psychedelics helped me synthesize so many different aspects of STEAM fields in a meaningful and practical way. Meditation and gratitude keep me child-like, I can't even put it into words really. It's just something that has to be experienced to be understood, I'm sure you know what I mean!

hiram112 7y ago

Had you ever tried any of the typical anti-depressants before deciding to use one not developed by Big Pharma? I don't doubt that a lot of these psychedelics, about which almost every person who tries them for depression raves, are effective for some people. But like any strong drug affecting the brain, I'm wary that they could just as easily cause even more anxiety and depression in those already predisposed.

rblion 7y ago
I went through an existential crisis and needed to learn better coping skills to start a new chapter in life as I approached 30. I don't think prescriptions were the answer for my case to be perfectly honest, I'm not going to speak for anyone else though (do what works for you). I got screened to be sure I wasn't bipolar or schizophrenic and I was told by more than one professional that I don't meet the criteria for either one. It's been almost 2 years since my first ayahuasca ceremony and I don't feel depressed at all, I feel a child-like absorption with life and a need to serve the planet I call home. I wouldn't attribute all of this to the entheogen itself, I made a conscious choice to change and the ceremonies were catalysts that helped. People go to ceremonies and revert back to their old ways if they don't 'integrate'. Integration is just as important, if not more, than the ceremony itself.
nabnob 7y ago
Antidepressants are no more effective than placebo and the "chemical imbalance" theory has very little research to actually support it - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4172306/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4172306/