10 ms·

The Definitive Guide to Dopamine Fasting 2.0

Rockvole 6y ago
You can try the original article with no paywall from over a year ago : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dopamine-fasting-new-silicon-valley-trend-dr-cameron-sepah https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dopamine-fasting-new-silicon-...
zero_deg_kevin 6y ago
Had to log in to read; didn’t read.
- kjaftaedi 6y ago
  You get a certain number of free paid articles each month. Don't be mad that a paid service is offering things for free and you're unable to abuse it.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - zero_deg_kevin 6y ago
    I’m not mad, but I stopped using it when it became clear that Medium was just another content farm play. Perhaps I could have more directly asked for a summary, but some very patient soul knew what I was after and replied. Thanks, internet stranger!
- grfn 6y ago
  Just use incognito
- nullsense 6y ago
  TL;DR "Use Apps to block apps on a schedule, and for everything else you're addicted to that's not an app, like emotional eating or problem gambling, try just not doing it"
  - zero_deg_kevin 6y ago
    Thanks for the summary. I deleted my Medium account because I kept getting sucked into Medium.
Odoia 6y ago
140k is a far cry from "viral worldwide" ...
thatsamonad 6y ago
Something I’ve noticed about myself that’s related to this: I often go through intense periods of depression and anxiety with thoughts that center around a perceived lack of meaning in my life (i.e. wondering what the point of my life is despite it being “good” by most measures). One thing I notice about these periods is that I tend to “float” between stimuli such as YouTube videos, “fast” news articles, and even HN posts and comments, often feeling like I have no control over the behavior and I’m just having my brain hijacked repeatedly by something on my phone before I can even fully process the thought I was just having. I’m curious to see if this approach might be a way to short-circuit that feeling so I can align my downtime activities more closely with my values and things that actually bring me meaning and joy. Sometimes it feels impossible, though, because I’m basically addicted to information by way of the internet. I’ve been using a computer since I was a child and I’m now in my mid-30s, so 30 years of behavior seems incredibly challenging to overcome.
- isitdopamine 6y ago
  Hi! Your first paragraph exactly describes my life now. I couldn’t write it any better. It resonated so much, I had to create this throwaway account (my account is essentially my real name, I am a bit uncomfortable discussing mental health on a public space in non-anonymous form). How do you exit from this state? I would be so, so grateful if you could answer (if you know the answer) here or at isitdopamine on Gmail. Psychotherapy doesn’t help much, even though I plan on allowing more time for it, I know it takes time!
  - thatsamonad 6y ago
    Firstly, I’m glad you’re able to relate but I’m also sorry to hear you go through the same thing. I know from experience it can be incredibly painful and lonely at times. > How do you exit from this state? I wish I had a good answer for you. Most of the time I snap out of it through “brute force” by focusing my attention elsewhere. Building and doing things with my hands (like playing an instrument, cleaning around the house, or even playing with LEGO) seem to be the most effective ways for me to overcome it. Some days that works well, and other days I’m right back to my habits after just a few minutes. Work is also a good distraction for me sometimes because I enjoy what I do, but I spend my day working in front of a screen so sometimes I wonder how much that helps vs hurts. I think the most important thing I’ve done is just recognize when it’s happening, that way I can at least try to break the pattern. I mostly just take it one day at a time. > Psychotherapy doesn’t help much, even though I plan on allowing more time for it, I know it takes time! I’ve been in and out of therapy most of my life since I was a teen (I grew up in a toxic and abusive household so much of my focus has been recovering from that). Some of it has helped but for whatever reason it doesn’t always “stick” like I hope it would. I’ve also tried various medications but my “issues” seem deeply rooted, existential, and not easily overcome by a pill. I truly hope you find something that works for you! I know it’s not easy but I try to stay optimistic that one day my efforts will prevail and something will give.
krono 6y ago
Please, if you're actually struggling, go talk to a professional instead. They can help you figure out how you can actually feel better for far longer than just the 2 days you'll keep up with this unsubstantiated "fast".
resoluteteeth 6y ago
I guess "asceticism" wouldn't sound scientific enough?
cjohansson 6y ago
Sounds like ordinary fasting to me, except the concrete details, in the abstract sense it’s the same. Many Christian churches recommend phone / internet / computer fasting or just fasting from anything that occupies your mind daily
nullsense 6y ago
This is such non-advice. "That thing you're addicted to... just... don't do it for a while" Riiiiiiiiiiiight. They claim it's not a tech-bro thing, but it's got repackaged tech-bro BS written all over it. If you need CBT then get CBT. Not this do it yourself nonsense. If you could do it yourself you wouldn't have a problem.
- haltingproblem 6y ago
  The author is a licensed practicing psychologist and a assistant professor at UCSF School of Psychiatry. He generally focuses on evidence based methods including CBT. Your skepticism, while warranted, is dismissive and throws the baby out of the bathwater - tech bros do a lot of faddish things but not everything tech bros do is a fad. Dopamine fasting, which is in a way repackaged mindfulness, will be around for a long time after tech-bros have moved on. I highly recommend you try it before you dismiss it.
  - nullsense 6y ago
    Yes, it is dismissive. That's because I'm not seeing anything new. Block apps and use CBT. Got it. Dopamine fasting seems little more than a patently absurd misnomer. I've done this stuff numerous times in my life and it already goes to by the name "digital detox" more or less. It also was always only a temporary thing. Nothing life changing. Good and refreshing every once in a while. Heck, just get out and go camping.
    - haltingproblem 6y ago
      The framing you have of "life changing" could be the issue. There is rarely an intervention that is life changing - be it exercise, good eating habits or otherwise. One has to observe dopamine fasting to an extent everyday - no phones 2 hours before sleep, only 30 mins on SM, etc. to extensive retreats every on a monthly, quarterly to get benefits. IMHO, dopamine fasting extends beyond digital detox. Digital detox is one application of Dopamine fasting. In an intensive meditation retreat where all communication and gadgets are banned and foods are simple, the senses are enhanced to the point that post retreat simple stimuli like a cup of coffee give intense joy. You seem to be well aware of the benefits of it, the author is just putting it into a formal framework. Camping is a great way to do Dopaine Fasting especially if one avoids talk. A lot of what modern secular science discovers was known to the ancients - I guess in the old days it would be called a prayer retreat :)

You can try the original article with no paywall from over a year ago : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dopamine-fasting-new-silicon-valley-trend-dr-cameron-sepah https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dopamine-fasting-new-silicon-...

zero_deg_kevin 6y ago

Had to log in to read; didn’t read.

kjaftaedi 6y ago
You get a certain number of free paid articles each month. Don't be mad that a paid service is offering things for free and you're unable to abuse it.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- zero_deg_kevin 6y ago
  I’m not mad, but I stopped using it when it became clear that Medium was just another content farm play. Perhaps I could have more directly asked for a summary, but some very patient soul knew what I was after and replied. Thanks, internet stranger!
grfn 6y ago
Just use incognito
nullsense 6y ago
TL;DR "Use Apps to block apps on a schedule, and for everything else you're addicted to that's not an app, like emotional eating or problem gambling, try just not doing it"
- zero_deg_kevin 6y ago
  Thanks for the summary. I deleted my Medium account because I kept getting sucked into Medium.

Odoia 6y ago

140k is a far cry from "viral worldwide" ...

thatsamonad 6y ago

Something I’ve noticed about myself that’s related to this: I often go through intense periods of depression and anxiety with thoughts that center around a perceived lack of meaning in my life (i.e. wondering what the point of my life is despite it being “good” by most measures). One thing I notice about these periods is that I tend to “float” between stimuli such as YouTube videos, “fast” news articles, and even HN posts and comments, often feeling like I have no control over the behavior and I’m just having my brain hijacked repeatedly by something on my phone before I can even fully process the thought I was just having. I’m curious to see if this approach might be a way to short-circuit that feeling so I can align my downtime activities more closely with my values and things that actually bring me meaning and joy. Sometimes it feels impossible, though, because I’m basically addicted to information by way of the internet. I’ve been using a computer since I was a child and I’m now in my mid-30s, so 30 years of behavior seems incredibly challenging to overcome.

isitdopamine 6y ago
Hi! Your first paragraph exactly describes my life now. I couldn’t write it any better. It resonated so much, I had to create this throwaway account (my account is essentially my real name, I am a bit uncomfortable discussing mental health on a public space in non-anonymous form). How do you exit from this state? I would be so, so grateful if you could answer (if you know the answer) here or at isitdopamine on Gmail. Psychotherapy doesn’t help much, even though I plan on allowing more time for it, I know it takes time!
- thatsamonad 6y ago
  Firstly, I’m glad you’re able to relate but I’m also sorry to hear you go through the same thing. I know from experience it can be incredibly painful and lonely at times. > How do you exit from this state? I wish I had a good answer for you. Most of the time I snap out of it through “brute force” by focusing my attention elsewhere. Building and doing things with my hands (like playing an instrument, cleaning around the house, or even playing with LEGO) seem to be the most effective ways for me to overcome it. Some days that works well, and other days I’m right back to my habits after just a few minutes. Work is also a good distraction for me sometimes because I enjoy what I do, but I spend my day working in front of a screen so sometimes I wonder how much that helps vs hurts. I think the most important thing I’ve done is just recognize when it’s happening, that way I can at least try to break the pattern. I mostly just take it one day at a time. > Psychotherapy doesn’t help much, even though I plan on allowing more time for it, I know it takes time! I’ve been in and out of therapy most of my life since I was a teen (I grew up in a toxic and abusive household so much of my focus has been recovering from that). Some of it has helped but for whatever reason it doesn’t always “stick” like I hope it would. I’ve also tried various medications but my “issues” seem deeply rooted, existential, and not easily overcome by a pill. I truly hope you find something that works for you! I know it’s not easy but I try to stay optimistic that one day my efforts will prevail and something will give.

krono 6y ago

Please, if you're actually struggling, go talk to a professional instead. They can help you figure out how you can actually feel better for far longer than just the 2 days you'll keep up with this unsubstantiated "fast".

resoluteteeth 6y ago

I guess "asceticism" wouldn't sound scientific enough?

cjohansson 6y ago

Sounds like ordinary fasting to me, except the concrete details, in the abstract sense it’s the same. Many Christian churches recommend phone / internet / computer fasting or just fasting from anything that occupies your mind daily

nullsense 6y ago

This is such non-advice. "That thing you're addicted to... just... don't do it for a while" Riiiiiiiiiiiight. They claim it's not a tech-bro thing, but it's got repackaged tech-bro BS written all over it. If you need CBT then get CBT. Not this do it yourself nonsense. If you could do it yourself you wouldn't have a problem.

haltingproblem 6y ago
The author is a licensed practicing psychologist and a assistant professor at UCSF School of Psychiatry. He generally focuses on evidence based methods including CBT. Your skepticism, while warranted, is dismissive and throws the baby out of the bathwater - tech bros do a lot of faddish things but not everything tech bros do is a fad. Dopamine fasting, which is in a way repackaged mindfulness, will be around for a long time after tech-bros have moved on. I highly recommend you try it before you dismiss it.
- nullsense 6y ago
  Yes, it is dismissive. That's because I'm not seeing anything new. Block apps and use CBT. Got it. Dopamine fasting seems little more than a patently absurd misnomer. I've done this stuff numerous times in my life and it already goes to by the name "digital detox" more or less. It also was always only a temporary thing. Nothing life changing. Good and refreshing every once in a while. Heck, just get out and go camping.
  - haltingproblem 6y ago
    The framing you have of "life changing" could be the issue. There is rarely an intervention that is life changing - be it exercise, good eating habits or otherwise. One has to observe dopamine fasting to an extent everyday - no phones 2 hours before sleep, only 30 mins on SM, etc. to extensive retreats every on a monthly, quarterly to get benefits. IMHO, dopamine fasting extends beyond digital detox. Digital detox is one application of Dopamine fasting. In an intensive meditation retreat where all communication and gadgets are banned and foods are simple, the senses are enhanced to the point that post retreat simple stimuli like a cup of coffee give intense joy. You seem to be well aware of the benefits of it, the author is just putting it into a formal framework. Camping is a great way to do Dopaine Fasting especially if one avoids talk. A lot of what modern secular science discovers was known to the ancients - I guess in the old days it would be called a prayer retreat :)