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The author is a licensed practicing psychologist and a assistant professor at UCSF School of Psychiatry. He generally focuses on evidence based methods includin

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 :)
  - nullsense 6y ago
    >The framing you have of "life changing" could be the issue. The dumb name is the issue.

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 :)
- nullsense 6y ago
  >The framing you have of "life changing" could be the issue. The dumb name is the issue.