3 ms·

I’ve dealt with depression for the better half of my life. I tried SSRIs for a decade with moderate results — they definitely helped, but more so in a way wher

by alecbz 4y ago

I’ve dealt with depression for the better half of my life. I tried SSRIs for a decade with moderate results — they definitely helped, but more so in a way where the depression felt manageable than feeling really happy. I went off them at the beginning of the year to experiment with managing the depression other ways: therapy, meditation, exercise. One day I got to work and noticed that for the first time in a while, I was feeling really happy. In a way where I realized that other times I thought I was happy, I was really just not-too-sad. This was what actual happiness felt like. I was kind of surprised, but thought “wow, I guess the meditation and exercise are finally paying off? It must be that… nothing else has been different recently…” And then I remembered that I’d tried shrooms for the first time the day before. So far, trips seem to pretty reliably have this effect for maybe 1-2 weeks. I suspect I’m also seeing some more durable benefits beyond that, but a little harder to be sure.

mattgreenrocks 4y ago
I don’t take psychedelics. But I’m convinced meditation and exercise can re-wire your brain. Meditation trains the mind to learn to see when it is falling into maladaptive grooves. It doesn’t prevent it, just a raises awareness. Exercise for me seems to shift the baseline mood forward a bit. Kind of feels like my hormones are in the right place after 25 years.
- kekebo 4y ago
  I agree, learning to direct focus can shine valuable light onto (often unreflected) self-narrative processing. Exercise never yielded the benefits I sometimes saw in studies for me but every time I manage to motivate myself to do the healthy/sane/right thing against inner resistance, it leads to a small boost in self-respect that accumulates over time.
- elevaet 4y ago
  As someone who's taken plenty of psychedelics, done lots of meditation, and gets tons of exercise, I'd agree that they can all re-wire your brain. Psychedelics are very different from the other two tho, just like exercise is very different from meditation. They are all very worthwhile and can help you grow. Meditation and exercise are best practiced regularly. Psychedelics are best used for singular cathartic events, saved for special occasions. Psychedelics can change your outlook overnight, while meditation is a more gradual process. Excercise won't really change your outlook palpably, it will just keep you in a better head and body space. They all can be difficult and rewarding. Its possible to harm yourself with any of them, but generally you come out well ahead if you do them responsibly. They can all make you a better person.
- alecbz 4y ago
  I think exercise is closer to improving hormonal balances than really “rewiring” your brain, but for sure I notice that it can help a bit. Maybe it does have some “rewiring” effects. I do think meditation rewires your brain in a way that’s similar to psychedelics (there’s common themes you experience with both, like ego death), but I think it just takes much longer to achieve similar effects. I’d meditated daily for close to a year straight, and while it helped, I didn’t feel like I got anywhere close to how I felt either during tripping (kinda obviously maybe) or after tripping. That said, while so far psychedelics seem safe, they’re at the very least more logistically “disruptive” than meditation, not to mention social stigmas, difficulty getting them, etc. Meditation does seem like a more sustainable long-term practice. Some of the above is why I’ve become interested in trying ketamine therapy instead.
  - endorphine 4y ago
    Did you stop meditating after a year? If so, why? I tried to stick to it but I find it kinda hard to.
    - alecbz 4y ago
      I’ve meditated on and off for the past 6ish years. I never really consciously choose to stop, it’s just a habit I tend to lose and regain often.
  - workshirt 4y ago
    Hormones are kind of the wires in the “rewiring the brain” analogy.
    - alecbz 4y ago
      Not well versed enough in neurology, but I thought the “wiring” generally referred to which neural pathways are likely to be triggered, which I think is different than just changes in hormones?
spaetzleesser 4y ago
I have had the same after trips. For a few days I just felt good which is usually rare for me. It was good to experience how feeling good feels. I had almost forgotten.
- mistermann 4y ago
  > It was good to experience how feeling good feels. I had almost forgotten. Good point. I wonder what kind of interesting experiments could be designed around psychedelics, skilled counsellors & mediators, and people who've ended up with various "extreme" beliefs, political or otherwise.
nocoiner 4y ago
This sounds very similar to my experience. I have persistent depression - usually pretty minor, but sometimes worse than others - and social anxiety, and recently started psychedelic therapy with ketamine (I’m still on my SSRIs, which keep things in check, but certainly aren’t a cure). I didn’t experience any psychedelic effects, but my mood was significantly improved during the weeks after. Anxiety greatly diminished, confidence greatly increased and I for the first time in a few years, I feel like I have a path to conquering my impostor syndrome. I’m not yet totally comfortable telling my social circle that I’ve been prescribed horse tranquilizers, but I’ve been an immediate convert to the possibilities of these courses of treatment. I can’t say it isn’t psychosomatic or the placebo effect at work, but I’ve been frankly shocked at how quickly it worked for me and how well it has seemed to work.

by alecbz 4y ago

mattgreenrocks 4y ago

I don’t take psychedelics. But I’m convinced meditation and exercise can re-wire your brain. Meditation trains the mind to learn to see when it is falling into maladaptive grooves. It doesn’t prevent it, just a raises awareness. Exercise for me seems to shift the baseline mood forward a bit. Kind of feels like my hormones are in the right place after 25 years.

kekebo 4y ago
I agree, learning to direct focus can shine valuable light onto (often unreflected) self-narrative processing. Exercise never yielded the benefits I sometimes saw in studies for me but every time I manage to motivate myself to do the healthy/sane/right thing against inner resistance, it leads to a small boost in self-respect that accumulates over time.
elevaet 4y ago
As someone who's taken plenty of psychedelics, done lots of meditation, and gets tons of exercise, I'd agree that they can all re-wire your brain. Psychedelics are very different from the other two tho, just like exercise is very different from meditation. They are all very worthwhile and can help you grow. Meditation and exercise are best practiced regularly. Psychedelics are best used for singular cathartic events, saved for special occasions. Psychedelics can change your outlook overnight, while meditation is a more gradual process. Excercise won't really change your outlook palpably, it will just keep you in a better head and body space. They all can be difficult and rewarding. Its possible to harm yourself with any of them, but generally you come out well ahead if you do them responsibly. They can all make you a better person.
alecbz 4y ago
I think exercise is closer to improving hormonal balances than really “rewiring” your brain, but for sure I notice that it can help a bit. Maybe it does have some “rewiring” effects. I do think meditation rewires your brain in a way that’s similar to psychedelics (there’s common themes you experience with both, like ego death), but I think it just takes much longer to achieve similar effects. I’d meditated daily for close to a year straight, and while it helped, I didn’t feel like I got anywhere close to how I felt either during tripping (kinda obviously maybe) or after tripping. That said, while so far psychedelics seem safe, they’re at the very least more logistically “disruptive” than meditation, not to mention social stigmas, difficulty getting them, etc. Meditation does seem like a more sustainable long-term practice. Some of the above is why I’ve become interested in trying ketamine therapy instead.
- endorphine 4y ago
  Did you stop meditating after a year? If so, why? I tried to stick to it but I find it kinda hard to.
  - alecbz 4y ago
    I’ve meditated on and off for the past 6ish years. I never really consciously choose to stop, it’s just a habit I tend to lose and regain often.
- workshirt 4y ago
  Hormones are kind of the wires in the “rewiring the brain” analogy.
  - alecbz 4y ago
    Not well versed enough in neurology, but I thought the “wiring” generally referred to which neural pathways are likely to be triggered, which I think is different than just changes in hormones?

spaetzleesser 4y ago

I have had the same after trips. For a few days I just felt good which is usually rare for me. It was good to experience how feeling good feels. I had almost forgotten.

mistermann 4y ago
> It was good to experience how feeling good feels. I had almost forgotten. Good point. I wonder what kind of interesting experiments could be designed around psychedelics, skilled counsellors & mediators, and people who've ended up with various "extreme" beliefs, political or otherwise.

nocoiner 4y ago

This sounds very similar to my experience. I have persistent depression - usually pretty minor, but sometimes worse than others - and social anxiety, and recently started psychedelic therapy with ketamine (I’m still on my SSRIs, which keep things in check, but certainly aren’t a cure). I didn’t experience any psychedelic effects, but my mood was significantly improved during the weeks after. Anxiety greatly diminished, confidence greatly increased and I for the first time in a few years, I feel like I have a path to conquering my impostor syndrome. I’m not yet totally comfortable telling my social circle that I’ve been prescribed horse tranquilizers, but I’ve been an immediate convert to the possibilities of these courses of treatment. I can’t say it isn’t psychosomatic or the placebo effect at work, but I’ve been frankly shocked at how quickly it worked for me and how well it has seemed to work.