3 ms·
there was a woman that moved from the East Coast to California after the untimely death of her adult son. Filled with severe grief she sought out shamanic treat
by mistrial9 2y ago
there was a woman that moved from the East Coast to California after the untimely death of her adult son. Filled with severe grief she sought out shamanic treatment and bonded with the culture and practices. After a self-described "more than three dozen" full ayahuasca sessions she had a functional life and new interests, came across as a regular adjusted person and overall seemed to be much healed. ymmv
- datameta 2y agoNot to take away from the utility of psychedelics as a tool, but I wonder how much healing came from increased community and hobbies. We underestimate how necessary those are for a healthy mindset.
- monomyth 2y agoIf a person hadn't experienced a debilitating depression it's hard to imagine what another person is experiencing. All those walks in the park and hobbies sound logical and wonderful, on paper. Reality is a bit different.
- datameta 2y agoI agree that it is quite difficult to bootstrap a hobby practice, or repeatedly involve oneself socially when depressed. Speaking from personal experience in the deep dark pits, what I mean is that we should look at the problem through the lense of the BioPsychoSocial model. Modern medicine is irreplacable but relying solely on medication is a pitfall of modern treatment. It turns out, for example, that chronic pain and depression are interlinked. A messed up neurochemical balance contributes to the erroneous interpretation of signals by the brain as pain (even when no bodily damage exists anymore). So what I'm saying is that while it may seem pointless initially to do that which falls flat in the estimation of a depressed mind (say due to anhedonia) those brief but regular walks in the park contribute to re-stabilization of neurotransmitters along with the medication.