I particularly liked that you pointed out our troubleshooting method as finding errors that our body ‘isn’t supposed to have’, because that’s exactly how we approach mental health and our existential suffering. For example, say you sit in an office in front of a computer and your posture starts deteriorating. Because you can see what’s going on, you can choose to make modifications to your workplace or start a movement habit. But when it comes to mental health, we are much less likely to listen to our bodies and our emotions - our intellect thinks it knows what we need. That is, we approach the problem with the predetermined assumption that we wish we didn’t experience X emotion at Y situations in our life, that there is something wrong with the signals in our consciousness. The endless gaslighting we do to ourselves means that signals for help from the psyche and the body are buried deeper each time we do so. Eventually we get to the point that we not only don’t know how to interpret the signals, we are hardly aware that they even are signals.
One of the surprising directions my self-guided psychedelic journeys have taken me is recognizing the need for reconciliation between the body and the mind. This process is calibrating my mind (which used to wander endlessly) to my body, and calibrating my body to nature and the presence of others. Currently some the most important work I do, funnily enough, is dancing - on my own, at parties, and even clubs. Letting go of the judgements of others and surrendering to the wisdom of my body is difficult, ecstatic, and deeply meaningful. And the effect I can see it having in the moment on people around me is so fun to watch!
Anyways I can’t seem to stop writing, so I’ll stop here. Looking forward to learning more about your clinic and reading future publications. Also excited for your talk with Rav Arora later today!
That was a great read, thank you Carson.
I particularly liked that you pointed out our troubleshooting method as finding errors that our body ‘isn’t supposed to have’, because that’s exactly how we approach mental health and our existential suffering. For example, say you sit in an office in front of a computer and your posture starts deteriorating. Because you can see what’s going on, you can choose to make modifications to your workplace or start a movement habit. But when it comes to mental health, we are much less likely to listen to our bodies and our emotions - our intellect thinks it knows what we need. That is, we approach the problem with the predetermined assumption that we wish we didn’t experience X emotion at Y situations in our life, that there is something wrong with the signals in our consciousness. The endless gaslighting we do to ourselves means that signals for help from the psyche and the body are buried deeper each time we do so. Eventually we get to the point that we not only don’t know how to interpret the signals, we are hardly aware that they even are signals.
One of the surprising directions my self-guided psychedelic journeys have taken me is recognizing the need for reconciliation between the body and the mind. This process is calibrating my mind (which used to wander endlessly) to my body, and calibrating my body to nature and the presence of others. Currently some the most important work I do, funnily enough, is dancing - on my own, at parties, and even clubs. Letting go of the judgements of others and surrendering to the wisdom of my body is difficult, ecstatic, and deeply meaningful. And the effect I can see it having in the moment on people around me is so fun to watch!
Anyways I can’t seem to stop writing, so I’ll stop here. Looking forward to learning more about your clinic and reading future publications. Also excited for your talk with Rav Arora later today!
Cheers
Well put! Your flow of writing says this is an important topic :) Thanks for this comment and for tuning into the Callin