HOW THIS PROCESS WORKS

Some guides find it useful to shroud their techniques in mystery, with the goal of enhancing the subject’s mystical experience. We have found that explaining the techniques and why the techniques work facilitiates the process. Once the techniques and the science behind them are explained, the user can understand why this approach works, leading to an understanding and expectation that the process will work. Each of the areas below are fertile ground for additional personal study, with or without the use of psychedelics.

Personal Narrative

We each have personal narratives about our lives. These are the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, how we became who we are today, and where we are headed. Personal narratives strongly impact feelings of well-being and are one way in which humans make sense of the experiences of their lives - through constructing narratives, we construct meaning.

Our personal narratives are often inaccurate, both subjectively (e.g., our assessment of why we are who we are today) and objectively (e.g., our recollection of the facts of our formative experiences). As humans, we appear to engage in a process where we gather a data point about ourselves and our lives through experience and then integrate that information into our personal narrative. But once that data point is integrated, our new version of the personal narrative impacts how we recall and interpret past events, reshaping both our subjective interpretation of the past as well as our factual recollection of past events. For example, if one win’s an important swimming event in their late teens, they are more likley to believe the were a good swimmer in their early teens and is more likely to recall having more objective successes in early life in swimming, such as recalling (incorrectly) winning earlier events.

There are three critical points for personal narratives. First, in practice, personal narratives distort objective facts to match the subjective story we tell ourselves, for better or worse. Second, personal narratives change throughout our lives, although as we become older, the refinement of our narratives tends become less impactful. And finally, psychedelics have the potential to disrupt our personal narratives, at least temporarily, by temporarily changing how our brain functions. These three facts combine to allow users of psychedelics to fundamentally change their vision of themselves (and of the world) by re-interpreting facts in a manner that advances personal growth.

Approaching a psychedelic experience with the intention of changing one’s personal narrative is one of the most effective way to rapidly change one’s lives. Years of repeating self-help mantras, talk therapy or reading books and articles may never change one’s self-perception the way a single, well guided psychedelic trip may be able to do. So starting with the intention of changing one’s narrative and having the expectation that change will occur is critical for an effective psychedelic trip.

The Importance of Language

Closely related to our internal narative is the internal dialogue in which we all engage. The language we use in our own heads impacts significantly how we view ourselves and our overall emotional state. Changing this internal dialogue in adults is tricky. Some adults can learn the great impact of internal dialogue and immediately start making changes using principles of self-acceptance and self-love to immediately impact their lives. Other cling to internal dialogues that serve them poorly, often because they wrongly believe the dialogues are serving them well.

For example, some believe that to be successful, one’s internal dialogue must be highly critical, always pushing one self to do better. Whether one may have greater job performance or academic performance in the short-term due to negative reinforcement is not clear, as some highly successful people do use highly critical internal language to motivate themselves. What is clear, however, is that people who have a consistent internal language of acceptance and love report greater happiness, an increased sense of connection to peers and the world at large, and an overall sense of higher achievement.

Finding a tone in one’s internal dialogue that suits what one want to accomplish in life is the ultimate goal. For most people, we believe that an internal dialogue that focuses on love and self-acceptance, but includes a realistic but kind and non-judgmental voice when we fail to live up to expectations, serves us best. Many people struggling with depression, anxiety or generally life dissatisfaction would be very well served to give their minds a vacation from self-criticism. All of us would likely benefit from leaving feels of shame at the doorstep.

The psychedelic experience provides a remarkable window to objectively observe one’s own self narrative. At even relatively low doses, one’s sense of self becomes less focus and rigid, and one’s level of acceptance increases. During this window one can begin to reform the language used with oneself, and some people have reported an absolute reset of the language they use, emerging from the psychedelic trip with an entirely new vocabulary in their internal dialogue. Post trip focused work is critical to cement these changes.

Living in the Moment. A Refined Approach

Virtually every study on happiness report that two factors have the greatest impact on happiness: (1) the amount of time living in the moment and (2) the quality of one’s social circle/support circle. Psychedelics can probably assist on both counts, but here we focus on improving happiness by an emphasis on immediacy. Overall life satisfaction requires a balancing of enjoying the here and now and making long term plans. However, in popular culture there is often a misunderstanding that immediacy and long term planning are in conflict.

We strongly advocate setting goals and making short term, medium term and long term plans. Set aside a time each week to set goals, make plans, evaluate progress and be on the path to living the life you want to live. But also try to live in the moment by enjoying each moment for what it is. For example, if one’s goals include getting a promotion at work and getting a promotion requires significant overtime, there is absolutely no conflict between achieving one’s goals and living in the moment. What is critical is that one focuses on the pleasure of doing the overtime.

The key here is that one views each moment of life as something worthy of cherishing. One need only watch a Zen monk do a daily chore to see the potential of finding peace and tranquility in washing dishes. The critical path to happiness is not what we choose to do, but how we do them. We recommend reading articles on the Zen way regardless of spiritual outlook, because they wonderfully capture the joys of living in the moment. A fine, short article on this can be found here. But much of the Zen approach can be boiled down to proceeding in life at a deliberate pace, doing each task well, focusing solely on the task at hand, and doing every task with a gentle smile on your face.

The psychedelic experience can be effective at helping people focus on immediacy during the trip and for around 72 hours after, in part by inhibiting the default mode network in the brain, as described below. Around 72 hours after the effects of the psychedelic are no longer overtly felt, your brain returns to its normal state. During the trip and the 72 hours that follow, one can practice immediacy with the goal of burning in new behavior patterns at a time your brain is most open to change.

By viewing the psychedelic experience as a path for change, one may find a new personal narrative of their life story, a more helpful internal voice, and a focus on Being Here Now that can result in greater happiness, increase ability to achieve life’s goals, and greater life satisfaction.

Observation without Judgment

One of the most important skills one can learn in life is observing without judgment or evaluation. This concept arises repeatedly, and once you understand it you will be surprised how often people of insight and influence reference it. It is a central concept in business negotiations, a tenant in Buddhism, a tool in Non-Violent Communication (NVC or Empathetic Communication) and a core principle in experimental science. Marshall Rosenberg, the creator of NVC, describes observation without judgment in his typically folksy manner here.

Observing without evaluation/judgment means making a factual observation without adding any interpretation or inserting facts you do not know to be true. For example, saying to one’s self “I’m not good at being punctual” is an evaluation, whereas saying “I was late three times to work last week” is an observation. You may also observe without evaluation in non-statistical terms. For example, saying “I wish I wasn’t late to work last week” is also an observation. Either you preferred to be late the same, more or less than last week, making it a factual statement. Nonetheless, you will need to have good self-awareness to ensure this is a true factual statement. Perhaps a more accurate factual statement might be, “I wish my boss hadn’t noticed I was late three times last week”. So we try to stay as close to statistical factual statements as possible when observing, and when delving into personal views and preferences, we do so with skepticism and care.

An important note is that you never know another person’s internal mental state. So the statement “my boss would prefer me not to be late” is never an observation, it’s an evaluation (or sometimes referred to as a diagnosis). The statement “My boss told me he prefers me not to be late” is an observation.

When one learns to observe without judgment, one removes their own bias from the equation. One will also likely find themselves feeling a closer connection to others in this world. Perhaps most importantly for the purposes of self-improvement, observation without judgment will likely lead to greater happiness and enhanced self-love.

Note, you do not need to abandon all judgment and evaluation in your life to make great progress. You simply need to be aware of the difference between observation and judgment/evaluation and apply each mindfully. For example, you may find yourself angry that your boss yelled at you for being late three times at work last week. One way of thinking would be “I am angry I was yelled at. Even if I was late, my boss shouldn’t have been angry and me and shouldn’t have yelled at me. And I should have stood up for myself.” This statement combines a factual observation (I am angry I was yelled at), with judgment statements (should and shouldn’t). And even the factual observation “I am angry” is likely unrefined, as anger is often an inarticulate description of a more complex underlying emotional state.

The same events could be considered in a two-step process. The first involves observation: “I was late three times last week. The third time I was late my boss said ‘Why are you always late?’. This statement was made in a louder tone of voice than typically used in everyday conversation. When this happened I felt my face become flush, and my pulse increase.” This may end the observation. But you don’t need to stop the analysis there. Next you might add some of your value system to the equation: “I want people to rely upon me. I want people not raise their voice when speaking to me. I want to express my personal boundaries when I feel others have crossed them.” By doing this type of analysis, you have clearly identified observable fact and personal preferences, and have done so without judging yourself or judging your boss. Next, you may choose to add action items: “I plan not to be late next week. I plan to communicate to my boss that I did not live up to my personal expectations for timeliness and plan not to do so again. I plan to request my boss not raise his or her voice to me, even when displeased.”

Oddly, people are often able make great strides using observation without judgment/evaluation while dealing with third parties, while finding it almost impossible to do with themselves. Almost everyone’s personal narrative consist largely of observations and judgments. Re-defining the narrative (and the internal dialogue) to include fewer judgments may be virtually impossible for some. For many, even attempting to remove judgments from a personal narrative may feel offensive, like an attempt to strip one of self-identity. However, starting by removing blaming language and negative judgments from one’s internal story line may feel more palatable, and is a key first step in finding deeper happiness.

Many people find that observing without judgment become automatic while on psychedelics. This facilitates taking a hard look at one’s self, while maintaining self-love and respect. It also demonstrates the type of thinking, including the internal language used, when one is observing without judgment, and has the potential to facilitate this thinking in day-to-day living, Some report being shocked at finally understanding what it means to really simply observe, and return from this foreign land with insights that immediately impact their daily happiness and well-being.