Very depressing…
Great acting. But, I
don’t like to watch these types of depressing movies.
You might ask why?
This is because I see and hear these kinds of stories all
the time in my clinic.
Stories of addiction, and those who have pulled themselves
out of addiction.
Many times still living life on the fringes, sometimes
disabled, sometimes in low-level jobs.
Often, due to a history of criminal activity and incarceration.
Often, still very unhappy.
There are success stories, particularly if young enough to
go back to school and obtain meaningful work.
Most often, working with addicted populations.
And these are the lucky ones who have either government or
commercial insurance.
Otherwise, I would not be seeing them in my current
clinic.
Many years ago I volunteered in a free clinic.
That population was even worse off.
Often, not even showing up for appointments or follow-up
appointments.
Sad…
Where does all this come from?
I remember being a bored adolescent and smoking pot and
dropping LSD.
Luckily, I never tried anything truly addictive such as
cocaine or narcotics.
And, I had several amazing experiences using LSD as a 16
year-old, which opened my mind to other realms of consciousness. Eventually leading me to martial arts and
meditation.
I also had some adequate level of cognitive and emotional
intelligence, and a family that loved and cherished me.
We were lower middle class, no car, but always enough food
on the table, and eventually we even owned our own home.
Many, many people do not have these advantages…
Many of these addicts and former addicts have a history of
abuse and subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They often have chronic fatigue and chronic
pain syndromes.
They are sometimes self-medicating for both physical and
emotional pain.
Many times, their physical pain is amplified by their
emotional pain.
Not all addicts are poor, but I suspect they are all in
pain…
How do we stop this epidemic?
It would be nice if no one grew up abused...
There are some amazing treatments,
right now,
mostly illegal…
But, being studied again, after many years of neglect…
I feel like I have been writing ad nauseum about the treatments
of PTSD and addictions with Schedule 1 drugs such as MDMA, LSD, psilocybin…
So, listen to The Heretic already! :-D
Sometimes, I am just not very patient…
Instead, I will advertise this great new book I’ve been
reading:
Stealing Fire: How
Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the
Way We Live and Work, by Kotler and Wheal.
They put together a book outlining studies and programs for
pushing the limits of human potential to it’s highest levels.
They outline mediation practices, entheogens, new training
programs using visual and audio stimulations…
I like they way they outline the states of consciousness
which may allow growth to a higher level of being human, beyond what we might
label a “normal adult.”
They label these states as having a sense of STER:
Selflessness, that is, ego-loss…
Timelessness
Effortlessness
Richness, perhaps think of the Buddhist term “Empty,
Fullness”
I like it!
And, these are the same practices that can help those in
need…
However, we need to make these trainings available to
everyone…
Not just the SEALs and Silicon Valley billionaires…
And, we need to start in the schools…
Teaching the young to be more than they could ever think
they could be…
Read the book,
I am not recommending the movie…
Watch something uplifting!
Namaste
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