Psychedelic Self-Help

Many psychonauts come to psychedelics for the promise of flowing visual patterns, liquid laughter, and the immense exhilaration that is born out of the intensity of the experience. Simply put, quite a few of these psychological explorers and heroes of the under-consciousness begin their journeys as glorified stoners (that is not a bad thing, by the way) and end up returning as something much more than they might have expected. Even limited use of these drugs can have as great of an effect as years of self-help seminars, receiving psychological treatment, and exploring spirituality. Interestingly, psychedelic substances are not given the credit that they deserve. Their positive effects are diminished and disregarded by people and groups who are threatened by the power that these drugs possess. Some people have trouble seeing past their lifetime of drug war propaganda exposure. Others may avoid psychedelic drugs because they have trouble with the idea of using a "recreational" substance for the purpose of self-help. Despite all the terrible information that certain individuals and authorities perpetuate about psychedelics, we know that they do have real benefits for their users, they do function as a vehicle for self-improvement, and their effects are no less valid than other more "naturals" forms of self-help.

I have seen the value of psychedelics downplayed by numerous individuals, groups, and authorities for a myriad of reasons. Governments and their drug war propaganda are the obvious example, in the case. Control structures often rely on blind obedience and unquestioning adherence to doctrine. These authorities know that psychedelics will bring people to a state of mind where the psychological framework, upon which their lies and half-truths rest, begins to melt. Their use creates cracks in the facade that the systems of authority would like to remain undamaged. The shifting and colorful light, which these substances cast on our thoughts and beliefs, allows us to see the true nature of things like the blind prophet, Tiresias. Not surprisingly, that scares the hell out of those who would prefer to see us be passive and uninquisitive. They demonize psychedelics with their propaganda by telling us that they will drive us mad or turn us into monsters. They use their armed enforcers to ban these substances and they suppress anyone who tries to make them available to others. This is all the more reason for us to oppose the drug war and seek to legalize these substances. Anything that frightens the power structure as much as psychedelic drugs do, absolutely must be made available to the public, if you ask me. I digress but the power of psychedelics to benefit individuals is the reason that the governments and other systems of authority try to prevent us from having or desiring access to these drugs and this suggests that they do have real and tangible efficacy.

There are others, beyond oppressive governments and authorities, who have something to fear in the proliferation and normalization of psychedelic drugs. There is a shockingly large self-help and spiritual "industry" and some members of that culture do not like competition. This "industry" can manifest as people offering spiritual growth, psychological help, self-discovery, or any number of other methods of self-improvement. This self-help culture isn't as sinister as the government authorities tend to be, of course. Sometimes, the results that can be gained by meditating under the tutelage of some guru or studying strategies for self-actualization from some book can be quite beneficial. However, many of these same benefits can be obtained, more quickly, more easily, or more cheaply, through the use of psychedelics and this is threatening those who make their living or gain their notoriety in the self-help field. Psychedelics, like years of meditation, can bring people to a state of enlightened thought and produce a feeling of blissful nothingness, but without the long periods of work and practice. These drugs, like studying self-help material and attending classes, can push people into altering their negative habits and changing for the better but without the expense and risk of being hustled by some charlatan. Therapy can allow one to come to terms with the "monsters" of the inner mind but tripping can throw one into the underworld of his or her own consciousness, where he or she can slay or make peace with these "monsters" directly. Being that the ease of use and efficacy of of these drugs can be seen as a threat to the incomes and reputations of some people who make their living in this industry, it is unsurprising that certain individuals will slander psychedelics. They will call them artificial or unnatural. They will frame them as a false path to enlightenment but this is simply not the case. The end result is the same. A life is improved, a mind is opened, and the "monsters" no longer pose a threat. The fact that a drug is used in the place of some other means of altering the self is irrelevant.

Fortunately, there is no need for psychedelic usage and the self-help culture to be in conflict. Some people in that field may be threatened by psychedelics but they aren't representative of the whole community; plus, the fear is unwarranted. One who explores the depths of the mind with psychedelics can still find value in meditative spirituality. A psychonaut can still find something meaningful in the words of a self-help guru. A therapist may be able to help a sailor of the soul unpack the significance of his or her trippy quest. We have a habit of forcing things into a false dichotomy. We tend to view things as good or bad, right or wrong, and so on but this is not how the world actually works. We can have something that is good and something else that is also good. Psychedelics are powerful tools that can help us better ourselves and so are many of the other self-help activities. They can coexist and if they are used together, their effect may be greater than the sum of the two.

Psychedelics are an easy to forget resource for many people who seek to improve their lives or their outlook but their value must not be ignored. Doing so is like a legless man refusing to use a wheel chair. We shouldn't hinder ourselves by depriving ourselves of helpful tools because using them seems like "taking a shortcut." Life is not a sport, it is not fair, and there is no reason to treat it like it is. If you can get ahead in the search for contentment, or enlightenment, or whatever it is that you seek by using "performance enhancing" psychedelics, there is no good reason to avoid them. If one recoils from the idea of using a drug, it is likely the result of the drug war propaganda but most of that stuff is nothing but lies and these drugs aren't quite like the others. Stigma is deeply programmed and it is difficult to move past but, rest assured, psychedelics are very low risk. One could easily find more incidents of adverse reactions to caffeine, peanuts, latex, and countless of other innocuous items. The effects of these particular drugs are unique as well. Unlike most "recreational" substances, once one has had a psychedelic experience, the desire to trip again is greatly reduced for quite some time, which translates to them having almost no addictive potential. There is no reason to fear taking a trip and if one wishes to walk the path of self-betterment, abstaining from psychedelic usage is like forgetting to bring his or her boots.

Peace.

All the images in this post are sourced from the free image website, unsplash.com.