Hey guys, I just wanted to say thanks for the responses, and the kindness that comes with them.
Hyperspace Fool wrote:Repressed memories, past lifetimes, alternate versions of reality... these things are all fairly common in trip reports.
Ahh... believe it or not, that’s the kind of answer I was looking for. It’s not that common experiences mean that the same experiences are veridical, but that I can understand that I’m not alone in having had the experience. That, I think, is more important than trying to objectively verify the experience.
Hyperspace Fool wrote:Are they real? Hard to say.
Is anything real?
Ah yes, I’ve argued for years that our experiences are reconstructions of translations, and as such, what’s the difference between imaginings and external experiences if all perceptions take place in the mind?
Hyperspace Fool wrote:I am afraid that we humans are stuck in a vast and barely knowable mystery... Our CNS's are like feeble single-LED penlights trying to make out megalithic undersea cities in brief flashes.
I believe William James said that consciousness is a wave, and that our brains are individual antennas picking up the frequency. Quite feeble indeed, and the fact that we mistake our puny antenna for the wave says much about the human condition. Map vs. territory and all that...
Hyperspace Fool wrote:Our pasts don't need to haunt us. Oftentimes, just starting fresh in a better place with better intentions can work wonders. Whatever happened in the past is over and only useful as a lesson for how to live in THIS moment. I may be out of line, but I would let go of the whole molestation idea entirely, as it is A) unprovable one way or another B) irrelevant to your current issues & C) not the most valuable thing you could be focused on in terms of making yourself a more joyous and satisfied human.
Having spoken with several friends about my experience, this seems to be the common message. A couple of days ago a friend said something to me that really gave me a perspective on it:
Quote:A mother and her child are asked the question: imagine you are in a den of hungry lions; what do you do?
The mother is distressed, saying, “I... I don’t know what I would do.”
The child responds, “I’d stop imagining.”
This, and the other things he said has actually brought me out of the suicidal place I was in. Yesterday and today I’ve been feeling much better.
Hyperspace Fool wrote:If whatever I said makes any sense to you... cool. Feel free to regard it as the burbling of some deep sea creature's entrails... if it makes you feel better. Whatever you do, try to have some fun.
Haha, one of the quotes I have on my YouTube channel is, “If you want some unique or special insight you should probably watch someone else's videos. My videos are merely the ramblings and opinions of an enlightened sponge.” Something tells me I’m in good company.
Hyperspace Fool wrote:Peace be with you.
And with you.
Pandora wrote:Regardless of all this ranting, I do think it is a good idea to speak to a counselor about all of this and these feelings. No need to mention a DMT trip. You can say it was a dream or something similar. Clearly there are themes of childhood trauma, feelings of abuse, neglect, feelings of incomplete memory, etc. Maybe it would make sense to talk to someone about all of this.
Aye, in a couple of hours I will be doing my intake appointment at the trauma centre I mentioned in my original post. They deal with all kinds of trauma, and apart from the (questionable) sexual trauma, my growing up was also riddled with a lot of violence, so regardless, it’s time to face it, whatever it is, and heal.. One thing I’ve found comforting, though, is that I read somewhere that the shamanic path is necessarily violent as violence is often the mechanism which awakens the faculties for higher consciousness. This also seems to be a necessary experience for the wounded healer archetype.
Pandora wrote:I sincerely hope you find some answers and some peace in your quest.
Peace to you as well.
Serenity wrote:It took me a long time to actually accept this as truth. Modern western society would have us think intense treatment administered with dedicated assistance of a therapist and such is the way to go, and it was the way I went for the first 10 years of my struggling with anxiety/depression/repressed memories&emotions/PTSD. I think it has it's uses, especially if you can find the right person to counsel you. However, all my learning/growing didn't begin until I started putting all of my effort into growing and understanding myself. I took it into my own hands. I began using mushrooms, researching unorthodox healing methods, and learning how to heal myself. This is when my life changed COMPLETELY, and I was no longer "feeling" the weight of the past. While it can be beneficial to understand how the past shapes us, even in specific situations, in my HONEST experience, the majority of understanding past trauma is mostly irrelevant.
I sometimes reflect on here and with other friends who help me understand from different perspectives, but I believe strongly (in my experience) that you can do for yourself whatever good health insurance and therapists can do for you. You just have to want it, which it seems you do. With that said, we're all different and I'm only speaking from experience. You're welcome to PM me and ask about specifics if you would like to quantify the validity of my viewpoint. Still, please know that existence unconditionally accepts you for who you are, and as such, you should feel free to explore all the odd and strange ways you might have avoided in the past toward healing.
Those are all good points, and I largely agree with them. I think that one of the most useful benefits of having a therapist is that it creates a dialectical opposition; however, that opposition is useful only, as you have said, when someone takes responsibility for their own healing. That way, the individual (the thesis) conversing with the therapist (the antithesis) can eventually become, through the dialectical opposition, the emergent synthesis (the third point which reconciles the opposition). While its possible for an individual to be his or her own dialectical opposition, it’s much easier to have an impartial third party to fill that role.
Serenity wrote:Finally, your articulation is superb and as someone who gets their jollies from articulation, I commend you, sir
Heh, thank-you. Precise articulation is something I value a great deal.
And to you.
Given the nature of the responses I've had here, I just might stick around. Only time will tell.