My dear friend @anwenbaumeister recently sent me an inspiring TED Talk regarding the use of MDMA to treat psychiatric disorders. I'll link the video below. What really got me excited was the idea of targeting the root causes. Symptom management consumes resources exhaustively- those of the patient and their provider. Current mental health medications must be taken every day and work to bring symptoms to a manageable level. In other words, they soften the impact without addressing the source of the blows. MDMA is different. Check out this talk if you're interested: http://highexistence.com/passionate-ted-talk-reveals-how-mdma-can-heal-your-psychological-immune-system/.
Targeting the root of our issues may seem like a daunting task. Why? Because it leads to uprooting our behaviors and patterns. Despite the fact that these things cause us harm, they become familiar over time. Comforting. A coping mechanism. But friends- this is not a way to live. People contend with psychiatric illnesses for their entire lives because medicine has yet to deliver anything sufficient. As Ben Sessa says in his talk, "cure" is not a word used in the world of psychiatry. But it should be, and it CAN.
Lets go forward knowing that I speak as an imperfect, glorious, work- in- progress... MDMA is one potential treatment, used to help people into a state of "optimal arousal" to discuss their traumas with psychotherapists. I believe that there must be other ways of achieving this state. For one, practice. I know that the more therapy sessions I attend, the more motivated I am to go. I get more out of each session, and become more willing to speak my naked truth. Another is system maintenance. Allow me to elaborate.
I practice self love every damn day. I do it BEFORE it becomes a necessary solution to a problem. It is a way of walking this Earth that relieves my body of some undue cortisol and stress. A couple of my routines:
~ Journaling. I start each morning by writing Intentions for the day, as well as noting what I am grateful for.
~ Yoga. I try to attend Yin sessions a couple times a week. They are stretchy, centering, and oh so healing.
~ Early Mornings. My circadian rhythms are set to the sun cycle, and I choose to honor this. I go to bed early to awaken before sunrise and start my days with long, quiet mornings.
~ Nourishing Noms. I feel my best when my blood sugar levels are stable, my random cravings are satisfied, and my plate is full of colors.
These things, some of my favorites, allow me to settle comfortably into my soul. When challenges arise- I feel satiated, safe, and energetic enough to take them on. To cure myself of them. I am emboldened by my self- love. I dig for the ROOT of the issue, and I eradicate it. No longer do I settle for a tolerable level of symptoms, managed by way of distraction. I believe that we all deserve better than this.
So yes, it is scary and will continue to be. However, the scariest notion I can imagine is that we merely tolerate our lives. I choose lengthy progress towards sustainable health. I choose to get down and dirty with my demons, for the sake of banishing them to their underworld. Forever.
@anwenbaumeister recently sent me an inspiring TED Talk regarding the use of MDMA to treat psychiatric disorders. I'll link the video below. What really got me excited was the idea of targeting the root causes. Symptom management consumes resources exhaustively- those of the patient and their provider. Current mental health medications must be taken every day and work to bring symptoms to a manageable level. In other words, they soften the impact without addressing the source of the blows. MDMA is different. Check out this talk if you're interested: http://highexistence.com/passionate-ted-talk-reveals-how-mdma-can-heal-your-psychological-immune-system/.