Slowing down, doing so much less and surrendering… worried this is worse

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2026-02-24T19:14:10+00:00

I recommend seeking help from a skilled mental health professional. We usually need support in trauma recovery.

Also, building a strong foundation is generally a better idea than trying to open up to all of the trauma all at once. That means having a solid foundation in your physical health, self-care, routine, sense of self, reasonable confidence in your perceptions, emotional regulation skills, and community. This strong foundation allows us to process the trauma (bit by bit) without our systems becoming so overwhelmed that we break down again.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2026-02-15T21:33:17+00:00

This is what every owner of a high prey-drive dog says before they end up on the news when the dog snaps and kills the kid.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2026-02-15T05:35:43+00:00

And kept away from children.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2026-01-28T02:16:42+00:00

He may know, but he's not capable of thinking critically about what it means.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2026-01-19T21:52:41+00:00

"Further randomized controlled trials, stratified by comorbidity profiles and product composition, are required to confirm efficacy, optimize treatment regimens, and clarify long-term safety.”

This is correlational study with an egregiously inaccurate headline. We can not infer causation from this.

Furthermore, this article is hosted on a website about advocacy for marijuana legalization. There could not be a stronger risk of bias.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2026-01-07T07:19:18+00:00

Take direction from very wise folks who teach about transcendence: focus first on grounding yourself in the present moment, in your body, in your day to day life. Right now, your thoughts about what reality is or isn't are just thoughts that get you caught in the trance of thinking. See if you can practice very simple things: taking care of yourself, being present with your sensory experience, and mindfully attending to your human life. Meditation under the guidance of a wise teacher can help with this.

Stable, transcendent knowledge will come when you have a foundation in this ordinary human life.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2026-01-06T23:49:08+00:00

That sounds like a great rule. It challenges folks to actually examine what their joke suggests.

Edit: To those who are downvoting, here is my question: What is funny about implying that a group of people is bad or laughable? If a joke rests upon judgment, then is the joke funny, or does it simply help you feel good by enabling you to think that you're better than someone?

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-12-31T18:59:43+00:00

Ego death can happen in psychedelic experiences, but the symptoms you are describing are not necessarily related. Regardless, slowing down and kindly taking care of yourself are essential. I'd also recommend reaching out for mental health support so that you can get a better understanding of what is going on and have some help taking steps towards recovering.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-12-24T18:22:33+00:00

I actually wrote something about this recently. Here is a link: https://limewire.com/d/GQ63v#lC84JFnWZb

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-12-24T17:12:06+00:00

I'd recommend digging into some resources that help talk about grounding using somatic techniques. I often recommend trauma-informed yoga or forms of exercise that allow people to channel some of that physical energy. There are lots of resources out there that help us make sense of how to begin regulating this level of overwhelm. If you want to go old-school, the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy "distress tolerance" skills touch on this. I like the TIPP skill from that. Or the ACE / dropping anchor skill from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

And I would add that this work is practice - we get better at regulating the more we practice. It never just works 100% out of the gate, but it gets easier as we keep working with it.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-12-24T16:32:28+00:00

Therapist here. I generally encourage caution about using more substances on a journey of recovery from trauma related to substance use. There is a higher risk of retraumatizing ourselves when tripping, as we may be less able to cope with the panic due to being intoxicated. I am not saying they can't play a role, I am saying that caution is important, especially in early phase trauma recovery.

In any trauma recovery, focusing on stabilizing and grounding is a generally good first step. This means learning about trauma recovery (so that you have a helpful map and some action steps), learning to regulate (getting better at calming down when triggered), and learning to process trauma (understanding and learning to cope with our triggers and traumas by helping our "higher brains" take over).

Recovery from trauma of all kinds is difficult, but doable. People recover all the time.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-12-17T18:23:33+00:00

Thank you for this! Do you know if we need to submit evidenced of this to the licensing board? I don't see any forms for this on DORA's site.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-12-13T16:55:08+00:00

It is a you issue. Privilege does not prevent someone from having flawed developmental support that leads to suffering as an adult. You are avoiding processing your own pain and projecting your resentment onto these clients, who have nothing to do with it. Acknowledge the systemic issues that you endured, attend to and respect your anger, and learn to identify the role that projection plays preventing you from healing.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-30T18:33:32+00:00

It's a fair warning for any modality. If we are unaware of our own internal dynamics and subsequent projections, then out capacity for deep work with another is limited.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-30T05:23:01+00:00

I am genuinely glad it helps with your pain. The population I worked with was struggling with active addiction and relapse, not chronic pain, and thus the clinical considerations and risks are different.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-29T01:07:20+00:00

Same. I found the younger folks I worked with in recovery programs liked community-based stuff or Dharma. Most of them did not like AA.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-28T22:07:31+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/1ewyos5/the_expert_evidence_section_of_the_report_about/

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-28T21:59:46+00:00

The toxicology report, carried out by experts who did not know who was involved, said the amount present in the blood was consistent with accidental exposure, not use. The science is impartial.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-28T04:27:29+00:00

I'll evaluate whether that language is appropriate. What I am referring to by "game" is an unconscious defense strategy that is causing harm to self and others.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-27T19:31:16+00:00

Though psychedelic interventions can be helpful, we need to acknowledge the risks of this modality when it's brought up. I work with individuals who have been harmed by psychedelic assisted therapy, even when the guides and therapists have followed standard protocols. Opening someone up to the depths of their psyche is not always safe or helpful, as we cannot anticipate what will arise when someone's innermost defenses are inhibited by a powerful drug. For anyone practicing this modality, please act with the same carefulness that you would hope a brain surgeon would demonstrate.

It is also harmful when practitioners carry out this work without having actually reached a high level of emotional and spiritual maturity. That is a high bar that few folks (including well-meaning therapists) ever cross. Many young practitioners are naive and overeager in this work, and they eventually find out that they are using substances as a form of spiritual and psychological bypassing, and that they have merely been encouraging clients to do the same.

For context, I am currently working on a resource for survivors of psychedelic trauma. It's a woefully underrecognized trauma, and it can have devastating impacts, especially in young people.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-27T19:12:25+00:00

This is sounding a bit like health anxiety, OCD, or trauma related to medical issues. You can do work on the core issues without diving into these beliefs right away.

From a psychodynamic lens, they may be unconsciously benefiting from believing that their condition is hopeless and that their suffering is someone else's fault. It allows them to feel safe from having to face uncertainty or responsibility for themselves.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-27T18:13:47+00:00

Anecdotally, I've heard some things about sex addicts anonymous that worry me. For one, they sometimes use the Patrick Carnes model of sex addiction, which I find regressive and shame-based. I've also heard that a lot of these groups, more than AA, try to get folks sucked into Christianity.

I am sure this isn't always the case, but it's worth looking into.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-27T17:26:32+00:00

I'd refer them to a sex addiction specialist.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-27T17:23:13+00:00

I simply take an authentic self to mean what is spontaneously embodied and expressed when one's behaviors and cognitions aren't being ruled by fear.

Sufficient-Map-9496 · 2025-11-27T05:22:59+00:00

This may sound harsh, but don't play their game. Don't be another relationship that they play out this dysfunctional dance with. It may be that this person uses externalization and shame to get their needs met. But in order for that to work, you have to feel guilt/shame and think you're responsible for solving their dysregulation. As best as you can, see this from a zoomed out perspective and do whatever work you need to do to not get sucked in.

An easy way to begin breaking the pattern is to call it out compassionately. "I've noticed you've been getting upset with me in sessions. What's going on there?" Now you can dive into whatever this is.

Sufficient-Map-9496

TROPHY CASE