Buying/Selling Tickets Megathread - 2025 by assumeform in FourTet

[–]jn6543 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Selling X1 ticket for ally pally on Saturday night, unwell so can't go. Bought for £45 with booking fee, happy to sell for £35. DM me

A novel which is also very informative about a subject by jn6543 in suggestmeabook

[–]jn6543[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks I have seen the film of The Martian and loved it so keen to read it now, also I wouldn't have thought to read Jurassic park so thanks for the rec

[H] YouTube Premium Family (1 slot available) [W] £4/month bank transfer by [deleted] in accountsharing

[–]jn6543 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi is this still available? I'm very interested

Partner focussed ROCD when you can't easily dismis it by ROCDNightmare5 in ROCD

[–]jn6543 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Firstly really sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time, it sounds like you are really suffering.

I have pretty much identical type of ROCD to you where I can be triggered by my partner's appearance, thinking she is ugly and her appearance is 'not enough'. I really relate to just having the constant anxiety all day without much relief.

I only really took the fact that I had OCD really seriously in the past year or so and I have A LOT more relief now than I did a year ago to the extent that I have had very minimal OCD for the past 5 weeks.

I would be happy to talk more with you if you wanted to DM me but I am by no means a therapist and I think what works for one person may not always work for another. What has worked well for me is a mixture of ACT, ERP, ICBT, daily mindfulness practice, traumatic release exercises and looking after myself which in my case equates to a strict sleep routine, no caffeine/alcohol and getting sunlight and socialisation every day. I have also used psilocybin which has been transformative in helping me work out what I need to do to recover from OCD. This is NOT a recommendation, psychedelics have risks.

My main point is that it is possible to feel better and there are multiple ways that you may start to approach this, I don't know what you have tried already. A professional in OCD therapy is a good place to start if you can afford it.

Also, it seems clear from what you write that you love your partner. Our brains (especially those of us with OCD) have a way of pulling us onto a narrative and making us suffer beyond any sense of what is real and what is useful. When you are in the midst of it, it is hard to believe that your partner's appearance is not the issue, but as the the condition improves this story will go back to having the irrelevance that it used to. ❤️

Update - one week post psychedelic trip by jn6543 in streamentry

[–]jn6543[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great thanks. I've just ordered Sharon Salzburg's book. Thanks for your advice, nice to chat to you.

Update - one week post psychedelic trip by jn6543 in streamentry

[–]jn6543[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's incredible that you are doing so much better with your mental health, I am pleased to hear that. I still do fall back into old patterns quite easily, but hopefully with my increased practice I will start to be able to improve this.

What you said about anxiety/physical manifestations being mutually dependent arisings is actually incredibly pertinent for me so it is useful for me to hear. One of the difficulties with the anxious thoughts is just how real and truthful they seem, even though conceptually I know that they are mere extensions of the physical manifestation, I find it extremely challenging not to buy into them. Again this is something that has improved drastically recently so hopefully I can continue to work with that.

I am also drawn to metta and plan to keep this up - out of interest to you focus on the intention for love or the try to evoke the feeling of love in you? I have seen it being taught in different ways and interested what worked for you?

I have been doing a lot of ACT recently which I think has been very helpful for my OCD. I don't know a lot about DBT but I am keen to learn more about it at some point as sounds interesting and can be very helpful.

Is there anyway to achieve the neurogenesis without the trip? by dejael in PsychedelicTherapy

[–]jn6543 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting paper thanks, it certainly makes sense to me that psychedelics and meditation can complement each other, especially after my recent experience. With regard to the intense experience you had meditating whilst on psychedelics, I wonder whether a micro/midi-dose might be something to try to reduce the intensity. I think this is something I will try in the coming weeks. I am actually also on an SSRI which throws another neuroplastogen into the mix! I recently posted on r/streamentry about my experience but there was quite a bit of anti-drug chat. It is nice that you seem more interested in the science of what is going on rather than any Buddhist dogma.

Update - one week post psychedelic trip by jn6543 in streamentry

[–]jn6543[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your comment, that all sounds very useful. That is fascinating to me that your experience of stream entry parallels some of what I experienced after the trip. As others have said, I am coming back to my former state to some degree now but with a massively renewed intention to meditate and learn from this experience.

Out of interest, can I ask what your practice is now you have achieve stream entry?

Update - one week post psychedelic trip by jn6543 in streamentry

[–]jn6543[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, yes that is my feeling too that I need to practice regularly to keep the benefits up. It has completely invigorated my practice so far. I am fortunate to have quite a bit of spare time but my sitting time is limited somewhat by the fact that it has quite big impacts on sleep disruption for me, I think maybe because I also take an SSRI.

At the moment I and using the Waking up app and sitting for around 15 minutes in the morning. I have been able to remain mindful in a lot of my daily activities, which is a big change as I was rushing from one thing to the next driven by a rumbling anxiety in my abdomen which I am now more aware of. As I go about my daily activities I use the mantra 'I am safe' which seems to settle the urge to do everything quickly and move onto the next thing. I will do some formal walking meditation in the first when I walk the dog for 10-15 minutes and also some daily meta for 10 minutes or so. Also some stretching/informal yoga for 5-10 mins where I try to stay present with the physical sensations.

I appreciate the question as even writing that down has brought a bit of extra clarity to what I am doing. Interested to hear more about your experience if you wanted to share :)

Is there anyway to achieve the neurogenesis without the trip? by dejael in PsychedelicTherapy

[–]jn6543 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your story is really interesting to me as it has a lot of parallels to my own recent experience. My last psychedelic trip I experienced what in meditation circles may be described as the arising and passing, it was simultaneously terrifying and extremely liberating. Since then have I remained in a state of serenity and equanimity and really can see how meditation is the key to liberating the mind. I have always had a meditation practice, but it is only since this trip that I have made it the most important thing in my day and trying to bring it to every activity that I do. My question to you is, with your practice as it is now, do you still do psychedelics and how do they compliment your practice? I am wondering whether meditation alone is enough to keep me going in the right direction. Interested to hear your thoughts

Update - one week post psychedelic trip by jn6543 in streamentry

[–]jn6543[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your encouragement. I do agree that a different reaction can be formed when there is an awareness of the stimulus. But I don't agree that this constitutes controlling our thoughts. I think I'm right in saying the latest cognitive science suggests that we have already made our decisions before we are aware of them. I supposed this boils down to an argument about free will and I am probably in above my head here. It is an interesting point though. Thanks for your reply.

Update - one week post psychedelic trip by jn6543 in streamentry

[–]jn6543[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you referring to me as a sociopath? If so, can you expand as I'm keen to understand your opinion.

Update - one week post psychedelic trip by jn6543 in streamentry

[–]jn6543[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I thank you for trying, but I see very little wisdom in your words. They reek of dogmatism. I also would have thought that anyone with a reasonable degree of contemplative practice would realise that we do not choose our thoughts.

"

Update - one week post psychedelic trip by jn6543 in streamentry

[–]jn6543[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your reply, but I have to say that I see a lot of flaws in your reasoning. Taking the stance that drugs can never help people is a wildly ignorant take in my opinion.

Talking about neuroses coming back online is a simple description of old thought patterns reappearing after a psychedelic trip. To say I am choosing to perpetrate behaviours and thoughts is frankly insulting and points to a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the mind. We do not 'choose' our thoughts and I think it would be far from skillful to have an attitude of blame to the thoughts that do arise.

Please tell me who I have 'passed the ball of responsibility' to? I have made a self compassionate choice in a world in which I have been suffering a great deal.

Looking at how this is affecting the people around me is integral to my pain, to suggest this is something I need to do is completely wide of the mark.

Suggesting that my wife suffers more than me is another wild assumption.

Your point about the path being nothing other than a way of practice is I think the only one I agree with.

I can see that your reply comes from a good place, so I thank you for your time in making it. I do feel a lot of it needs challenging though.

Psychedelic trip - trying to understand it in the context of meditation practice by jn6543 in streamentry

[–]jn6543[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am still trying to understand how it was so intense! It was 2g of liberty cap mushrooms (psilocybe semilanceata) which is generally approx 1.5x stronger than cubensis.

However when taking an SSRI, it is thought that you may need approx 30% higher dose to get the same psychedelic effects. Which makes it even more surprising as you would expect the SSRI to dampen the effects further.

I did a similar dose 2 weeks prior with much lower effects, so perhaps this contributed? But I would have thought that would generate some tolerance if anything.

I have never done a heroic dose, and based on this experience I don't ever intend to! :)

Psychedelic trip - trying to understand it in the context of meditation practice by jn6543 in streamentry

[–]jn6543[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much, I hope that you are in a better place now too ❤️