Our highest needs as human beings is self-actualization. Becoming the person we know in our hearts we're meant to be. My newsletter is about achieving this. I'm by no means there, but I'm here to share my experiences with you in hopes that they may guide you on your own journey. My emphasis is on alternative methods of personal, mental, and spiritual development such as psychedelics, meditation, breathwork, etc. It's only through trial and experimentation that you'll be able to figure out what works for you!
Belief, Milkshakes, and Psychedelics
Hey there Reader,
I recently stumbled across this quote from the renowned psychedelic researcher, Stanislav Grof:
It got me thinking about a study that was done in 2011, completely unrelated to psychedelics, but instead assessed the power of belief.
There's a link between the quote and the study that I'm theorizing may play a role in explaining the transformative power of psychedelics.
But before I get into that, let's deconstruct Grof's quote.
If you've ever had a psychedelic experience, it should make complete sense to you.
When you're in that psychedelic induced state...
The colors are brighter.
The emotions are deeper.
The bliss and joy are all the more ecstatic.
But on the flip side...
The pain and the trauma are more visceral.
Like Grof said, nearly everything within the psyche is amplified.
Now, the study I referenced explored the power of belief.
In the study, participants were given the same milkshake on two different occasions.
One time it was labeled as a "low-calorie, guilt-free" shake, and the other time as a "high-calorie, indulgent" shake.
Even though the milkshake's content was the same in both instances, participants' ghrelin levels (a hunger hormone) responded differently based on their perception of the shake's caloric content.
When they believed they were consuming the indulgent shake, their ghrelin levels dropped more significantly, suggesting they felt more satiated.
So if we know that belief can have a material affect on the body,
And that psychedelics seem to act as amplifiers,
It would only make sense to assume that psychedelics have the power to amplify belief.
Then maybe it's this amplification of belief that leads people to undergo such incredible transformations (like kicking addictions, overcoming depression and anxiety, etc.) after a single psychedelic session.
There are still so many mysteries around how psychedelics actually work and affect us.
And I very much enjoy reading and coming up with different theories myself.
So if you've got any, I'd love to hear them!
Nothing is too 'out there' for me ;)
So feel free to respond with your own :D
Until next time!
Riaz
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Conscious.expansion
Our highest needs as human beings is self-actualization. Becoming the person we know in our hearts we're meant to be. My newsletter is about achieving this. I'm by no means there, but I'm here to share my experiences with you in hopes that they may guide you on your own journey. My emphasis is on alternative methods of personal, mental, and spiritual development such as psychedelics, meditation, breathwork, etc. It's only through trial and experimentation that you'll be able to figure out what works for you!