Why Internal Self-Regulation is way more powerful than a Psychedelic or Supplement
I wrote this on the 17th Jan after a meditation session. I share my experiences with mindful awareness, psychedelics, supplements, personal power
I have had a massive realisation, that I am not trying to help people to become present for no reason, not just to be calm and relaxed, there's something way bigger I want to give people. I spent ages thinking being calm was the goal, it isn't this at all.
Having said that, present moment awareness is the first step because it forms a foundation for creating bravery, excitement, truth, discipline, honesty, and love. Awareness enables those things to happen, and I think that’s what I realise now after learning so much about Buddhism and Hinduism. They don’t just talk about all of these practices for just calm, its just a part of the route. We have to remove the fuzz and haze, they are a part of this enlightening process towards becoming the true self, the self which is joyful and doesn’t attach to wanting and chasing things to fill a void, the place of lack.
Getting away from the survival mode and fear state is what I want to help with. We are all complete and whole, we are all Buddhas, but its just covered up by these psychological stories, and its easy to attach to those stories!!
Its what I struggled with most through the past years, and I have to remind myself to come into this power stance each day, detaching from the mind and from the body created stress.
Its way deeper than just simply being calm, there has to be actions in place to create proof that fear isn’t real. We can’t just be calm and then not face the fear, because it will never be overcome unless action is taken. The calm is an enabler for an effective state and allows for a higher probability of being able to face the fears! That’s how i would simplify it, but theres way more going on of course. Its really just allowing a person to become free from their ego for a moment, and that allows for space for new possibilities to come in.
It can be scary as I have seen within myself and others around me, I see that its scary because we completely debunk what we thought was true. This identity we cling onto is loosening its grip, and that’s scary too. Imagine a world without an identity! Its like having nothing, it can feel dark and worrying, and if this realisation happens too quickly then a person can actually find it hard to integrate back into the physical world
This is sometimes the case with psychedelic trips, there are mind-blowing realisations going on and it could freaks people out! Especially if they go on a weekend ayahuasca retreat and go to work on the Monday! There is a chance of coming back confused and lost, not being able to make sense of what is happening in their mind. That’s why I don’t agree with taking these things unless a person is ready.
Yes we have receptors inside us to work off those substances and they help us to have amazing insights, but it isn’t long term and it isn’t cultivated over time, so it feels very unknown. Its like being thrown into a CEO role tomorrow and running the business without any lead up experience towards it.
Also, part of us knows deep down that we took something to get there, and our souls wont fully benefit from the experience unless we continue doing the work by cultivating awareness through personal/spiritual development.
I do believe in the benefit of moments of short-term boosts and spontaneous moments of realisation, which I guess is the role that psychedelics could play, but I am also referring to other life changing moments such as facing death, eye-opening experiences, and new environments. They tease a shift in a person to invite them to see the world differently .
I believe both of these methods are important, both are the ways to attain the full growth, but really the highs should only act as an assistant to the long term practice, rather than be the focus.
Its like having a nitrix oxide button in the car, it will help you to shoot off now and then, but it cannot be sustained to zoop through a long drive, you need to have the mental focus to shift gears and work through the track.
I would ask the people questioning psychedelics if they are practicing any form of spiritual practice first, and ask them if they really need this experience right now. If its for a quick high because life seems challenging, I’d kindly wonder if there is another way that they can work on this.
And don’t get me wrong, I love a quick shortcut, I am frantically looking into Google maps to find a quick way to get somewhere! But what I learnt about shortcuts is that it never gives the same effect as something we really invested time and energy into cultivating. The way I like to live life is to work off my own internal energy and tap into those insight generating receptors without the use of anything
This is what I love to help people with as a coach, to find their own power and realise that what they thought they needed is already within them
And here’s why I am even saying this — I used to take a lot of supplements, and buy nice incense smells etc, but I stopped it recently. I don’t want this collection of things I rely on to make me feel good. I don’t want to tell myself that “this thing is going to help me more than i can without it”. What i uncovered is that none of these things really help, they just make me feel like they are, which creates my actions. I would rather be ready to be at my best without having this thing in between as the connector.
It also means I am under selling my own abilities if i say i need something. I am not saying these products can be useful, but its easy to cling on to these external things to shift the attention away from taking responsibility. .
I mean I wasn’t taking anything which wasn’t a “proven” to be good, vitamin D supplements for example. Science says take them, but I don’t want that shopping list of things, especially things which aim to extract benefits from nature into a pill. I learnt that those products didn’t do anything for me but confuse my body, and make me “feel” better. But that meant i was lazy and didnt go and actually eat well, get more sunlight, and do the things which really mattered. It gave me this tick to say HEY YOU TOOK YOUR MULTIVITAMIN, you are covered.
Life doesnt work this way, if it was this easy why are we not all super humans. If anything was this easy in life, what would happen? This habit of reliance just makes us lose discipline away from actually putting in hard work it takes to live a vibrant life, I had to stop kidding myself and stop it all.
I want to get away from the physical, the psychological, and go into an internally driven energetic world … which is limitless .
The thing is — its not as exciting, fun, easy, to just talk about this, it sounds boring and woo woo. Its way more sexy to say hey i bought a bunch of “SUPER” food so now I’m going to be great. Or get a buzz off a CACAO ceremony!!! Don’t get me started on those
Anyway I will continue to be a student, I don’t claim to be a master in any of this, its just my personal preferences based on the stage of life i am in at the moment. Who knows one day I may change my mind. What always makes me smile as I write is that I don’t put any attachment to what I am saying, I would love to see this in a few years and say hey raj… back then you had different views.
Just to end this article, I am not against psychedelics or healthy lifestyles, or supplements, it depends on the person and their individual needs. I went down that path and I know the benefits it can create! Its why its such a popular field.
But for me PERSONALLY, in this moment…. I want less things not more, I want less things which I am giving my power to and putting on a pedestal. I would rather put myself on that pedestal and say even if i have poor sleep, poor diet, poor everything, i will still be able to empower myself into growth. I want my body to look after itself, and regulate it with vital habits which will allow it to do so. (yoga, stillness, movement, breathe, natural diet)
This stance puts me into my buddha nature, away from any attachment to anything, into my power stance by just closing my eyes and becoming aware of myself…. And thats all the power i need right now.
Surprise Fun fact — I had an ayahuasca ceremony in the Amazonian jungle the Peru, but that’s a story for another day! — — CLIFFF HANGER!!!
I hope this article sparks some insights, i would love to hear your thoughts either in the comments or via direct message.
Love Y’all :)
Raj
To learn more about me and hear some podcast episodes ive been on check out the link below:
You can also find me Instagram, i’m constantly putting out video content there:
