Can psychedelics help with TMS work?

[Guero Triste]

Now that psychedelics are being taken seriously, I think this is a discussion we can have. Can something like mushrooms or high dose cannabis edibles have utility in treating TMS? Possibly, though not necessarily, in conjunction with the other mediation, journaling, etc.

It looks like a field ripe for exploration at the very least.

Any experiences out there?

 

[Ryanss007]

This is my personal experience.

while under extremely stressful life events I was recommended to smoke weed to alleviate some of it, it worked temporarily but I think all it did was actuallY suppress the emotions and caused my muscles to tense up which caused an injury at the gym and from there my TMS started.

Cannabis caused so many psychological issues for me including depersonalization, I dont recommend illicit drugs as a cure for anything. But up to you to try them.

 

[aaron_rice]

I think they could potentially be very helpful when it comes to:

• Tapping into and releasing repressed emotions/trauma
• Breaking out of habitual patterns, thought loops
• Releasing self criticism and accessing deeper levels of compassion and forgiveness

@Ryanss007 I wouldn't lump cannabis in with psychedelics, unless maybe you're talking about very high edible doses. But I agree that it definitely can turn into just another way to check out and numb yourself. That's certainly what it become for me after a number of years and is why I stopped using it altogether.

Another option to explore might be breathwork (e.g. Holotropic, Shamanic). Stan Grof developed Holotropic Breathwork when LSD became illegal and he could no longer use it with his patients in therapy. After having done a fair amount of work with psychedelics, I've just recently rediscovered breathwork and it has been really powerful for me. I did a workshop over the summer that helped me tap into what feels like this giant pool of sadness and grief that I never knew was there, and it's just been pouring out of me ever since.

 

[Bodhigirl]

I am doing breathwork currently with these folks. https://breathworkonline.com (Home | BREATHWORK ONLINE)
I have found it extremely helpful in unpacking trauma of the past two years that has kicked up some of my symptoms and driven me to be a beginner again. It's rich, lots of tears, lots of surprising dancing and body movement, joyful stuff.
Have been researching psychedelics for trauma the past few years and MDMA is looking especially promising for trauma resolution, psilocybin for concussion, depression and addiction, and same re: LSD. Cannabis has had some positive effects for concussion and pain management but it messes up dream cycles, sleep and really is a drug of abuse whereas the others are not addicting.
If you put mushrooms in a rats cage, they will trip once and never touch them again. If you put a drug of abuse in a rat's cage they will kill themselves with it.
The future is promising for psychedelics. Aaron mentioned Stan Grof... his interviews on various podcasts are amazing. He's been researching psychedelics since the 1950's and his voice sounds like a 35 year old man instead of ...87ish.

 

[Cap'n Spanky]

I would ONLY consider this if I was under the direct care of an experienced, highly qualified therapist or similar professional.

 

[Bodhigirl]

I would ONLY consider this if I was under the direct care of an experienced, highly qualified therapist or similar professional.

Absolutely. MAPS is a research and advocacy organization that trains doctors and therapists in safe experiences with lots of prep and integrative work. Not for use at home, alone.

 

[Tms_joe]

This is not a recommendation.

Psilocybin got or is currently getting FDA approval. Some people have known for decades it has serious potential in healing mental health. It was looking like it would lead the way back in the 60’s, but it was quickly made illegal and along came antidepressants. Those are just facts. Conspiracy theories are another matter.

I took it years after getting past TMS. I also was on an antidepressant for the first time in my life when overcoming TMS. I will never touch another antidepressant, ever. I’ll likely always use psilocybin as an extremely potent medicine from time to time. It raises awareness so you can see what’s the reality versus what your mind full of opinions and biases tells you. It also causes extreme nausea so that’s no fun.

Seeing things like that can be horrific, terrifying, or heavenly. If I’d taken it when in a bad mental state, which was 99% of time years ago, it would have either healed me extremely quickly or caused a panic like I’ve never seen, and I have experienced a panic attack.

So basically what I’m saying is that the potential is astronomical. With that comes serious risk.

 

[richard13]

It raises awareness so you can see what’s the reality versus what your mind full of opinions and biases tells you.

Hi Tms_joe, I saw your recent post (thanks, well said) and was inspired by you to add my own. I, too, didn't take psilocybin until after getting past TMS. That TMS process helped show me the power and complexity of my mind and emotions. I was fascinated as I watched the chronic pain that I had suffered exclusively in my lower back for years move, following TMS treatment, all over my body just as Dr. Sarno had observed. I had a lot of previously injured, "vulnerable" areas, so it was a bit of a journey (each requiring re-treatment, though fortunately, more and more quickly!): neck/shoulder, elbow, wrist, then later knees, shins, and feet. During that process I gained a deeper interest and confidence in exploring and healing my mindbody and enhancing my well-being. Having successfully challenged some of the mainstream medical/societal misunderstandings about chronic pain (circa mid 1990s), I was then encouraged to do the same a couple years later for psychedelics, the mainstream fear of which lead to their banishment, even for research and therapeutic use.

I, too, would go with your disclaimer: "this is not a recommendation". I don't know if my experiments in basement myco-culture and sampling from a couple years later would have been helpful during my TMS treatment. Though, the possibilities put forth earlier in this thread by aaron_rice make sense to me:

I think they could potentially be very helpful when it comes to:

• Tapping into and releasing repressed emotions/trauma
• Breaking out of habitual patterns, thought loops
• Releasing self criticism and accessing deeper levels of compassion and forgiveness

Maybe if I had had access to their use in a therapeutic setting, and could have used the insight gained to help me understand my reactions to stress and fear and despair, I may have prevented the onset of chronic pain that forced me, through TMS treatment, to gain similar insight.