I’m on drugs too but I suspect the knowledge that comes from my experience from therapy is even more helpful.
Interesting thread and as someone with PTSD I’ve got all kinds of “fun” quirks, anger being a big one for most of my life. Without going into my David Copperfield story, I finally got my testosterone checked a few years back and had low testosterone , which meant even with normal levels of estrogen, I was mad all the time because the E was so high relative to the T. Got on TRT 3 years ago and it’s saved my life. I’m calmer, more confident and assertive, I see things to completion instead of getting frustrated and giving up, tolerate BS with empathy instead of anger and I’ve always lifted weights 3x a week, but in my late 40s I look like John Cena now with no side effects. I take just enough to get me to high-normal levels, well below what a steroid user would blast.
I stress it to every one I know because it’s so overlooked and affects every aspect of your life and being. Get tested! We give Diabetics insulin, but don’t think to check and fix our hormones, which control so many aspects of our health and mental health.
My wife (behavioral health nurse) harps that sometimes people need kind of awful drugs to get to the point they’ll accept the therapy, and that these drugs should only be taken in conjunction with a doctor and a therapist.
Problem is, it’s far easier to get the drugs than it is to find a therapist, hence all the “frequent flyers” spinning around in circles through the revolving door.
Yeah I hear you. And drugs are trial and error which can be very unpleasant.
In these situations the prescribed drugs are bandaids on a deep wound, the doctor applies the bandaid for big insurance bucks to prep you for the elusive therapist who nobly attempts to tend to the deeper infection.
Weed helps allow you to step back into yourself to observe the process. Observing the process will change it. It’s fantastically valuable.
Plus nearly every adverse effect of weed can be avoided by just picking a different strain. What other drug does that?
I started to play with crossing CBD with THC and was looking for others interested. And this topic is very interesting. I volunteered to help the homeless in our Downtown core. And I’ve given CBD to meth addicts to ease the insanity. And a couple homeless with mental challenges get a 1:1 from me and like it. My understanding is they take CBD because they hate their meds. I’m not an expert just helping. But would love to know more about alternative medicine for the mentally challenged.
Thanks for sharing, I was enlightened by your comment.
My experience is that many mental issues today are almost farmed for $$$$. Because you need patients with known disorders to keep the cash cow going. So they diagnose them, dope them and bring them in for visits. The cycle spins and very few people improve. A few of my homeless friends have improved with daily Bible study. And some even went off their meds. And one said they stopped the meds after asking the shrink “if they ever cured anyone?” Without an answer the shrink stared dumbfounded at my friend.
There is no cure for much of it. Appropriate management is what it’s about.
If you’re looking for strains to reduce anger and are here in the US, can you reply and tag me. I’ll save the usernames. Will have a surprise for you come summer. No charge. Been a medical patient since 2006 here in California for cervical radiculopathy and anger myself. I got you.
I’ve been traveling for a few days and went really light on the smoking. Only maybe 2 days off. That seemed to be a tolerance break for me. No doubt, 2 - 3 weeks is the “real” way for me to do it, but I was surprised how just a few days did it for me.
@SleepMaster I’d love to stay in touch about this. I’m a bit of a floater between Oregon and California.
I’m thinking that if you take one or two days off a week it should make a huge difference but I haven’t tried that yet.
I love this, Rogue. I have PTSD and anger issues I’m still working through. I smoke daily and take a few meds, too, and talk with a counselor. But my point is this:
A lot of my progress has come from marrying:
- Learnings and feelings I have while I am high
- My thoughts and feelings when I am totally straight
- Ongoing learnings and insights from my therapy;
- Ongoing outside “work” (for me, it is Buddhist-style practices: cultivating peace, cultivating the separation between me and what I am feeling, focus, etc.
Weed has been the aid in this. Essentially, I’ve trying to make some of the things I’ve learned while high – and “transport” them into the “non-high” me.
I am an a recovering alcoholic and this wasn’t even possible (or desirable) with booze.
I think weed can be the lubricant many may need for improved mental health, but I just wanted to point out that, for me, it does take a bit of an ongoing effort to bring that halo of peace, love and humanity to everyday life.
I have some specific practices I do to facilitate this stuff. For example, journaling while high can be useful. I take 30 minute daily walks while high, and they are solo walks and somewhat meditative. Also, after smoking, I try to deconstruct those “peaceful feelings” and my newly acquired patience while high and ask high myself, “why would this anger me?” (when I am not high). Use highness as a way to really explore other people, our separateness, our togetherness, gratitude, empathy, and ME.
I do believe that, with some effort like this, weed can be a huge help. I think the highs need to be channeled a little bit, and we need to be humble and grateful and honest and clear with our intentions. We have to use it consciously for these reasons.
The nice thing is? This will not “ruin” those moments when you just wanna have a smoke to have a laugh. The insights are there for you, if you want them. If you don’t, screw it, let’s open the bag of chips and put on, “Dark Side of the Moon.”
I am happy to talk about this more with anyone, if you tag me. I’m a big believer that cannabis can and should be used to improve people and the world, and I want to make a difference it helping make that happen.
I remember reading a passage in The Doors of Perception outlining this, and I think about it almost daily.
https://flipper.diff.org/app/pathways/info/6454
Might be interesting
Pineapple express always put me in a happy zone.
Most medical strains pre 2020 had way higher levels of cbd and cbn, not a 1:1 ratio. But way more any strains post 2020