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Discussion => Off topic => Topic started by: SequelTo33rpm on May 29, 2012, 03:36 pm

Title: Another year gone by
Post by: SequelTo33rpm on May 29, 2012, 03:36 pm
Yes, I know it isn't SR's anniversary, but rather today is my birthday ( 22 years old). I'm sure you don't give a shit, nor should you have to. Rather I'd just like to include a little story that maybe you folks will get something out of. Every birthday when I wake up, I always take 10 minutes or so to lay on the grass and reflect on the most recent year of my life and all the other years to see what I am grateful for, what I regret, what I've learned from, and what I continue to learn from. It's a very sobering, peaceful, and bittersweet 10 minutes if I do so say so. Anywho, one of the things I reflect upon is how my life and drugs have interacted. I still remember the first time I ever tried anything, which was some lovely LSD in October of 2010 in an attempt to fight off a migraine ( anecdotal and some clinical evidence suggests mushrooms and LSD can aid in treatment of cluster and migraine headaches). I remember during my trip, how everything changed before my eyes and I saw the world like a child sees it again, everything is no novel, so unique, and so wonderful. It was one of the most humbling and profound experiences of my life, and I am proud to say it has helped shape me into a better person. It taught me that your mind can be a wonderful, beautiful playground as much as the world we all live in is too. I remember all the other times I've ingested 25i, mushies, MDMA, and weed and they've all been quite nice. When used responsibly and at appropriate times, I believe a fair deal of these substances can be not only fucking fun, but used to better oneself. It makes life more vivid for a few hours and teaches you to enjoy the ride, don't fret to much, and put more value into your life. New relationships can be forged, and existing ones can be fortified. If not that, at least you'll have some interesting times. We're surrounded by bullshit everyday, sometimes staggering amounts that make us want to just fucking quit (we responsible drug users know this very well), but never forget what you enjoy in life, what drugs have taught you or what great moments they've given you. If I could, I would buy most of you of a beer and just listen to your guys' thoughts on whatever, I'm sure they're quite fascinating and I look forward to seeing where this community goes. Enjoy today guys and long live the Silk Road.
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: Knomo on May 29, 2012, 03:42 pm
Happy birthday dude, my 22nd birthday was last Wednesday  :D

And I would like to see psychedelics mandatory at least once in a lifetime, for everyone. Think it will make a whole lot better world.
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: gtgeorgz on May 29, 2012, 03:46 pm
happy birthday mann! peace x
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: sollemnis on May 29, 2012, 03:48 pm
If I could, I would buy most of you of a beer and just listen to your guys' thoughts on whatever, I'm sure they're quite fascinating and I look forward to seeing where this community goes. Enjoy today guys and long live the Silk Road.

If I met you the beer would be on me pal  :). Happy birthday and +1
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: Ballzinator on May 29, 2012, 06:29 pm
Happy birthday :)
This is kinda random, but have you heard of lucid dreaming? Your mindset seems ideal for you to benefit greatly from lucid dreaming.
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: SequelTo33rpm on May 29, 2012, 07:04 pm
Ballzinator,

I'm a neuropsychology student so it'd been discussed in a fair deal of my classes. I've given it a shot before by taking melatonin and smoking weed before bed, but I could never quite catch it. What about you?I do have migraines a great deal and usually when I get the aura ( pre-migraine stage symptoms) that will very much like a lucid dream. Thanks for the b-day wishes.
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: blackend646 on May 29, 2012, 07:18 pm
You've captured my feelings about all this to a T. Happy birthday :)
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: Ballzinator on May 29, 2012, 07:35 pm
Ballzinator,

I'm a neuropsychology student so it'd been discussed in a fair deal of my classes. I've given it a shot before by taking melatonin and smoking weed before bed, but I could never quite catch it. What about you?I do have migraines a great deal and usually when I get the aura ( pre-migraine stage symptoms) that will very much like a lucid dream. Thanks for the b-day wishes.
Wow, I find neuropsychology to be one of the most interesting scientific fields. Taking melatonin is one of the best things you can do beside "mental exercise". But smoking weed is pretty much the worst thing you can do because cannabis interferes with REM sleep, reducing the duration of the REM periods as well as the vividness of the dreams. Alcohol has the same effect (and probably all other depressants, but that's just speculation by me :D).
I'm a proud lucid dreamer and I do the craziest shit in my dreams. I don't wanna brag but Leonardo DiCaprio is a fucking noob compared with me ;D
I've never heard of "the aura" before but I've googled it and I don't understand how it's similar to a lucid dream? Is it comparable to dissociative identity disorder? Because Wikipedia says that when some people experience the aura, they feel separated from their body or they feel their body morphing (which for many people including me is an indicator that they're in a dream).
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: SequelTo33rpm on May 29, 2012, 08:42 pm
I'm a bit biased, but I agree with you, neuropsych is definitely a great one. It gives you such a comprehensive and practical knowledge of how we as individuals and communities work and how much you and your brain are in constant harmony and tipping that balance can prove either good ( MDMA's effects, general happiness, feeling at peace) or bad ( many disorders and diseases). It also definitely gives you a great understanding of how drugs work and why they work the way they do. In regards to auras, they vary greatly between individuals who have them. Some people just get visual fuzziness like someone turned down the sharpness on a television, while others might get sick to their stomachs and be extremely sensitive to light,sound, smells, and touch. For me, my auras consist of first having some minor visual disturbances, such as lights getting the "halo" effect, visual snow, followed by some depression, then last comes this strange sensation of not being out-of-body, but rather like I am watching a movie that I am an actor in. The body morphing/body disconnection sensation you mention may be a result of people's sense of where they are oriented in space being diminished or a distorted sense of body proportion. Also, numbness in parts of the body is very common during aura so that can also be an answer to your question. To answer your inquiry about if it's comparable to Dissociative Identity Disorder ( DID for the sake of saving space), it really is not. While both disease have a bit in common in the sense that it takes place in the brain, both have very different diagnostic criteria and reasons for occurring. Migraines are a neurological/vascular disease believed to be caused by serotonin levels fluctuating and an excess of blood vessels that begin to constrict, the headache is actually a symptom of it. DID on the other hand, is a psychiatric illness that is believed to be a result of very high levels of stress, such as severe childhood trauma like sexual abuse. Lucid dreaming is a class of it's own though sensation wise, because as you know, it's a sense of being aware you are dreaming and exerting control over it. It's very fascinating stuff and it gets even more interesting as more and more research is done and published. If you're willing, see if any universities or sleep clinics near you are recruiting research participants for sleep research in general or lucid dreaming research. They'd take a mighty fine interest in someone with your ability. By the way, thanks for the weed tip. Haven't smoked in like 4 months though. If you have any other questions or just wanna discuss shit, I suppose you know where to post. Take it easy
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: SequelTo33rpm on May 29, 2012, 08:44 pm
You've captured my feelings about all this to a T. Happy birthday :)

Blackend,

Thanks very much. Glad you got something outta it.
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: Gary Oak on May 29, 2012, 08:52 pm
Happy Birthday mate, but would it kill you to space out your posts a bit? It's fucking killer on the eyes to read those big blocks of text. :-\
Title: Re: Another year gone by
Post by: Ballzinator on May 29, 2012, 09:31 pm
then last comes this strange sensation of not being out-of-body, but rather like I am watching a movie that I am an actor in.
I assume that's the part that feels like a dream. DID came to my mind because someone I know who has DID used that exact phrasing ("like I am watching a movie that I am an actor in") to describe the disorder.

If you're willing, see if any universities or sleep clinics near you are recruiting research participants for sleep research in general or lucid dreaming research. They'd take a mighty fine interest in someone with your ability.
Wow I never thought of that. I'll try to find out if my university is doing research in that field. Thank you for the suggestion :)