Why Consider Transcending Suffering Through Psychedelics

For about two decades of my life, I suffered.

I wasn't imprisoned or tortured -- well, not by anyone or anything other than myself -- but I did suffer. I suffered because I was disconnected from myself and the world around me because of trauma in my past.

If you met me back then, you wouldn't have believed it. Heck, back then, I had no clue. I was in a successful career and I was a married family man. On the surface, I was living the American Dream, but underneath -- like the David Lynch movie Blue Velvet -- things were rotting inside.

I had no self-love, and I struggled with the burdens of the marriage -- and sought love and acceptance in dangerous places and sometimes with questionable liaisons.

Are you suffering in a similar way? I would still be suffering today if not for a healing journey that included the intentional use of psychedelic medicines.

If you're feeling something here, please keep reading -- and discover what true healing looks like and why psychedelics may be a tool you choose to use for your healing journey.

Suffering and Healing

Healing can be defined as the personal experience of the transcendence of suffering. Transcendence -- transformative -- life-changing.

There's absolutely NO need for anyone in the world to suffer; we can ALL heal.

Healing is truly life-changing.

Healing provides so many benefits, including:

• End of Suffering. As we move along a healing journey, we learn to break free of the trauma from our past, break free from our self-inflicting wounds and suffering. Do you have moments of hating yourself? Don't you want to break through the suffering?

• Wholeness. Most people who find true healing talk about a renewed sense of life, of living, of the feeling we had as children -- more loving, carefree, and hopeful about the future. The root of healing means to make whole.

• No Need to Mask Symptoms. Sadly, our Western medicine model seems to care more about managing/masking symptoms than actually curing/healing people. For example, anti-depressants do not heal depression; in fact, they barely do the job of masking symptoms. Makes more sense to find true healing.

• Reduction of Chronic Illness. Experts such as Dr. Gabor Mate and Dr. Peter Levine stress a very important point: many chronic illnesses are caused by trauma, by how the brain and body react to the unprocessed emotions from the trauma... thus when we heal, those chronic issues dissipate.

• Elimination of Some/All Pharmaceuticals. Healing eliminates the need for many commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals, such as antidepressants, anxiolytics, and others that simply mask symptoms.

Transcending Suffering Through Psychedelics

One of the so-called "new" and "emerging" modalities for healing -- for transcending suffering -- is the intentional use of psychedelic medicines.

Psychedelics. Just the term turns some people away; in fact, I am guessing a big chunk of people turned away from this article based on the headline. For others, the term is a curiosity, but filled with fear from the lies of the Drug Wars. For an even smaller segment, including many Indigenous populations, the term means healing, spiritual growth, and transformation.

These plants and compounds, some used for many centuries by Indigenous communities for healing, are finally finding their place in Western society.

Psychedelics are NOT for everyone, but they are, in general, very safe medicines -- certainly MUCH safer than alcohol and cigarettes -- as well as the many prescription drugs that are used/misused. If you are open to thinking about psychedelics, these compounds can offer you TRUE physical, psychological, and spiritual healing.

Many of these medicines are also heart-opening, making you more receptive to what you see and learn from the journey.

People need to be fairly physically healthy and mentally sound when taking psychedelics -- no serious heart or respiratory conditions. The biggest concern is people with schizophrenia or with schizophrenic tendencies, who may experience a psychotic break from a psychedelic experience. There is a concern of a negative impact for true bipolar and personality disorders, although these populations have not been adequately studied.

Otherwise, psychedelics are safe -- hard/impossible to overdose and generally not addictive -- but if you are taking certain medications, you will need to consult with experts on the best way to proceed. Finally, psychedelics are not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Most importantly, when thinking about using psychedelics for healing and to transcend your suffering, you MUST be willing to do the work. The medicine will interact with you and show you what is wrong; the trauma you experienced but had forgotten, what needs to be fixed, even how to fix these things, but the medicine -- the psychedelic experience -- is just the beginning of a long journey of healing and work on changing your life. We call this "after" process integration.

Final Thoughts About Transcending Suffering Through Psychedelics

Many of us suffer through our trauma, living unfulfilled and unhappy lives. We wear masks to hide our true selves, we drive people away from us, and we live in fear, darkness.

While there are many modalities for helping end that suffering, psychedelics are proving to be a powerful tool for getting right to the source of the suffering so that you can begin to get relief and move onto a healing journey.

Generally speaking, these psychedelic medicines work best if you are:

• Open to the concept of psychedelics as medicine;

• Prepared to face whatever the medicine has to show you;

• Clear that these medicines are not magic pills, but part of a process of healing;

• Ready to make fundamental changes to your life;

• Committed to letting go, being open-minded, and surrendering to the medicine;

• Willing to step into the unknown and down the rabbit hole;

• Dedicated to the proper preparation and integration required.

Most people who have taken one of these psychedelic medicines report back that the experience was one of the most powerful and novel experiences of their lives -- categorizing the psychedelic journey as one of the top five pivotal moments of their lives -- on the same magnitude as the birth of a child, the death of a parent.

Wishing you healing and an end of suffering -- because life on the other end of that healing journey is one of hope, love, peace, and joy.

Finally, to learn more about what these psychedelic medicines are and how or why they might be of use to you for your healing -- or the healing of a loved one -- please find numerous articles and tools in this section of my book's website. (The book, Triumph Over Trauma, is also a good resource!)

For Learning More About Psychedelics by Dr. Randall

• Misconceptions and Myths About Psychedelics

• Five Things to Consider Before Jumping into Healing Through Plant Medicines

• Not Sure About Psychedelics? Try Microdosing

• Why Should I Consider Psychedelics?

• What Are Psychedelics? A Primer for the Curious

• What Should I Expect With a Psychedelic Journey?

• Integration: It's What Must Be Done After Psychedelics