Are psychedelics the fastest way to higher consciousness?
Disclaimer: I’ve kept this article as a draft during a few days because it is very taboo. I am not recommending the use of psychedelics which is illegal. Be mindful that they can be very powerful and dangerous if not used in the right setup.
How I changed my mind about psychedelics?
This article would surprise my own self-from-a-year-ago… at the time, I would have told you hard drugs are bad, period. I have watched Requiem for a Dream and would identify any hard drug user with an heroine or crack addict, not leaving much room for discussion. I had tried MDMA, that we can consider as a mild psychedelic, but at the time I hadn’t used it for any introspection work but only for a recreative use.
I have to say TED talks and Tim Ferriss’ podcasts really opened my eyes. If a hippie told me about psychedelics, I would not listen. But when it was very successful people and scientists, I would then listen. And I wasn’t disappointed…
Very common amongst successful people
“Taking LSD was a profound experience, one of the most important things in my life. LSD shows you that there’s another side to the coin, and you can’t remember it when it wears off, but you know it. It reinforced my sense of what was important — creating great things instead of making money, putting things back into the stream of history and of human consciousness as much as I could.” — Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, largest company in the World.
Here are the podcasts from Tim Ferriss talking about it:
Gabor Maté, physician and best-selling author on addictions, about the benefits of Ayahuasca. Listen from 1:14:37:
Sam Harris, best-selling author and neuroscientist. Listen at 50:22:
Aubrey Marcus, founder of Onnit, the lifestyle brand. Listen at 6:30:
James Fadiman, famous psychologist and writer. The while podcast is about the therapeutic use of psychedelics:
Joe Rogan and Dorian Yates:
Note that both Aubrey Marcus and Sam Harris say they would definitely recommend their kids to use psychedelics.
Joe Rogan and many people’s explanation for the reason why they are still illegal for a therapeutic use is that many of these drugs cannot be patented, so pharmaceutical lobbies selling antidepressants and other drugs make sure psychedelics remain classified as hard drugs.
Very rational and scientific
The emergence of neuroscience allows us to understand better how our brain works and the effect of psychedelics. Here are a few TED talks you can watch about this, from people who researched it for years.
There are many others… Fortunately, and thanks to these neuroscientists, psychiatrists and successful people who “came out”, studies on the therapeutic use of psychedelics are more an more common. MDMA is used to treat PTSDs (Post Traumatic Stress Disorders), psilocybin tested for depression and cannabis has been legalised in a few states in Europe and in the US.
My experience so far
So I’ve had MDMA a few times but as a recreative use, then tried LSD last November. I went away with a few friends in the countryside. You can google testimonials on how to do it well, I won’t expand on it here.
I had already started meditating a year before which definitely helped raising my level of self-awareness and feeling I was more than my body and mind.
“LSD is simply an exploratory instrument, like a microscope or a telescope, except this one is inside of you instead of outside of you” — Alan Watts
What I was expecting was to see things moving and being very colourful, it’d be fun and then back to normal. The thing is I remember most of my trip, and what you see is not only fun things, but things that completely challenge your certitudes. When you look at a tree and it’s moving, you see its energy. You see your ego clearly and other people’s egos and consciousnesses. You see how everything is connected.
I have also intellectualised my past MDMA use and understood the feeling I loved when taking it: it was the unconditional love I was feeling towards others! What a liberating feeling to have!
Use it to unlock yourself, but when you get the answer, hang up the phone
For myself, I feel like the LSD trip I did was a combination of 10 years of meditation (for a higher consciousness) and 10 years of psychoanalysis (for introspection).
I haven’t had any drugs since then and drink way less alcohol. I’m healthier than ever. Funnily enough, I’m the one telling friends who take MDMA every weekend that they should only take the learning of what they like with the feeling and apply it without the use of any exogenous drug.
I will try DMT that a total stranger gave to a friend and I in a restaurant, completely randomly one day. I won’t expand but that scene was like from The Matrix!
I will probably experience with Ayahuasca soon too. You can really tell when people have done it, they have a very high level of self-awareness.
“LSD opened my eyes. We only use on-tenth of our brain. Just think of what we could accomplish if we could only tap that hidden part! It would mean a whole new world if the politicians would take LSD. There wouldn’t be any more war or poverty or famine.” — Paul McCartney
Alternatives
I’m not recommending psychedelics nor am I saying it is the only way to raise your consciousness. There are plenty of ways. I’m just wondering if it is the fastest way. Here are legal and safe alternatives you can use:
- A psychotherapy.
- Meditation.
- Read “Sapiens: a brief history of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari. It challenges your certitude, it’s LSD in a book!
- The UNLOCKT programs. I have created these programs partially based on my LSD experience.
I will personally experience with these 3 things, I’ll let you know how it is:
- Studying the Vedas, with Thom Knoles, in a month.
- Date with Destiny, with Tony Robbins, end of May (expensive though).
- Vipassana meditation, around September.
If you like this article, please clap, follow me, react and share. You can learn more about my work on www.alexelamber.com and about my podcast on www.thelightleaders.org
