Integral-Canna: The Power of Thought
Last month we talked about making the most out of the space from whatever condition(s) that our cannabis use makes for us. If we have pain or intrusive thoughts that we medicate to help with, how can we make the most of that space? Our thoughts have more power than we may recognize. They can lead to getting stuck in thought patterns and can even affect you physically. This month let’s look at the power of negative and positive thoughts, and how we can work with them.
If you’ve ever had thoughts that seem to just circle and spiral more and more negative, you are not alone. It is called rumination and can be extremely difficult to get out of. It is like the flowing of a stream that wears a groove, deeper as it continues to flow. These thought patterns can originate from our youth or specific traumatic events that we have experienced. Lingering in these thoughts about the past can lead to depressive thoughts, while spending too much time planning for the future can lead to anxious feelings. These negative thoughts over periods of time can lead to very common physical manifestations in the body such as back pain, digestive issues and nerve pain.
Our lives are not always sunshine and rainbows, and we don’t need to pretend that it is. Positive thinking can be a slippery slope of trying to avoid negative emotions or feelings. Positive thoughts are the reason that the placebo effect exists. We believe we are taking something that will produce some specific result, so our body reacts that way. Our bodies also respond better in a healing situation when we believe there is a positive outcome, versus if we believe it is pointless.
Our thoughts can run away from us, telling their stories about how things could have been or planning every possible outcome for a future event that may never even happen. The neural pathways in our brains have an auto mode and it will more easily refer to the most common pathways used. It is ok to feel like shit and not always feel happy, but it is just as important to not linger in it longer than you need to. Instead, we can try and grow from the experience by recognizing that that experience sucks and finding a way for us to grow from that negative experience. What can I learn from this?
It is important to not push negative thoughts away, because we are only increasing our own suffering in the situation. Becoming aware of the thoughts and making an intentional action to look for a way to grow from the situation. Psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD and even THC have shown promise in reactivating neural connections that have not been used or were damaged, allowing for easier ability to recognize the thought patterns and detach from the easier and engrained neural paths. This month, make the intention to not linger in the things that make us feel like shit. Instead recognize when we are getting lost in the thoughts, take a puff, and exhale back into the moment.
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