Hannah Bryson and I discuss the struggles that come with attempting yoga and meditation practice. This begins a longer discussion on mental health/mental equilibrium and how our brains' constant stream of consciousness can be an underlying source of persistent stress.

Hannah Bryson Pt. 1, June 25th, 2021

Continuing the dialogue with Hannah, I mention how I've observed the hyper-individualism of American culture can lead one to feeling stuck in a kind of self-contained cocoon. We further discuss the immediate effects of the 'default' mode of alienation and a sense of separation so prevalent throughout modern American culture. How does one break through such illusory walls? This transitions into a discussion of other forms of self-healing and exploration, such as working with entheogens.

Hannah Bryson Pt. 2

*Note* there are occasional audio flaws due to internet connectivity issues.

Hannah explores the contexts and intentions she has with microdosing entheogenic plants/fungi such as psilocybin mushrooms and how this connects to addressing numerous kinds of anxiety. We explicitly connect this topic to the role of self-healing and psycho-spiritual practices such as meditation. We expand on the idea of "boundary/barrier dissolving" - dissolving one's own mental barriers that create distance or deflection *within* oneself, as well as those emotional boundaries that keep us walled from others in our external environment.

We both discuss those personal aspects of our experience that lead to anxiety, regret, depression. . .What other societal barriers affect openness, empathy, connectivity? Is a feeling of numbness a new default mode? Related to these struggles, to what degree can working with entheogens be psycho-spiritually therapeutic and purifying?

Jarrod

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