Alchemica

For identified K. galanga dried rhizome, I got stuck into 50g dry at a time. At 50g dry rhizome, I found this rather uninteresting and calming, one of the milder ones but I didn't ritualise and add layers to the same degree to boost effects. It's got an interesting flavour, be good in a soup etc. Only sampled that a couple of times at 50g doses. I've now sampled lots of Zingiberaceae. What's your favourite? Got any medicinal ones that you use? Today high dose Alpinia chinensis for lunch. There's turmeric and ginger but so much diversity to grow and get into you... Still have to properly try the native and I'd like to grow some variety. For me, these are useful as they are medicines and at the same time, can be used somewhat as active placebos to beneficial effect. You can use them medicinally and amplify a healing response. You can connect with them, cook with them etc. There's such a diversity of polyphenols in foods, one seemingly really healing way to go is to elevate your rhizome levels etc. Modern experimentation with these plants has been clouded by wide-spread confusion of the rhizome material. Some Alpinia species do seem to share some psychotropic effects. Some suggest 6cm/60g fresh rhizome or as little as 1 tsp of dried powdered material. (The Garden of Eden, Voogelbreinder S. 2009) The Alpinia I've grown, propagated and cared for which was said to be Lesser Galangal, waiting for flowers, is the one that I find most resonance to. It's not pungently flavoursome but brewed as a strong brew it seems healingly active and pleasant, something healing to turn to. From Apinia officinarum (volatiles, diarylheptanoids, lignans, flavonoids etc) [1], to Alpinia galangal [2] (volatiles, flavonoids and phenolics) to high dose Kaempheria galanga [3] to today Alpinia chinensis. This one tastes like a nice pleasant not too spicy ginger Haven't tried the Alpinia nutans but that's got a really nice scent but I'm scared off by also potentially containing hepatotoxic constituents. A. chinensis is a perennial herb found in the ravines and shaded woodlands of China. At 5.44g/100g, it has a much higher total polyphenol content than A. galangal and higher polyphenol content than turmeric (which has ~2g/100g) [4]. In Hong Kong, it is used in traditional medicine as an analgesic. A number of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were identified and ten labdane diterpenes detected but most analyses detecting such has been focused on the aerial parts. At 25g dry it seems a nice slightly stimulatory tonic, had it for lunch. Dose a little higher... TCM uses: To warm stomach and dissipate cold, disperse food and relieve pain. [1] Strong antiinflammatory and neuroprotective effects and activity attributed to opioid and benzodiazepine receptors have been implicated. It contains at least 12 flavonoids and 4 diarylheptanoids in the leaves. More generally, it exerts neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, antiobesity, anticancer, enzyme inhibitory/ NO modulating and remarkable antiviral properties. It is rich in galangin (3,5,7-trihydroxyflavone) and kaempferide (3,5,7-trihydroxy-4′-methoxyflavone) which have beneficial effects. https://dx.doi.org/10.4103%2Fphrev.phrev_55_16 [2] Reported psychostimulant effects of the polyphenol enriched extract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28910196 [3] http://entheology.com/plants/kaempferia-galanga-galanga/ The rhizomes of K. galanga are chewed and swallowed, or made into a drink, it is said to be enthogenic, aphrodisiac, euphoric and productive of pleasant prophetic dreams (The Garden of Eden, Voogelbreinder S. 2009) This ranges in the literature from reported stimulant effects, "In Thailand, the dried rhizome has been used as cardiotonic and CNS stimulant, whereas acetone extract is found to have an effect on monoamine oxidase inhibition" to sedative effects - it possesses "central nervous system (CNS) depressant properties which supports its use in traditional medicine where it has been traditionally used to help restlessness, stress, anxiety, depression etc. Some of it's pharmacological effect is due to its total phenolic content and flavonoids including luteolin and apigenin. It has central mechanism involving opioid receptors and peripheral mechanism involving cyclooxygenase pathway [4] http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.06.033.

Thanks @Responsible Choice Yeah I'm developing some feelings against BCAAs after a bit longer using them - think a good protein source is better. Agree, I keep on top of magnesium, B-vitamins and using ashwagandha. BCAAs and mood dips? NO modulatory amino acids like arginine/AAKG and anhedonic reactions? If you've taken them, how do these supplements make you feel? Got flattened by my exercise routine again, don't think I like BCAAs elevated too long. It feels super depressingly dull... Likewise, arginine (as AAKG) and other NO modulatory stuff can do some deleterious CNS things. I like the acetyl-L-carnitine and taurine and some Mg so far, that one seems like it could be a good aid. Fairly simple and it seems clean and no real issues but I think I can feel what seems like an anti-serotonergic aspect of dosing high on BCAAs, I'm likely better just using a good protein source. The BCAAs seem to impart a heavy mood feeling. Many people note mood issues with BCAAs but low levels may also be associated, through potential mTOR effects, with depression [1] Over arginine I was more interested in agmatine for it's CNS effects. L-arginine increases dopamine re-uptake in the rats nucleus accumbens and there is a complicated cross talk between DA/NMDA receptors and l-arginine-NO-GMP pathways. It's got almost an anti-hedonic feel. They don't seem subjectively nice, arginine and high levels of BCAAs in combination after a bit more use. I can feel the NO stuff peripherally, L-arginine-induced increases in regional cerebral blood flow which could be beneficial, this effect is seen particularly after injury I mixed up some L-lysine instead of BCAAs with the NO modulatory stuff, for my afternoon exercise - that was much nicer. Most of my problem is aberrant stress responses - two studies show L-lysine combined with L-arginine reduced anxiety in study participants and reduce stress levels and cortisol. The L-lysine also is promising for psychotic disorders. It modifies neuroendocrine activation during psychosocial stress in subjects with high trait anxiety [2] and combination of L-lysine and L-arginine is a potentially useful dietary intervention for people with high subjective levels of mental stress and anxiety [3]. There are interesting results from people trying the arginine/lysine combination for anxiety [4]. I've used L-lysine alone but this combination seems more interesting. Combinations of these amino acids may cause short term increases in growth hormone, particularly when coupled with exercise. A recent study shows that people with depression have reduced arginine bioavailability but this doesn’t mean that taking an arginine supplement would protect against depression [5] The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses can be modulated by nitric oxide (NO). NO working either as an amplifier or as a feedback regulator of neuronal excitation or inhibition, may alter acutely or chronically, among others, the homeostasis of many systems. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4973973/ [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16117182 [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17510493 [4] https://www.curezone.org/forums/am.asp?i=1929281 [5] http://neurosciencenews.com/arginine-depression-8541

I agree with what others say in this thread. I don't have your solution but for me, I really need to go through 'The Hells of Trying to Become Well'. It hurts but if you can find growth through that pain, sometimes that's the way forwardish. Anything pharmacological, even more spiritually plant medicine (unless used rarely with intent and full integration) was as others say, reducing intrinsic systems. I could find myself reliant on stronger plant medicines, they gave me some relief and turned into something to chase. I'm using a lot of anti-hedonism to attempt to restore more self-disciplined goal-directed socially orientated drive. In a place where I could seek the full pharmacopeia to try and feel well... but instead... In the morning, feel drained and like absolute Hell. Solution: vigorous exercise training. Felt absolutely drained after that. Solution: do boring shopping. Do gardening. etc. Healthy eating. Channel addictive urges into teas and the health food shop, that's what I did for awhile. Taking the focus off yourself to propagate plants for other etc, slowly things like that Normally I'd have this uncontrolled executive drive that would associate a fb post with a morning hit of dopamine, solution: I've been trying to re-write that so that a social interaction is the outcome. Got to adopt essentially re-writing substance cues with a healthier outcome If I feel like having something hedonistic food wise or anything of those hedonistic ways, from upping nicotine to feeling anything root chakra that's not serving my growth, solution: channel it into really cheesy creativity... Lately, I've been trying to restore some higher order PFC governed aspects. That means avoiding stoking hedonistic subcortical pathways. Re-writing eudaimonic wellness from OFC reward expectancy obsessions, through a social medial pathway, form those vmPFC/dlPFC Self governance pathways, through engaged more moral goal directed effort. I can feel this energetic shift when I have a day that's healing, like my frontal lobes have had a workout... I'm being very strict on myself. Keeping some unhedonistic stuff to keep neural progenitor cells doing their thing, keeping polyphenols high, omega-3's and lots of exercise. Wishing you all the best. PM me if you need to chat @kindness

Nice, small steps as you say, best wishes with getting back in the swing of things @Xperiment. Have to generate that intrinsic motivation system again which I know is really hard. I went too hard, too fast. Went from walking to running up to 4 times a day, pushing through pain until you get those strange 'highs' from exercise. That said, it was trying to break that inertia and stagnation that I had to do. Now I have a daily fast pace hour of fairly vigorous stuff early every morning and cram in more throughout the day. Better than walks but still more fitness gains to go Thanks for mentioning what you've tried.

Started a more vigorous exercise thing for my head (benefits may extend to body hopefully). Acute Bouts of Exercising Improved Mood, Rumination and Social Interaction in Inpatients With Mental Disorders. Joggin' the Noggin: Towards a Physiological Understanding of Exercise-Induced Cognitive Benefits. I'm still unfit but fitness is improving. One of the biggest challenges for me was how depleting energetically it was becoming. I had to put all my energy reserves into exercise, and crash in between. I put a lot of time into diet but it wasn't delivering alone. Now with more vigorous exercise, I seemingly need some other repair/protective aspects it seems. I got some tic reduction with the exercise, then a massive flare up. That said, it does seem to be improving some emotional aspects. I've had some really emotional experiences with exercise. "In stark contrast to what we most often equate with exercise [runner's highs, positive emotions etc], emotional release can also free feelings of frustration, confusion, fear, anger, pain, sadness or loss that seem to come from deep inside the psyche." Moderate aerobic exercise may help attenuate negative emotions for participants experiencing regulatory difficulties [ref]. In a recent study, exercise protected against negative/angry mood induction [ref]. More vigorous exercise is seemingly promising for processing stronger negative emotions [ref ref] It is suggested to provide a healthy level of flexibility in the use of existing memories, and in the flexible processing of new information [ref]. It seems to have strong effects on the infralimbic cortex, part of the brain's emotional processing circuit. This is an old article but intrigues me... "Is it possible that exercise somehow accesses suppressed feelings that your body has warehoused for processing at a later time? It may sound somewhat radical, but the concept of “storing” emotions is commonly accepted among many bodywork practitioners like massage therapists, acupuncturists and chiropractors. While resolving issues that have long weighed you down is ultimately a mind-expanding, life-enhancing experience, the initial flood of feelings can be a little unnerving, to say the least. All the more reason to look closer at what causes this emotional release, what it may be saying about your life, and how you, might embrace this experience, using it to attain insights and to work through deep-seated challenges." [ref] Tamed down the "Bat out of Hell" fitness regime, which had it's benefits for breaking inertia and gathering scattered energy into a goal-drive but I've switched from "Harder, Faster = better" to "Push yourself to near maximal output, for longer". Got a nice high pace thing for quite a long time going. What would be your main supplements you'd incorporate to maintain/improve health for body and mind while pushing yourself physically? Trying to optimise a simple pre-workout for brain health and maintaining that, not kill my mind for a fitter body. It's not overly thermogenic but it should a healthy brain matrix while I do the work. Had most of the ingredients. Main constituents are acetyl-L-carnitine, creatine, taurine etc. Nicely neuroprotective stuff. I don't want to jump on board with the getting jacked on pre-workout powders but I do want to provide, particularly my brain, with good stuff for protection and repair. Unfortunately most of the sports supplements are IMO junk and the opposite of health. They often chuck the most exotic likely neurotoxic colours and flavours in, often with too much caffeine. Or they're plain piss weak things. I used to seek the dodgy pre-workouts for their sometimes scheduled ingredients but these days, I'm actually looking for some sustainable health. Protein Supplies Australia makes an all natural caffeine free pre-workout. It's not overly heavy on doses but I had the things to compound up a formula a bit cheaper than what that was. I'm not totally knocking caffeine, it's neuroprotective in some conditions, just the massive doses included aren't great. Happy with the concoction I whipped up as natural 'supporting energy from within non-depleting' blend. I'm trying to keep my diet healthy but need top ups of natural stuff - the blend doesn't pep you but it seems to be a nice clear headed focus and after trying it with exercise, I don't feel so drained. I was getting absolutely destroyed by exercise, this seems encouraging. Last time I got into using ALCAR I stank like fish, don't know why I seemed to break it down to trimethylaminuria levels but hopefully that can be avoided. I've mentioned the taurine effects which include: neuromodulatory, osmoregulatory, membrane stabilisation, and antioxidant action coupled with neuroprotective (taurine is a potential therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases, promoting neuronal proliferation, stem cell proliferation, and differentiation, via several mechanisms), anti-diabetic (it improved glucagon activity, promoted glycemic stability, modified glucose levels, successfully addressed hyperglycemia via advanced glycation end-product control, improved insulin secretion and had a beneficial effect on insulin resistance) and anti-depressive effects (regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the promotion of neurogenesis, neuronal survival and growth in the hippocampus). In three separate studies, carnitine sources showed significantly less post-exercise stress, including less formation of free radicals, and less tissue damage and muscle soreness after exercise. Both chronic and acute supplementation with L-carnitine with or without protein during training, have been reported to enhance exercise capacity and endurance. Orer and Guzel showed that single supplementation of 3 g or 4 g of L-carnitine to footballers before increasing speed run led to increased speed at corresponding lactate plasma levels, and decreased heart rate, suggesting a prolonged exhaustion exercise. Scientific data indicates that the active population can benefit from L-carnitine intake as it attenuates the side effects of high-intensity training by reducing the magnitude of exercise-induced hypoxia and muscle injury. see: L-Carnitine Supplementation in Recovery after Exercise [ref] I'm not dosing high on the BCAAs, not sure how I find them, never really felt them to be wonderful not exercising - they might actually be not what I need but I'll experiment, only made small batch which I'll play with. I might even add some Trp/5-HTP but mainly go for the catecholaminergic precursor aromatic aminos. Have to be cautious with BCAAs - higher weight mass and mood disorders can be associated with elevated concentrations of branched-chain (BCAAs) and aromatic amino acids (AAAs). Too high a level of BCAA causes neurobehavioral impairment by decreasing Trp which can be negative but also beneficial, lowering potentially neurotoxic tryptophan metabolites like kynurenic acid [1]. Using the appropriate BCAAs may assist with autism: dietary interventions that reduce mTOR activity rescue autistic-like behavioral deficits [2]. Higher BCAA/AAA ratios in childhood are significantly associated with somatic complaints in adolescence [3]. ALCAR has been shown to be very effective at alleviating things like depression, neurological decline and chronic fatigue. ALCAR supplementation is also a very safe method of improving insulin sensitivity and blood vessel health. ALCAR can also protect neurons and repair certain damage. L-carnitine has beneficial effects in ASD. [Ref] Current evidence suggested that acetyl-L-carnitine has beneficial effects on brain functions during aging and in conditions of neurodegenerative disease and it has antidepressant effects [4]. It exerts neuroprotective, neurotrophic, antidepressive and analgesic effects in painful neuropathies, also having antioxidant and anti-apoptotic activity. It exhibits positive effects on mitochondrial metabolism, and shows promise in the treatment of aging and neurodegenerative pathologies by slowing the progression of mental deterioration and has neuromodulatory effects on both synaptic morphology and synaptic transmission. It plays a role in mitochondrial β-oxidation and energy production. ALC has antioxidant properties. Additionally, ALC has been proposed to mediate the transfer of acetyl groups for acetylcholine synthesis, modulate nerve growth factors and gene expression, and counter glutamate-induced excitotoxicity Data suggests acetyl-l-carnitine has therapeutic potential in memory disorders. Results provide support for a link between the antidepressant action and improved energy production within the brain. It has anti-hedonic effects and improves EtOH induced deficits. Effects may be more relevant with IV administration over oral [5. 6] "Acetyl-L-carnitine (LAC), which has a novel and epigenetic mechanism of action, was investigated in a multicentric, double-blind, randomized clinical trials (RCT) in a population of elderly patients with dysthymic disorder. The drug was evaluated in comparison with fluoxetine for an observation period of seven weeks. LAC and fluoxetine resulted equivalent in their antidepressant efficacy. Of interest, a difference in latency time of clinical response was observed between the two drugs, namely one and two weeks for LAC and fluoxetine, respectively, potentially suggesting a more rapid effect elicited by LAC in humans. Although the rapidity in the onset of LAC therapeutic effects needs to be confirmed in studies with larger sample sizes and in mood disorders other than dysthymia, it is quite interesting in view of the fact that rapid effects have also been observed in preclinical models of depressive-like behavior A recent meta-analysis investigated the effects of LAC on depressive symptoms across published RCT. Again, LAC administration demonstrated efficacy when compared to placebo. Moreover, LAC efficacy was comparable to classical antidepressant agents, but with significantly fewer side effects. These findings are in agreement with another meta-analysis including 34 studies and 4769 patients with persistent depressive disorders. In that analysis, LAC treatment showed lower rates of adverse events and discontinuation than any other drug. In addition, a meta-analysis confirmed that LAC was more effective in older than in younger patients" Creatine may have cognitive benefits [7] Citrulline is able to stimulate locomotor activity via the dopaminergic pathway [8]. Oral L-Cit administration improves cognitive deficits [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23249694 [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27640900 [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28486439 [4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27100509 [5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2201652 [6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20595193 [7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29224583 [8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28526389

I see how much mental illness, to my eyes, are a sort of inner 'death drive' of consciousness, which can either give way to resignation and pathology, or to a healthier resurrection. You've got to alchemise those death/negative barriers to life. Affirm new life from suffering, if you don't want to be ruled by it. You start with an unhappy consciousness, with no possibility of transcending its unhappy state. As Hegel would say, the life-and-death struggle is important, I'm not going to go abstractly philosophical. It's a spirited growth process to develop Self-consciousness. It's making quantum leaps from pathology, to less pathological that reaffirms life. From me to us. You pass through things that need to be slayed. As your social macrocosm reflects better health, so too does your mental health 'Me Barriers' Victim-hood: Life's not fair, Poor me! Why me? You are bound to suffering as unequals in a relationship of dependence to pathology. Bondage: Tied to suffering. Tied to medicines. Tied to professionals Alienation from self and social? What about me? Brain network dynamics are a reflection of social network dynamics, if that network is limited, more an I network than a a social network, you'll get pathology. Can't barriers: I can't do this etc You have dialects of Won't/Can't vs Can Growth vs stagnation Liberating negative emotions towards self and 'others' Fear vs love Prosocial vs selfish In being ruled by these processes, you are not making conscious choices, illness is ruling you. You're at the mercy of negative emotions. Selfish reward processing. Extreme hypofrontality. You write OFC circuitry of negative reward expectancies, causing obsessive negative loops You can look everywhere for a saviour, from medicine to God but what happens if you take that role to get yourself better, do it as an inside job? That is Self-love. In these states of (un)consciousness, your DMN is tied to pathological subcortical victim consciousness, you ingrain 'me loops', from obsessive fixation to self-feeding addictive reward dependencies, your sense of I is pathological and tied to social exclusion processing, you're not focused on the outer/social world, because it's too painful. You're not loving yourself and that reflects in non-mentalising/empathising. You're maintaining stress responses, epigenetically maintaining illness. 'Them Barriers' Developing a theory of mind, empathy, prosociality You move through Difference: I'm not like them etc Social victim and social defeat barriers: getting trodden down by others Into Self-empowerment where barriers are re-internalised as personal choices to overcome struggles Self-actualisation becomes the drive Work through establishing sense of meaning and purpose. You get to life as a creative force, rather than destructive. You move to generate over stagnate. You move from inner barriers to forming Us. You start engaging socially, with yourself more healthily, finding your tribe etc. As you liberate those pathology frameworks, consciousness becomes less tight, you make room for a Growth Mindset, you incorporate higher functioning mentalising socio-emotional and stronger task positive networks that are severely knocked out by many illnesses. Start engaging stronger goal-directed use of the theory of mind. Your sense of who you are moves from victim/unworthy etc, to worthy to being self-conscious and rekindling growth by conscious choice. You move past that hypofrontality by engaging through Will, executive and task-positive networks. You forcibly engage goal-directed behaviour to the best degree you can and strengthen frontal cortical functions. I've tried to write what it's like working biopsychosocial-spiritually with a brain that isn't functioning well to try and encourage better holistic health. I'm trying to enrich my environment multidimensionally to bring new life richness - I like to use things like the social, diet, plants, arts, creativity and fitness Forming new less pathological pathways is like a tree of life, forming new life pathways in the world and in the brain. Sometimes it's better you bring new ways of life to the constant strife - strengthen through pathways that may not be so ripe Minimising stress, life is not a test... Tap into simple easy flow that can be just enough challenge to encourage one to grow What was a story of pain and trauma can be modified, made liable and reconsolidated in new growth mindsets to new gains Utilising neuroplasticity to modify erroneous brain spasticity, we boost neurogenic niches, restore hippocampal plasticity, modify functional connectivity and bring the brain to greater elasticity. Meta-cognitive openings bring new pathways, ways of growing. Painful memories that were on replay turned around into creative ways, of new hearty expansive play In divergent creative thinking, one can bring new conceptual expansion to previous learning, empathy boosts and socio-emotional health restores, that's what I call a reason for yearning Wholes can be encouraged in the unwhole soul - forged in different thinking.Tapping into untapped potentials gives new roles to parts of the brain that were shrinking I like to see plants as psychointegrators - Used correctly they can set in motion a growth of pathways, of thinking, feeling, being. Acceptance and growth mindsets, hearty feeling that encourages better incorporation of new ways of seeing. Split parts left without roles, one stops a life of Self fleeing Retrieve concepts of past and reconsolidate to new functional pathways, rather than strengthen highways of pathology that are burning. What was dissociative splitting can be healed, through bringing light hearty acceptance to inner rifts. The brain has an ability to shift from pathways of fault, to stop it's never-ending internal pathological revolt One can be encouraged to thrive, allowing one to progressively strive through action, towards finding healthy ways to learn to grow, slowly, into life better holistic whole goals. From pathology to creative being brings new brainwave spectral power and taps into different brain regions, new Soul. Creating connections within and in the community brings environmental enrichment and states not driven by illness - It's a way of becoming more heartily whole Whereas strengthening old cognitive highways can boost erroneous thinking, we create byways that connect new pathways between old and less used regions. Tap into functions less explored and enrich environments that were sinking into stagnation and stale, form holistic new highways. Language to emotions, audio to visual, motion and motivation, you use a new repertoire to bring new ways to pathological thinking. Expansion over contraction boosts regions to form allegiance in ill brains that were dissolving and shrinking You bring growth content to the forefront, what was driving pathology loses it's grip, you tap into regions of the brain that function correctly and expand ideas to strengthen those that are experiencing a functional dip Consciousness becomes different, more mindful and no longer shrinking into lower brain recesses. One starts to become the witness to inner processes and new brain regions click into action and cause progress Inclusion shuts down pathways of social pain which encourages mentalising and socially connecting momentum gains. A life of pathology wanes and you begin each day empowered again. I've recently taken up running Acute Bouts of Exercising Improved Mood, Rumination and Social Interaction in Inpatients With Mental Disorders. I don't think walking etc is enough for mental health... It's got to be essentially you saying, with an internal choice "I'm going to kick this pathology's ass." This matches my experiences, when you start pushing yourself intrinsically through some more intense physical activity and with other environmentally enriching small steps, quite quickly, along with established CNS benefit of environmental enrichment with exercise as a component, it's great for a sense of some personal achievement and restoring some endogenous rewards. It breaks loops of pathology and gives some higher order cognition a chance to form. I'm using it for CNS benefits over weight still but there's beneficial potential side effects... After some masochistic days, drew some blood in my fitness adventures, pretty drained but quite quickly, the tics have gotten a lot better, the uncontrolled executive stuff, drive into life without feeling in control, that I couldn't sustainably reclaim improved Stress responses are much better, had to ease back a bit I got pretty exhausted today but you bringing the Yang to the day with pushing yourself and you find you become more receptive, the Yin flows in alignment. Exercise really needs to be a component, not a standalone, several studies have found that combining exercise interventions with cognitive training produces significant benefits compared to exercise or cognitive training alone. I'm trying to induce that window of plasticity and use it for learning and ingraining new things, socially and cognitively. Joggin' the Noggin: Towards a Physiological Understanding of Exercise-Induced Cognitive Benefits. Contemporary literature seems to support the idea that greater cardiovascular fitness can contribute to many improvements in cognition via multiple mechanisms that share in common upregulation of neurotrophins including BDNF, made more available by long-term improvements of cerebral circulation, yielding greater neurogenesis and improved capacity for adaptive brain plasticity. Short term, there's CBF changes, slight beneficial functional connectivity changes ↑ BBB permeability ↑ Serum BDNF ↑ Neuronal IGF-1 ↑ Serum and hippocampal VEGF BDNF expression rapidly improves and in weeks you start regulating the transcription of the genes - CREB/PKB activation takes hold Through restoring cardiovascular fitness: Angiogenesis improves in 10 days, along with things like transcriptional regulators of crucial proteins associated with the many diverse functions of cells like FOXO1 (main target of insulin signaling and regulates metabolic homeostasis in response to oxidative stress)/FOXO3a Slowly CNS inflammation decreases Improved cerebral circulation - in 3 weeks there's notable shifts Brain plasticity shifts in a slower timeframe, giving way to structural changes and cognitive benefits I'm pushing myself to my fitness level in a way that I can hopefully sustain. Exercise‐related improvements are dependent on continued exercise compliance. In one study, hippocampal neurogenesis was significantly elevated in mice after 10 days of aerobic exercise, but that this increase returned to baseline just 24 h after cessation of physical activity. Within 10 days of dropping exercise, CBF can return to prior baselines. Even a single bout of exercise changes regional blood flow and brain activation [1] Widespread exercise effects on brain structure and function at the systems-, cellular-, and molecular level of brain organisation. These neurobiological mechanisms may explain the well-established positive influence of exercise on performance in various behavioral domains but also its contribution to improved skill learning and neuroplasticity. Many growth factors and neurotransmitters, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and serotonin, increase with running and have been causally linked to running-induced upregulation of neurogenesis. Exercise plus learning enhances LTP, myelination and synaptogenesis. "Short-term exercise usually potentiates cell proliferation, while long-term exercise primarily enhances neuronal differentiation and survival. Chronic moderate running led to an increase of cell proliferation, survival, neuronal differentiation, and migration. In contrast, intense running only promoted neuronal differentiation and migration, which was accompanied with lower expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, and erythropoietin." [1] http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0085163 There's a review of the effects of exercise here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurobiological_effects_of_physical_exercise

Spin that positive Self-narrative over illness... Personality Traits, Ego Development, and the Redemptive Self. People high in neuroticism tend to construct life stories with a more negative emotional tone, compared with individuals lower in neuroticism. You have to make a movement from a demonstrably negative situation, typically involving fear, anxiety, sadness, or anger, to a positive outcome. You reshape ego function, through the stages to greater health, slowly. You go and re-shape your life a bit but in a greater way that's embracing greater tolerance for cognitive complexity, more advanced perspective taking, and more nuanced understandings You tap into sensitivity to suffering, improve in morals, adopt prosociality Adults at midlife whose autobiographical narrative accounts more closely approximate the redemptive self exhibit higher levels of positive societal engagement and enjoy better psychological well-being, compared with adults whose life-narrative protocols show fewer instances of the themes of the redemptive self. Psychologically healthy and socially engaged adults generally narrate their lives in a prototypical fashion labeled the redemptive self, consisting of five themes: (a) a sense of childhood advantage, ( empathy for others' sufferings, © moral steadfastness, (d) turning of negative events into positive outcomes (redemption sequences), and (e) prosocial goals. The redemptive self was positively associated with four of the Big Five traits: extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability http://sci-hub.tw/10.1177/0146167216665093

Nice to meet you @Quarzo If you ever need a non-judgemental chat, always up for that, send me a message anytime, my mental and social skills aren't the best so don't feel you're alone, it's a good community to get some health and connection back. Best wishes.

Know that feeling of limited community, I'd suggest looking into starting up plant meets if you can find those connections locally, it's like coming home having those meets for me and you can establish better healthy community connection. Sometimes I think efforts to dissociate/move away from the culture can bolster ego pathology whereas merging into it as the unique you with a gift to share tames it. Learn to relate to the plants as proxy to the larger community maybe, for me that's currently propagating things and giving plants to grow free boxes etc, find that contribution to what you're dissociating from so you can feel like you're "being the change you want to see"

Thanks for sharing, if you can find new ways of community that let you be you and grow -. Don't fall into the trap of totally disconnecting from the world. For me, the community garden has been vital. Inclusive away from the cultural destructive ways. The more you disconnect the more you can suffer IMO. Not saying rush into the madness of the world but find your tribe and maintain connections, build connections within and in the world. I'd suggest things like in states where cognition is malleable, exploring creative divergent thinking, while tapping into feelings, to broaden your concept of you to new levels of inclusion and acceptance. With creative divergent thinking seems to come deeper empathy and emotional health that's not dissociating which can become pathology Do you have any inclusive healthy community opportunities like that in your life @TheMooseZeus?

I had a recent experience of going from being disconnected and dissociated from society and community to feeling the love of reconnection Slowly each day my goal is to, through embodied action, break a barrier between you and me There's no glory in seeing differences that don't encourage healing growth - Are you including others with mutual respect and reciprocity, or building barriers in the community? Just a sprinkle of your love to yourself and others starts to liberate healing entropy. We each have different journeys but it's through environments of inclusivity that people can heal and be free. I don't believe we should segregate people just because they are unique individuals and live a life differently. In the right encouraging frameworks pathology gives way to divinity I see so much suffering and lack of inclusion, in doing such We create community centred on pathology. I see pathology in our social structures, power divisions and egocentricity - The western world is so much you vs me. It's not until you see divinity in all creation that you feel breaking those barriers that stop you from feeling worthy of a we, you embrace a stance of greater equality. It's not until one decides they're worth it that they undertake the journey to break free, that they can be a whole person in the community. Being locked into illness is to be stuck prisoner of me, you feel unworthy of a we It's like being stuck in an abysmal unconscious sea Social defeat breaks you down daily Slowly, you start to see Beyond the shackles that hold you to misery Expanding beyond pathology empathetically You adopt acceptance towards your journey and others radically You embody action creatively Connecting with others in loving relationships and uplifting is by definition Pure Divinity While breaking apart and creating divisions maintains you selfishly With each step towards embodying that Divine essence you regain freedom. We bypass the more concrete, cognitive-oriented parts of the brain to access the symbolic, creative subconscious, uncovering deeper, intuitive feeling etc that is sometimes complicated but restores wholes. You can bring unconscious process driving you pathologically into creative conscious impulses that can set you free. Cognitive frameworks build divisions while feeling Heart brings unity You get to a place where you hold space for yourself and others compassionately You empower your presence, you have a divine loving aspect that you deserve to be Conscious loving choice with a growth mindset can set you free Diverging and connecting to loving conscious choices elevate you back cortically The pathological self-feelings, loops of lower mind, start to flee You embody a broader concept of Me You let divine manifest in the strangest ways, judgement of self or others isn't healing liberation, you could feel worthy to just be You learn to love your Self and the reconnect to we Mindfully breaking pathology by creating loving connecting spaces between you and me Us connecting and contributing to a better community That is what I define living life purposely

How does Ayahuasca go vs conventional mindfulness training? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29615905 In some states, particularly if someone is locked into extreme (pathological) cognitive frameworks, you cannot retrain/instill mindfulness without causing strengthened cognitive pathology with many conventional approaches IMO. I'd like to see a dissociation of the effects of β-carbolines only studied. I don't believe the more visionary aspect is always required. Particularly in mental illness, where you need to reach therapeutic mindful states without always going through profound ego deaths and rebirths. Recent research has shown that the β-carbolines may also have a relevant contribution to the overall effects. Specifically, harmine, THH, and the harmine metabolite harmol, stimulate adult neurogenesis. It also enhances GABAergic transmission onto basoamygdala projection neurons and appears to have distinct effects on functional connectivity and EEG parameters. Acutely, strong and widespread clusters found between β-carbolines circulating levels and spectral changes in the EEG suggests these compounds do contribute quite strongly to the effects, sans extreme psychoactivity. "Compared to non-users, habitual ayahuasca consumers show lower hopelessness and depression levels, and higher scores on certain personality traits like agreeableness and openness The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire or FFMQ (Baer et al., 2006; Cebolla et al., 2012) is a self-reported questionnaire that measures five mindfulness components: (1) Observing: noticing external and internal experiences, e.g., body sensations, thoughts or emotions; (2) Describing: putting words to, or labeling the internal experience; (3) Acting with awareness: focusing on the present activity instead of behaving mechanically; (4) Non-Judging the inner experience: taking a non-evaluative stance toward the present experience, thoughts or emotions; and (5) Non-Reacting to the inner experience: allowing thoughts and feelings to come, without getting caught up in, or carried away, by them. Sample items for each sub-scale include: Observing “When I take a shower or bath, I stay alert to the sensations of water on my body”; Describing “I’m good at finding words to describe my feelings”; Acting with awareness “I am easily distracted”; Non-Judging “I tell myself I should not be feeling the way I am feeling”; and Non-Reacting “I watch my feelings without getting lost in them.” From a neurobiological perspective, our findings can be linked to the selective modulation by ayahuasca of specific brain regions and networks. In a neuroimaging study using MRI, we found associations between Non-Judging increases and post-acute neurometabolic and connectivity changes (Sampedro et al., 2017). Reductions in the levels of the excitatory glutamate–glutamine complex in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) correlated with Non-Judging increases 24 h after ayahuasca intake and at follow-up 2 months later. In the same study, increased functional connectivity between the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the PCC and between the ACC and the medial temporal lobe (MTL) also correlated with Non-Judging at the two assessment time points. Thus, desirable effects at the psychological level were linked on the one hand to neurometabolic reductions in the PCC, a region which is key to the sense of self (Vogt and Laureys, 2005) and is abnormally hyperactive in certain psychiatric conditions (Hamilton et al., 2011). On the other hand, enhanced Non-Judging relied also on increased neural network cross-talk and on an increased coupling of activity between the ACC, a key center of self-monitoring and other aspects of executive function (Kelly et al., 2009) and the MTL, a limbic region processing memory and emotion (Dolcos et al., 2004). "

That;s really awesome @mysubtleascention, thanks for the detailed response and how these systems of inspired art work - to put what is at my impression heartfelt compassionate healing intent behind art for others is a magical intent, Well done. I'm still a bit easily distracted by dissolving loops in my head, that said, it's getting better, I could see if one could attune to total presence, merge with the complete experience more in these works of art, that would be powerfully magic.

These are interesting @mysubtleascention I was really confused by these Art.Tele.Port initially but there almost seems to be a way you're using these to bring unconsciousness to conscious healing? You write the poetry and put personal touches in to resonate others to different insights?

As for how tapping into creativity is going, it's improving my relationship with Self and the universe around me. Bringing me to a deeper empathetic place of Heart. It's like you can channel a Creative Self impulse then embody that through embodied action in the world to lift your vibration beyond states of pathology... Empathizers and systemizers process social information differently. Systemising (being interested in physical things and processes) can be pathological - can you solve et coagula it through kindling the creative you? You have to undo the systemising... systemisers engage in social information processing differently: systemisers in more cognitive terms and empathisers with stronger automatic emotional reactions. Multiple studies have suggested an association between prosocial traits and creativity, indicating the possible association between empathising and creativity. Creativity measured by divergent thinking (CDT) was significantly associated with the the individual degree of empathising (empathising quotient, EQ) in ASD [1] During guided emotional and cognitive empathy tasks, these differences between empathisers and systemisers disappeared. What happens if you ingrain this as much as you can? I can attest, it totally changes your social outlook and emotional state, seemingly quite quickly and robustly with reasonably long term effects if you embody the creative insights with embodied action in the world. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25191299 The wings of biopsychosocial-spiritual medicine Worlds lovingly colliding gives way to positive striving whereas Patient and Professionals are stuck by dividing parts from the whole, psychiatry really lacks soul Is that real medicine when professional worlds aren't building Hearts? Medicine should be a mutually creative balance of healing science and art. Not always throwing scripts of often ineffective pharmaceuticals that can be more like darts In allowing such division and externalising power to others, one sells their soul Patient loses their internal locus of healing and becomes unwhole, Rather than embodying and reaching intrinsic holistic healing goals What happens when mutual respect develops and professionals seek not power roles? But become mutually loving friendly encouraging souls? Let there be a natural hearty unfolding in mutually respecting equal roles? There becomes a dance, lives of worth shine One exits hazy rigid stances and builds worth that makes pathology benign Medicine can be done right, Divine Power struggles of a world of You and I give way to We Pathology dissolves like a drop in the sea In a world of rational analytic pathologising, One stays shrunk without rising Suspending cognitive frameworks for listening and acceptance causes a freeing space Making room for considering the biopsychosocial-spiritual non-pathologically, Normalises odd to a creative art form of individual worth, not tarry DSM-5 paste. Slow inner healing medicine overtakes ineffective pharmacological brute force haste Is a much better taste, one finds their place Friends chat freely, strengthened is the aspects of feeling One loses the forces that kept one fried to feel measly ends, healing Acceptance and non-judgement puts emphasis on restoring inner balanced health, Internal power returns, no longer a patient or consumer but an active embodied agent of inner self-healing wealth What bound to Earthly realms becomes Heavenly reaching, The goal for us to to learn and be teaching Old friends who'd been struck with similar challenge collide, Provide encouragement for the journey of finding hearts the wider world, we're each finding our own healthy stride With growing love Struggles become a peaceful spirited dove One continues the quest to Rise Above

Interesting, I'm wondering if this one is actually Kaempferia (I was told it was 'Lesser Galangal' but I'm now not 100% sure) that I've been using. I haven't had any flowers yet but it looks somewhat different to A. officinarum with the leaves on the pictures I see. I bought some ka chai = kra chai = krachai Latin name: Kaempferia galanga today from the Chinese store, I'll give that a go!

Last night whereas before fear would have built inner social walls, I started to burn those down. Today I continued that burning the darkness from my life with family Nature, friends and neighbours through embodied action. In a world of illness and exclusion, only the deepest hearts make room for a new social start It must be with gratitude you accept those who come into your world, each is an inner heart waiting to unfurl From the social silence and social inaction cancerous love grows. To reach out to talk to another, from a place of radical acceptance is to embrace new flow You are worthy of voice, of choice, so to am I You must trust that people do care, that life can be fair To include All equally is to add a flight to the fall. I reach out beyond my fears and anxiety to start to reconnect with All. No distinctions, no walls, no barriers, no criteria Leaving behind fears of being unworthy, and in encouraging myself to get to start to know people who had also really been knocked around by life, in mutual respect of our journeys It made me question what love through compassionate action is? To me, love is non-possessive, it is our core of our being - that is explored through radical acceptance, non-judgement and creating spacious space for people to be as they are. Giving people space to self express, come as they are, and listening. Encouraging and assisting with growth. The world shuts down your healthy creative expression of your being from a young age. Blocks that flow through not appreciating the worth of it, calling it names that make people feel unworthy of kindling that aspect in themselves.. . Calling all who deem their creative being as unworthy of sharing... find your creative flow here below in a radically accepting place - write/share your art/music, your creative flow below... the stuff you've never kindled in yourself. Collide your world here with mine through your starts at creativity - you've got a lower self to blow apart and Self to grow. Do that in a place we can all feel the liberation of stagnation with no condemnation. You might not have a place to share that you feel it will be appreciated. Below is that spot This is particularly aimed at people who feel they have no voice of health in life, have been beaten down. For those who have kind of developed that creative aspect, that's awesome but this is the beginners place to grow. I've recently tapped into ground up super simple creative approaches to find some healing balance. I think if we could stop sharing others content etc, bad news and instead embraced individual creative flow with eachother in radical acceptance, the world would be such a healthier place It starts from 'I totally suck' or 'I'm not creative', 'yes, I'm worthy of that aspect' to 'yes I'll try' to 'yes I'll share'. You merge inner worlds with other and express self-worth. Many people struggle with this. You move outward from your self-imposed barriers with positive creativity. You break the me down, rebuild it and embrace a deeper Self. I'm totally feeling the worthiness of all creative attempts, this is totally not anyone knocking anyone's attempts below, it's not my forte at all, I just want you to let out the pain holding you back in some form of creative expression and find the liberation that sharing creatively, of feeling that someone is listening can offer. To find your inner creative voice, to feel worthy of expressing such, even when you don't think you have one or that no-one will listen. I'd prefer this to be a space below to be where people can write a flow piece from their hearts, art that you'd feel scared to share, anything that is cathartic, nourishing, breaking through darkness etc etc. Where I see a heartfelt breakthrough, if you'd like something for your garden, I can try and gift you something to go in your garden. Didn't know where to put this but this is a space where I am offering not a prize, or a trade but where I see pain and breakthrough to light, a gift in the hope to bring people more out of their shells and find and encourage their creative expression - from my garden to yours to encourage that process - we'll work something out. Just something from my heart to encourage your journey where I can deeply feel your struggle. As I see as fit.

There are very different shamanic type journeys. There's the one many people encourage but I get annoyed with people who think it's the only one: the more meditative inner journey of accept, non-judge, go in to, surrender etc through an introspective state. That's cool and if your health is OKish, psychological processes are adequate, it can work really well. I've explored that a bit. Last night was a nice inner introspective going within happening which was nice. I've noted though you can't rely on only that process, when there's a background of crippling neurological, emotional, psychological and spiritual content that needs to be restored ie after suicide attempts/heavy trauma/clinical level pathology etc, I find you need to be open to a quite messy high-voltage 'externalise to depathologise, accept and in healthier states, re-internalise and grow through embodied action'. This is a heavily reliant on putting out the ill processes, 'exorcising' them from being ill inner processes creatively, to bring fragmented pieces of Soul back to healthier states, to experience new modes of thinking/feeling/being through whatever means comes naturally in flow, to restoring through that creative potential, a healthier inner emotional/psychological/spiritual process. Anyone else find that?

Tonight's session was creatively designing a more formal ritual, and re-write 'I am' The language of Mental Health - I think it needs a shake up. This is what I find the ground up basics to re-empower yourself include, changing your pathological self-talk to Self talk. Who are you today? Today I am a runner, I am a shopper for family's needs, I am a house hunter, I am a gardener. I am continuing some Feng shui. I am an amateur creative person. I am a learning lover. I am finding some Presence in the moment Words like "I am" a very powerful. If you think, feel, believe, embody 'I am depressed'/'I am anxious'/'I am an addict'/'I am autistic', even 'I am schizophrenic' etc you easily write self-fulfilling prophecies. To undo those narratives is quite a task. That is the most disempowering you can be to yourself, to use self-language like that. Or to use that language towards others. It's important to have a level of radical non-judging acceptance of struggle, I am struggling with my mood, I am struggling with the socio-emotional, I am struggling with my intake of..., I am struggling with reality issues etc. When you create a space between you and your struggles, you leave room for growth. You have opportunity to engage with that struggle through actioned growth. It's kind of a mindfulness thing at it's simplistic level In creating spaces, you create healing opportunities. You create space for other individuals, too You start to allow for a more detached and less judgmental stance toward potentially distressing thoughts and emotions, too. If your 'I am' is a stance of pathology, that's exactly what you experience. I don't think it's healthy to say I am God. Unless that is unconditional love. Any concept of Power probably shouldn't be an I am concept, use empowering self-talk but not Power. I am Divine Potentiality, I am of God, a co-creator with God etc is OK if that helps you maybe? But I don't think it's overly healthy to centre yourself around power. There's growth vs power. While I struggle each day with all my might, I'm slowly learning to love with less short-sight I'm making some progress but I want to totally let go of the Dark Night Blessed by the Sky, Cradled by the Mother, All of us to reach toward Divine is a birthright, that's no lie. I thank them for their presence and aim to reach each day towards the Sky It's not right to daily have to fight your mind with such effort just to embody Heart and be Self, Love and a Work of evolving Art. Calling the spirits of Mansoa (Ajo Sacha) and Vine. I walk through this world battling an entity not serving mine. For a long time, ruling my brain and fighting my mind. It holds me in a hell of a battle, I lovingly seek light and with an invisible rattle I ask the medicine to unlatch it's grasp Gently help me continue each day forward with ease and stay In health and expanding compassionate action for All. With deep gratitude I ask: cleanse my spirit, mind and heart, So I can continue my healing task May all dark spirits return to their land, never to return May I continue to evolve in Love and Light, to bring a touch of Heaven to help me burn away the Dark = The purpose of ritual is to bring about the appropriate physical and mental conditions which will allow an individual a union with a heightened state of consciousness. The union with the deity is nothing more than a union with, what may be termed, the Higher Self or the Real Self. A well-constructed rite will dissolve this separateness and opposition, hence, the possibility of an emotional experience - While the the archetypes of the rite have no meaning to the left hemisphere consciousness, the right-hemisphere understands the archetypes and the metaphors contained in the rite. The symbolic language of the archetype is linked to ideas in the psyche within the unconscious. - The aim is often to keep the left-hemisphere occupied. "For when the left-hemisphere is busy it tends not to block the right hemispheric processes. The right hemisphere, it will be remembered, works on a totally different system and uses a completely different language. It is the right-hemisphere where metaphors and archetypes can cause change. We see is that there is a higher, middle, and lower mind. The higher mind, when a concrete union is made, is direct and to the point. One must take care in what is thought while in this state of awareness and union. For at this point things tend to reflect rather precisely from one dimension to another. The use of the name of the deity is nothing but a mantra to contact this part of the mind through the attunement to a particular part of the brain. Possibly this attunement could be to the right frontal cortex which tends to be a more synthetic part of the brain. The middle portion of the mind is a bit slower and needs some encouragement in order to be reached. This is why the name of the deity is used. You will notice that what apparently is being done is the attunement to two particular portions of the brain. In other words, a higher portion empowers a lower portion. It may be that the inner portions of the brain, possibly the limbic system, will become vibrated with the name of power and this in turn will vibrate an outer portion of the brain, possibly the left frontal cortex. The lower area of the mind is very sluggish and must be forced into operation. Consequently there is the use of external archetypes and methods of external control and/or manipulation. There may be a connection with the lower brain centers (referred to as the “reptilian brain”) here and consequently the necessity of using the name of the deity along with mention of the names of those powers whom the deity presumably controls. This would then be a mantra system which would bring out the more primal responses which could go in either direction; positive or negative." The rite, if well-trained, will be able to produce mood effects. It has been found that several things are occurring when phenomena are produced: 1) the temporal lobe of the brain appears to be most active; 2) phenomena appear to be relatively right-hemispherical brain phenomena, seems to be facilitated by decreases sympathetic nervous system activity and arousal of the autonomic nervous system activity level and cause an improved healing altered state of consciousness. Modified from: www.body-mind-unlimited.com/PDF/ReligiousRitual.pdf

Through Galangal. It's given some action and direction when everything was falling apart into the pathologic focal distraction. A food and medicine of Heart and Spirit I sent the universe a request, I asked the plant spirit recently to turn what was mangled To give me a Yang of health and goal-directed action, a healthy Yin. It took doing that through action, in incremental steps. These plants help me break such heavy contraction It hasn't been easy but today I pot up lots of baby Galangal These Galangal have spread local and interstate I'm working on improving better traits. (also lot of polyphenol rich grape vines)

Yeah I find that interesting too, it seems to be a complex of likely flavonoids and other constituents that give rise to effects, complex beyond a simple couple of receptor interactions. I also don't find anxiolyics and many sedatives sedating at appropriate doses, While I have a GABA system that is quite atypical, I tend to get energising liberation from anxiety. I also find it's the way you use the plant, if you use it as an integration energy, you go from breaking apart to building new connections in yourself, to the universe, to others it becomes an exothermic psychological stimulating process. Sometimes dropping walls with something can encourage that A friend said one of their teachers says Galangal encourages dreams

Nice day of incremental embodied positive action with a creative edge, a connecting to others edge. Today I'm embodying deeper creative action, started to Feng shui (ie clean) areas of the house more. Just got enough momentum to engage another task-orientated task in the world. Got for my run and enjoyed the rainbow lorikeets. Did the dishes. Posted a galangal to someone. Made Divine the Mundane. On a background of rusty technological progress, in melted plastic signifying 'progress' - is that the real process? We get stuck, we build walls, get lost... Disconnect from our Hearts Today I see the Heavenly potential in All Some of us are returning to the World with Rekindled Love for Nature, The World, You, Me Today I choose to not see fences between You and Me. I choose not to build walls between You and Me. Today I see universes in universes. The Heavenly Sky bursts forth in a show of flowers Each one of us is divine potentiality I bring my Yang to the day with a run and a gift The Yin flows in alignment Transcendence, Immanence and Mental Health "...transcendence provides evidence and insight that being human means being dependent, and that the life space we inhabit is one of interdependence, not independence. It also shows us that self- protectiveness, isolation, and the ubiquitous human desire for omnipotence produce great suffering." We discover sense of connectedness, a belief in the unitive nature of life, fulfilment found in encounters with a transcendent reality, tolerance of paradoxes, non-judgementalness, a desire to live in the moment, and gratitude. We also find peace in the immanence of life. The journey of transcendence, to break free from ruled by suffering You can foolishly chase spiritual bypass heights, or grow through incremental action From Mundane to Sacred. A spiritual journey can make you grow Inner demons can become friends, or turn on you and make you fend Sometimes it takes mind-blowing to see the Light, when is you see it, you know your feel a deeper role, to seek and embody that in a balanced way It's hard to forget, you don't want to stay stuck in the Dark Night of the Soul You never forget your shadow but life becomes about transcending struggles, sometimes it just takes a mere hello Everything takes on a lively glow Your heart fills with passion, life becomes construed with deeper meaning not following the mainstream fashions But it easily turns ungrounded You start taking on things too unfounded That's where creativity becomes stabilising, There's space for you and me, You regain balance in creating your voice, your music, your song, your dance, your art You find healing in joining with others It affirms your life as unique and worthy, of meaning and depth, other's as being worth it as they are As you affirm you compassionately with grounded action Head and Heart heal You begin to have deeper loving feels. The sacred, then, is manifest in a continuous spectrum of modalities, ranging from the mundane to the divine, from the completely immanent to the completely transcendent. In mental health generally, it is often a transcendent relationship (i.e. with God) that is understood as being at the heart of whatever it is that appears to many to be beneficial about spirituality in conferring resilience towards and improved recovery from mental disorders. For example, Ellermann and Reed refer to spirituality as ‘a self-transcendence whereby personal boundaries are expanded transpersonally to connect one to a higher power or purpose greater than the self’ (Ellermann and Reed 2001). It has been suggested that transcendence may in fact be concerned with the transcendence of suffering (Craigie 2008). Similarly, in Howden’s Spirituality Assessment Scale, transcendence is understood as ‘The ability to reach or go beyond the limits of usual experience; the capacity, willingness, or experience of rising above or overcoming body or psychic conditions; or the capacity for achieving wellness or self-healing’ ‘Letting go’, acceptance, mindfulness, non-attachment, serenity, spiritual surrender, gratitude and forgiveness. Of these approaches, it seems to me, only spiritual surrender more or less requires some kind of understanding of the transcendent as God or a Higher Power.

Whereas before I would have said ECT/medicine those inner demons out of you, these days I say dance/drum them out of you in your own crazy way. "Dance is a pleasurable and captivating activity that involves motor, cognitive, visuospatial, social, and emotional engagement. Although practiced for thousands of years in rituals and as a leisure activity, the long-term effects of systematic dance training on cognition, and brain structure and function are not well understood." I see the power in engaging music with movement to restore control over aberrant subcortical processes. For me, it's still unco quasi drumming but I'm getting better synchronising and matching beats. Cortico-basal ganglia loops are essential in dance training and execution as they control body posture, movement, and action selection With some good high voltage music and noone watching the craziness, I work up to a crazy little enjoyable drumming dance. Brain regions involved in mediating the aesthetic response shift from subcortical regions associated with dopaminergic reward processing to posterior temporal regions involved in processing multisensory integration, emotion, and biological motion. [1] Currently, there is increasing interest in dance as a therapeutic intervention for various clinical groups, ranging from developmental disorders such as Down syndrome (Lifshitz-Vahav et al., 2016), to neurological disorders such as schizophrenia (Martin et al., 2016) and mood disorder (depression; Meekums et al., 2015), neuromotor disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (McNeely et al., 2015), to dementia prevention and management (Ballesteros et al., 2015; Adam et al., 2016).[2] [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4402020/ [2] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/…/fnhum.2017.00566/full It's really nice when you become more of a master of your consciousness and learn to reach those highs and healingly modify consciousness endogenously and through music etc. I've moved through many interesting altered states recently [1]: Sensory: An altered experience of space, time, and other sensory phenomena. Recollective-analytic: An experience in which individuals develop novel ideas and revelations about themselves, the world, and their role within the world. Symbolic: Identification with a historical figure or famous person accompanied by mystical symbols such as having a vision of a crucifix or an angel. Integral: A religious and/or mystical experience usually involving God or some other supernatural being or force. The person usually feels merged with or at one with the universe. This state has sometimes been called cosmic consciousness. Krippner and other experts believe that very few people are actually capable of attaining this level of consciousness. Tapped into a bit of Trance states: An alert but very suggestible state. An individual in a trance is focused on a single stimulus and oblivious to much of everything else going on around them: “induction of an empty trance matrix reduces the noise of thought and more or less suspends the normal and pathological frame of beliefs and references” I'm learning the power to induce ASCs through dance, quasi-drumming, music etc. Music functions in many different contexts to alter consciousness. Concepts of trance and ecstasy are linked to the amount of body movement to music. The activation pattern (blood flow) of brain regions (increased: ventral striatum, dorsomedial midbrain, insula, orbitofrontal cortex; decreased: amygdala, left hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex) shows a surprising similarity to activity patterns induced by drugs with a primarily euphoric effect Time Is the Key: Music and Altered States of Consciousness Starting from the auditory centers, the cascade of activation initializes changes in parts of the frontal cortex, the mesolimbic reward centers, and finally the nucleus accumbens, releasing waves of dopamine. As expected, the cerebellum and the basal ganglia, regions of the brain involved in dopamine, motor, and timing processes analyzing rhythm and meter in music, became active as well. Phasic increases in dopamine release happen when meaningful objects are in the focus of attention; the higher the personal meaning and valence of the object in focus, the more dopamine is released. One may organize the sounds and rhythms to culminate at a certain important point in the ritual and trigger endogenous processes

I'd call myself pretty uncreative, until recently a vacuumous sponge for info and stuff. That does your head in. You strengthen heavy analytical and linguistic frameworks that might not serve you properly. Still I can try to strengthen an undeveloped aspect. Here's some simple writing, it's not top level but that's where I'm at: From root to crown, The Heart field magnifies, a pulse of life The energetics of doing, growth needs brewing, causes some internal stewing What was suffering and misery through right action give rise to progressive flight Night transmutes through strife, being positive and engaging new life In purging the energetics of never become new feathers. What happens when you creatively re-write the narrative of you in a larger context beyond yourself? It's very different taking an analytical stance/given of you and writing creatively to a broader divergent You. We've been given a socio-cultural narrative, you can accept that and play their game, or creatively re-write it and play a new one. For some of us that given narrative encompasses illness and suffering. I'm not an expert creative writer but creatively re-writing illness narratives engages a different part of you. A new Self. A new You. I noticed for myself, things changed somewhat when I moved from consumptive rituals (tea rituals, medicine rituals, listening to music, reading, even photography is fairly consumptive etc) to engaging creative rituals. It's like being the caterpillar only having consumptive rituals, when you overcome that required activation energy and imprint your worthiness of creative existing into the matrix of the universe in your own creative way, you start to build the transition state to metamorphosis Today I started my day with more quasi-drumming. It just brings me connection to myself and tapping into and synchronising with something aliveish that's not me. Then off for my run etc Creative Cognition and Brain Network Dynamics Creative thought may benefit from dynamic interactions of the default and control networks. Such processes typically involve the top-down modulation of self-generated information: "creative thought, particularly creative idea generation and evaluation, may also involve goal-directed, self-generated cognition". Engaging that creative you causes increased right-hemispheric connectivity during rest. There is right prefrontal areas that get activated as well as the anterior cingulate cortex associated with creative versus uncreative story generation. Something as simple as evaluating and revising self-generated poetry involves relatively increased cooperation of the default and control systems. Idea generation was associated with widespread activity of default regions, whereas idea evaluation was associated with both default (e.g., MPFC and PCC) and control network activity (e.g., DLPFC and ACC). Using conceptual expansion via Verbal creativity, during "creative writing" is associated with verbal and semantic memory as well as semantic integration. Expanding a concept causes activation in a semantic and conceptual integration network comprising the frontopolar cortex, anterior inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex and the temporal poles. Creative achievement has been connected to decreased cortical arousal, as demonstrated by an increased EEG alpha power Higher creativity scores were associated with an increased functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the posterior cingulate cortex causing a stronger interaction within the default mode network - the 'You' http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/schacterlab/files/beatybenedecksilviaschacter2016.pdf The Western mind often falls into consumption, language, control, ego, analysis, power. Heavily strengthened through domination and socio-cultural influences is the 'Left Brain'. We pack info in, learn, absorb, take in negative schemas that probably don't serve us well. In this frame of mind we are stuck in stagnant past. We undertake this absorption to information and analysis over-load. Prefrontal function becomes knocked out through stress and over-reliance on this mode. We slip into being ruled by subcortical processes with no top-down executive control and goal-oriented activity. When we reverse that mode, strenthen the undeveloped emotional and social, the spiritual, surrender to Right Brain, we restore some balance. Catharsis, stress responses normalise Yin and Yang dance to equilibrium Higher prefrontal functions start to normalise.

"We get so obsessed with the outward details that we forget the most important thing, which is to intuitively feel the essence of what we’re doing." I write a poem Cradled by the Divine Gaia Mother, in the afterglow of Moonlight Life sometimes comes with a bit of Hellish bite The Heavens open towards the Sunlight, quite a sight Maintaining balance between yin and a yang that's got more healthy actioned might As we head into another night, the energies balance in an emotional fight between the brain's hemispheres of left and right But the goal is to transcend that struggle to reach greater frontal cortical height Focusing on the positive sublimes the night, making things feel a bit more alright. Neurotically tight consciousness expands towards levels of Light Lately the Self energies for me have been to dissolve the crippling loop of mind "balance and bring to better harmony" and strengthening Heart. For me, that's also trying to find a Healthy Masculine in goal-directed doing but also balance with Healthy Feminine, rekindle receptivity, attune to hearty emotions, Presence, Being. What have they been for you? On cultivating deeper feeling and receptivity - It's quite a paradox I find, in order to feel receptivity to the world, tap into a feeling emotional space of deeper heart, I have to actively engage more with it. Socially, without much happening, it's like the brain generates it's own representations of the world pathologically which over-ride the Heart, to make up for the social lack. But when you engage actively, bring the Yang, the Yin flows back in balance? If there's one thing I've been good at manifesting, it's suffering in my life on all levels emotional, mental, physical, social, and spiritual. It's been kind of solve et coagula lately to dissolve all aspects and try to bring them back to a better balance My mind particularly has this amazing ability to latch onto everything but what really matters. We insist on learning through cold harsh intellect, but we neglect the need to purify our hearts and act from our hearts In a world busy of aimless doing, I've tried so hard to attune to that present moment feeling away from rigid analysis, receptivity and Being. I could never strengthen that aspect through trying structured mindfulness etc, focusing on breath etc just didn't work, I was too broken and dissociated, even my walks were losing receptive presence. I totally lost the ability to watch a movie etc, watch TV shows, not that I enjoy such but anyway, just seeking that being Present to Receive I always thought I would dive into an enhancing spiritual states through spiritual pursuit, but I've more recently discovered some spiritual experience through grounded action instead and want to pursue that. Sounds paradoxical to become more receptive to the world by seeking receptivity... Likewise I sometimes question if you get more spiritual by seeking spirituality? I found my most spiritual times have not been through active seeking but caused by breaking through hellish suffering, something like there being an equilibrium trying to restore. I couldn't find that day to day being present receptivity since I got ill. I've been finding it sometimes comes from action, in throwing yourself more at the world, with a bit of Yang, the Yin of present receptivity flows back at you. I go for my runs and find I'm more receptive etc. Anyone else find something like that? I don't seem to be the only person who finds this, “It came from action, through which I began discovering moments of presence in that state where the distinction between action and presence disappears.”