Saturday 19 September 2015

What is the need for psychedelic experiences?- By Doreen Soans

What is the need for psychedelic experiences?- By Doreen Soans

















Do we all agree that we are need driven?
If so  then the valid question to follow would be; which need of yours is taken care off by  drug consumption?

Lets understand our various needs
Our basic needs are food, clothing and shelter besides this we also have basic emotional needs like feeling belonged, feeling appreciated, feeling nurtured etc. And physical needs like hugs, cuddles, safe touch and sex. In order to make sure that the above needs are met we have agriculture, housing societies, supermarkets, marriage, hospitals etc.

Keeping the above needs in mind, the question that arises in my mind is when did we as a society create the need for drug dealers and wine stores? And where does the need for drugs originate?
Is this need emotional or physical?

I am sure you haven’t ever heard a parent telling their child, that if he/she trip was addicted to the drug called acid then they would buy him/her the latest car or take him/her to the mall or treat him/her with extra pocket money? If there s no gratification from loved ones or even validation then I wonder what drives people to consume drugs or intoxicants?

Let’s take a brief peep into the most common effect that runs parallel amongst all intoxicating drugs and alcohol.

I need you all to understand that there is no materialistic gain in consuming drugs; the gain often emotional.  The euphoria felt while consuming drug helps the person lose of his/her inhibitions and express. This feeling of euphoria masks numbs and disconnects them from the stresses of their lives thus   helping them change their perceptions of the situation.  Drug usage is not a fad or a fashion statement or anything to do with being happening and cool. It is an emotional need.  Once again let me mention there are NO materialistic rewards or stars gained on their behavior board for consumption of a drug. All gratifications are in the emotional form.

Again another important question arises here is “Are any of these effect(s) threatening the person who has induced the drug?” I suppose no. So now the next question is “ Would anyone be willing to get out of such a emotionally gratifying space?” Again, I believe the answer is No.  

The purpose of this article is not to support any kind of drug(s) usage but to understand the motivational factor of this dependency.  When people are in physical pain we nonchalantly promote and advice painkillers.  Similarly there are pills for emotional sufferings and hurt too. What can be the reason behind the increase in the need for these pills?

Let’s switch a bit and look at other forms of addictions. There is food addiction, addiction to shopping, gadgets, work, sex etc. unanimously the reaction I will receive is all of these are safer than drug and alcohol addiction. Dr. Gabor Mate a medical doctor from Vancouver Canada also a speaker on Ted Talk spoke on his addiction to classical compact disc. He felt totally out of control with his addiction to the extent that he left a lady in labor pain to go and get his fill. Like any other addict he too felt his need for the object of addiction taking over his work and personal life.  So are we really being a little biased here towards the object of addictions? If yes then we are creating a conflict here.

Is there a problem with addiction as a behavior or a problem with the object of addiction? (I believe that this discrimination will take our “trippers” on a longer trip to a more distant place.)

Again going back to what Dr Gabor mate quoted on Ted talk was the Egyptian philosophers Nakeeb mafus’ quote “Nothing records the effects of a sad life as graphically as the human body.” We at META-Health study these graphical effects and trace them back to emotionally traumatizing incidents of life to which the person had no plan to deal with.  There is a long list of disease(s) both physical and psychological those are a direct result of feeling isolated & separated.  Both of these feeling have layers of emotions like anger, fear, grief, sadness and guilt. Now let’s assume that you’re feeling all of the above and I so happen to give you a drop or a smoke or a pill that takes you dramatically to a place where you’re not hurting anymore and instead you feel euphoric, confident.  You would end up seeing beautiful colors, feeling like you are a part of an imaginary world. It’s something on the lines of Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia. You’ve your friends with you feeling and experiencing this bond of imaginary world. They help you add more colors to your trip, dancing, holding hands, hugging, and confessing their profound love for you.Where would you want to be?Now please tell me what is it that we as a society are doing that is leaving us so drained and empty that we are creating a need for this trip?

When I go to the mountains for a vacation or to Goa I see many Israelis and Russian tourists taking drugs and living like poppers only to make sure they have enough money left for drugs. I’m not judging or being racist here I’m just trying to help you analyze. What is it that’s going on in Russia and Israel?

Have we somehow created Russia and Israel in our homes? They have their wars; we have our wars at homes telling our kids what to do even more how to do. We have our hunger going on for hugs and love. They are sending their kids to war with other nation; we are sending our kids on wars so that they are better than our neighbors or colleagues kids.  They are forced to pick up arms and ammunitions; our kids are forced to pick up engineering MBAs and medical etc.  Their kids come back to empty plates; our kids come back to empty houses full of food, domestic helps and Wi-Fi for connection.

If our need for better transportation can create the “Metro”, imagine what CAN our need to belong create! Yes, we have already created a network of Ammas and Bhais who give us that trip.

Can we give our kids beautiful, colorful, happy environment to come back home to?  Can we love them hug them and not judge them? If yes, then maybe they will stop calling those Ammas and Bhais for love and belonging.

No amount of anti drug(s) campaigns can help the situation. Telling them that their teeth will decay, their skin will crumble is not going to scare them, because you have already created enough fear in their entire being .If drugs will kill them younger they will embrace it as they will be away from all your projected fears.  They are not afraid of dying they are afraid of living.

In the last decade or so the society has undergone changes at frightening speed; we have been through economic crisis. Unsuccessful marriages, broken families are no more a rare sight to see. Meeting the increasing and never ending demands, abuse against women and children are increasing, abuse in families in form of physical violence and emotional abuse is increasing, people are being attacked for being Hindus, Muslims, Christians and these days also for being gays and lesbians. We are dealing with a generation that somehow feels safe in the virtual world i.e. chat rooms with strangers than they do at their homes. Would you like to be present in this reality, where the “munnis are getting badnaam” and dudes are singing “aata majhi satakli”?

Can we all feel disconnected here? Can we feel isolated? Can we feel separated? Can we feel the need to run away?  Whether someone chooses Mcat or McDonalds, Cocaine or Coke, Alcohol or Work addiction has become a part of our society. We are feeling disconnected, we are feeling separated from the very family that, once was the only connection we had in this world. Why are we hurting? Why are we so sad?

To begin with can we stop judging, ridiculing and discriminating and isolating people?  There is awareness but can we bring acceptance with it? If we don’t accept we will only see problems in the neighbors’ house.  
Let us focus on one common need that is both physical and emotional, our need for love and positive attention. 

They are not asking for your sympathy they are asking you to take responsibility. They are not asking for the best of Steve Jobs they are just asking you to do your job of being there physically and emotionally.