I think Sam is a very able interviewer and I prefer that format. When he speaks solo, it's always on something that doesn't interest me. But that's me.
I love how Sam tells us for 10 minutes how incredibly profound and beautiful psychedelics can be, and then tells us that they’re ultimately unnecessary. Even if they are, I wouldn’t give up the experiences I’ve had. They have also been far more helpful in managing my anxiety and adhd than anything the traditional healthcare system has ever done for me.
I’d like to hear less. Why is this type of content on his Waking Up app? I subscribed to this and certainly didn’t think I’d be supporting such. I want my money back.
there are many who fully disagree with this premise. Myself uncluded ( at least so far). Others like Dennis McKenna still take ayahuasca regularily to this day. The reason is because there is not just one lesson that you get and you hang up. It is more like a continual conversation with the plants. at the end of te day, we should all do what works best I believe :)
Being as fond of Alan Watts as I am, there is one sad truth about him we never should forget: he ultimately died of alcoholism and obviously has been unable to follow many parts of his wisdom and insights which could or even should have prevented this. So there is no reason to take everything he said as coming from an infallible saint. Above that: LSD is well known to be a strong antidote against many hard boiled addictions - especially against alcoholism! So I dare to say that Alan Watts very likely hung up the phone on this behalf much to early.
Psilocybin containing mushrooms saved my life. The drastically reduced my benzodiazepine withdrawal allowing me to quite illicit pill addiction after three years of heavy daily use before it would had became medically dangerous to quit. It has also helped me survive depression.
Psychedelic’s definitely have potential to deal with mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression, I would like to try them again but it’s just so hard to source out here
The Trips I've been having have really helped me a lot,I finally feel in control of my emotions and my future and things that used to be mundane to me now seem incredible and full of nuance on top of that I'm way less driven by my ego and I have alot more empathy as well
@@eliascharles9742 I was having this constant, unbearable anxiety because of university stress. Not until I came across dr.sporess, a very intelligent mycologist. He saved my life honestly
I am feeling the same way too. I put too much on my plate and it definitely affects my stress and anxiety levels. I am also glad to be a part of this community.
My 2nd mushroom trip was only 3.5g but I achieved utter ego death. The complete sense of oneness didn't feel trippy but more sobriety. It was the most profound realization I've had in my life.
As I woke up up today, I felt rough from drinking , I keep trying to get my life sorted out , but have failed …. I listened to this upload , snd my day has been different. I got lots of work done and I feel more energised, I don’t feel like drinking and I just want to work on my business ! I was on my knees crying over and over after this post , I want to change and feel this has given me the strength and insight to do it !!!
I was one guilty of hand waving away “mystical “ or “spiritual” experiences on psychedelics. My friends know me as being hyper skeptical of anything of the sort…about religion above all else. However, I took my first mushroom trip last week and it’s so hard to explain how I felt. Years of depression and anxiety just melted away during that trip. At the time I was convinced that I had glimpses into the goal of meditation. A complete cessation or anxiety, fear, sadness….even if only for a little while, was enough to fill me with hope, joy, and curiosity. Listening to this talk on the way back home just hit the nail on the head for my experience. And I couldn’t help but be absolutely intentional about meditative practice moving forward. I love you Sam.
Over the years I have heard Sam market meditation. Multiple times I have attempted to take them seriously and even try some beginner meditation. For whatever reason I was never convinced and so I just moved on from the idea. Sam has finally managed to find the perfect combination of words in the sequence of these clips to finally convince me of the value of meditation, it has finally clicked in my mind and I am now seriously interested in learning more.
I started doing psychedelics at Grateful Dead shows in the mid 80s. It was, without a doubt, one of the most formative periods of my life. The synergistic group-mind effect of 20,000 rapturous people all focused on the same moment in time as each moment of the music passed was transcendent. I was never more in the moment, and less concerned about yesterday or tomorrow, than in those 3 hours. I started meditating a few years ago, using Sam's app when it was in beta, and got grandfathered in for free for life. The few minutes of mindfulness I spend each day is not as mind-blowingly, skull-scrapingly reorienting as were acid trips at Grateful Dead concerts, but the underlying sense of being untethered from the weight of the past or the future is the same phenomenon. It's well worth exploring.
@@ThatOneScienceGuy you comment about Sam finding the correct combination of words to get his point across. I’m an early season of BB, Walt says “I mean, I truly believe there exists some combination of words. There must exist certain words in a certain specific order that can explain all of this, but with her I just can't ever seem to find them.” 💪🏾
Psychedelic’s definitely have potential to deal with mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression, I would like to try them again but it’s just so hard to source here
Psychedelics are the reason why i didn’t take my life when i was at my end. I was stripped of my ego and saw the beauty of life and interconnectivity and even though i still battle anxiety and depression, I’m doing better everyday and will never think in such a self destructive way again.
LSD and mushrooms completely changed my whole outlook on life. I became a better version of myself This experience gave me a lot of confidence about my self and my body. A bunch of bad thought / behavior patterns were broken. One of these was pretty bad OCD that made me wash my hands a lot. It gave me a lot of hope that things will be fine, this is the one thing that I heard throughout the trip: Everything is alright. The main reason for the trip was my severe depression and it definitely helped me (although it's not gone). Before all I could do was lay in bed. Now I am trying to rebuild my life one step at a time which wasn't possible before."
I wish Sam would simply keep talking about psychedelics and meditation and consciousness and forget all the cultural noise. This was truly on the level of Terrence McKenna. What a great listen
@@paradigmprimeproductions1008 I'm still very curious about what is consciousness. I can't help but think it just means awareness. Can we be alive without awareness? What would it be like to have no senses or no sensory experience at all but still be alive and breathing? Is consciousness being alive? or being aware? Can one be without the other? These are some questions I would like answers to.
@@paradigmprimeproductions1008 I am also still very curious free will as well. What is will? Isn't it a desire? How does it make sense to call a desire free when we don't choose to feel anything at all? What exactly allows us to make decisions? It surely isn't feeling. But feelings do play the role of motivation. But what exactly does anything at all? We know we are aware. How is it that we can manage our attention? I would like answers to these as well.
I've always wanted to understand how psychedelics can intensify emotions so much. It's such an important thing to understand. Offers insight into the production of our consciousness
Research the chemicals in the brain that are associated with emotions such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine etc. and how different drugs effect them. It’s a fascinating world.
11:12 There will come a time when you do everything for the last time. Every moment is a finite opportunity to savour your life. Every moment is precious. Paying more attention can make every moment precious. Attention is a true source of wealth - even more than time. Mindfulness is the tool that will help you pay attention. The alternative is to always be lost in thought. Continually wake up from being lost in the dream of thoughts of the past and present.
Years ago, I boarded the "freight train of absolute significance" and found it to be all that Sam describes. Later, meditation changed my life. Would I have found meditation without first riding the train? As usual, I'm endlessly curious...and as usual, Sam's questions are better than answers.
I love the analogy of meditation without psychedelics can be compared to learning a musical instrument without ever hearing music. I thought I understood the concept before the comparison , but definitely resonated with me, and helped me to appreciate the scope of searching for something that you can’t imagine.
I have managed somehow by now, I am 63, to live my life without drugs and mindfulness or religious faith. I am quite happy with my life and I must be very lucky...
I suffer from PTSD and depression, originating from 4 x traumatic bereavements: suicide, bus crash and the murder of two loved ones. Listening to this podcast produced a profound change in my consciousness that lasted for 5 days. I'm incredibly grateful, Sam. Thank you.
@@spookyskeleton4977 what's your mushroom protocol? A friend gave me some today. He's encouraging me to do a large dose but I'm thinking microdosing is sensible to start. What's your experience? Do you find them helpful?
@@ChrisJWinn I going to be honest with the highest I ever tripped was 1.2 grams it was effective for my depression. I plan I taking it every time I notice I'm going down that depression hole. I never did a high dose because I'm honestly scared as I 0 friends that could be trip sitters. I don't like the idea of taking something everyday so I never really microdosed. (I did but couldn't notice a difference,) I also done ketamine infusions but low dose psliocybin trips has helped me more than anything. I notice my adhd and motivation is better too. I did do a God dose of lsd accidently it was utterly insane but I forgot most of it now. I say trip and give it a shot. Start small like a gram and go up. Infrequent microdoses have been found to be better than microdosing for mental health. But every one is different. I think the goal should always be to psychedelics as least often as possible it's easy to lose yourself even with microdosing. Sorry for the essay, adhd sorry.
@@ChrisJWinn ptsd and psychedelics can be really intense at times so be wary. Have a trip sitter, and maybe get a therapist that is open to talking about psychedelics and your experience. Remember the healing comes from within at the end of the day. Shrooms really just help you better build habits and see new perspectives. You'll know what I'm talking about when you trip. If you have any more question, I'll be happy to answer, it's hard to navigate this path without help.
Thank you for this Sam. I follow all your episodes and this one is without a doubt on my top 5. The way you present the case for meditation is one of the best I have heard so far. More of this please.
The insights gained from a single psychedelic session can be integrated and embodied for many years. I believe it's wise to "hang up the phone" after a few psychedelic experiences. Undertaking too many sessions may lead to an overwhelming influx of advanced insights, which can ultimately become a significant source of suffering. A psychedelic experience can be likened to temporarily being transported to the tenth grade as a first grader. Upon returning to grade one, one will have to go through grades 2-10, always with the faint memory of having been in grade ten, which is a useless memory that brings nothing but pain.
The theme of not knowing how long you have left, and not being guaranteed any amount of time, reminded me of an interview I saw with Christopher Hitchens just before he was diagnosed with cancer. In this interview, he mentioned that he was sometimes depressed to think that at that point in his life, he had certainly seen the majority of all sunrises he would ever see. Knowing how things turned out, that he would be dead a few short years later, it gave me a weird feeling to hear that.
Pasted in numerous comments sections (about my DMT experience) The experience really does have all the religious details, signs, motifs, artefacts etc required to convince even the most sceptical and rational atheist. The impossible sounding scenarios which unfold there (like an entity appearing out of nowhere), do so in a way that you can believe. Like taking cues from arbitrary objects and shapes around you, and (in a way which is unique to the objects shape, structure and angles etc) "4-dimensionally" folding structures/entities into existence in a way that satisfies our basic understanding of how things should work. DMT shows that no matter how chaotic and insignificant your surroundings seem to appear, it's just one fold/tessellation away from a realm of impossible significance. When people say it seems as if reality is being revealed to us, this is because there's a quality about the sensations (visions and sounds) which we recognise as having been running before we got there, like switching the radio on half way through a piece of music. We recognise immediately that there are looping patterns which maintain consistency during the gradual rise and fall of the experience. But the most important part to mention about the NN experience is near impossible. There's an abundance of content to talk about, but until I've managed to accurately describe the most compelling part I feel stuck, not wanting to talk about the rest of it as it would only water down the overall significance of it all. And I can now see why other people who've experienced it also stare off into the distance just speechless trying to explain it, not because there aren't things to talk about or to put into words, but because in doing so, in committing to say "the machine elves" or "the realness of it all" as the place to start our report, would immediately cause an injustice. I imagine that the image in people's minds would constitute DMT as being no more significant than say, fractal patterns (if we were to start there), and everything said after this would still be dwarfed by the apparent significance of fractal patterns. We're looking for a word like "god", a description which rightfully evokes an image of it sitting above all else, and at the same time, a part of everything. We know as soon as we see or feel it, that comparing it with the second most important thing in the universe with regard to existence (like sub atomic particles.. or Jesus x'D) would still not do it justice. And just the phenomenality of that alone is (paradoxically) why we keep searching for comparisons! It is this what makes it the highly renowned, highly contagious substance it is. A feeling of true divinity, and communicates a sense of "you remember don't you", and in my case perfectly matching the identity and relationship I had with demons from my childhood nightmares. There's also a feeling of lining up to the portal as you get closer to breaking through, like space stations docking or planets aligning but in a way which feels like it has already been written in time. The sound and sensation (if you can call it that) is like an infinite-looping tone with a fun, game-ee (almost childlike) yet sinister vibe about it. Some have described this sensation as being "a de ja vu-like" feeling. It's as if the source code to reality is bleeding through into our perception; seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling it and noticing how there's a correlation between them all. That, to use an analogy is if a computer avatar like Super Mario was short-circuited so that he could see, hear, feel information being processed at the firmware level. Like tasting developer code! It's also worth mentioning how a clear narrative is adhered to, that each segment within one breakthrough conforms with the overall message. It's not patchy and blurry like a dream. It's written, directed and presented to the highest level, where each transition has been meticulously woven together by a creative mind, in a way that leaves no room for doubt that it isn't actually God! Or at least a power on par with what we give the name God. Simply the combination of "meeting God", going through tunnels of light, seeing archetypal symbols, seeing non-dual motifs, learning that "we are all one" and that "nothing matters" because "it goes on forever", that alone should speak volumes. It's mental! I hated all the clichés before trying it for myself, and really, the cliché's really aren't anywhere near enough! It's not for the faint hearted either, I think sceptical types are lesser favoured by the DMT realm. If you don't believe in God, or anything supernatural, coming to grips with the experience is probably going to be more of a challenge than someone on the other end of the spectrum. It's unbelievably profound, paradoxical and paradigm breaking! The things which you have the capacity to imagine but due to how ludicrous they are even you yourself would be embarrassed to think about [even if only you knew], the DMT realm is where all those ideas reside! And although I had never described myself previously as being religious, I think I'd be lying to say I'm now currently an atheist. I couldn't believe it, I don't believe in ghosts or anything paranormal that can't be seen, so I had to try it for myself. And the experience converted me immediately, even one glimpse could convert someone. Because what's conveyed in even the tiniest moment is just so full of astonishing-ness, that there's no other conceivable reason worthy enough to be accountable for its existence, other than god, whatever god is! In terms of how much of the experience could be influenced by what we already know about it prior to going in: I was very much aware of most of what to expect, but, the experience was nothing like what I expected. I was surprised at how the entities I saw there were stylistically identical to the types of entities Alex Grey is notable for depicting. Which I had seen prior to the trip, but, I always thought his works were probably unique to him and filled in with a lot of "artistic licence". I also never expected any religious visuals, yet the entire aesthetic before breaking through was very Buddhist/Hindu, a scene of unparalleled divinity, even to south Asia! God was also nothing like I was expecting, and actually very well depicted on simulation videos by artist SymmetricVision. *MORE* The first thought which came to mind was like "ohhhh this is what all those religious people were trying to tell us", realising that what I was looking at was clearly in keeping with religious styling, but having volumes of complexity and significance about it still unaccounted for in human-created artwork. As if a member of North Sentinal Island got to see the inner workings of a Spacex rocket factory or the ceiling of an elaborate baroque stately home for only 5 minutes and then went back home to draw what they saw. And then their doubtful tribesman one day getting to see it with their own eyes and recognising immediately certain qualities which were conveyed by their fellow tribesman understandably as best as they could have been, but still no where near on par! I also like to mention how there is a sense of lining up to the portal before breaking through, a build-up and climax, almost as if it's already been written in time. To summarise, the overall smell, taste, feeling, sound and sight of it all concur, an overwhelming plea to "come and play" from a forgotten homeland of continuous paradoxical loops and infinite creative potential. Cycling around and around and around for ever and ever and ever.
Best podcast EVER Epiphanies every couple minutes. Thank you!!!🤗 I commit to listening to daily for a week and then monthly... and sharing with my loved ones.
I agree. This is a very good start. Seeking....always seeking , waking up to the simplest reality of infinite attraction to what is good for us, what we need to continue...I think if it comes into our minds it was put in our minds because our so called ability to know we have self reflection to keep us on track should be the most important mindset to let go of. Like Sam said , start caring a little bit more! Have a kick ass day
I just want to warn anyone who might be on the fence about trying psychadelics. After listening to Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson separately as well as a lot of other sources online talking about what sort of insightful experiences you could have on these drugs I was very interested. So I tried 1 tab of LSD, unknown dosage and I had an awful time, but I figured "hey, I guess that sucked, I'll never do it again, but at least I tried it". Two days after I had a pretty vicious anxiety attack that I still have issues with today, also developed issues with sleep which I never had before. This happened around 3 months ago. Be warned.
Yeah and I've done acid like 50 times and used to mix it with shrooms and mdma and DMT and time the peaks so they hit together. Saw crazy, life changing, humbling shit but yeah you just gotta not be a retard and go in with the right intentions and frame of mind and these drugs can treat you well and give you a good time. My advice would be have a good source of the drug in the first place and try it again under controlled and comfortable circumstances. Definitely should be having a half tab instead of a whole one for the first time if you don't even know the dosage.. Things to think about yeah
@@HeyRussianCommissar It was under good set/setting. Started with half a tab and waited over an hour with no effect, then took the other half and it hit me maybe 30min after that. But yeah definately should have a good source.
It's very likely you didnt get lsd. it's extremely rare now days. Most things billed out as lsd is usually an analog or research chemical. Test your stuff with a kit. Most of it, if not 99% of it is adulterated.
@@joeblow407 I guess that's possible. I just hope this issue I have manages to resolve itself with time. Edit: I also know for a fact multiple other people consumed more than I did from the same batch and had no issues.
@@Omevoc i recommend you read 10 step to cure depersonalization, you could be suffering from a heightened state of stress from the panic attack, triggered from the acid. this can be resolved by no longer paying attention to your perceived changes in your head. Read up on it and follow the steps, you should get back to normal in less than 3 weeks
I've never taken psychedelics, is Marijuana in a big quantity similar? (I mean from the point of view of ''exiting the prison walls of our conceptual minds'')
Sam I'm glad you mentioned the significance of someone's perspective on psychedelic drugs if they have never experienced them for themselves, and how it fits the analogy of learning to play an instrument if you've never heard music. I once saw a comment thread discussion where a person who never used psychedelics claimed that they have no need to do so in order to understand the significance of the experience because they are a clinical psychologist who mainly interacts with hundreds of clients who have used psychoactive substances for therapy (mostly psilocybin, LSD and MDMA), therefore by proxy they felt that they fully grasped the experiences and impact such drugs have on a person. They were adamant that they had it figured out and therefore they refute the idea of taking the drugs for themselves, and my main thought while reading the conversation was that all the anecdotal evidence in the history of recorded observation will never come close to experiencing those drugs for yourself, and you just don't "get it" until you do so. Of course that could be said for many life experiences both good and bad, however psychedelic drugs truly have the ability to expose and unlock caverns of the mind which otherwise are closed off.
Purely subjective experiences are like that even on a trivial level I think. You're attitude towards mushrooms is sure to change after trying them for the first time even if you weren't really wrong, but knowledge and experience are by default separate. Also a person having very strong feelings against mushrooms seems like evidence that they don't know what they're saying.
Curious as to Sam’s opinions on metaphysical experiences while taking psychedelics (beyond typical ego dissolution). Are they a trick of our minds or do they reveal a greater truth of our existence? Thank you for your great content!
👍 I have always thought Shrooms and LSD scramble the filters you have built all your life for a few weird hours. I believe small children younger than three or four years old are tripping as they build mental filters to understand/comprehend/make sense of their sensory inputs.
There’s a lot of potential in psychedelics, I can’t wait to try any of them mushrooms specifically but it’s just so hard to find a reliable source over here, I’ll be glad if anyone can be of help
My crippling insecurity that was caused by emotional abuse in my childhood got cured on taking 5grams and also dramatically reduced the severity of my PTSD and uncovered very many repressed emotions I had
@@dirkdiggler5902 Oh really? Sure I'll invest a few bucks for the glasses, then I can double check online the ones I collect with this method, they should match up and I'll be expanding my experience in no time! Thanks, brother!
Start by watching a few ten minute videos on identifying "little brown mushrooms" as that's the category most psilocybin containing mushrooms fall under. Unfortunately, it's also a category in which many of the malady producing species of similar looking mushrooms fall under. That said, if you're in north America, almost any mushroom that bruises blue when bent, dented, torn, or otherwise damaged will be either a psilocybe or bolete. Once one understands the basics of little browns and how to tell a bolete apart from a psilocybe, which is quite easy to figure out, you're almost guaranteed to be able to accurately identify a psilocybe genus mushroom in the wild. Hunting is best in low lying, mildly shaded, grassy fields with animal dung in it, the day after it rains, or so it's said 😉.
Be very careful, very very careful. Be more than sure. If in doubt, leave it out. Check as many, as many reputable sources as you can find, so that you are very very sure of what you are taking. Especially after reading some of the other advice here. Kidney failure is not a pleasant experience!
This is the type of internet clickbait I can get behind. I’ve always thought the lessons in the app need to be a public service announcement - perhaps just a “free section” within the app. Thanks Sam.
The wisdom Sam spreads with episodes like this is so incredibly valuable. In July of last year I was nearly killed in a motorcycle accident. It happened so fast I have no memory of it at all. In the blink of an eye I went from riding along enjoying myself to being, confused, in pain, and losing a whole day in coma and sedation. I realized my life could end so quickly that I wouldn't even have time to be scared, sad, worry about missing my family or them missing me. I had already began practicing meditation, but I knew I would need to reinvigorate my practice and work even harder as the process of regrowing nine bones and managing my head injury would be a long one. In the year since, I sold my million dollar Bay Area home, cashed out of all my stocks (thanks biotech stock bubble) and have retired at 39 on a small ranch in Texas. I've got about a dozen laying hens and half a dozen cattle. The town I live nearest often has horses and carriages parked outside the grocery store. I live a much more mindful and slower paced life now.
Interesting. Two years ago most of my money got stolen, never recovered. That was when I dug deep into Sam's book, Waking Up, which I bought two years prior. I joined the app last November. Everything has changed, not financially, but mentally for me.
@@MarkBarna1 I'm so sorry to hear of your financial woes. I was very fortunate not to be completely ruined by the crash. Over $900k in medical bills and months in bed. Luckily I had excellent insurance, was already semi-retired, and had a nice nest egg. If I had crashed like that ten years ago I don't think I would have ever recovered financially. I'm glad you've not let it stop you from seeking spiritual riches in the meantime. May your practice provide you with peace and wisdom my friend.
Really appreciate this, Sam. I usually listen to your political/social commentary and don't go in for "mindfulness" (the JARGON of mindfulness), but this was interesting and helpful.
I read Allen watts experimented with psychedelics probably back in the 60s or early 70s. I myself has never used psychedelics or got high on them or expanded with a mind trip
You have a good point there. I'd rather have headphones in my ears so that I can mute people whenever they behave irrationally with me. Our time and energy is finite, and wherever our awareness goes, our energy flows and we only have so much energy, lile from food and positive thinking, e.t.c. We shouldn't let anyone play with our time and energy. If we can cut our selves off from the toxicity of the world, we should. We should take care of our minds.
Because with PTSD and crippling social anxiety, you don't actually see the 'real world.' You see the world through a state of hyper vigilance. In other words, your nervous system or "lens out into the world" is perceiving dangers and threats that aren't actually in the environment. Psychedelics can (though not always) either give you an experience of what life feels without this incredible burden AND only that, but you can also gain incredible personal insight into the origins of your anxiety and learn how to heal and shed yourself of these fears.
@@ancientfuture9690 Well said. My fight or flight is stuck in the ON position. I currently use weed to detach, like stepping away from the controls of a vehicle where all the warning lights are constantly blinking. The worst part is when you have to get back behind the controls. It's like in the 3rd Matrix where the Nebuchadnezzar breaks through the clouds and there's a brief moment of peace for it plummets back into the darkness.
@@Sinless_Stone_CasterOver a year later, and it’s worse than ever. Scammers all over the place trying to draw people in. It’s sad that the current drug laws allow these people to perpetuate instead of allowing adults access to these things.
I think that when I play my drums I have an experience that seems to be very much like meditation. Not difficult things, but straight, simple, and repetitive stuff. Am I way off, or does that make sense?
It’s called the flow state and it is considered by many to be a type of meditation. I was at a buddhist temple where the monks paced back and forth repeatedly for hours most likely in a very similar state.
@@Sinless_Stone_Caster sensation of dissociation is what it was, I am very familiar with the pocket, but I can understand that, the weird watching myself play thing is on another level that I don't generally reach without drugs
as some one who is heavily stressed out a lot, I would like to meditate not for a deeper philosophical principled reason but for practical utilitarian one. It really is more urgent and more useful for me to reduce stress than to ponder the unknown capabilities of my mind. What is wrong with that?
Is there any study that tries to quantity the significance of the effect of meditation? For instance, teach people meditation for 4 hours and ask them if the sensation they felt have strength comparable to a certain dosage of certain drug (whether its weed, alcohol, or lsd). I personally spent like 4 hours-ish on meditate, and by the end of it, the effect I felt is so insignificant that I can't even tell if I actually felt the supposed sensation of meditation. I respect Sam quite a bit and I think he is almost always an honest person. That being said, I have some doubt about Sam's description of the effect of meditation. About the strength of sensation... Purely listening to music is fun, but it rarely shake a person to its core (like making one cry). In contrast, people's reaction to movies are a lot stronger, most people can be very emotionally while watching certain movies. One can then try to describe the sensation of listening to good music as similar to being moved by good movie.... but this would be extremely misleading since ones effect is just so much weaker than the other, assuming there is no other complications.
Drugs are like a hack or shortcut to achieving what meditation can take many years to experience. The downside is that the experience from drugs is really hard to integrate in to life situations and is fleeting like a dream while meditation is more holistic.
@@soulfuzz368 "Drugs are like a hack or shortcut to achieving what meditation can take many years to experience." Is this actually true? or it's just a nice sounding thing to say? Is the strength of the effect from meditation even a small fraction of that from drug? Also "meditation can take many years to experience"... this by itself is a reason not to waste time on meditation. If you can't observe meaningful effect after, say, trying 4 hours, you shouldn't keep trying, unless there is very concrete evidence that what you are doing is on the right track. We need to look at empirical result to judge whether something is worth doing... stubbornly spending hundreds of hours into something that cannot produce observable effect by that time, is not something people should do.
@@bohanxu6125 then don’t waste your time, it really doesn’t matter to me! You seem to be much more interested in sensations so I wouldn’t recommend psychedelics either, something like MDMA or amphetamines would have more pronounced emotional effects.
You've never cried to beautiful music dude? The fuck haha. I must cry to music once a week, yet I rarely get involved in movies I find my self just seeing the set and the cameras etc, hard to get into.
Nice BUT you mention taking "a sufficient dose" when actually, research indicates that micro-dosing has extreme benefits, without the need to risk a bad trip, or for those who can't take high doses of psychedelics due to being on other medication.
Sam, the only exception I can think of regarding psychedelics not affecting someone would be Ram Dass' account of his guru, Neem Karoli Baba. Ram Dass gave him a few tabs of potent acid and he was unphased. He sensed that Ram Dass was skeptical, so he asked for more, waited, and was still unphased. The conclusion being that you do not take a trip somewhere if you are already there. I have heard this from other living speakers - that psychedelics do offer a window into possible states of consciousness, and that meditation not only reaches them but is capable of going further. In this case, I regard "further" as the territory beyond the recognition of selflessness, which is only the doorway to the ladder of the lotus thrones, or what has been characterized by the levels of Samadhi. This seems consistent with your message here and my own experience, limited in discipline though I am. Regardless, I find your emphasis on the accessibility of selfless being to the average person the most appropriate message.
Great post! I was thinking the same thing about Babaji as I was listening. But I don't know if I can believe Ram Dass's account. He is in my Top 3 on youtube for spiritual lectures, and I find his devotion to Neem Karoli Baba fascinating, beautiful, sincere, etc. But I give little credence to stories like this, because I think when you revere someone, you can no longer recount their biography, but rather every account is a hagiography. As Ram Das speaks, I find myself getting lost in the beauty of his sentiment and the psychedelic nature of his words, and it doesn't matter what was Ram Dass's perception and what was "reality". Another similar account I heard. An ayahuasca ceremony organizer once told me she knew a shaman who would simply dip a finger in an ayahuasca bowl and lick it and that's all he needed to perform his role for the entire night. Somehow, I find I can believe that one! A little amount producing a massive effect seems plausible, but a large amount having no effect -- I get skeptical.
What are your opinions on Jordan Peterson joining the Daily Wire? I imagine seeing him pick a side and embrace the right feels like a backstab to people like you and Bret Weinstein. Would love if you gave some quick thoughts on a public segment. Thanks Sam.
While I cannot disagree with Sam's contention that psychedelics have been a useful tool for insight, I would maintain that it is far from the only path. If they are a shortcut then it is possible that you have missed the best part which is the journey.
The sacred is a condition whereby you have a conscious contact with your higher power. The profane is a condition whereby you have rejected or even blasphemed the relationship that you were created for. When the god you worship is yourself or maybe a mentor, you have chosen low hanging fruit. I, myself look at everything from as many angles and scales as I can manage. We worship whatever gives us meaning and meaning lives in the Goldilocks zone between the harmonic regularity of truth and chaotic dynamics of self referential noise. The lesser gods are entertaining themselves at your expense.
@@Sinless_Stone_Caster I don't decide that, you do. Think of it the way the 12 step programs describe it or maybe the Quakers. The mystery of creation demands a bit of humility.
By chance, I was invited to go visit Iquitos later this month. But after listening to this, I am pretty convinced I want to try Ayahuasca while I am there. Can anyone recommend a good (the person that does this.. teacher?) to go with that is over there?
Now this is the level of esoteric mystical wordplay that Sam Harris should indulge himself with. Honestly, collaborating with snoop dogg will provide him with more working vocabulary to discuss these issues with masses.
sam needs to do solo content WAY more often, his introspective thoughts have always been the most interesting part about him for me
I think Sam is a very able interviewer and I prefer that format. When he speaks solo, it's always on something that doesn't interest me. But that's me.
Totally agree
Agreed, been listening for over ten years. Solo is so much more sincere or something
Sign up to Waking Up,, there's a ton of solo Sam there
@@jps0117 sounds like you need to trip lol
I love how Sam tells us for 10 minutes how incredibly profound and beautiful psychedelics can be, and then tells us that they’re ultimately unnecessary.
Even if they are, I wouldn’t give up the experiences I’ve had.
They have also been far more helpful in managing my anxiety and adhd than anything the traditional healthcare system has ever done for me.
I would like to hear more monologues of this kind from Sam more often.
😎👍
I’d like to hear less. Why is this type of content on his Waking Up app? I subscribed to this and certainly didn’t think I’d be supporting such. I want my money back.
@@samdg1234 👆 👆look up that handle, he ships swiftly, and he got shrooms, Dmt, lsd, mmda, psilocybin, chocolate bars, he got a lot of it.. 🍄 💊🍄🍫💯🔌....
Get the app, lots of these
@@samdg1234 did you listen to it?
A brilliantly detailed understanding of an Alan Watts quote “when you get the message hang up the phone”
there are many who fully disagree with this premise. Myself uncluded ( at least so far). Others like Dennis McKenna still take ayahuasca regularily to this day. The reason is because there is not just one lesson that you get and you hang up. It is more like a continual conversation with the plants. at the end of te day, we should all do what works best I believe :)
@@billymahonyy Agreed. And the experience is often more like a song than a message.
Being as fond of Alan Watts as I am, there is one sad truth about him we never should forget: he ultimately died of alcoholism and obviously has been unable to follow many parts of his wisdom and insights which could or even should have prevented this. So there is no reason to take everything he said as coming from an infallible saint.
Above that: LSD is well known to be a strong antidote against many hard boiled addictions - especially against alcoholism! So I dare to say that Alan Watts very likely hung up the phone on this behalf much to early.
The 5 minute section from 11:11 is beautiful in its simplicity and sincerity
Psilocybin containing mushrooms saved my life. The drastically reduced my benzodiazepine withdrawal allowing me to quite illicit pill addiction after three years of heavy daily use before it would had became medically dangerous to quit. It has also helped me survive depression.
Psychedelic’s definitely have potential to deal with mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression, I would like to try them again but it’s just so hard to source out here
The Trips I've been having have really helped me a lot,I finally feel in control of my emotions and my future and things that used to be mundane to me now seem incredible and full of nuance on top of that I'm way less driven by my ego and I have alot more empathy as well
@@eliascharles9742 I was having this constant, unbearable anxiety because of university stress. Not until I came across dr.sporess, a very intelligent mycologist. He saved my life honestly
Tripping is not really bad but find a good mycologist Who will teach you the right things you need to know
I am feeling the same way too. I put too much on my plate and it definitely affects my stress and anxiety levels. I am also glad to be a part of this community.
When Sam speaks on his own from his own writing and thoughts, he's at his best.
My 2nd mushroom trip was only 3.5g but I achieved utter ego death. The complete sense of oneness didn't feel trippy but more sobriety. It was the most profound realization I've had in my life.
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Psychedtrips..
As I woke up up today, I felt rough from drinking , I keep trying to get my life sorted out , but have failed …. I listened to this upload , snd my day has been different. I got lots of work done and I feel more energised, I don’t feel like drinking and I just want to work on my business ! I was on my knees crying over and over after this post , I want to change and feel this has given me the strength and insight to do it !!!
I was one guilty of hand waving away “mystical “ or “spiritual” experiences on psychedelics. My friends know me as being hyper skeptical of anything of the sort…about religion above all else. However, I took my first mushroom trip last week and it’s so hard to explain how I felt. Years of depression and anxiety just melted away during that trip. At the time I was convinced that I had glimpses into the goal of meditation. A complete cessation or anxiety, fear, sadness….even if only for a little while, was enough to fill me with hope, joy, and curiosity. Listening to this talk on the way back home just hit the nail on the head for my experience. And I couldn’t help but be absolutely intentional about meditative practice moving forward. I love you Sam.
I feel you
Over the years I have heard Sam market meditation. Multiple times I have attempted to take them seriously and even try some beginner meditation. For whatever reason I was never convinced and so I just moved on from the idea. Sam has finally managed to find the perfect combination of words in the sequence of these clips to finally convince me of the value of meditation, it has finally clicked in my mind and I am now seriously interested in learning more.
I started doing psychedelics at Grateful Dead shows in the mid 80s. It was, without a doubt, one of the most formative periods of my life. The synergistic group-mind effect of 20,000 rapturous people all focused on the same moment in time as each moment of the music passed was transcendent. I was never more in the moment, and less concerned about yesterday or tomorrow, than in those 3 hours. I started meditating a few years ago, using Sam's app when it was in beta, and got grandfathered in for free for life. The few minutes of mindfulness I spend each day is not as mind-blowingly, skull-scrapingly reorienting as were acid trips at Grateful Dead concerts, but the underlying sense of being untethered from the weight of the past or the future is the same phenomenon. It's well worth exploring.
@@christheghostwriter Hey now! The Boys are a wonderful accompaniment to altered states of mind!
Did I see a breaking bad reference??
@@KierensWebofChaos From me? If so it was unintentional. What exactly are you referring to?
@@ThatOneScienceGuy you comment about Sam finding the correct combination of words to get his point across. I’m an early season of BB, Walt says
“I mean, I truly believe there exists some combination of words. There must exist certain words in a certain specific order that can explain all of this, but with her I just can't ever seem to find them.”
💪🏾
Psychedelic’s definitely have potential to deal with mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression, I would like to try them again but it’s just so hard to source here
Psychedelics are the reason why i didn’t take my life when i was at my end. I was stripped of my ego and saw the beauty of life and interconnectivity and even though i still battle anxiety and depression, I’m doing better everyday and will never think in such a self destructive way again.
LSD and mushrooms completely changed my whole outlook on life. I became a better version of myself
This experience gave me a lot of confidence about my self and my body. A bunch of bad thought / behavior patterns were broken. One of these was pretty bad OCD that made me wash my hands a lot. It gave me a lot of hope that things will be fine, this is the one thing that I heard throughout the trip: Everything is alright. The main reason for the trip was my severe depression and it definitely helped me (although it's not gone). Before all I could do was lay in bed. Now I am trying to rebuild my life one step at a time which wasn't possible before."
[_James_tray]
Got psychs
@@sarahh321 Where to search?? Is it IG?
@@georgewilliams1062 Yes
I wish Sam would simply keep talking about psychedelics and meditation and consciousness and forget all the cultural noise. This was truly on the level of Terrence McKenna. What a great listen
Sam's voice is very soft and soothing to my ears.
"Consciousness is always free..." Sam, I thought we were clear on our lack of freedom?
He's not talking about free will.
Consciousness is the only thing that is free.
What?
@@paradigmprimeproductions1008 I'm still very curious about what is consciousness.
I can't help but think it just means awareness.
Can we be alive without awareness?
What would it be like to have no senses or no sensory experience at all but still be alive and breathing?
Is consciousness being alive? or being aware?
Can one be without the other?
These are some questions I would like answers to.
@@paradigmprimeproductions1008 I am also still very curious free will as well.
What is will?
Isn't it a desire?
How does it make sense to call a desire free when we don't choose to feel anything at all?
What exactly allows us to make decisions?
It surely isn't feeling.
But feelings do play the role of motivation.
But what exactly does anything at all?
We know we are aware.
How is it that we can manage our attention?
I would like answers to these as well.
I've always wanted to understand how psychedelics can intensify emotions so much. It's such an important thing to understand. Offers insight into the production of our consciousness
Research the chemicals in the brain that are associated with emotions such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine etc. and how different drugs effect them. It’s a fascinating world.
Many of the classic Psychedelics make use of serotonin receptors. And as you may know serotonin is a major catalyst for emotions.
11:12
There will come a time when you do everything for the last time.
Every moment is a finite opportunity to savour your life. Every moment is precious.
Paying more attention can make every moment precious.
Attention is a true source of wealth - even more than time.
Mindfulness is the tool that will help you pay attention. The alternative is to always be lost in thought.
Continually wake up from being lost in the dream of thoughts of the past and present.
More of this type of content, PLEASE!
Years ago, I boarded the "freight train of absolute significance" and found it to be all that Sam describes. Later, meditation changed my life. Would I have found meditation without first riding the train? As usual, I'm endlessly curious...and as usual, Sam's questions are better than answers.
I love the analogy of meditation without psychedelics can be compared to learning a musical instrument without ever hearing music. I thought I understood the concept before the comparison , but definitely resonated with me, and helped me to appreciate the scope of searching for something that you can’t imagine.
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I have managed somehow by now, I am 63, to live my life without drugs and mindfulness or religious faith. I am quite happy with my life and I must be very lucky...
King 👑
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I suffer from PTSD and depression, originating from 4 x traumatic bereavements: suicide, bus crash and the murder of two loved ones. Listening to this podcast produced a profound change in my consciousness that lasted for 5 days. I'm incredibly grateful, Sam. Thank you.
You're strong. I'm in the same boat too.
@@spookyskeleton4977 what's your mushroom protocol? A friend gave me some today. He's encouraging me to do a large dose but I'm thinking microdosing is sensible to start. What's your experience? Do you find them helpful?
@@ChrisJWinn I going to be honest with the highest I ever tripped was 1.2 grams it was effective for my depression. I plan I taking it every time I notice I'm going down that depression hole. I never did a high dose because I'm honestly scared as I 0 friends that could be trip sitters. I don't like the idea of taking something everyday so I never really microdosed. (I did but couldn't notice a difference,)
I also done ketamine infusions but low dose psliocybin trips has helped me more than anything. I notice my adhd and motivation is better too.
I did do a God dose of lsd accidently it was utterly insane but I forgot most of it now.
I say trip and give it a shot. Start small like a gram and go up. Infrequent microdoses have been found to be better than microdosing for mental health. But every one is different. I think the goal should always be to psychedelics as least often as possible it's easy to lose yourself even with microdosing.
Sorry for the essay, adhd sorry.
@@ChrisJWinn ptsd and psychedelics can be really intense at times so be wary. Have a trip sitter, and maybe get a therapist that is open to talking about psychedelics and your experience.
Remember the healing comes from within at the end of the day. Shrooms really just help you better build habits and see new perspectives. You'll know what I'm talking about when you trip. If you have any more question, I'll be happy to answer, it's hard to navigate this path without help.
Thank you for this Sam. I follow all your episodes and this one is without a doubt on my top 5. The way you present the case for meditation is one of the best I have heard so far. More of this please.
The insights gained from a single psychedelic session can be integrated and embodied for many years. I believe it's wise to "hang up the phone" after a few psychedelic experiences. Undertaking too many sessions may lead to an overwhelming influx of advanced insights, which can ultimately become a significant source of suffering. A psychedelic experience can be likened to temporarily being transported to the tenth grade as a first grader. Upon returning to grade one, one will have to go through grades 2-10, always with the faint memory of having been in grade ten, which is a useless memory that brings nothing but pain.
The theme of not knowing how long you have left, and not being guaranteed any amount of time, reminded me of an interview I saw with Christopher Hitchens just before he was diagnosed with cancer. In this interview, he mentioned that he was sometimes depressed to think that at that point in his life, he had certainly seen the majority of all sunrises he would ever see. Knowing how things turned out, that he would be dead a few short years later, it gave me a weird feeling to hear that.
I doubt Sam ever reads his RUclips comments, but I wish he would ban these ads. They blew up this whole comment section.
Jiddu Krishnamurthi - articulated this "process" of ending thought. Really well
I like Sam's monologues more than his interviews
Pasted in numerous comments sections (about my DMT experience)
The experience really does have all the religious details, signs, motifs, artefacts etc required to convince even the most sceptical and rational atheist. The impossible sounding scenarios which unfold there (like an entity appearing out of nowhere), do so in a way that you can believe. Like taking cues from arbitrary objects and shapes around you, and (in a way which is unique to the objects shape, structure and angles etc) "4-dimensionally" folding structures/entities into existence in a way that satisfies our basic understanding of how things should work. DMT shows that no matter how chaotic and insignificant your surroundings seem to appear, it's just one fold/tessellation away from a realm of impossible significance. When people say it seems as if reality is being revealed to us, this is because there's a quality about the sensations (visions and sounds) which we recognise as having been running before we got there, like switching the radio on half way through a piece of music. We recognise immediately that there are looping patterns which maintain consistency during the gradual rise and fall of the experience.
But the most important part to mention about the NN experience is near impossible. There's an abundance of content to talk about, but until I've managed to accurately describe the most compelling part I feel stuck, not wanting to talk about the rest of it as it would only water down the overall significance of it all. And I can now see why other people who've experienced it also stare off into the distance just speechless trying to explain it, not because there aren't things to talk about or to put into words, but because in doing so, in committing to say "the machine elves" or "the realness of it all" as the place to start our report, would immediately cause an injustice. I imagine that the image in people's minds would constitute DMT as being no more significant than say, fractal patterns (if we were to start there), and everything said after this would still be dwarfed by the apparent significance of fractal patterns. We're looking for a word like "god", a description which rightfully evokes an image of it sitting above all else, and at the same time, a part of everything. We know as soon as we see or feel it, that comparing it with the second most important thing in the universe with regard to existence (like sub atomic particles.. or Jesus x'D) would still not do it justice. And just the phenomenality of that alone is (paradoxically) why we keep searching for comparisons!
It is this what makes it the highly renowned, highly contagious substance it is. A feeling of true divinity, and communicates a sense of "you remember don't you", and in my case perfectly matching the identity and relationship I had with demons from my childhood nightmares. There's also a feeling of lining up to the portal as you get closer to breaking through, like space stations docking or planets aligning but in a way which feels like it has already been written in time. The sound and sensation (if you can call it that) is like an infinite-looping tone with a fun, game-ee (almost childlike) yet sinister vibe about it. Some have described this sensation as being "a de ja vu-like" feeling. It's as if the source code to reality is bleeding through into our perception; seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling it and noticing how there's a correlation between them all. That, to use an analogy is if a computer avatar like Super Mario was short-circuited so that he could see, hear, feel information being processed at the firmware level. Like tasting developer code! It's also worth mentioning how a clear narrative is adhered to, that each segment within one breakthrough conforms with the overall message. It's not patchy and blurry like a dream. It's written, directed and presented to the highest level, where each transition has been meticulously woven together by a creative mind, in a way that leaves no room for doubt that it isn't actually God! Or at least a power on par with what we give the name God. Simply the combination of "meeting God", going through tunnels of light, seeing archetypal symbols, seeing non-dual motifs, learning that "we are all one" and that "nothing matters" because "it goes on forever", that alone should speak volumes. It's mental! I hated all the clichés before trying it for myself, and really, the cliché's really aren't anywhere near enough! It's not for the faint hearted either, I think sceptical types are lesser favoured by the DMT realm. If you don't believe in God, or anything supernatural, coming to grips with the experience is probably going to be more of a challenge than someone on the other end of the spectrum. It's unbelievably profound, paradoxical and paradigm breaking!
The things which you have the capacity to imagine but due to how ludicrous they are even you yourself would be embarrassed to think about [even if only you knew], the DMT realm is where all those ideas reside!
And although I had never described myself previously as being religious, I think I'd be lying to say I'm now currently an atheist. I couldn't believe it, I don't believe in ghosts or anything paranormal that can't be seen, so I had to try it for myself. And the experience converted me immediately, even one glimpse could convert someone. Because what's conveyed in even the tiniest moment is just so full of astonishing-ness, that there's no other conceivable reason worthy enough to be accountable for its existence, other than god, whatever god is!
In terms of how much of the experience could be influenced by what we already know about it prior to going in:
I was very much aware of most of what to expect, but, the experience was nothing like what I expected. I was surprised at how the entities I saw there were stylistically identical to the types of entities Alex Grey is notable for depicting. Which I had seen prior to the trip, but, I always thought his works were probably unique to him and filled in with a lot of "artistic licence". I also never expected any religious visuals, yet the entire aesthetic before breaking through was very Buddhist/Hindu, a scene of unparalleled divinity, even to south Asia! God was also nothing like I was expecting, and actually very well depicted on simulation videos by artist SymmetricVision.
*MORE*
The first thought which came to mind was like "ohhhh this is what all those religious people were trying to tell us", realising that what I was looking at was clearly in keeping with religious styling, but having volumes of complexity and significance about it still unaccounted for in human-created artwork. As if a member of North Sentinal Island got to see the inner workings of a Spacex rocket factory or the ceiling of an elaborate baroque stately home for only 5 minutes and then went back home to draw what they saw. And then their doubtful tribesman one day getting to see it with their own eyes and recognising immediately certain qualities which were conveyed by their fellow tribesman understandably as best as they could have been, but still no where near on par!
I also like to mention how there is a sense of lining up to the portal before breaking through, a build-up and climax, almost as if it's already been written in time.
To summarise, the overall smell, taste, feeling, sound and sight of it all concur, an overwhelming plea to "come and play" from a forgotten homeland of continuous paradoxical loops and infinite creative potential. Cycling around and around and around for ever and ever and ever.
Best podcast EVER
Epiphanies every couple minutes.
Thank you!!!🤗
I commit to listening to daily for a week and then monthly... and sharing with my loved ones.
Thank nonexistent god this isn't about Sam's political stance on ANYTHING. When he talks psychedelics or religion though, I'm all ears/eyes.
Wow where can I nominate this for best podcast of the year?....only podcast I've ever shared in my life
Yes, people have had 5 grams of mushrooms and been bored. Some folks are relatively untouched.
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I agree. This is a very good start. Seeking....always seeking , waking up to the simplest reality of infinite attraction to what is good for us, what we need to continue...I think if it comes into our minds it was put in our minds because our so called ability to know we have self reflection to keep us on track should be the most important mindset to let go of. Like Sam said , start caring a little bit more! Have a kick ass day
I just want to warn anyone who might be on the fence about trying psychadelics. After listening to Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson separately as well as a lot of other sources online talking about what sort of insightful experiences you could have on these drugs I was very interested.
So I tried 1 tab of LSD, unknown dosage and I had an awful time, but I figured "hey, I guess that sucked, I'll never do it again, but at least I tried it". Two days after I had a pretty vicious anxiety attack that I still have issues with today, also developed issues with sleep which I never had before. This happened around 3 months ago.
Be warned.
Yeah and I've done acid like 50 times and used to mix it with shrooms and mdma and DMT and time the peaks so they hit together. Saw crazy, life changing, humbling shit but yeah you just gotta not be a retard and go in with the right intentions and frame of mind and these drugs can treat you well and give you a good time. My advice would be have a good source of the drug in the first place and try it again under controlled and comfortable circumstances. Definitely should be having a half tab instead of a whole one for the first time if you don't even know the dosage.. Things to think about yeah
@@HeyRussianCommissar It was under good set/setting. Started with half a tab and waited over an hour with no effect, then took the other half and it hit me maybe 30min after that.
But yeah definately should have a good source.
It's very likely you didnt get lsd. it's extremely rare now days.
Most things billed out as lsd is usually an analog or research chemical.
Test your stuff with a kit.
Most of it, if not 99% of it is adulterated.
@@joeblow407 I guess that's possible. I just hope this issue I have manages to resolve itself with time.
Edit: I also know for a fact multiple other people consumed more than I did from the same batch and had no issues.
@@Omevoc i recommend you read 10 step to cure depersonalization, you could be suffering from a heightened state of stress from the panic attack, triggered from the acid. this can be resolved by no longer paying attention to your perceived changes in your head. Read up on it and follow the steps, you should get back to normal in less than 3 weeks
I've never taken psychedelics, is Marijuana in a big quantity similar? (I mean from the point of view of ''exiting the prison walls of our conceptual minds'')
Beautifully written and read. Amazing insights into mindfulness.
Sam I'm glad you mentioned the significance of someone's perspective on psychedelic drugs if they have never experienced them for themselves, and how it fits the analogy of learning to play an instrument if you've never heard music. I once saw a comment thread discussion where a person who never used psychedelics claimed that they have no need to do so in order to understand the significance of the experience because they are a clinical psychologist who mainly interacts with hundreds of clients who have used psychoactive substances for therapy (mostly psilocybin, LSD and MDMA), therefore by proxy they felt that they fully grasped the experiences and impact such drugs have on a person. They were adamant that they had it figured out and therefore they refute the idea of taking the drugs for themselves, and my main thought while reading the conversation was that all the anecdotal evidence in the history of recorded observation will never come close to experiencing those drugs for yourself, and you just don't "get it" until you do so. Of course that could be said for many life experiences both good and bad, however psychedelic drugs truly have the ability to expose and unlock caverns of the mind which otherwise are closed off.
Purely subjective experiences are like that even on a trivial level I think. You're attitude towards mushrooms is sure to change after trying them for the first time even if you weren't really wrong, but knowledge and experience are by default separate. Also a person having very strong feelings against mushrooms seems like evidence that they don't know what they're saying.
I would like to unlock those caverns of my mind.
Would be interesting to see how my perception changes from taking D.M.T. or Psilocybin or L.S.D.
@@Sinless_Stone_Caster Jesus Christ now you're stalking my comments on youtube, chill the fuck out and find something more productive to do
The internet is one helluva drug smh
@@cloudbloom _What?_ 😆
Curious as to Sam’s opinions on metaphysical experiences while taking psychedelics (beyond typical ego dissolution). Are they a trick of our minds or do they reveal a greater truth of our existence? Thank you for your great content!
👍 I have always thought Shrooms and LSD scramble the filters you have built all your life for a few weird hours. I believe small children younger than three or four years old are tripping as they build mental filters to understand/comprehend/make sense of their sensory inputs.
I agree with this as well. We are creatures of novelty and we ascribe meaning to things that are new and exciting.
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Has anybody here benefited from Meditation in any way? I tried it for one year but it didn‘t do anything consequential for me…
This is gold. Cheers, Sam.
This is a doozy of a podcast, Sam. Loved it. X
Big respect to Sam for giving consideration to people without much money and allowing them to use the app. It's real altruism.
quick turnaround on the next ep. still working on your convo with David but this is also welcome!
I like the saying "we largely become what we pay attention to". Sam created many interesting sayings.
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There’s a lot of potential in psychedelics, I can’t wait to try any of them mushrooms specifically but it’s just so hard to find a reliable source over here, I’ll be glad if anyone can be of help
I've been doing weed for over 10 years but a friend told me about psychedelics I had to give it a try it was way better than weed
One of the most peaceful experience I've ever had..I really need to get my hands on some DMT
Tripping is not a bad idea but having a good and competent mycologist who will guide you on the dosage is very important
@Jeffrey Hartwhere do I search is it on IG?
My crippling insecurity that was caused by emotional abuse in my childhood got cured on taking 5grams and also dramatically reduced the severity of my PTSD and uncovered very many repressed emotions I had
I've seen so many mushrooms in my forest walks, but I can't be sure which ones are psilocybes so I take none of them :(
Buy a cheap pair of orange lens safety glasses and wear them on a walk. The mushrooms you’re looking for will glow compared to the others 😉
@@dirkdiggler5902 Oh really? Sure I'll invest a few bucks for the glasses, then I can double check online the ones I collect with this method, they should match up and I'll be expanding my experience in no time! Thanks, brother!
Start by watching a few ten minute videos on identifying "little brown mushrooms" as that's the category most psilocybin containing mushrooms fall under. Unfortunately, it's also a category in which many of the malady producing species of similar looking mushrooms fall under. That said, if you're in north America, almost any mushroom that bruises blue when bent, dented, torn, or otherwise damaged will be either a psilocybe or bolete. Once one understands the basics of little browns and how to tell a bolete apart from a psilocybe, which is quite easy to figure out, you're almost guaranteed to be able to accurately identify a psilocybe genus mushroom in the wild. Hunting is best in low lying, mildly shaded, grassy fields with animal dung in it, the day after it rains, or so it's said 😉.
Be very careful, very very careful. Be more than sure.
If in doubt, leave it out.
Check as many, as many reputable sources as you can find, so that you are very very sure of what you are taking.
Especially after reading some of the other advice here.
Kidney failure is not a pleasant experience!
Plot twist: the email is from your other daughter, telling you an equally interesting story.
This is the type of internet clickbait I can get behind. I’ve always thought the lessons in the app need to be a public service announcement - perhaps just a “free section” within the app. Thanks Sam.
this is brilliant
Can someone advise on where can you get psycodelics in the US?
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solo content is infinitely better, it barely even feels like the same show
I agree
The wisdom Sam spreads with episodes like this is so incredibly valuable.
In July of last year I was nearly killed in a motorcycle accident. It happened so fast I have no memory of it at all. In the blink of an eye I went from riding along enjoying myself to being, confused, in pain, and losing a whole day in coma and sedation. I realized my life could end so quickly that I wouldn't even have time to be scared, sad, worry about missing my family or them missing me.
I had already began practicing meditation, but I knew I would need to reinvigorate my practice and work even harder as the process of regrowing nine bones and managing my head injury would be a long one.
In the year since, I sold my million dollar Bay Area home, cashed out of all my stocks (thanks biotech stock bubble) and have retired at 39 on a small ranch in Texas. I've got about a dozen laying hens and half a dozen cattle. The town I live nearest often has horses and carriages parked outside the grocery store. I live a much more mindful and slower paced life now.
Interesting. Two years ago most of my money got stolen, never recovered. That was when I dug deep into Sam's book, Waking Up, which I bought two years prior. I joined the app last November. Everything has changed, not financially, but mentally for me.
@@MarkBarna1 I'm so sorry to hear of your financial woes. I was very fortunate not to be completely ruined by the crash. Over $900k in medical bills and months in bed. Luckily I had excellent insurance, was already semi-retired, and had a nice nest egg. If I had crashed like that ten years ago I don't think I would have ever recovered financially.
I'm glad you've not let it stop you from seeking spiritual riches in the meantime. May your practice provide you with peace and wisdom my friend.
micro dosing is immensely underrated imo
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Really appreciate this, Sam. I usually listen to your political/social commentary and don't go in for "mindfulness" (the JARGON of mindfulness), but this was interesting and helpful.
Thank you Sam, once again, for this enlightening podcast
I read Allen watts experimented with psychedelics probably back in the 60s or early 70s. I myself has never used psychedelics or got high on them or expanded with a mind trip
As a social cripple with autism and PTSD, why would I want to bring my mind back to the real world? I'm letting my mind wander on purpose.
You have a good point there.
I'd rather have headphones in my ears so that I can mute people whenever they behave irrationally with me.
Our time and energy is finite, and wherever our awareness goes, our energy flows and we only have so much energy, lile from food and positive thinking, e.t.c.
We shouldn't let anyone play with our time and energy.
If we can cut our selves off from the toxicity of the world, we should.
We should take care of our minds.
It might help with your PTSD, just sayin
Because with PTSD and crippling social anxiety, you don't actually see the 'real world.' You see the world through a state of hyper vigilance. In other words, your nervous system or "lens out into the world" is perceiving dangers and threats that aren't actually in the environment.
Psychedelics can (though not always) either give you an experience of what life feels without this incredible burden AND only that, but you can also gain incredible personal insight into the origins of your anxiety and learn how to heal and shed yourself of these fears.
@@ancientfuture9690 That's amazing. 👍
@@ancientfuture9690 Well said. My fight or flight is stuck in the ON position. I currently use weed to detach, like stepping away from the controls of a vehicle where all the warning lights are constantly blinking. The worst part is when you have to get back behind the controls.
It's like in the 3rd Matrix where the Nebuchadnezzar breaks through the clouds and there's a brief moment of peace for it plummets back into the darkness.
You can block the Richard Spores account from commenting here by opening their page and thus remove the spam on every comment.
I hope they get blocked.
There's another account doing the same thing spamming.
I wonder if it's the same poe.
@@Sinless_Stone_CasterOver a year later, and it’s worse than ever. Scammers all over the place trying to draw people in. It’s sad that the current drug laws allow these people to perpetuate instead of allowing adults access to these things.
ty. commenting for algorithm
I can see Sam in front of a mirror tripping doing his best Jimmy Hendrix with a broomstick
It is more likely that the stick up his own ass will prevent him doing what you think he would do
Excellent
@Paige Elliott Meditation is my interest, not interested in having chemicals shipped. 😀
Glad Sam is taking a break from political podcasts. Sometimes his takes can be frustrating.
I think that when I play my drums I have an experience that seems to be very much like meditation. Not difficult things, but straight, simple, and repetitive stuff. Am I way off, or does that make sense?
It’s called the flow state and it is considered by many to be a type of meditation. I was at a buddhist temple where the monks paced back and forth repeatedly for hours most likely in a very similar state.
Flow?
Or a sensation of dissociation?
I wonder what you felt. ^_^
@@soulfuzz368 Ah you beat me to it. 👍
@@Sinless_Stone_Caster sensation of dissociation is what it was, I am very familiar with the pocket, but I can understand that, the weird watching myself play thing is on another level that I don't generally reach without drugs
You set out to help people recognize the freedom of consciousness directly.
And you have.
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Hey Sam, watch Philosophy Tube on Jordan Peterson when you prepare for your next debate.
Always a pleasure to listen to, love this one ☝️
as some one who is heavily stressed out a lot, I would like to meditate not for a deeper philosophical principled reason but for practical utilitarian one. It really is more urgent and more useful for me to reduce stress than to ponder the unknown capabilities of my mind. What is wrong with that?
Gabrieltrippz
He's got magic shrooms, Dmt, lsd, mdma, chocolate bars, he's got a lot and also ships globally.. 🍄 🍫💊
He's on I.G
Is there any study that tries to quantity the significance of the effect of meditation? For instance, teach people meditation for 4 hours and ask them if the sensation they felt have strength comparable to a certain dosage of certain drug (whether its weed, alcohol, or lsd). I personally spent like 4 hours-ish on meditate, and by the end of it, the effect I felt is so insignificant that I can't even tell if I actually felt the supposed sensation of meditation.
I respect Sam quite a bit and I think he is almost always an honest person. That being said, I have some doubt about Sam's description of the effect of meditation.
About the strength of sensation... Purely listening to music is fun, but it rarely shake a person to its core (like making one cry). In contrast, people's reaction to movies are a lot stronger, most people can be very emotionally while watching certain movies. One can then try to describe the sensation of listening to good music as similar to being moved by good movie.... but this would be extremely misleading since ones effect is just so much weaker than the other, assuming there is no other complications.
Drugs are like a hack or shortcut to achieving what meditation can take many years to experience. The downside is that the experience from drugs is really hard to integrate in to life situations and is fleeting like a dream while meditation is more holistic.
I wonder if the Muse E.E.G. headset that's supposedly for meditation research purposes, is legit or woo.
I wish I had one just to be sure.
@@soulfuzz368
"Drugs are like a hack or shortcut to achieving what meditation can take many years to experience."
Is this actually true? or it's just a nice sounding thing to say? Is the strength of the effect from meditation even a small fraction of that from drug?
Also "meditation can take many years to experience"... this by itself is a reason not to waste time on meditation. If you can't observe meaningful effect after, say, trying 4 hours, you shouldn't keep trying, unless there is very concrete evidence that what you are doing is on the right track. We need to look at empirical result to judge whether something is worth doing... stubbornly spending hundreds of hours into something that cannot produce observable effect by that time, is not something people should do.
@@bohanxu6125 then don’t waste your time, it really doesn’t matter to me! You seem to be much more interested in sensations so I wouldn’t recommend psychedelics either, something like MDMA or amphetamines would have more pronounced emotional effects.
You've never cried to beautiful music dude? The fuck haha. I must cry to music once a week, yet I rarely get involved in movies I find my self just seeing the set and the cameras etc, hard to get into.
I love lsd and mushrooms but meditation even more.
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@Kas Dbm nope and I don’t plan to either.😂 scared of that.
Do you even trip, bro...?!
A lot of wisdom paced into this talk around 15 minutes.
Thank you for posting. This was very helpful.
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I mostly listen to the monologues over and over.
Nice BUT you mention taking "a sufficient dose" when actually, research indicates that micro-dosing has extreme benefits, without the need to risk a bad trip, or for those who can't take high doses of psychedelics due to being on other medication.
An act of awareness and a self being aware are inseparable. Your 'self' in this respect is your mind.
He should do his own guided meditation series
That would be great. 👍
Maybe he already has
Gracias, Sam. Muy interesante, me ha gustado mucho la reflexión. Saludos desde Catalunya.
Sam, the only exception I can think of regarding psychedelics not affecting someone would be Ram Dass' account of his guru, Neem Karoli Baba. Ram Dass gave him a few tabs of potent acid and he was unphased. He sensed that Ram Dass was skeptical, so he asked for more, waited, and was still unphased. The conclusion being that you do not take a trip somewhere if you are already there. I have heard this from other living speakers - that psychedelics do offer a window into possible states of consciousness, and that meditation not only reaches them but is capable of going further. In this case, I regard "further" as the territory beyond the recognition of selflessness, which is only the doorway to the ladder of the lotus thrones, or what has been characterized by the levels of Samadhi. This seems consistent with your message here and my own experience, limited in discipline though I am. Regardless, I find your emphasis on the accessibility of selfless being to the average person the most appropriate message.
I wonder how he would have reacted to DMT because I know Ram Dass certainly did a ton of it at one stage.
Great post! I was thinking the same thing about Babaji as I was listening. But I don't know if I can believe Ram Dass's account. He is in my Top 3 on youtube for spiritual lectures, and I find his devotion to Neem Karoli Baba fascinating, beautiful, sincere, etc. But I give little credence to stories like this, because I think when you revere someone, you can no longer recount their biography, but rather every account is a hagiography. As Ram Das speaks, I find myself getting lost in the beauty of his sentiment and the psychedelic nature of his words, and it doesn't matter what was Ram Dass's perception and what was "reality".
Another similar account I heard. An ayahuasca ceremony organizer once told me she knew a shaman who would simply dip a finger in an ayahuasca bowl and lick it and that's all he needed to perform his role for the entire night. Somehow, I find I can believe that one! A little amount producing a massive effect seems plausible, but a large amount having no effect -- I get skeptical.
Sam You your wisdom and yr ap have changed my world for the better I'm so truly grateful to you You are a gift to the world
O
What are your opinions on Jordan Peterson joining the Daily Wire? I imagine seeing him pick a side and embrace the right feels like a backstab to people like you and Bret Weinstein. Would love if you gave some quick thoughts on a public segment. Thanks Sam.
These were greast talks, im getting back on the mindfulness/meditation train again!
does anyone else expect 'In the Air Tonight' to kick in at the beginning of Sam's podcast?
While I cannot disagree with Sam's contention that psychedelics have been a useful tool for insight, I would maintain that it is far from the only path. If they are a shortcut then it is possible that you have missed the best part which is the journey.
The sacred is a condition whereby you have a conscious contact with your higher power.
The profane is a condition whereby you have rejected or even blasphemed the relationship that you were created for.
When the god you worship is yourself or maybe a mentor, you have chosen low hanging fruit. I, myself look at everything from as many angles and scales as I can manage. We worship whatever gives us meaning and meaning lives in the Goldilocks zone between the harmonic regularity of truth and chaotic dynamics of self referential noise. The lesser gods are entertaining themselves at your expense.
Uhhh... >_>
Super Ego?
What do you mean by *Higher Power?*
@@Sinless_Stone_Caster I don't decide that, you do.
Think of it the way the 12 step programs describe it or maybe the Quakers. The mystery of creation demands a bit of humility.
@@Sinless_Stone_Caster your higher power is what drives your actions.
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I don't know too much about these psychotic drugs.
Thx Sam
This is the most compelling argument to take psychedelics I’ve ever heard 🤔 so I’m doing it thank you Sam I guess 🤷🏻♂️ 🤨
Peterson and Harris should talk about psychedelics
Great episode. Very refreshing.
Finally, something that's within Sam's purview. I absolutely hate his political views.
By chance, I was invited to go visit Iquitos later this month. But after listening to this, I am pretty convinced I want to try Ayahuasca while I am there. Can anyone recommend a good (the person that does this.. teacher?) to go with that is over there?
@Paige Elliott will check him out, thanks!!
4:58 It’s the ‘nothing’ that is of interest, isn’t it Dr. Harris.
23:17 yep
Excelente Sam Harris
Bad trips have been good for me I’ve realized.
Great Broadcast. ❤❤
👍
Yet...he never did a true psychedelic only a short spun with amphetamine based MDMA...where did he get the authority
Now this is the level of esoteric mystical wordplay that Sam Harris should indulge himself with. Honestly, collaborating with snoop dogg will provide him with more working vocabulary to discuss these issues with masses.
Gabrieltrippz
He's got magic shrooms, Dmt, lsd, mdma, chocolate bars, he's got a lot and also ships globally.. 🍄 🍫💊
He's on I.G
6:35 Freedom or is it acceptance? Because acceptance can be a burden.