Nice! I’m kind of wondering what kinds of effects any of this will have on me. They can’t cure material circumstances. So are they just going to let me see more clearly how utterly fucked I am? Expose some novel pathway for running away? It’s hard to imagine feeling anything but objectively depressed and/or rage.
TMS and ketamine work by increasing neuroplasticity. Your provider should tell you: the day of and after treatment, avoid things that are stressful and upsetting. Stay off social media, or make sure the media you do use is a carefully curated feed with positivity and things like cute animal pictures. Unfortunately, in my experience, many providers are not great about giving you this information. They lead you to believe you can just go get drugged up or zapped with magnets and magically get better. It doesn’t work like that. It makes your brain more flexible so you can break old thought patterns and develop new ones. If you just feed yourself stress and ragebait during the most critical periods, it is far less likely to help.
Shrooms are different. The mechanisms are less well understood because political fuckery has set research back over half a century, but neuroplasticity is likely only a fraction of it. They also break down barriers, create new associations, suppress the ego, and enhance social connections. It is … an unforgettable experience. I can’t say it’s for everybody because mindset is so important. But for anyone who is really ready to take control of their depression, I think shrooms make ketamine seem like a complete waste of time and money.
So, like… everything? I’ve read that one needs to be in the right frame of mind for things like this to work properly. I am not at all confident that I’m in that frame of mind. I’m on borrowed time for housing. Hate it here but have nowhere else to go, nor the means to pay for it. I can easily imagine coming “home” after treatment and just being obliterated by the tension and negativity.
In any case, I do appreciate the insight. When I discussed all of this with my doctors, shrooms were the option that seemed to make the most sense to me. TMS and ECT (ECT especially) feel like pseudoscience. It may all be a waste of time, but this is all Hail Mary territory anyway.
They won’t do anything if you don’t put in the work. They’ll give you a 4-6 hour experience of access to your emotions, and which ones are often most affected by set and setting. It’s basically breaking down the walls between you and your emotional self.
It mostly gives you a break, and shows you a goal. So putting in the work is a matter of taking from that experience and changing your life/behavior to start breaking down the emotional walls now that you know what emotions actually feel like.
It’s rarely one and done and depression is complex. Sometimes you need a reminder as well. You’ll sill need to change your neuro-chemical condition and literal brain structure. That could be simply behavioral, sometimes psychological, and sometimes it’s hard wired.
In all cases progress is slow. Getting better takes years and you’re not looking for perfect here. There is no failure, feeling like your back pedaling can often be part of growth.
Also don’t skip regular therapy as long as you can afford it, just find a therapist you like. They’re professionals. They won’t be offended if you want to switch. If they are then they’re a shit therapist and run even faster.
Appreciate the perspective. I’ve been putting in the work. My psychiatrist is almost out of standard line treatments. My psychologist is confident that I’ve got the skills and support I need. He thinks I just need a push to break through.
It’s also not just depression. It’s trauma, executive dysfunction, crippling anxiety, and more, all filtered through AuDHD and capped with burnout. Trying to tease out a loose end in that knot just pulls everything tighter. I’m exhausted.
Nice! I’m kind of wondering what kinds of effects any of this will have on me. They can’t cure material circumstances. So are they just going to let me see more clearly how utterly fucked I am? Expose some novel pathway for running away? It’s hard to imagine feeling anything but objectively depressed and/or rage.
TMS and ketamine work by increasing neuroplasticity. Your provider should tell you: the day of and after treatment, avoid things that are stressful and upsetting. Stay off social media, or make sure the media you do use is a carefully curated feed with positivity and things like cute animal pictures. Unfortunately, in my experience, many providers are not great about giving you this information. They lead you to believe you can just go get drugged up or zapped with magnets and magically get better. It doesn’t work like that. It makes your brain more flexible so you can break old thought patterns and develop new ones. If you just feed yourself stress and ragebait during the most critical periods, it is far less likely to help.
Shrooms are different. The mechanisms are less well understood because political fuckery has set research back over half a century, but neuroplasticity is likely only a fraction of it. They also break down barriers, create new associations, suppress the ego, and enhance social connections. It is … an unforgettable experience. I can’t say it’s for everybody because mindset is so important. But for anyone who is really ready to take control of their depression, I think shrooms make ketamine seem like a complete waste of time and money.
So, like… everything? I’ve read that one needs to be in the right frame of mind for things like this to work properly. I am not at all confident that I’m in that frame of mind. I’m on borrowed time for housing. Hate it here but have nowhere else to go, nor the means to pay for it. I can easily imagine coming “home” after treatment and just being obliterated by the tension and negativity.
In any case, I do appreciate the insight. When I discussed all of this with my doctors, shrooms were the option that seemed to make the most sense to me. TMS and ECT (ECT especially) feel like pseudoscience. It may all be a waste of time, but this is all Hail Mary territory anyway.
Hopefully it will help to shift your perspective, so while your situation might not change, your outlook on it will
They won’t do anything if you don’t put in the work. They’ll give you a 4-6 hour experience of access to your emotions, and which ones are often most affected by set and setting. It’s basically breaking down the walls between you and your emotional self.
It mostly gives you a break, and shows you a goal. So putting in the work is a matter of taking from that experience and changing your life/behavior to start breaking down the emotional walls now that you know what emotions actually feel like.
It’s rarely one and done and depression is complex. Sometimes you need a reminder as well. You’ll sill need to change your neuro-chemical condition and literal brain structure. That could be simply behavioral, sometimes psychological, and sometimes it’s hard wired.
In all cases progress is slow. Getting better takes years and you’re not looking for perfect here. There is no failure, feeling like your back pedaling can often be part of growth.
Also don’t skip regular therapy as long as you can afford it, just find a therapist you like. They’re professionals. They won’t be offended if you want to switch. If they are then they’re a shit therapist and run even faster.
Appreciate the perspective. I’ve been putting in the work. My psychiatrist is almost out of standard line treatments. My psychologist is confident that I’ve got the skills and support I need. He thinks I just need a push to break through.
It’s also not just depression. It’s trauma, executive dysfunction, crippling anxiety, and more, all filtered through AuDHD and capped with burnout. Trying to tease out a loose end in that knot just pulls everything tighter. I’m exhausted.