As part of my morning routine, I love writing down my thoughts and they just flow through me. In this post, I mention some of the things I wrote in the mornings – these cover healing, inner-work, my childhood realizations, relationships, and more. I also add some great short writings from other authors that I’ve enjoyed. Personally, I created this post for myself to review some of the short paragraphs written by me and others. Why lose the track of thoughts? If at least one other person can benefit from this post, that’s all it matters to me.
Let’s begin:
“Spaciousness allows me to listen to my inner voice, my body, and the emotions I’m going through. To do nothing can be a challenge for some. I still struggle with doing nothing at times. While growing up, I never learned how to relax, how to enjoy the holidays, and mistakenly considered free time with boredom.Life isn’t rosy and flowery every day. I can choose the meaning I want to give. I can choose how I want to live. I can choose to create new possibilities even when I am afraid. I can choose to give way to my passion. I can choose to be with the unpleasantries of life. I can choose to stay with “It is what it is”. I can choose not to resist reality. I can choose and so can you.”
“I dislike the word ‘toxic’ when used to describe a human, attribute, or experience. The so-called ‘toxic’ behavior is usually a decontextualized threat response; usually a result of relational trauma or disempowerment. So when we label this person toxic, we disempower them further and perpetuate a systemic cycle of disconnection and shame.” — Natalia Rachel
“If you focus on what you have, you gain what you lack. And if you focus on what you lack, you lose what you have.” — Greg McKeown
“You can always look into the past. Past can never be changed, nor will the same experiences – good or bad will never occur again in the same exact fashion. I am looking at the past and smiling at it, and saying thank you for being a wonderful teacher. I don’t wish to have bad times for myself and others. I’ll say that I’ve learned the most and have grown tremendously in moments of emotional pain, breakdowns, and heartaches. Crises are the invitation to go within for introspection, learn and grow. Let’s enjoy and cherish the good times. Good or bad are just labels and are temporary. Good is followed by bad. Bad is followed by good.”
“I have to admit that I go through my own loneliness and depressive episodes. There are times I feel empty inside of myself. But, I don’t judge myself for anything. I seek ways to come back to the normal emotional and mental states of being. It’s Ok to feel low. There is always going to be low when you want to feel high. You can’t live in one state forever. If you laugh, you will cry. If you are happy, you will be sad. Why not just embrace the full range of emotions and be just human?”
“In times of challenging situations, ask yourself-What happened to me?-What’s my emotional reaction? How do I feel? What’s my opinion/interpretation/perception of the situation? This is a Compassionate inquiry exercise from Gabor Mate.“
“Mindfulness is about having a regular daily commitment to a kind of practice that is about awakening and awareness, in a very deep way, that is ongoing for one’s life.“
Rhonda
Rhonda V. Magee (M.A. Sociology, J.D.) is a Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and an internationally-recognized thought and practice leader focused on integrating mindfulness into higher education, law, and social change work. A prolific author, she draws on law and legal history to weave storytelling, poetry, analysis, and practices into inspiration for changing how we think, act and live better together in a rapidly changing world.
Born in North Carolina in 1967, Rhonda experienced a childhood of significant trauma and challenge. Yet, she was gifted with the insight that through a life of caring engagement, self-development, and service with others, she could find a way up and out. She has dedicated her life to healing and teaching in ways that support others in a journey to wholeness and justice. A student of a variety of Buddhist and other wisdom teachers, including Norman Fischer, Joan Halifax, and Jon Kabat Zinn, she trained as a mindfulness teacher through the Oasis Teacher Training Institute of the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness.
She teaches mindfulness-based interventions, awareness, and compassion practices from a range of traditions. A former President of the board of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, Professor Magee is a Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, where she recently completed a two-year term on its steering council. She is a member of the board of advisors of the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness and the board of directors for the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute.
Rhonda has served as a guest teacher in a variety of mindfulness teacher training programs, including those sponsored by the Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (2017, 2018), led by Diana Winston, the Engaged Mindfulness Institute, led by Fleet Maull (2017, 2018), and the Center for Mindfulness (2017), led by Saki Santorelli and Judson Brewer. She serves as daylong or retreats co-leader and solo teacher at centers including Spirit Rock Meditation Center, the Garrison Institute, the Shambhala Mountain Center, the Omega Institute, Esalen, and New York Insight Meditation Center.
This podcast is brought to you byNewsletter. If you’d like to learn more about what I am reading, new documentaries, what I am learning new, recent podcast updates, things I am experimenting with, or anything —which I share extensively in my weekly short and sweet “Friday Newsletter”. No spam ever! I hate that too!
In this post, I briefly describe a handful of books that has made so much impact in my life in 2020 and 2021. I consider these books for life to revisit many times.
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life: I don’t exactly remember how I got introduced to this book. But it’s a gem. I couldn’t connect to this book when I first picked up, I think it was in 2019. You know, sometimes you get to be patient with the book and with yourself. I keep coming back to this book even when I didn’t grasp some stories and ideas — perhaps, I wasn’t ready. Eventually, it turned out to be very useful during the first few months in the podcasting. There are some areas it was very helpful and still is — “How to handle rejections? How to enroll people in your vision? How to live life from a place of contribution? How to take things less personally? How to create possibilities in every situation?”, and much more.
I’ve read this book many a times and flooded with underlines and asterisks(*) as a reminder. I am sure you will learn a lot from this Goldie and Oldie. Be patient with this book.
Excerpt from this book:
“I settled on a game called “I am a contribution”. Unlike success and failure, contribution has no other side. It’s not arrived at by comparison. All at once I found out that the fearful question, “Is it enough”, and the even more fearful question, “Am I loved for who I am, or what I have accomplished?” could both be replaced by the joyful question, “How will be a contribution today?”
“If we were to take a “no” less personally, and ourselves less seriously, we might hear something else. We might hear someone saying,”I don’t see any new possibility here, so I think I’ll stick with my usual way of doing things”
Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes: We all are transitioning from thing to another, one phase in life to another, from singlehood to being committed, from one job to another job, and including many other transitions. This book explains in detail how to navigate different transitions with ease. It actually explains a 3 part framework. I have got many breakthroughs from this book —such as saying yes to go to Sun Valley, Idaho after interviewing this amazing human Denise Shull, yes to hiring a career coach, and yes to join an esteemed mastermind group. How do you “end” things and “start” new things in life? This book explains that there is a “Neutral” zone we get to embrace after something ends and before something new starts. A must read.
Also, I recently gifted this book to a friend and recommended to others on many occasions. If you’re interested in learning more about Decision Making process using emotions and feelings, then Listen to my interview with Denise Shull on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, or on your favorite platform.
Excerpt from this book:
“Think of what would be unlived in your life if it ended today”. You might actually write the obituary – it’s a revealing exercises – but if you don’t want to do that , at least pause for a few moments and jot down notes on a piece of paper.”
Dying To Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing: Honestly, It took me a couple of months to entirely read this book. It’s such a simple read and you can literally finish it off in a week. Why it took me that long to complete this book? My goal of reading is to really “study” and “embody” the learnings. I was reading in random bits and pieces. My initial thought was “who’s interested in someone’s story growing up in Hong Kong in an Indian family”. This book really becomes a healing power as you keep going.
I got to know about this book from one of the Wayne Dyer’s audio The Secret & The Law of Attraction. He’s been my #1 spiritual mentor and wrote a foreword in this book. Of course, I got to get this book, right? The truth is that I was window shopping in a book store(my favorite time pass) and suddenly my eyes gazed on this book. The name seemed familiar as I had already listened to The Secret & The Law of Attraction many times in which he mentions about this book and bought this powerful healing manifesto.
There is one specific chapter on “Allowing, letting go and surrendering” (paraphrasing) which I have read dozens of times. I only carried this book with me while spending two weeks in the mountains of Idaho in the August/September 2021, and and reread it over and over to just “let it go” and practice living from a place of surrender.
I started capturing each and everything I learned on the web in Evernote since 2021 started. It’s better to capture what I’m learning so that when I look back a few years later, I can go back to my notes and see how far I have come. If you’ve been followed my work for a while or new to my work, I’d like to say that I find immense pleasure in sharing my learnings with you all.
This post highlights some of the fantastic quotes and contemplations on healing. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did in creating it. A few years down the road, I can revisit this post and tap into my inner peace and tranquility.
Below, you’ll find musings from the masters such as Wayne Dyer, Anthony de Mello, Gabor Mate, Young Pueblo, Michael Ostrolenk, Rumi, and many others.
Now, let’s begin:
“Heal yourself, not just so you can thrive, but to ensure that people who cross your path in the future are safer from harm.” —Yung Pueblo
“The word healing comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for wholeness and the essential nature of trauma is that it’s a loss of wholeness. It’s the impact of what happened and how that’s manifesting as a disconnect right now in our lives, and how we can reconnect. A proper understanding of trauma actually says, This happened inside me, it’s with me in the present, and because it’s with me in the present, I can do something about it.” —Gabor Maté
“I am just saying it is so much more helpful to see every manifestation of what we call illness, whether physical or what we call mental, as a manifestation of a life, a life history and a multigenerational life history, in the context of a certain society. If we reflect on all that, we can be much more effective in helping people, no matter what their issues are. Biology rarely provides the full picture, least of all in what we call mental illness.” — Gabor Maté
“Trauma isn’t what happens to you, it’s what happens inside you.”— Gabor Maté
” I’m not going to ask you what you were addicted to, I often say to people, nor when, nor for how long. Only, whatever your addictive focus, what did it offer you? What did you like about it? What, in the short term, did it give you that you craved or liked so much?” — Gabor Maté
“I’ve had a lifelong interest in recognizing that we don’t have to be pushed by our culture and our family of origins. We can generate a sense of internal freedom to begin to design our own lives. We can learn to optimize ourselves mentally, emotionally and physically, as well as other aspects of ourselves.” — Michael Ostrolenk
A lot of people’s traumas, whether it’s sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, or whatever happens to be, or even at scale, smaller versions of all those same things. For many people happens before they have a mental self sense, which means in practice that if you don’t work through their nervous system, you don’t work through their body. You can’t really help heal them or help themselves heal themselves through just cognitive behavioral work. Because it’s not just a thinking issue. It’s a physiological somatic issue. ” — Michael Ostrolenk
“I know you are tired but come, this is the way. These pains you feel are messengers, listen to them” — Rumi
“Today I escaped the power of circumstance, or rather I cast all circumstance out — for it was not outside me — but within me, in my judgments.” — Marcus Aurelius
“The doorway to the higher purpose opens inward, and most of us spend the lifetime looking for it outside.” — Wayne Dyer
“Embrace Silence. Silence is not empty. Silence is full of answers. No matter how many times you cut silence into half, you only get silence. Silence is a way to know your true self.” — Wayne Dyer
“Everything passes, everything. If you seek thrills, get ready for sadness. These are the swings of the pendulum. One end of the pendulum swings to the other. Never “identify” with that feeling.” — Anthony de Mello
“I saw grief drinking a cup of sorrow, and called out, “it tastes sweet, doesn’t it?” You’ve caught me – grief answered, and you have ruined my business. How can I sell sorrow, when you you know it’s a blessing.” — Rumi
“Forgiveness feels like, we’re given a big pair of scissors to cut the tie and regain personal power. It starts with a choice and then becomes a process with no neat ending. One day you can forgive and the next you may hear the detail of what happened and feel angry all over again.” — Scarlett Lewis
“Look at where you were three/six months ago and compare to where you are now. Realizing that you have experienced growth/momentum may help ease the frustration that you’re not as far as you want to be. Most of us are not. However, none of us ever get it all done…none of us!” — Terri Lonowski
“Recognize that life itself is an incredible gift. It is a miracle that any of us are here. Sit with that for a moment. All of life is at any one moment on the fragile brink of non-existence. Behold the wonderment in the moment.” — Terri Lonowski
Hunter Clarke-Fields is a mindfulness mentor, host of the Mindful Mama podcast, creator of the Mindful Parenting course, and author of the book, Raising Good Humans. She helps parents bring more calm into their daily lives and cooperation in their families. Hunter has over twenty years of experience in meditation and yoga practices and has taught mindfulness to thousands worldwide. She is the mother of two active daughters, who challenge her everyday to hone her craft!
In this episode, Hunter discusses about parenting, her own childhood and upbringing, relationship with her dad, how to show empathy with children, on raising good humans, and much much more.. She also mentions how she is inspired by Buddhist monk Thick Nhat Hanh and Dr. Wayne Dyer. Without further ado, please enjoy this wide ranging conservation.
This podcast is brought to you byNewsletter. If you’d like to learn more about what I am reading, new documentaries, what I am learning new, recent podcast updates, things I am experimenting with, or anything —which I share extensively in my weekly short and sweet “Friday Newsletter”. No spam ever! I hate that too!
If I were to ask your daughters, how would they describe what does mama do?
When you say mindful mentor or mindful parenting, what do you mean by that?
I want to ask you about your own childhood. What was your relationship like with your dad specifically?
Do you remember any memorable conversation with your dad that may have had the positive impact in your life?
What is your current meditation practice?
Are you watching any specific movie or documentary on Netflix?
You mentioned about plum village. Do you follow any specific teacher?
Do you remember any specific book or books from Thick Nhat Hanh that you enjoy reading or had made the most impact on you?
How did you get introduced into the mindfulness world at the age of 17?
Talking about what was going on when you were 17 – you mentioned that you were desperate, you were not feeling good. What happened?
I have some research that if a woman doesn’t have a good relationship with her dad, she might treat her partner, romantic partner, not in a good way unless she has done some therapeutic work. How has that sort of relationship showed up with your spouse?
What do you mean by grounding relationship with your husband?
How do you distribute your parenting responsibilities with their partner? And I’m sure a lot of listeners would want to know that when we have children, how do we talk about dividing or distributing child responsibilities – who should do this, who should do that? And what kind of a conversation we should have with a partner?
With children comes a lot of responsibilities and sometimes parents forget to focus on themselves. Right? So how should couples focus on themselves and still work on their romantic relationship?
How do you define happiness for you and for your life?
You are an artist you enjoy painting, and this topic has come up many times. So I’m curious to ask you, could you expand more on your artistic view of life and your painting as a painter? How do you see life and what kind of painting do you do now?
I want to ask you about empathy. Children live in a very different world. And how does someone practice empathy with them or how do you practice good communication, empathy with your own children?
What is your sleep routine?
In the preparation of this conversation, I found your Huffington post, which you wrote back in 2017 or 2018, and it is about expansion and contraction. So I’ve read that article and I understand that, but could you briefly describe about expansion and contraction to our listeners?
What is your relationship with Wayne Dyer?
And, much more
The Nishant Garg Show:
This show is about helping you live a fulfilled life and my job on this show is to sit with the world class experts to extract the practices, routines and habits to help you live a fulfilled and abundant life. For any question, please contact me.
If you have enjoyed listening to my podcasts, please subscribe to the new podcast updates on Itunes please provide your reviews on Itunes which will really help me. Subscribe to the Newsletter. You won’t be spammed! I hate spams too! You will receive only one email every Friday on the latest published podcasts.
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in growing this little show. I also love reading reviews! Instructions are: a)If you’re on an iPhone, simply scroll down to “Reviews” inside the Podcasts app. b) If you’re on a desktop, click on “Listen on Apple Podcasts” under “The Nishant Garg Show.” Once inside iTunes, click on “Ratings and Reviews” and you’re set.
There is a bridge between our great ideas and their fulfillment. We get to meet naysayers, obstacles, rejections, failures, and disappointments on this bridge. They are the teachers. These teachers may scare you and tell you to go back to where you come from. If you just carefully listen to them, they are guiding you to change your approach and direction when you get distracted. You don’t have to always run to cross the bridge. The journey is not a sprint.
It may take you a while to get to wherever you want to go. Your patience and character will be tested. What’s the point in getting to a place without a good character?
You will have to face the different seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. You will see light and darkness. You will see sunshine, moon and thunderstorms. Your inner voice would want you to go back when it gets tough.
You will have periods of confusion about your progress. You know that there is an end of this bridge but you may not know how long it will take you to finally cross it.
Where you feel lonely—get help from people whom you trust. There may come a point when you realize that this is not the right bridge to cross. You will have to show courage to walk back to your starting point, and seek a new direction and a new bridge.
It’s immature for me to tell you everything if you haven’t even started yet. Just start and you will encounter many things. Most importantly, you will discover yourself. You will learn about yourself. I am telling you, your patience will be tested.
When you feel challenged or disappointed, and not knowing, what’s happening and how far you have come and how far to go—I encourage you to take rest and take pauses. Remember I told you, it’s not a sprint.
Take some books with you on the journey that will inspire you and give you calm and satisfaction. Don’t forget to carry nutritious food with you. I know you like junk food. Keep them with you but don’t over indulge in them. These foods will crash your energy and you will feel lethargy. Therefore, my friend, keep a check on your body. You don’t want to get to your destination only to realize that your health is wasted. To enjoy the success, make sure you have your health in good shape.
Oh yea, work on your mind as well. See if you can practice some mindfulness and meditation along to way to deepen your awareness. Try with small practice. Start may be with 2 mins and be consistent with it. You will get calm and relaxation. You will learn to observe yourself and people around you.
Don’t be rude to others whom you meet. Say hello to people on the way and be kind. Carry a small notebook to write down a gratitude list. I know you are onto big things—just remember to take some time to focus on small things. When people walking or running beside you are rude to you, practice forgiveness. I know you might take it personally. The idea is to practice letting it go. You got it.
I also know that your focus may get too sharp and narrow towards getting to the end of the bridge—your dreams, your goals. That’s cool, but remember to enjoy the nature, trees, flowers, along the way.
Carry some spiritual and philosophical books or texts with you to stay grounded amidst the challenging days. The journey to cross bridge won’t be easy. You might have pain and sufferings. Why not keep this book—Man’s Search for Meaning? This book will remind you to seek meaning of life when you feel lost. Also, keep a journal to process your overwhelmed emotions and feelings. Write it down and you will feel better,
When you get to the end of the bridge, don’t forget who you have become. Keep your ego aside. The lessons you’ve learned along the way—find ways to help others and pass your lessons and knowledge onto others. Know that life just doesn’t stop when you fulfill your dreams. Life moves on. It keeps moving on. Set other goals and start yourself again to cross a new bridge, learn new lessons and live life as it unfolds.
Important thing: your past events, memories, or trauma may hurt you which may impede your progress. Seek help from others. Talk to good friends and probably find a therapist. Your past will influence your journey but don’t live in the past. Past is gone but consider past as a teacher to teach you important lessons in your journey.
Lastly, listen to music you love to feel joy.
Pura Vida!
The Nishant Garg Show:
This show is about helping you live a fulfilled life and my job on this show is to sit with the world class experts to extract the practices, routines and habits to help you live a fulfilled and abundant life. For any question, please contact me.
If you have enjoyed listening to my podcasts, please subscribe to the new podcast updates on Itunes please provide your reviews on Itunes which will really help me. Subscribe to the Newsletter. You won’t be spammed! I hate spams too! You will receive only one email every Friday on the latest published podcasts.
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in growing this little show. I also love reading reviews! Instructions are: a)If you’re on an iPhone, simply scroll down to “Reviews” inside the Podcasts app. b) If you’re on a desktop, click on “Listen on Apple Podcasts” under “The Nishant Garg Show.” Once inside iTunes, click on “Ratings and Reviews” and you’re set.
“It is one thing to awaken. It is another thing to remain awake.“
– Raj
Raj Sisodia was born in India and spent parts of his childhood in Barbados, California and Canada. He was educated as an electrical engineer from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS, Pilani). He pursued an MBA in Marketing from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai after which he earned a Ph.D. in Marketing and Business Policy from Columbia University.
Until 1998, he was the Director of Executive Programs and Associate Professor of Marketing at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. From 1985 to 1988, he was Assistant Professor of Marketing at Boston University.
He also spent 15 years at Bentley University as Trustee Professor of Marketing, Department Chair and founder/director of the Center for Marketing Technology. Raj is a trustee of Conscious Capitalism Inc. and a member of the board of directors of The Container Store. He has consulted with and taught executive programs for numerous companies, including AT&T, Nokia, LG, DPDHL, POSCO, Kraft Foods, Whole Foods Market, Tata, Siemens, Sprint, Volvo, IBM, Walmart, Rabobank, McDonalds and Southern California Edison.
Raj is an American citizen residing in Boston, Massachusetts. Raj has published ten books and over 100 academic articles. His work has been featured in the Wall Street journal, The New York Times, Fortune, Financial Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe,CNBC and many other media outlets.
This podcast is brought to you byNewsletter. If you’d like to learn more about what I am reading, new documentaries, what I am learning new, recent podcast updates, things I am experimenting with, or anything —which I share extensively in my weekly short and sweet “Friday Newsletter”. No spam ever! I hate that too!
Could you tell us the meaning of your first name to our listeners?
Could you share one of your memorable childhood moments?
You lived abroad between the age of 7 and 12 and then moved back to India, how was the culture shock for you and how did you adapt to the changing environments?
Did you have a good relationship with your father?
Blend of Feminine and Masculine energy
You mentioned that your dad wanted to you to be something else. What was that?
How do you find the balance between loving and striving to have more in your own personal life and personal relationships?
What are the concrete practices you have in an everyday life to cultivate more of healthy masculinity and be more self aware and awakened?
You went for a shamanic experience, you also went to a silent retreat in upstate New York. And then you also went to a spiritual journey in the Himalayas. When was it? Could you double click on all of these experiences and share with us?
what does healing mean to now?
When you were going through the spiritual awakening and multiple dimensions of healing, what was your inner voice at that time? What were you telling yourself? Any self-talk that you remember?
What do you do in the first 60 to 90 minutes of your waking up in the morning?
Writing process
Could you give us a small concrete example of mind mapping that you have used recently in your writing?
Not everybody can have access to you and Michael Gelb. So could you tell us some resources on mind mapping that we can go and learn more about it?
You have coauthored a lot of your books with other amazing writers? So are there some principles, rules, structure, frameworks to write a book with another human being?
What did Michael tell you to just trust your instincts?
What do you mean by words coming from soul versus words coming from the consciousness?
Why Jag Sheth is your mentor and what qualities does he have that you seek him as your mentor?
what is the specific impact you want to leave on this world?
And, much more
The Nishant Garg Show:
This show is about helping you live a fulfilled life and my job on this show is to sit with the world class experts to extract the practices, routines and habits to help you live a fulfilled and abundant life. For any question, please contact me.
If you have enjoyed listening to my podcasts, please subscribe to the new podcast updates on Itunes please provide your reviews on Itunes which will really help me. Subscribe to the Newsletter. You won’t be spammed! I hate spams too! You will receive only one email every Friday on the latest published podcasts.
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in growing this little show. I also love reading reviews! Instructions are: a)If you’re on an iPhone, simply scroll down to “Reviews” inside the Podcasts app. b) If you’re on a desktop, click on “Listen on Apple Podcasts” under “The Nishant Garg Show.” Once inside iTunes, click on “Ratings and Reviews” and you’re set.
Why am I writing a post on Psychedelics? A good friend Michael Ostrolenk asked me a few months ago — if I wanted to interview William A. Richards (Bill), and my response was hell yeah.
Why am I writing a post on Psychedelics? Let’s rewind and do a quick backstory— my elder brother died in 2014 due to blood cancer when he was 33 years old. In my family, back then, nobody knew about any healing modalities and we were relying only on the medicine. In just 2 months from the diagnosis, my brother died. I have seen tremendous amount of suffering in my family since his death and I take a stand to spread the word about any healing modalities to heal ourselves and support others to heal. We can’t change what we are not aware of.
This is my first attempt to share something on Psychedelics and therefore, keeping it simple and short.
A good friend Michael Ostrolenk asked me a few months ago — if I wanted to interview William A. Richards (Bill), and my response was hell yeah. I literally jumped off of my chair when Bill(he likes to be called by name Bill) said yes to be a guest. We spoke for about 90mins and went into the details of the Psychedelics world, different substances, and Psychedelics assisted therapy, and much more to heal the trauma, anxiety, depression, dying cancer patients and many other ways and areas to incorporate Psychedelics. The podcast episode will be launched very soon.
Updates by 6/28/2021: I sent this post to Bill to review and get the feedback if I misstated anything. Bill is kind enough to review and therefore I’m adding a few more things to help people better understand and attempt to remove any confusion from this post. At some places, you will see a strikethrough text I made after hearing from Bill. Here is a note from Bill’s desk(in italics):
Be careful not to imply that psychedelics “heal dying cancer patients”. Though it is not impossible that some persons may live longer due to better self-care and more effective immune systems once depression fades, our research to date is focused on quality of life, not quantity. The goal is to help people “live until they die”. Also more is needed than “safe environment and container”; those who choose to take psychedelics (legally or illegally) need to be well prepared/educated and attend to both medical and psychological/spiritual considerations. Some incur a greater degree of risk than others, for example anyone with severe psychological problems/history of psychosis, either personally or in terms of genetics/family history, or people with brain tumors, poorly functioning kidneys, cardiac issues, other medications in one’s system, etc. There’s a lot we don’t know at this point.
The CBS “60 Minutes” segment isn’t from “when psychedelics were legal”. They always have been legal in research contexts for investigators with an IND—an Investigational New Drug Permit—from the FDA, which of course we had at the time (1976). Back when I got involved in Germany in 1963, psychedelics were legal (and relatively unknown)—sent through the mail to interested physicians by Sandoz Pharmaceuticals in Switzerland. This changed in the late 1960’s when Nixon’s “drug war” was launched, scheduling of drugs was established, and UN treaties were signed.
First thing first — How I got started in Psychedelics? For quite some time, I thought psychedelics isn’t for me. There are so many myths around it and I was trapped in it.
A friend invited me over dinner who is a celebrated person in the space of Human Optimization. He offered me MDMA and my questions were — what do I do with this and what are the benefits? He mentioned — MDMA is a heart opener, develops deep empathy and love for others, and suggested I take it the next morning and go in nature. The next morning, I had no idea what I was getting into. I took the pill with confidence and after about 20 mins, I started seeing my vision bright and I felt deep love for animals and human beings. It was a beautiful different experience. Usually, the MDMA experience (or trip) lasts for about 6 hours(in my experience). Make sure to do your own research before consuming it.
After a few months later, I had another Psychedelic experience using DMT with a trusted friend in a safe setting. Intention setting is important here. My intentions were to visit my childhood trauma and adult romantic relationships.
After my first exposure to MDMA and DMT , I started to realize the healing benefits of Psychedelics. I am an amateur in this space and look up to people who have broad exposure. You get to start with something, right? Please don’t misuse these substances. They are not for everyone. Please make sure that you are in the “safe environment and container”.
Fast forward—In my interview preparation of Bill, I came across this very old video The CBS “60 Minutes” segment (when psychedelics used to be legal) of him administering DPT to the dying cancer patient or you can say end-of-life psychedelic psychotherapy. This video brought me to tears and I couldn’t wait to ask Bill for his permission to publish this video. This is my small attempt to spread the awareness around psychedelics considering its powerful healing nature.
This video depicts Bill assisting a cancer patient.
Here is a short bio of Bill Richards:
William A. Richards (Bill) is a psychologist in the Psychiatry Department of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Bayview Medical Center, a consultant/trainer at sites of psychedelic research internationally, a teacher in the Program of Psychedelic Therapy and Research at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and also a clinician in private practice in Baltimore. His graduate degrees include M.Div. from Yale Divinity School, S.T.M. from Andover-Newton Theological School and Ph.D. from Catholic University, as well as studies with Abraham Maslow at Brandeis University and with Hanscarl Leuner at Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany, where his involvement with psilocybin research originated in 1963.
From 1967 to 1977, he pursued psychotherapy research with LSD, DPT, MDA and psilocybin at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, including protocols designed to investigate the promise of psychedelic substances in the treatment of alcoholism, depression, narcotic addiction and the psychological distress associated with terminal cancer, and also their use in the training of religious and mental-health professionals. From 1977-1981, he was a member of the psychology faculty of Antioch University in Maryland. In 1999 at Johns Hopkins, he and Roland Griffiths launched the rebirth of psilocybin research after a 22 year period of dormancy in the United States. His publications began in 1966 with “Implications of LSD and Experimental Mysticism,” coauthored with Walter Pahnke. His book, Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences was released in English by Columbia University Press in 2015 and has since been translated into 6 additional languages—hopefully more coming.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: These plants and compounds are illegal in many countries, and even possession can carry severe criminal penalties. None of this post constitutes medical advice or should be construed as a recommendation to use psychedelics. There are serious legal, psychological, and physical risks. Psychedelics are not for everyone—they can exacerbate certain emotional problems, and there have been, in very rare cases, fatalities.
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