Give Yourself a Dose of Reality!
Hi There,
Have you seen Michael Pollan’s four-part docuseries on “How to Change Your Mind”? It explores the inner workings of the brain and human consciousness through the lens of psychedelic drugs, and it is WILD!
Watching the first couple of episodes left me emotionally ambivalent. I was frustrated that such experimentation had been shut down by the government for reasons with which I don’t agree. At the same time, I was left inspired by the stories of those for whom these natural hallucinogens have been beneficial.
It also left me curious about who is experimenting with psychedelics, and with what success. Wouldn’t you know it, the very next week a client (let’s call her Patty) shared that she’d used psilocybin mushrooms the previous Friday.
WOW! My mind was filled with countless questions. And yet, as a coach, I had to respect that our coaching time belongs to Patty to work on what will best serve HER, not to settle my curiosity.
Patty went ahead and set context about what she wanted to share. She then revealed an epiphany she had while on a “trip”. This ah-ha moment occurred after she had been marinating on work issues. You know: the drama, the personalities, the conversational misses many of us face in a workplace environment, whether it be live or virtual.
Unlike other times of contemplation about work, during her psychedelic episodes Patty was able to not only “go to the balcony” and zoom out, but she zoomed and zoomed and zoomed! It was from this perspective, stripped of ego, that Patty realized her perceptions about work were built on narratives she was telling herself.
The “trippy” part of my experiences with Patty is that as a coach, it’s my job to help clients recognize what is real vs what is true. In other words, I witness and help clients sort out their truth vs reality. And Patty “saw” this while under the influence of psilocybin. She was able to free her mind and consider the possibilities.
While I’m not suggesting you start planning your dosing experience, I will submit for your consideration the reality that your stories are built upon your interpretation of the world. And to be able to consider other possibilities, other perspectives, other viewpoints and other truths allows for wider perspective, and better connections with others— as you put yourself in a position to understand (stand under) their realities.
If you like how that sounds, consider how you can begin to ask yourself the following:
• What is my truth, and how does it compare to reality?
• What are the stories that have brought me to my truth?
• How can I release or at least suspend these narratives and consider different points of view?
Feel free to share your answers with me. I’d love to stand under your reality!
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
DRIVEN Professionals, 35 Adrienne Lane, Garrison, NY 10524