It's All About the Nervous System

I just recently graduated from a relatively short but amazing holistic bodywork therapy program in Vancouver, to prepare me for a career as a bodywork therapist giving massages (due to technicalities I cannot call myself a 'massage therapist').

My graduating class at the amazing Vancouver School of Healing Arts - June 2019

This was a big shift from my earlier technical institutionalized education meant to prepare me for the 9 to 5. Besides learning massage techniques, my school's program consisted of ancient sciences like ayurveda, as well as a spiritual component involving sharing circles, meditation, breathing exercises, and artistic expression in the form of drawing and dancing.

We did receive scientific education, to balance out the more holistic content, through an anatomy course. However, even the biggest lesson I took away from learning about human anatomy seemed to go against mainstream thinking. That lesson is that you do not need stronger, firmer pressure in order to enjoy and reap therapeutic benefits from a massage.

One would automatically think that the purpose of massage is to address the body at the point of contact. But I realize now through my education that this is very narrow thinking, and that the power of physical touch has a broader more holistic impact on the receiver.

This broader impact has to do with the autonomic nervous system. This system consists of all the nerves in our body which wrap around not just every muscle fibre, but also all the internal organs, affecting different internal processes that help maintain homeostasis, or a condition of equilibrium within the body. So the direct physical contact of outer skin and superficial muscles indirectly affects our nervous system, but also bodily functions which affect our general health and wellbeing.

The autonomic nervous system itself consists of two systems - the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system refers to the bodily state of fight or flight, and the parasympathetic system refers to the state of rest and digest.

A breakdown of the two nervous systems and its impacts. Source: pinterest.com

You may have heard of these terms lately, since stress has become such a recognized issue in modern society. That's because when you are stressed out your body activates the sympathetic nervous system: adrenaline and cortisol is released into your body, your eyes and blood vessels dilate, digestion slows, heart rate and breathing increases, among other things.

On the opposite end of the spectrum activating your parasympathetic nervous system pretty much reverses all these processes: your eyes and blood vessels constrict, heart rate and breathing slows, muscles relax, saliva production and digestion increases. In this state, human connection happens more easily.

The vagus nerve, of which there has been a lot of research done on it recently, is also connected to these systems, and stimulation of this nerve has been linked to improved gut health, reduced inflammation.

Our autonomic system developed in this way as a survival mechanism.

During our hunter-gatherer days, whenever we were hunting or being hunted our sympathetic system would activate so that we would have the energy and ability to outrun our enemy. Once we return to safety, our parasympathetic system would activate to recover from the stressful situation.

However, these internal processes that allow us to outrun our enemy are only meant to be used on an occasional basis because they are very taxing on our body. In today's modern society, we are subject to chronic low level stress and our sympathetic system is activated almost all the time. In the long term this leads to chronic depression and illness. It seems that all the activities recommended today to combat stress do so by activating the parasympathetic system - meditation, yoga, focusing on the breath.

And, of course, massage!

And while, as mentioned at the top, massage is often connected to addressing muscle injuries at the point of contact with strong pressure, an overlooked benefit is that it triggers general relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. And this depends on the right touch. The right touch signals to the receiver's body that it is safe and can relax, allowing it to move into rest and digest.

The right touch is about intuition; intuition cannot be taught in school, but honed through life experience

What is 'the right touch?'

This is very subjective, and that's why massage is so personal and depends entirely on the connection between giver and receiver.

A giver can have great technical skills but not every receiver will enjoy their touch. Someone without technical training may have a more intuitive and nurturing touch better suited for massage. A receiver can be open minded but if they don't have a good initial impression of the giver, how they receive their touch will reflect that. The right techniques can be taught in a school setting, but the right touch cannot be taught. That can only be honed through intuition.

Ultimately, it depends on the receiver. The right touch for them could be soft and warm, nurturing; it could be firmer and more technical. The receiver might think they want focused, deep pressure, but once they receive a soft intuitive touch, their minds could change.

This is why I value the softer side of my school's curriculum, as mentioned earlier, involving the sharing circles, meditation, breathing, drawing and dancing. These exercises are meant to make us better human beings; meant to know and love ourselves, and hone our intuition. Once we achieve this we can know and connect with our receivers more intuitively.

And the touch with which we connect with our receivers doesn't have to be deep and firm. It can be soft and nurturing; intuitive and knowing. It can be combined with breathing exercises or inhalations of essential oils. Whatever helps to signal to our bodies that it is safe. This signal relaxes our nervous system, which in turn activates our parasympathetic nervous system, and allows our bodies to rest and digest! Repair and connect!

Knowing and loving yourself starts with solitude in nature. Now I'm ready to give massage!

My Microdosing Journey

This has certainly been said before by people much wiser than me, but not said enough.

I firmly believe that in order for there to be real change in the world there needs to be a shift at the spiritual level.

Global or individual behaviour change starts at the spiritual level

The predominant cultural norms can tell an individual to reduce their carbon footprint, however, unless that individual, on a deeper level, truly values the people and the environment, they will only do it half-heartedly. And that deeper level where one's truth and values lie is the spiritual level.

My own spiritual awakening catalyzed a real shift in values towards care for the planet and its people. This fundamental internal shift drove positive actions and personal sacrifice.

My shift in consciousness would not have been possible without psychedelics. I wouldn't be even close to the person I am today without them. I believe psychedelics truly have the power to create a revolution of consciousness driving positive actions to reverse the damage that humans have incurred on the environment and each other.

The world is beginning to wake up and see this too, evidenced by the decriminalization of psilocybin in a few US states, as well as MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD on its way to being recognized as a legitimate treatment by the FDA. Here is a very informative TED Talk on the state of psychedelics today.

I wish to join the chorus of voices advocating its responsible use, and so I have taken steps to better understanding my own relationship with psychedelics.

~*~*~*~

Microdosing May

My first official experiment was Microdosing May where I regularly microdosed magic mushrooms and recorded journal entries for each microdose.

For this experiment I made my own custom capsules. Each capsule contains approximately 0.2 grams of psilocybin, 0.4 grams of an all-natural 5-mushroom blend (reishi, chaga, lion's mane, turkey tail, shiitake), maca and Vitamin B3 (which dilates the blood vessels). I took one capsule just about every other day in May.

My own microdosing capsules, a synergistic mix of psilocybin, other edible mushrooms, maca & vitamin B3

Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, and lion's mane are known to stimulate a process called neurogenesis, describing the growth of brain cells, which is linked to greater health and longevity. So the intention of these capsules were for synergistic brain and energy boost, along with general health benefits.

The most common recurring themes from my journal entries were a greater awareness of body and emotions.

The most commonly experienced internal physical sensation was of a soft buzz throughout the entire body. Beyond that there were a few occasions where I was highly aware of my heartbeat. Overall the body buzz felt great, like a subtle but noticeable vibration, softening tension in my muscles.

External physical sensations were also heightened such as sun and wind, even the feel of my clothes, on my skin. Music became much more engaging and stimulating. Visually, colours became more vivid, and it was easier to focus on individual objects, especially natural ones like trees.

Magic mushrooms generally increase one's sensitivity to stimuli, so it is easy to become overstimulated. Whenever situations became overstimulating I sought quiet or familiar situations with people I knew. I found myself to be more friendly and positive in passing social interactions with strangers, and more laughing and joking around friends. Even alone, I would notice little things that would make me laugh more than usual.

May was an emotional month for me, and the microdosing arguably helped. I say arguably because, similar to the body sensations, you can't escape sensing your emotions. In my case, I generally microdosed in environments quiet enough to allow me to focus on my emotions and allow them to move through me more quickly and effectively. So it was very helpful for me in terms of dealing with my emotions. However, there were a few microdoses taken during a busy or stimulating situation, and being aware of my emotions only served to distract or stress me out more.

During my microdosing regime I was moved to tears on at least four occasions. But they were good tears in which I felt lighter, less burdened afterwards. The predominant emotions I felt were subtly uplifted and relaxed, and occasionally feelings of interconnectedness and oneness with the people and nature.

Macrodosing in the right setting can trigger healing. And in other settings, just tripping out

There was only one occasion in May which I did a macrodose. That night I went dancing and really got my body moving! It got off to a rough start because I did a fairly large dose, about 1.8 grams of psilocybin, which made me slightly nauseous and out of control of my thoughts. After I recovered, I danced for a bit, then became overstimulated and tired, so I went home early. I hung out with my roommate and we had a great time - I think I alternated between three cycles of laughing fits and crying! The dose was also large enough to trigger visual hallucinations, where patterns on walls started to come alive, and my skin started to crawl.

Overall it was an amazing night, and I felt much lighter inside my body. And while microdosing is becoming popular, some experts believe that macrodosing in controlled settings is the best way to use psychedelics for healing purposes. Rick Doblin explains that at the end of his TED Talk on psychedelic-assisted therapy, just this past April in Vancouver.

Besides dancing, there were a few other occasions in which I felt in a more creative rhythm, such as doing poi while microdosing. I also gave a few massages while microdosing, and the receivers gave feedback that I was very present with them, and had a good rhythm.

Spinning poi on the beach

In summary, the overwhelming majority of my microdosing experiences were positive. Feelings experienced were a gentle body buzz, uplift and interconnectedness.

Psilocybin generally brings greater awareness to one's body and emotions (instead of dulling or numbing them like with alcohol or opioids). They show you the real you. So even though I had negative emotions come up at times, I was in the right context to process and resolve those emotions, creating room for healing. There was really only one experience I recall feeling uncomfortable, when I was around someone who I didn't really connect well with.

Psilocybin has effects generally lasting 3 to 5 hours, but my perceived effects of body lightness often lasted well past that. This shows the power of magic mushrooms to effect lasting positive change beyond just the psychoactive experience alone.

Perhaps the strongest benefit from microdosing is that the greater body and emotional awareness allowed me to become more present with myself. I let go of thoughts that didn't serve me and focused on what I felt in the moment.

I really enjoyed Microdosing May, and thought I would continue microdosing into the next month. However, I completely stopped microdosing until midway through June when I made a fresh batch of pills with a different formula and wanted to try them out. Almost two months later I still have zero compulsion to microdose, and no dependency.

Beyond the science, this was personal proof that psilocybin is not an addictive substance.

A Testimonial from a Friend

I'd like to conclude by encouraging dialog with friends and other readers. If you're interested I would be happy to discuss my experience in more detail and help prepare you for your journey with psychedelics. I've helped introduce several friends to psilocybin in a balanced setting, casual yet ritualistic. I feel called to continue doing so.

Here is a testimonial from a friend who I introduced to psilocybin:

Speaking as someone with anxiety, my experience with microdosing mushrooms has been nothing short of transformative. I had never experimented with psychedelics before, and I was taken aback by how user friendly they are. Starting with once every 3-4 weeks this past October, I now microdose once or twice a week.

Microdosing calms my often-overactive mind, allowing me to actually be present in the moment. I can tune out all the background noise in my head and focus on the people around me. As counterintuitive as it sounds, it brings my attention outward instead of anxiously inward. I even find it helps with breaking negative thought patterns, which brings with it a feeling of self-generated contentment and calm.

Because of the shift in focus, I feel more in tune with my surroundings, as well as making my daily interactions feel more meaningful and intentional.

This process has brought so much positivity into my life, I really can’t stress enough the impact that it’s had on my mental health.