(i.e. Psychedelics Without the Drugs) Mar 08, 2023
Until just recently, psychedelic drugs like psilocybin (magic mushrooms), LSD, MDMA, and ketamine were shrouded in clouds of suspicion and stigma.
They were illicit and illegal, the drugs often associated with hippies, 1970s rock musicians, and rave junkies.
But as you may have noticed, the cultural status of these compounds is changing, and it's changing fast.
In just the few months, numerous states have legalized the use of psilocybin.
In just the last few weeks, psychedelic assisted therapy was featured on John Oliver's Last Night, the New York Times' podcast The...
Originally Published in Inc. Magazine.
In spite of all the studies showing the amazing benefits of meditation, most people fail to turn this practice into a habit for one simple reason. I call it the myth of "monk-style meditation."
It's the myth that, if you want to become a "real meditator," you need to seal yourself off from the world for long periods. This myth tells you that you can't just meditate for five or ten minutes a day. You have to do it for at least 30 minutes or an hour each day.
This myth arises from the early neuroscience research on...
Originally published in Inc. Magazine.
You just got off the phone with one of your most important clients. The game-changing deal you were trying to close is off. They're not interested.
You've just pitched 10 potential investors. They all say they're "interested" but it's been two weeks. You refresh your inbox hourly, and yet still no word.
How do you react in these situations?
If you're like most people, your mind floods with negativity. "Maybe our product sucks," "Why can't I just get a break?" or "Maybe there's something wrong with me."
Neuroscientists have a name for this...
10 years ago, I lived what appeared to be a perfect life. I had recently married my high school sweetheart. I was one year short of completing my PhD. And I was on the fast track to realizing my dream of becoming a professor of political philosophy.
On paper, everything was perfect. Marriage – check. Friends – check. Long list of academic degrees – check.
But in my mind, everything was a mess. The stress of grad school, a recent bike accident, and my own...
This article was originally published in Inc. Magazine.
When it comes to anxiety, we've got everything backwards.
Just consider the last time you felt a wave of raw fear minutes before a big presentation or a difficult conversation. If you're like most people, your first instinct was to say to yourself, "Stop freaking out. Calm down."
And yet, according to Harvard Business School professor Allison Wood Brooks, this is exactly the wrong thing to do. Her research shows that shifting from anxiety, a negative state of high arousal, to calm, a positive state of low arousal,...
I’ve come to a sobering realization when it comes to my meditation practice: I will never be an elite meditator.
And that has led me to rethink the basic nature of mindfulness practice.
Here’s the context. In Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson’s latest book Altered Traits, which brings together the most cutting edge scientific research on the benefits of meditation, they conclude that the benefits of meditation are a function of the amount of time you spend doing the practice.
Beginning level meditators (those who have practiced for at...
