There is dispute in the Buddhist community about the value of psychedelics ‘on the path’ and if you’re interested in the intersection of Buddhism and psychedelics, I highly recommend the book Zig Zag Zen. There are plenty of other articles on this topic, but today I’m just gonna share a bit of my story and how these two things have weaved their way into my life.

Discovering LSD

I first tried LSD as a curious guy keen for new experiences. As someone who enjoyed being creative, I was especially interested in new ways of thinking. I also wanted to have fun. I had little idea what I was in for when I put that little piece of paper in my mouth, but looking back, I now see those first experiences as pivotal in my life. Though they’ve affected me in many ways, one that stands out is how they lead me to meditation. At the time I had never tried meditating, nor had any real idea what it was, but if I had never tried LSD, I honestly doubt I’d have started meditating.

How Psychedelic Experience Lead Me To Meditation

On the tail end of my first LSD trips, I didn’t have any ‘comedown’. The post-trip chapter I experienced would more accurately be described as a serene, contemplative afterglow. After the ecstasy and madness of the peak, I descended to a more peaceful state which was in its own way, my favourite part of the whole experience. Though at the time I didn’t have any clear idea of what ‘meditation’ meant, I described the afterglow state to friends as meditative; my mind was sharp and clear and I was deeply reflective. I also noticed that my breathing naturally became long and slow. This tuning into the flow of my breath was a naturally induced meditation session.

When my friends and I didn’t naively first time candy flip on a Sunday and have to go to work the next day without getting a wink of sleep (see: my first time on acid – I started a new job that Monday – another story, another time), an ideal recovery day would be spent chilling with my fellow travellers. We’d order pizza, smoke joints and get comfortable on the sofas for a run of movies. After a long session, we were always physically exhausted, yet my mind was always energised. With this mental energy I’d wander philosophically through themes and ideas that came up in the films, conversation, music or anything else. As we watched movies I’d interpret them in all kinds of novel ways, see metaphors the writers and directors had put in, and understand concepts that I hadn’t considered before. I’d make notes in my journal about interesting ideas that came to mind and, of course, just generally enjoy hanging out. Relaxed but attentive, naturally contemplative, it was a taster for meditation.

In the wake of these experiences, my mind was clearer. I had a greater awareness and detachment of my thoughts. I felt wiser. I was looking at things from a greater perspective more often and more naturally, like that mental trick you do when something bad happens and you ask yourself “how much will this matter in 5, 10 or 20 years?”, or you zoom out on google maps to try and coerce the overview effect. I was thinking more creatively and seeing metaphors in almost everything, and my behaviour became less guided by fear and petty concerns. The effect was sudden and obvious, and lasted some months before beginning to fade and older mental habits and ways of being began to return.

I missed my newly found but now fading clarity and wisdom, but I’d experienced another way of being that I wouldn’t forget in a hurry. Following a wikipedia trail, I was lead from psychedelic drugs to non-ordinary forms of consciousness to meditation; a method of changing awareness, without substances. Though my access to psychedelic substances was gone, my newly whetted appetite for discovery remained, and I moved to Asia with a job teaching English.

From the UK to China

In my new home city of Shanghai, I started going to classes on meditation and reading books on the topic. Reading books about Buddhism felt like I was reading books about psychedelic experience, and in retrospect, they were some kind of integration texts. I began a daily meditation practice, and soon after went on my first silent retreat in 2012.

Temple stay in Korea

In the 6 years that have passed since, meditation practice has become a key foundation in my life. I’ve been back on other retreats and temple stays, was part of a Zen sangha in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh in Spain, and last year started a weekly meditation group in Berlin. Meditation is what a friend of mine would call a fundamental – others include exercise, diet, community and creative projects – and mindfulness is a skill I find applicable in so many situations of life. 

Like many others, my practice started with psychedelics. And while my first psychedelic journeys lead me to meditation, meditation has boomeranged back around and played its role in my psychedelic sessions. Today I’ll share one example.

How Meditation Helped On A Deep Journey

On a grey Saturday a couple years ago, alone in a friend’s house whilst he was away for the weekend, I took 250 micrograms of LSD. In the months before, I’d been reading various psychedelic-therapeutic protocols and had prepared accordingly for the session. I managed the anxiety of a turbulent come up by relaxing myself many times as I noticed myself getting anxious and tightening up, and directing my attention to my breathing. Around an hour in, as the lysergic waves really began to come on strong, I was lying down, looking up at the ceiling.

In one moment, a monster appeared above me. It was hovering over me, looking down at me from the ceiling. I was looking directly at its face, and it was looking right back at me, right into my eyes.

I was instinctively gripped by fear. My shoulders and rest of my body tightened up instantly as I stared in shock. The beast was of course not physically there, it was a manifestation of my fears, a representation of what scares me and had been avoided.

I held the monster’s gaze, took a deep breath in, and with a long exhale, relaxed my body, letting tension go. As I did this, the monster dissolved into harmless patterns right before my eyes. The visual information was in fact the same – the rich ceiling patterns that made up the monsters face were still there – but they no longer appeared scary or even as a being to me. What changed wasn’t the sensory information I was receiving, it was my perception of it. What made up the ‘monster’ was still there, I just saw it differently. I had a new perspective.

There were a few other moments leading up to this confrontation where I noticed myself getting anxious and tightening up, and I consciously relaxed my body. I see these as like smaller hurdles that once passed, allowed me to get to the point of this confrontation. The dissolution was like a jumping off point, and after this I dropped deep into ineffable experience.

The journey was deep and had many chapters: there were visions of a past life, alternate realities, and repressed emotions burst up and were released though uncontrollable bouts of sobbing. In the most profound chapter, it was a transpersonal experience; ‘I’ disappeared, along with time, and experience just happened.

I’ll share this story in more detail another time but for now I think its enough to say it was a significant experience that shifted something deep inside of me. The next day I felt lighter and clearer. I had more understanding and compassion. And my meditation practice was revived with a spark. I hadn’t been this affected since those very first journeys – the ones that spurred me on to meditation. I didn’t become a holy and all-understanding being overnight, but I inched in that direction. 

Reflecting on the session afterwards, I saw how techniques that I’d learnt in meditation helped me to relax, to let my guard down and open to the experience with lessened resistance. And this is why I recommend meditation to anyone considering a first psychedelic experience. Including you.

Thanks for reading.

The post Psychedelics and Meditation – How They’ve Informed Each Other On My Path appeared first on Maps of the Mind.

1. Make It a Daily Practice

If meditation isn’t yet a daily practice, make it one. I can’t emphasise the importance of consistency enough. Making it a daily habit is the best thing you can do for your practice over the long term. Make a 100% commitment to it and don’t leave it as a choice, make it an obligation. If you struggle to find time, then you should actively schedule time for it.

If a day comes thats just full of obstacles, then shorten the meditation, just don’t skip it. If it’s that desperate just sit for 2 minutes (but really, you can’t spare 10-20 minutes?). This way you will still retain the habit of sitting down and taking the time for yourself. It will become a habit rather than a chore and will become a regular part of your day. When you have to brush your teeth, do you ever think ‘but I don’t have time today’ or ‘I’m too tired’ – no, you just do it because you always do it. Make it so with meditation. The best way to form the habit is commit to a month without skipping a day.

• When you do miss a day… don’t miss the next!
  If you do miss a day – because hey, you’re human – make absolutely sure that you don’t miss the next day. The next day is crucial to make sure you get straight back to it and don’t allow a run of missed days to form. Accept the missed day and just like you’d bring yourself back to your point of focus during a meditation, bring yourself back to your practice: calmly and smilingly.

2. Have a Meditation Buddy

Having a friend that you meditate with is a tremendous way to support your practice. When I first started meditating in China I was lucky enough to have a close friend who was also just starting to learn at that time. We went to classes together, exchanged tips and shared our experiences on the learning curve. We lent each other books on the topic and meditated together after work before going out for noodles. At the time we were both working as teachers at the same school and when we both had a long enough break between classes we’d take an empty classroom and sit for 20 minutes. We turned out to be a great support to each other and both of our practices were strengthened because of our influence on each other.

• Alternatively, your meditation buddy doesn’t have to be someone you physically meditate with, it could be an accountability buddy. You can check in with each other regularly to make sure you are both keeping it up.

3. Create a Dedicated Spot For Meditation

Set up a ‘meditation space’ in your home. It could be anything from a small spot with cushions on the floor to a particular room with an altar. Ideally this space will be used exclusively for meditation and you will not do any other activity there. The physical segregation will create a ‘safe haven’ and this will help your mind to settle down more quickly and allow you to go deeper with each meditation.

4. Read a Book About Meditation Or Mindfulness

Each time I read a book about meditation or a related topic my awareness gets a little boost because I’m getting reminders and calls to awareness whilst reading – and I could be doing this anywhere (commuting, in the park, before bed). I’m generally more aware of the mind and its wanderings and I ‘catch’ and therefore place my mind, far more often. When reading you also learn new techniques and get new insights into the practice of meditation, deepending your understanding and expanding your practice. Thich Nhat Hanh’s books have been hugely influential in extending my mindfulness from my formal meditation to daily life and everyday tasks.

Photo by Amber Metcalfe

Two Books I’d Recommend

• Thich Nhat Hanh – Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
• Eckhart Tolle – The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

5. Do a Course Or Silent Retreat

Doing a course is a surefire way to boost your practice. You will get the time and mental space you need to do serious meditation. Escaping the distractions and frenzy of the modern world will enable you to develop your level your focus and you will almost certainly learn something new about the technique of meditation as well. Moreover, after an intensive period of meditation it seems much easier to extend the duration of your daily meditations and integrate it further into your life. I have done temple stays and meditation courses and if you are serious about meditation then one course I’d happily recommend is the 10 day vipassana meditation course – I even convinced my Dad to do one. They’re available all over the world and there’s lots of info online. You can read my advice about how to make the most of a 10 day course here.

6. Join a Weekly Group

Like meditating with a friend, meditating with a group can be a superb boost to your practice. It’s a great way to meet other meditators and a place where you can share your experiences and receive support. Having a weekly appointment in a set time and place is a great way to make meditation into a fun and sociable event on your calendar and mixes up your practice helping to keep it fresh.

Meditation groups can be found almost anywhere- I’ve attended meditation groups while I’ve been based in China, Spain and Korea and they’ve helped me in many ways. I’ve often found the quality of my meditation was improved when sitting with a group and others said the same. Groups are great for learning different techniques of meditation and meeting new people in the process. Search online for a group and if you can’t find one, try starting one yourself, all it takes is setting up a facebook group.

7. Meditate For Longer When You Can

Yes, I’ve banged on about the importance of consistency and cementing the habit. Shorter and daily is better than longer and less frequently. But it doesn’t always have to be shorter, meditate for a little longer when you can. If you normally meditate for 5 minutes a day but on Sundays have more time and an easier schedule, then meditate for 20 minutes. You’ll likely notice a difference in the meditation.

8. Integrate Mindfulness In To Your Life

The aim of meditation isn’t to become skilled at watching the breath for 20 minutes a day, it’s to become more aware of our minds and lives. Mindfulness is basically meditation in a non-formal setting and is the practice being aware of where your mind is when you aren’t sat down in a quiet spot with your eyes closed. While mindfulness can be practiced anywhere and anytime, it will be much easier in the beginning to practice during activities that are done alone and that can be done slowly: taking a shower, brushing your teeth, taking a walk, eating. Choose one or two of these, and everytime you do that particular activity, make it an exercise in mindfulness, a mini-meditation if you will.

• Read more: Transforming Everyday Habits Into Mindfulness Practices (+ 5 Habits To Transform)

Mindfulness really can be extended to anything. Just like meditation, it is the practice of choosing one thing, your anchor in the present moment, and being totally conscious of it. Simply do as you would do with a sitting meditation, but rather than using your breath or mantra as an anchor you will use the activity you are doing. Focus on the thing that you are doing, taking care to do it calmly and with all your attention. This will keep your attention in the present moment and not swept up in unrelated thoughts. Every time you notice your mind has wandered off, calmly bring it back.

9. Don’t Beat Yourself Up If You Do Miss it

When you’re meditating and realise you’ve drifted off in to ‘thought-land’, it’s important to retain your equanimity and calmy, smilingly bring yourself back to your point of focus. The same is true when you miss a day or fall out of rhythm with your meditation practice; it’s the same teaching on the macro level. When you realise you’ve let your regularity of practice slip or skipped a few days, don’t be annoyed at yourself or feel guilty. Calmly accept the reality and return to your practice, just as you would return to your point of focus.

10. Don’t Keep It a Secret: Come Out As a Meditator

When I first started I was a bit timid about sharing the fact that I was a meditator; I was worried about being judged and seen as a weird hippy. Despite its growth meditation still isn’t the most commonplace practice and for many people conjures images of ascetic monks and brings to mind religious practices of exotic Eastern religions. Whilst there’s no real easy way around this until perceptions change, it’s better just to be honest and open that you’re a meditator (isn’t that the case with most things?). You may be surprised to find that someone you know is interested and may even want to learn – you could even find yourself a meditation buddy.

Housemates, friends and those close to you will understand that you need that quiet time alone and it will be easier to make time to sit without worries of distraction. If your boss knows you could even ask if there’s somewhere at your place of work where you can meditate. By ‘coming out’ you’ll identify yourself as a meditator and this shift in mentality will help you to maintain your continuity of practice.

In this way you can also break the stereotype that meditation is only for buddhists and hippies. A former work colleague of mine was surprised when it came up that I meditated regularly and went to a local meditation group. It turned out that he’d already read a few articles about meditation online and was curious to try it. Upon finding out about my practice he seemed relieved and said ‘well… if normal people do it too’. (!)

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These methods have all helped me along the way and I’m sure will help you too. Do you have any tips for how to improve a meditation practice? Or maybe you can recommend a course? Post a comment below.

The post 10 Ways To Develop Your Meditation Practice appeared first on Maps of the Mind.

What To Expect

You Will Seriously Learn to Meditate

Perhaps you’re aware of all the purported benefits of meditation and are eager to learn but would like some guidance. Maybe you’ve started but aren’t sure you’re doing it right or that you can sense any tangible change in yourself… that’s normal; meditation is a slow burner… the practice is a subtle one and the effects are gradual. Whatever the case, completing one of these 10 days courses will clear up any doubts you may have about meditation. Over the duration of the course you will systematically learn how to meditate, and gain a lot of practice too. There are teachers on hand to give you guidance should you want it: they will answer any questions and respond to any doubts you may have. Everything is arranged and set up for you to be able to focus solely on learning and practising meditation. It really is the ideal environment to learn because as well as the support on hand there are….

No Distractions

All external distractions are removed; you aren’t permitted to talk, touch or even make eye contact with other students. You aren’t allowed to read, write, listen to music, use a phone or use any electronics or other means of communication or entertainment. You are cut off from the outside world and there is complete gender segregation. You are basically living like a monk for 10 days. All meals are taken care of and a bell is rung every morning to wake you up. You have nothing to worry about and can dedicate your time and energies to meditation. And it’s a lot of time too, here’s how the daily schedule shapes up:

4:00 a.m.                           Morning wake-up bell
4:30 – 6:30 a.m.               Meditate in the hall or in your room
6:30 – 8:00 a.m.               Breakfast break
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.              Group meditation in the hall
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.             Meditate in the hall or in your room
11:00 – 12 noon                 Lunch break
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.              Rest, and interviews with the teacher
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.                Meditate in the hall or in your room
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.                Group meditation in the hall
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.                Meditate in the hall or in your room
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.               Tea break
6:00 – 7:00 p.m.               Group meditation in the hall
7:00 – 8:15 p.m.                Teacher’s discourse in the hall
8:15 – 9:00 p.m.                Group meditation in the hall
9:00 – 9:30 p.m.                Question time in the hall
9:30 p.m.                             Retire to your room; lights out

If You Already Meditate: The Course Will Enable You To Go Much Further

If you are already meditating and want to take your practice and focus to the next level, I seriously recommend you find the time to do a course. For the reasons given above, it is an environment most conducive to meditation. When I went into my first course I’d been meditating 20-30 minutes everyday for the 4 months leading up to the course. Subtle though they were, I’d started feeling the benefits of meditation after the first month. Meditation by meditation, I slowly improved my focus and gradually felt change in my day to day life. More often I would find myself aware of where my mind was, able to place it to more beneficial areas of focus and to view things from a more positive perspective. The progress was tangible but if I’m honest; it was slow.

However, on this ten day course the depth of my focus and the ability to retain my attention skyrocketed. I remember at the end of a one hour meditation on day 3, I couldn’t believe that I had maintained my focus on my breath for the entire hour. Yes, the entire hour. There was no moment when I realised I wasn’t meditating and had to bring my attention back to my breath: my attention never left my breath. Prior to that I’d never managed a full 20 minute meditation without losing my attention and having to bring it back a few times. Rather than ‘coming round’- realising I was thinking of something and then bringing my attention back, I was able to sense when my attention was about to drift off before it had actually left, and was able to pull it back to centre before it had gone anywhere. This may sound strange but this is heightened awareness: the meditation was working.

This course is full on. That is the reason why you can make so much progress in such a short amount of time. All you do is meditate all day, everyday. You pack in almost 100 hours of practice into 10 days. By comparison, if you meditated 20 minutes every single day, it would take you 300 days to reach 100 hours of practice, almost 10 months! By this measure you pack in a month’s practice into each day on the course… not bad. Not only that but beause of the environment the quality of meditation is superior and the continuity of practice has a snowball effect on your concentration.

Advice

Keep Plugging – One Meditation at a Time

Don’t expect to feel enlightened or have all the answers to your life after a few hours. Stick at it, maintain your patience and keep going. It will be testing and there will be times you won’t want to do the meditation properly. You´ll be tempted to go out for a walk, take a toilet break, or just ease up on your meditation and let yourself drift into thoughts and daydreams. This urge will be reinforced if you feel like you’re not making much progress. On top of that the 10 days can feel like a lifetime and slacking off for a bit might not seem such a big deal. If the amount of time seems overwhelming or you’re struggling for motivation try to focus on the current meditation and do that one as best you can. You’ll make it to the end, can take a break, and go again for the next meditation. Remember the aphorism: ‘you get out what you put in’. Meditation is a skill and like any other skill, the more you practice the better you become, and the more you stand to gain. Of course at times it may be beneficial to take a break but don’t kid yourself. You are there to meditate so make the most of your time there, at the end of it all you will be glad you did.

Finish The Course

If you sign up to the course, complete it. Every course has people drop out and this doesn’t surprise me. On my first course I wanted to up and leave almost every other day! I questioned what the hell I was doing and wanted to get out of there back to where I was comfortable and life was familiar. But in the end I didn’t and I’m so glad I stuck it out; I even went back for another the following year, and intend to go once every year. The point is it’s not easy (seriously). If you’re imagining a relaxing spa-like retreat, think again. You will be working with your mind everyday, and the days are long. Your body will ache at times (trust me) and there will likely be times when you question what you’re doing, are convinced (or have convinced yourself) ‘it’s not working’ or ‘it’s not worth it’ and want to leave. The mind will play all sorts of games to try and regain familiarity.

Be clear of your intention and why you are there and make a strong commitment to see it out. Remember that you have taken a spot on the course and if you drop out you’ve used a space that someone else could have taken- you will have spurned an opportunity for someone else (as well as yourself) to learn this technique of meditation.

For myself, and from speaking with others, the general feeling on the last day (when the rigorous schedule is eased up and meditators are again allowed to speak to each other) is one of accomplishment, jubilation and joy. If you don’t see it out you’ll also miss out on this, and I have to say the final day is a really wonderful occasion that’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t been through the process and come out the other end.

Don’t Mind the Philosophy; Do the Meditation

Every evening there is a one hour discourse (like a lecture) from the founder of the course. It is a welcome break from the meditation and often very amusing. He talks about what you may be going through, the technique, tells tales and philosophies. Despite the claim that the course has no religious affiliation, the tales and messages presented are essentially Buddhist. Seemingly ironic, this does actually make sense as the original teachings of the Buddha were essentially non-religious and anti-dogma. Buddhism is, as Alan Watts aptly put it, ‘the religion of no-religion’.

However strong your aversion to religion may be (and in many respects I don’t blame you) I urge you not to be put off. Personally I enjoyed the discourses and most people do but I know of some people that had a problem with them and it disrupted their meditation and hampered what they could’ve potentially got from the course. My advice would be if you don’t agree with what is being said, then don’t worry about it. Just continue the practice and come to your own conclusions. You needn’t agree with everything that is being said to remain on the course or to gain benefit from meditation.

Likewise, there are some hymnlike mantras/chants played during some meditations. To some people it feels cultish or weird. If it bothers you, I would say don’t worry about it. It needn’t affect your meditation or experience negatively, in fact, it’s actually there to help!

Abolish Your Expectations (or at least don’t expect too much)

The course is a very personal experience and what people take from it both during and after can vary greatly. I first heard about vipassana from a Chinese girl who told me that the course had changed her life in a profoundly positive way (this was a major catalyst in my decision to go – I’d signed up for one within a few weeks of her telling me this). Likewise, on my first course I met a younger guy who went in a miserable rut and then left elated with apparently all the answers he wanted (!).

However, the perceived sense of change isn’t as dramatic for everyone. For most, many of the effects are less discernible and more subtle. I spoke to a guy on his second time round who said he didn’t really realise how much his first course had affected him until months later. Indeed, while I felt rejuvenated and generally more level headed immediately after, I too was unaware of a few things that had changed in myself until a long time after. If you are expecting to feel great and have figured out all your life’s problems, you may well be disappointed. Try to abandon your expectations and to treat the course as an experiment. Be like a scientist, follow the procedures and observe the results. Go with an open mind, work at the meditation and take what comes as it is without pre-conceived notions. This way, and with some time and perspective, you will really find out for yourself how this type of meditation affects you.

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That’s it! There are many personal accounts online if you are curious to find out more but I would recommend that if you decide to go, try to avoid reading them so as not to shape your expectations too much. In summary, if you are serious about meditation, I’d absolutely recommend the course. Beginners learn the ropes and experienced meditators go deeper.

If you decide to go, best of luck!

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Have you been on a vipassana meditation course? What advice would you give to a first-timer? Leave your comments below.

The post How To Make The Most Of Your 10-Day Vipassana Meditation Course appeared first on Maps of the Mind.