Posts by Paul Campbell3

Seriously, man; you helped me out way more than you realize. Thanks.😉

...everything you’re saying is fine, I guess, but nothing special...
You want to be honest but also "cool"? Good luck with that—those two things don't exactly play nice together. Besides, that has absolutely zero to do with what we're talking about here.

I could say the exact same thing about everything you just wrote—nothing special. It sounds just like every other story from people who have experimented with drugs.

Look, I'm not trying to be difficult; I'm just trying to offer a different perspective. Because clearly, everyone who has messed around with drugs treats it like this massive, once-in-a-lifetime thing that sets them apart from the rest of us "normal" people. (Maybe I misread you, but that's honestly the vibe I get from your posts on this topic).

But seriously, explain one thing to me: why does every single user defend their experiences with such insane intensity?
What's even the point?

It really makes me wonder...

befee says:
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Nothing worth having comes through some slow, "natural," and "safe" process (especially NOT safe???) If you want actual consciousness expansion, you have to be at 100% risk. You only outgrow your old self when you’re ready to sacrifice everything. This isn't knitting socks...

Look, if you honestly believe sexual abuse, near-death experiences, emotional trauma, existential dread, or psychological shock are "safe," "natural," or easy—and totally risk-free compared to the trips you get from, say, mushrooms, LSD, or heroin—then fine. Whatever.

All I'm saying is that whatever high you hit on drugs, someone else can experience just by living. You just live your life and observe yourself within it. If you actually have the balls for that.
A chance to confront your own emotions and face the dark basement of your psyche can happen while you're just standing in line at the DMV paying your bills😁.
Opportunities to settle scores with yourself pop up every single day.

P.S. A lot of people think I'm likable, but don't let that fool you. And that has nothing to do with this topic. 😉

Wait, you missed that second paragraph!

Releasing all those suppressed emotions and actually integrating them once the drugs wear off? That phase—from what I’ve seen—is a total nightmare for people struggling with addiction. It's incredibly difficult.

Look, I know myself. When I’m high on weed, it’s like my brain finally clicks into gear. It sparks this creative fire that helps me knock out art or actually tackle problems that used to feel impossible. Everything just flows better. You get these wild, original ideas popping up out of nowhere. Plus, you get this weirdly sharp insight into people—you start seeing exactly what’s going on with everyone around you. You just slide into this headspace where everything feels right, like anything is possible.

And that’s exactly what everyone blathers on about when they start listing the "pros."

I’m honestly worried about that aftermath. You know, that phase once you finally snap out of it.😁.

Turning to drugs is usually just a sign that someone can't figure out how to deal with their own ego.
The development of the ego happens between ages 1.5 and 3. If that process is painful—or if parents start making subconscious mistakes during those formative years—it can blow up in someone's face later in life in a really dramatic way.

I really hope I don't have to stand here and repeat myself for the five hundredth time. Look, I’m not here to play preacher or lecture anyone—honestly, I don't care to. I'm just trying to make sense of things based on what I've actually been through. I'm explaining this mostly to get my own head straight, but maybe it'll help some of you too: that whole drive to reach for drugs and the idea of using them as some kind of shortcut for spiritual growth.

I’ve been doing some thinking—again, based on my own damn experience—and I think I’ve finally nailed down what actually drives us. It all comes down to one core emotion. Fear. It’s everywhere. Our parents basically dump all their own anxieties onto us. So instead of just dealing with our own stuff, we’re stuck carrying their fears too—plus the baggage from our grandparents who did the exact same thing to them. It's a never-ending cycle.

Check out this quote I stumbled upon—it’s pretty interesting:

It’s pretty wild how spiritual gurus always go on a tear against the "trippy" experiences people have through drugs—even just cannabis. They claim that catching a fragmented glimpse into higher planes before you’re actually ready is a dangerous game. Their big warning? It'll completely stall your progress. That’s basically what they tell anyone looking for guidance from a priest, a yogi, a Sufi, or a Buddhist monk. But here’s the paradox: so many people end up turning to substances in the first place because they’re desperately searching for some kind of deeper meaning in life. They get that one moment where it feels like they finally found it—only for the whole thing to fade away once the molecules leave their system and the magic illusion dissolves.

Here’s the bottom line on this whole thing, and honestly, it sums up my entire take:

Don't try to rush the process. You can't force things that need to happen while you're fully conscious, because they happen at exactly the pace they’re supposed to. Psychological growth isn't some sprint; it's a dynamic flow. You have to recognize things on an intuitive level, and for that to actually mean anything, you have to be present. If you try to mess with that natural rhythm—using shortcuts to speed it up or tools to slow it down—you're just sabotaging yourself. Inducing these states on your own? It's fake. It's artificial. It won't reflect what's actually going on in your psyche.

🙂

befoo:
It’s worth pointing out that certain substances just release suppressed emotions. Facing those feelings can be painful and even shocking for people who aren't ready for it... but it can also be incredibly eye-opening.

I guess I agree with that point (with the tiny caveat that the girl in the example was just smoking a regular joint)

But that’s exactly where the danger lies.
The barriers between our conscious and subconscious minds aren't there for nothing.
The ultimate goal isn't just "releasing emotions."

The actual goal of any self-discovery is the capacity for integration—something that gets severely compromised when you're using drugs or trying aggressive spiritual techniques.
How is anyone supposed to be ready (or at least *think* they are ready) when they don't even realize what they're hiding from themselves?

Ryan Wilson2 put it perfectly:
Clean out the basement first (I prefer that term over "shack"😁), and then start experimenting (I won't get into the second half of his statement for ethical reasons)😁

Once the high wears off, you have to actually know what to do with that released emotion. Too often, people in their normal state of consciousness have no clue how to handle it or where to put it. Even if they act like they do.
That's why I say that Opium Den trips (much like aggressive spiritual practices) are basically a one-way ticket if you approach them with an unprepared mind and no guidance.

Like I said before, you can't force anything positive onto an unprepared spirit—whether you're trying to muscle through it with spiritual techniques or just blasting it with drugs.

And let's be real: it's highly unlikely a 19-year-old has a spirit ready for those kinds of trips, even if they think some candy and poppers are enough to get them there. (Look, readiness isn't about age—I know 45-year-olds who you can't even give a glass of wine to without opening the gates to their own personal hell.😁)

Can a person even tell when their spirit is actually ready? It's tough. We barely know ourselves as it is, especially during those years when we're just starting to go looking for who we are.

Since we touched on Castaneda; that's a whole different story. If my memory serves me right, Castaneda was taught specific techniques slowly and steadily first. And if I'm remembering correctly, his teacher didn't even touch the mushrooms until he saw that the kid needed a deeper insight because he just couldn't break through certain barriers the "normal" way.😁.
So, you've got a spiritual seeker and an experienced master working toward a goal. In that case, the mushrooms were just a little nudge to help the process along.

by Eric Wells3

The worst part is how everyone who uses drugs thinks their situation is somehow special compared to everyone else.

It's like, yeah, I know people destroy themselves with this stuff and they know it's bad for the body... but I see it differently than the rest of them... for me, it's more than just a party... and then they're convinced they've justified their usage, totally failing to realize they aren't any different from every other user out there...

I've seen this firsthand too, so I'm with you. I had a friend who basically wrote an entire PhD thesis just to justify his daily marijuana habit.😁 Credit where credit is due; I'm still inspired by his work today because he almost convinced me he wasn't an addict and that it was all for some higher purpose.😁

If people are actually going to use drugs for self-discovery or "expanding their consciousness," they shouldn't be doing it solo. They need someone else running the show.
I'm telling you, having outside guidance is huge. You have to set actual goals, otherwise you're just drifting aimlessly into the void without a map.

I saw this happen once during an experiment—this girl we were with absolutely lost it. Total paranoia. She ended up cornering herself in the kitchen, grabbing a knife, and waving it at my buddy because she was convinced he was some demon trying to swallow her whole.

Look, if the goal is reaching altered states of consciousness, there are plenty of ways to get there that don't involve substances. Sure, drugs are the "fast track," but they're risky.😁

I’m just not into altered states of consciousness triggered by any kind of opiates.

Sure, I’ve smoked a few joints in my life, but I never used weed as a tool to expand my spiritual horizons.
Nowadays, I don't even touch spiritual techniques because I've learned that weed is exactly like those practices: if the spirit isn't ready, you're basically committing a violation.

Life's processes need to flow without being forced.
That’s just my experience, and everything I say here is strictly based on what I've lived through—I really hope nobody takes this as some kind of, God forbid, moral lecture.

The thing is, when a spirit isn't prepared, altered states of consciousness have one pretty "problematic" side effect: the struggle to assimilate once you come back down.😁

And that's where addiction starts. An addiction to a "state" we reached through one way or another, a state that isn't actually our "real life" reality.

I remember my first time doing rebirthing; my very first thought was: Holy crap, what a state of peace, calm, and universal love—I want to go baaaaaack!
The guy leading the session just looked at me deadpan and said: Earn it.

Furthermore, I think experimenting with drugs can only have positive effects for people who actually have self-control and have reached a certain level of self-awareness. I mean, shamans and medicine men often use various plants or dance rituals to enter altered states, but they do it with a specific purpose.

Most people I know who smoke have zero goal other than hitting an altered state just to "escape" this one.

And they all claim they aren't addicted and that it's all just for some sort of spiritual insight. 😁

But most of them can't even handle basic existential issues, their relationships with others, or even themselves.
So I always wonder: what's the point of getting high and chasing altered states if it doesn't help you fix the mess inside you and around you when you're sober?

If I can't handle the "ecstasy" that daily life throws at me—without needing perfection or grace to expand and understand myself—then neither a trip nor weed is going to help me out.
If there's a party and some booze involved, maybe I'll light up something just for kicks; though honestly, a glass of red wine is more my speed anyway.😉

Life is ultimately about integration—merging what's inside you with what's outside. And that happens gradually, through hard work and discipline, without skipping steps. To me, opiates are just a one-way ticket.

But everyone has to get there on their own.

After my first rebirth session, I realized there’s something way beyond this world.
Then came that Excalibur course—it hit me that the physical world is just one perception, not some rigid reality we're stuck in.
Surviving sexual abuse taught me that grief and pain are built into being alive, and showed me just how deeply the body and spirit are wired together.
When my dad ended up in the hospital, everything else I was stressing about suddenly felt incredibly small.
Hitting an existential crisis actually helped me see who my real friends were, and honestly? It made me realize how ridiculous I was being.
When my long-time friends walked away, I learned you can't lie to yourself.
Getting hit by a car while out on my bike... yeah, that was a brutal reminder of how fragile life really is.
Meeting my current boyfriend made me face how rigid I can be and how much work I still have to do on myself.

Going "vegetarian" on the road to enlightenment..😁

The grass is always greener 😁

I’ve been there myself.😁

Seriously, everything was moving way too fast. They practically shoved the mic in my face before I could even process what was happening. And honestly? I had zero intention of saying anything other than passing along a shout-out from Shaman, whose award I was picking up.

But since they were going to force the mic on me anyway, I just mumbled something like: "Well, look at us, religious folks taking the stage," basically poking fun at the whole idea that we don't have lives or ever go to parties.😁

Of course, that was a little jab at all those debates and threads that have dragged on here on this forum, but the crowd there just started heckling because they didn't get the reference. Honestly, I should've just kept my mouth shut.😁 Because let's be real—nobody there actually knows what's going on.

Like Simone said, most of the crew over at the factory have never even stepped foot in this corner of the internet.😉

Why didn't you and Casey Palmer5 chime in?😁
Since you clearly knew exactly who I was, even if I had no clue who you two were.😉
Who knows if there'll ever be a next time...

I'm coming straight to your house🙏

Imagine there’s no past or future—just right here, right now.🙂

But let’s be real for a second: how many of you actually live in the present?

I’ll be the first to admit it: I don't.😁

I could go on forever about this. I get the theory behind everything you’re saying, trust me.
But there's a massive gap between knowing something intellectually and actually living it.

The reality is, whenever I run into trouble regarding this stuff, I don't look back at my past mistakes. Instead, when anxiety kicks in, it's because I'm terrified of looking like an idiot down the road.

We're supposed to be being honest here, right? And look, I'm far from perfect.

Paul Campbell3 mentioned feeling ashamed when he looks back at how foolish he used to be, but my shame comes from worrying about how much of a fool I might become in the future if I don't fix myself right now.😁😁

Both his reaction and mine are totally irrational, obviously. It just shows how far we are from putting these theories into actual practice.

At least I'm not deluding myself into thinking I have it all figured out. It's easy to sit here and theorize until we're blue in the face, but real life is a different beast entirely.

I can say all kinds of things, but experience tells me I could still hit rock bottom tomorrow.

If I were actually enlightened and actually mastered everything I'm typing here, I probably wouldn't even be part of this conversation.
Until then, God help me. 😁😁😉

Personally, I’ve had times where I can’t even bring myself to look at stuff I posted just a few years ago. It’s embarrassing. I read them back and they sound like some complete idiot wrote them—even though back then, I honestly thought I was being incredibly brilliant...

At least you know you aren't just spinning your wheels in circles.😁😉

Honestly, it really hurts. Like Jack Harris3 said, that’s just what growing up feels like.😁😁

What actually scares me is the thought of making the same stupid mistake all over again.😁😁

Look, I’m just as susceptible to praise as I am to criticism.

I used to take every compliment with a massive grain of salt. Now? I'm actually working on learning how to just... accept them.
Honestly, taking a compliment was always harder for me than handling criticism, mostly because I grew up constantly being picked apart.😁

At the end of the day, I’m just trying to learn how to accept who I am.

If someone gives me a compliment and I feel that rush of emotion, I don't run away from it. I’m making a real effort not to lie to myself about what I'm feeling.
In other words, if someone praises me and I feel genuinely happy, I don't go running off shouting, "Buuuuuuu, I'm some enlightened guru who's above all this superficial stuff, it means nothing to me!"
That would be a total lie. Because I *did* feel that joy.

What matters way more to me than the praise or the insults is figuring out how to stop tying my entire identity to them.

Some days I win, some days I don't.😁😁

I think there’s a massive connection here to how much our self-image relies on what everyone else thinks. Whether we want to admit it or not, we’re all incredibly sensitive to both criticism and praise. Honestly? I know I am.😁)

So what does it actually mean to look like a complete idiot? It means we’re dead in the water the second our actions don't line up with what everyone else expects, thinks, or perceives about us. We're basically just walking straight into a disaster because we didn't read the room.
So, basically, we’re letting other people define who we are. And honestly? That’s a trap. We’re handing over the reins, letting everyone else dictate our value—deciding when we’re supposed to be the geniuses and when we’re just the idiots. It’s a losing game.

This whole situation just drives us straight into frustration. It’s a total lose-lose. If someone tells us we're doing fine, we're good. But the second anyone suggests we aren't? We completely spiral.

So, how do we actually figure out when we've played ourselves? When do we realize we've been the idiots in the room?
That’s just what everyone else told us, isn't it? Maybe we felt like we were on top of the world at the time, but then someone finally stepped up and said: "What an idiot you are!"

Oh, please. Give me a break.👎
Another sleepless night spent spiraling over why I acted like such an absolute idiot. It’s hell. Honestly, I don't even need to list where this kind of headspace leads—I'm sure we've all been there.

So, here’s the thing: once you train people to expect you to act like a total idiot, you’re finally free. You’ve basically immunized yourself against criticism. If everyone already thinks you're a clown, they can't judge you anymore. They lose the power to decide who you are. You’re finally off the hook.

And honestly? It’s been such a beautiful experience. Zero bitterness. None.

Defensive rhetoric.
That’s what I’m aiming for. Because I know that kind of mindset leads to freedom.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. 😁
But honestly? I'm defending myself less and less. 😉

So, don't go bowing down to me—I'm still busy learning how to be an idiot. 😁