Looking for Answers from the Great Beyond

I don’t know if this is a thing that everyone does, but I often find myself daydreaming, and illogically so, about life’s purpose and if any aspect of it really matters; I say illogically because I really already know the answers to those questions; and yet I still find it necessary to turn them over, and over, in my mind, maybe expecting different conclusions, or possibly some grand perspective, as though such a thing could ever exist. But, here I am, stuck in contemplation, considering the so-called Great Beyond.

One of the major new, or rather old and revived, fields of interest is psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, for the sole reason of the capability of accessing “the spirit realm,” as the ancient cultures dubbed it; but, to me, I’ve never believed that the spirit realm, or the Great Beyond, was external, and what fascinates me most is the notion that through the use of various substances one’s mind can access, or rather create, an entire realm, a world of insight and potential healing, a conscious dreamlike state in which an incredible transformation can occur, one which often concludes with the individual perceiving themselves as being re-born, rising from the inner core of their scattered ashes.

And so there it is, a world of great magic and wonder, a state which brings with it the knowledge which the Native Americans believe to be the only information worth knowing: this is the world, and its vast sea of information, that I often daydream of, hoping, in some sense, that access to it will somehow bestow me with the wisdom I’ve continued to yearn for, the secrets of the inner workings of the universe and the reasons, the true reasons for suffering.

As is, too often, the case, psychotherapy and/or medication aren’t enough to treat mental illness, and unfortunately, our understanding of the mechanisms of change is still in its primitive form. My hope is that there will be more research done, in the imminent future, on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, as the small sample of studies consistently indicate its astounding usefulness in treatment, which is in line with the healing methods of more primitive cultures. For ages, the grand cultures of the world, the great healers utilized hallucinogens to enter worlds of unconceivable depth, exiting with spiritual remedies, as they were indeed the erudite doctors of the soul.

Whether the Great Beyond is external or in is unimportant, at least to me, its significance lies in its healing power, and one’s ability, when entering that state, to acquire our longed for answers to the questions of life, death, and suffering, discovering why they struggle and experience as much pain as they do; and that sort of access is worth all of the money in the world. If one were to scroll through the scientific literature, they would find amazing stories of ordinary people undergoing extraordinary changes.

So, with as little as we know, it’s time for us to resume our widespread inquiry into the efficacy of these substances, and begin to engender long-term studies with treatment resistant patients. Too many individuals continue to suffer, lacking the depth of soul requisite for their wellness and their healing.

I’m breaking through

I’m bending spoons

I’m keeping flowers in full bloom

I’m looking for answers from the great beyond…