Mind-made Cocktail of Life

Psychedelics. A shady sounding area of research, at least upon first hearing. However, this is actually a line of exploratory research in psychology and medicine. At academic conferences when this topic is announced, people suddenly start smiling in a naughty way, a 70s hippie days joke follows which I usually don't understand, and then they all get serious. The topic has intrigued me whenever I have come across any relevant findings. Partly because initially, psychedelics as a remedy seems ironical, an oxymoron almost — psychedelic medicine. As if due to academic desperation or loss of funding, one day someone started giving psychedelics due to no other choice.

I have never consciously taken or even seen any kinds of such substances myself. In fact, I have never smoked a cigarette and don't drink alcohol. I tasted alcohol in my 20s a few times because it cannot be avoided in a city called Davis where wine was made respectably and was understood as a science.

Psychedelic medicine intrigues me because I wonder if it is some well-intentioned extension of using a type of aforementioned substances, hence a dangerous experiment, or given with the intent of altering awareness, to change how people feel and view the world. Inevitably, this topic makes one wonder about how neurotransmitters and the body's other chemical messengers may be intentionally modulated leading to the following question:

Are there behavioral interventions and mindsets that can make the brain light up similarly as is made possible through psychedelics?

I list a few possibilities, some of which have been studied by scholars already, others are mere speculations.

Music exposure can activate particular frequencies or states of mind. Relevant research can be found here amongst many others (Leubner, D., & Hinterberger, 2017).

Lowering the threshold and increasing the frequency of what kinds of experiences makes one happy is another option. 'Happy' here is not to be misunderstood as incongruent to immediate demands, as some form of mild mania, but more as an attempt to maintain a level which can make daily living enjoyable at most and challenging at worst. Some of this may require a thorough understanding of what is usually possible for the individual in a healthy way, by choice, and without any obstacles.

Greater other or outside focus of the mind whenever possible: This mechanism has been well regarded and revealed scientifically (by Fredrickson and colleagues). See Garland, et al. (2011), for an example article.

Spiritual experiences instilled by practice and daily ritualistic behavior: I first recall seeing some of this work in people who had no option but to carry an almost monastic single life due to circumstances and the general social set up in which they were found (e.g., widows and older women found in rural India in the 90s). At the time, I could see a spark of light in such eyes, a peaceful glow of some kind, which shone despite contrasting circumstances and not much choice, as if they had found something that mattered beyond physical life.

Meaningful relationships with others, if found easily can also have many effects on how the mind responds, if you're lucky enough to find people easily of the kind who like you as well. I do know for a fact though how introducing maternal feelings regularly is a mind-booster and helps manage stress really well. You don't have to be a parent for this to happen. On days when I know I might be more stressed, I typically try to spend some time with animals to feel motherly, for example, which enable this mechanism for me, and I respond to problems much better most likely due to oxytocin. Tested across contexts at an individual level.

My question today intended to present the possibility of imagining a cocktail of neurotransmitters and hormones generated naturally by intent, and then sustaining this individually designed happiness by will, while knowing your emotions and contexts well.

References

Garland, E. L., Fredrickson, B., Kring, A. M., Johnson, D. P., Meyer, P. S., & Penn, D. L. (2010). Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(7), 849–864.

Leubner, D., & Hinterberger, T. (2017). Reviewing the effectiveness of music interventions in treating depression. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1109.