Unlocking the Power of Psychedelics for Mindset Transformation
Shifting from scarcity to gratitude
This post originally appeared on Psychology Today
By Dr. Lea Lis
Psychedelic assisted psychotherapy is a powerful tool that is changing minds and habits more effectively than talk therapy alone. As a mental health professional, I am honored to hold space for patients at our office at Hampton Insight who are looking for a way to change their mindset and release the unhelpful emotions attached to them. The treatment plans are designed to allow people to safely release the trauma in their minds and the bodily responses. We practice psychedelic assisted psychotherapy using ketamine to help our patients open their minds, reframe unhelpful ways of thinking and to live a more fulfilling life.
One of the greatest evolutions we notice is the shift from having a scarcity mindset to one that is filled with gratitude.
What does it mean to have a scarcity or gratitude mindset?
Having a scarcity mindset focuses on what we do not have, what we need and should have as individuals. This can cause feelings of anger, frustration and disappointment. For example as a mother of a teenage daughter it can be frustrating when she yells at me, tells me I am wrong or otherwise denigrates me. Having a scarcity mindset means I feel she is acting unjustly and treating me in a way that I do not deserve. With a gratitude mindset, my daughter is trying to separate from me to find her independence. The only way she can figure out who she is and be her authentic self is by taking space from me. I am grateful she is trying to learn to become an adult on her own terms.
Living a busy lifestyle can create more frustrations which often result in feelings of anger, disappointment and let downs. According to psychiatrist Dr David Burns and the author of Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, there are ten things that people need to understand about anger. The key points that resonated are, “The events of this world don’t make you angry. Your “hot thoughts” create your anger.” He continues with, “Most of the time, your anger will not help you. It will immobilize you…” Seeing anger as a result of our own thoughts and perceptions of a situation is powerful. Anger is caused by our own beliefs that someone is acting unfairly or some event is unjust. The intensity of the anger will increase in proportion with the severity of the maliciousness perceived and if the act is seen as intentional. We have the ability to change the view point and not let it affect us.
How are we putting psychedelic therapy into practice?
Working with psychedelic therapy, we are able to help patients detach from the feelings connected to anger and frustration and help them transcend to an appreciative mindset. For example, many parents I treat say they expect their children to do their homework and get good grades because that's their responsibility. They want their child to go to a good college and have a successful life. It is frustrating when the child does not turn in the assigned homework or study for the exams. When I talk to the child, they say that they are not thinking about college because that is not in their near future and they receive passing grades so are not concerned with missing assignments or focusing on studying.
My recommendation is to change the expectations to shift the mindset. Parents can also create a check system with their child to monitor that the assignments are being turned in and that they are studying for their exams. This can include a reward system tailored to the child. Younger children may appreciate physical rewards such as a treat or toy and with older children the reward can be privileges like extra screen time or outings with friends. Dr Burns shares, “reward the desired behavior instead of punishing the undesired behavior. Punishment causes aversion and resentment and brings about alienation and avoidance.”
Rewards will incentivize the good choice and will allow you to share your values with your children about the importance of education. When they succeed it will also help manage the expectations. You are able to shift your focus from being frustrated to celebrating the accomplishments of your child.
According to Jay Shetty, author of the book Think Like A Monk, reliving hurt is a “mental prison where your thoughts hold you captive.” Releasing this trauma and hurt allows you to live a more enjoyable life. Psychedelic assisted psychotherapy is an opportunity to interrupt the thought patterns where traumas are stored in the brain and create a new perspective. We help patients to move forward with a gratitude mindset where they can learn from their past experiences and take away the positive aspects. This creates resilience for the person and compassion for the situation.
Living a gratitude mindset will also help you live longer according to every researcher on longevity. Longer life is an option when a person is open to viewing the world through a more positive lens. We see a dramatic change in our patients even after one ketamine treatment session in being able to release trauma that kept them in a limited mindset. The transformation happens during the psychotherapy session and the patient can reframe a negative or traumatic experience and create a new narrative.
If your feeling stuck, reach out to us now to change your mind. Contact us and let’s get started.