Chris, Ray peat spoke about this. How activation of the verbal systems of the brain can become over stimulated and damaging. When doing deep work he would balance it out with days that were non verbal. He would not speak, not listen to lyrical music, or read. He would paint for long periods, sculpt and take walks with novel routes and notice things in his environment
I have done this, usually takes 24 - 48 hours for peak effect. But it can take me from a place of extremely intrusive judgmental thoughts to what I would describe as a new brain in that time. Total zen.
He spoke about when he would become over analytical about things which would normally go unnoticed and would generate low level anxiety/ fragmentation as a signifier to cease verbalising.
I have at times considered myself being mentally unwell, however on reflection have simply been doing deep work, while listening to podcasts scrolling on phone and then speaking to freinds back to back on phone then finish with a movie repeated for a few days.
I would take breaks however would always lean on reading for pleasure and still wouldn’t recover. My “relaxing” activities still included verbalisation. Not until I stopped reading and talking did the results became massive. I’m trying to build more activities away from my deep work that are non verbal. Painting is my goal for this year.
Your perspective has really validated me doing more of this - thanks
"The Vipassana walking technique is designed to flood your consciousness with simple sensations, and to do it so thoroughly that all else is pushed aside. There is no room for thought and no room for emotion. There is no time for grasping, and none for freezing the activity into a series of concepts. There is no need for a sense of self. There is only the sweep of tactile and kinesthetic sensation, an endless and ever-changing flood of raw experience. We are learning here to escape into reality, rather than from it. Whatever insights we gain are directly applicable to the rest of our notion-filled lives."
Why not try “The Golden Key” by Emmet Fox? I literally just finished reading it. I found it in a box of papers that had been put in a closet. Speaking of closets, Jesus says, ” Here is what I want you to do - find a quiet secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage and the focus will shift from you to God and you will begin to sense his grace. The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer ignorant. They are full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your father you are dealing with and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. “
I used something similar for fieldwork to do natural resources assessments. Sometimes, I get tangled up in evaluating and analyzing if a site is very subtle. I realized at one point I'd strip off my gear and field vest and take a break when I got frustrated. After a snack and a drink, I'd start wandering around the site, not measuring or analyzing, but just LOOKING, observing without judgment. More often than not, I'd notice something new or find a reason to change the mental weighting of different characteristics and be able to form a hypothesis about the underlying 'logic' of the site: why vegetation communities were the way they were, how water was moving though the site, or whatever. It helps me see how the system works together as a whole rather than getting stuck on the component parts. That disengagement of the analytical mind to use more intuitive mental processes ('using The Force') is undervalued, I think.
This definitely resonates and I will try it. I could never listen to a teacher for more than a few minutes at most as a kid; my mind runs away fast.
I still remember one of my friends saying he went backpacking for the first time and the world had this novel visual clarity for him for weeks. (He doesn’t get outside a ton.)
The whole “awareness” trend (Zinn, et. al.) seems to be trying to get here, but I think their technique of closing your eyes and just sitting there makes one a sitting duck to rumination. Walking, or sensing something enjoyable makes it much easier.
Somatic Experiencing (“In an Unspoken Voice”), EMDR, and several Huberman podcasts (often eye-centric) would possibly play in this neighborhood as well. (To name just a few.) I wonder if trauma has related mechanisms to OCD, but perhaps these are unrelated.
It also reminds me of Alexander technique, which is pretty interesting. You might consider skimming the book “Body Language” and that might trigger some connections. It’s definitely about revamping nervous system connections and loosening up.
In all of these cases, things are getting “stuck”.
I get you Chris,After a wild year when 20 of heavy amphetamine use I was experiencing panic attacks and agrophobia which changed my life completely for the next (now 54j years.i quit drugs and embarked on an intense search for peace,never quite feeling comfortable in my own skin.( psoriasis from 25).I chased the golden dragon of meditation and healthy living from macrobiotics vegan vegetarian diets with periods of complete bingeing,took initiation in Divine Light mission third eye, Self realisation Kriya yoga,TM mantra meditation ,Krishnamurti,Ramana marharshi,Rajneesh,zen,yoga tai chi ,and numerous paths.read book after book after book,all the while still not feeling I belonged on this earth,I was either in my head or in space.the last few years have been somewhat more peaceful with my 11 cats and large garden to care for and I’m amazed I’m still here at 74 ,with no medication whilst so many of my friends are ill taking pill after pill. I give thanks and find my morning and evening meditation gives me the peace to enjoy the present moment . I’ve said it before but I always find you fascinating because I can empathise with your incessant urge to find truth and I totally get you and wish you peace.🙏❤️
Yes, and it can be broadened. I trained in SE - Somatic Experiencing - by Peter Levine, and there are ways to even be more efficient.
Aside resourcing with senses, support is good. I am also a dog behaviorist and pets are often preferred because they are non verbal but still transmit the mammal support through the Vagus nerve!
Organic Intelligence and Hakomi are also based on those principles.
This is a game changer! I do have a mantra that helps me disconnect my thinking mind, but I can only do it for so long. This protocol will allow me to do it for days if not weeks!
Wow, I thought I was alone in this. I totally relate. I was actually talking to a psychiatrist friend about the possibility of me experiencing OCD, and I said something along the lines of "I think that I overthink and am constantly making so many connections that my brain starts making connections that aren't there, or making the connections that are there seem way more important than they actually are." Thank you for sharing this!
That's extroverted intuition. If it feels pathological you might be making a cognitive loop (see Personality Hacker) or living in a different place than with your head in the air and feet on the ground (see John Beebe).
Chris, your explanation of the analytical mind becoming too dominant is spot on. I highly recommend reading 'The Master and His Emissary' by Iain McGilchrist, in particular the first half. This book is a masterpiece, perhaps the most important book I have ever read, and explains the difference between styles of operation of the brain's two hemispheres and the implication for us personally and as a society.
Great advice! I do ATT sound meditation and practice mindfulness. Here you need to concentrate on one sound and do not pay attention on other sounds. However, it is sometimes hard to stop overthinking and overanalyzing in a moment, especially during conversation as it my typical way of thinking.
Chris, Ray peat spoke about this. How activation of the verbal systems of the brain can become over stimulated and damaging. When doing deep work he would balance it out with days that were non verbal. He would not speak, not listen to lyrical music, or read. He would paint for long periods, sculpt and take walks with novel routes and notice things in his environment
I have done this, usually takes 24 - 48 hours for peak effect. But it can take me from a place of extremely intrusive judgmental thoughts to what I would describe as a new brain in that time. Total zen.
Your experience totally matches my own. Thanks
Wow awesome to hear!
He spoke about when he would become over analytical about things which would normally go unnoticed and would generate low level anxiety/ fragmentation as a signifier to cease verbalising.
I have at times considered myself being mentally unwell, however on reflection have simply been doing deep work, while listening to podcasts scrolling on phone and then speaking to freinds back to back on phone then finish with a movie repeated for a few days.
I would take breaks however would always lean on reading for pleasure and still wouldn’t recover. My “relaxing” activities still included verbalisation. Not until I stopped reading and talking did the results became massive. I’m trying to build more activities away from my deep work that are non verbal. Painting is my goal for this year.
Your perspective has really validated me doing more of this - thanks
Thank you for sharing this. I am going to try this for myself.
Please report back, eager to hear your experience
So cool. Always love hearing more of the genius of Peat. Chris too, of course.
This reminds me of Ticht Naht Hanh, with every step we arrive, "Kiss the ground with your feet"
My thoughts too. Also well described in "Mindfulness in plain English" by the Vipassana teacher--Henepola Gunaratana Mahathera:
https://www.jhana8.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Mindfulness-in-Plain-English.pdf
Excerpt:
"The Vipassana walking technique is designed to flood your consciousness with simple sensations, and to do it so thoroughly that all else is pushed aside. There is no room for thought and no room for emotion. There is no time for grasping, and none for freezing the activity into a series of concepts. There is no need for a sense of self. There is only the sweep of tactile and kinesthetic sensation, an endless and ever-changing flood of raw experience. We are learning here to escape into reality, rather than from it. Whatever insights we gain are directly applicable to the rest of our notion-filled lives."
exactly, me too!
Why not try “The Golden Key” by Emmet Fox? I literally just finished reading it. I found it in a box of papers that had been put in a closet. Speaking of closets, Jesus says, ” Here is what I want you to do - find a quiet secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage and the focus will shift from you to God and you will begin to sense his grace. The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer ignorant. They are full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your father you are dealing with and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. “
From The Message Bible, Matthew 6: 6–13.
I used something similar for fieldwork to do natural resources assessments. Sometimes, I get tangled up in evaluating and analyzing if a site is very subtle. I realized at one point I'd strip off my gear and field vest and take a break when I got frustrated. After a snack and a drink, I'd start wandering around the site, not measuring or analyzing, but just LOOKING, observing without judgment. More often than not, I'd notice something new or find a reason to change the mental weighting of different characteristics and be able to form a hypothesis about the underlying 'logic' of the site: why vegetation communities were the way they were, how water was moving though the site, or whatever. It helps me see how the system works together as a whole rather than getting stuck on the component parts. That disengagement of the analytical mind to use more intuitive mental processes ('using The Force') is undervalued, I think.
This definitely resonates and I will try it. I could never listen to a teacher for more than a few minutes at most as a kid; my mind runs away fast.
I still remember one of my friends saying he went backpacking for the first time and the world had this novel visual clarity for him for weeks. (He doesn’t get outside a ton.)
The whole “awareness” trend (Zinn, et. al.) seems to be trying to get here, but I think their technique of closing your eyes and just sitting there makes one a sitting duck to rumination. Walking, or sensing something enjoyable makes it much easier.
Somatic Experiencing (“In an Unspoken Voice”), EMDR, and several Huberman podcasts (often eye-centric) would possibly play in this neighborhood as well. (To name just a few.) I wonder if trauma has related mechanisms to OCD, but perhaps these are unrelated.
It also reminds me of Alexander technique, which is pretty interesting. You might consider skimming the book “Body Language” and that might trigger some connections. It’s definitely about revamping nervous system connections and loosening up.
In all of these cases, things are getting “stuck”.
I get you Chris,After a wild year when 20 of heavy amphetamine use I was experiencing panic attacks and agrophobia which changed my life completely for the next (now 54j years.i quit drugs and embarked on an intense search for peace,never quite feeling comfortable in my own skin.( psoriasis from 25).I chased the golden dragon of meditation and healthy living from macrobiotics vegan vegetarian diets with periods of complete bingeing,took initiation in Divine Light mission third eye, Self realisation Kriya yoga,TM mantra meditation ,Krishnamurti,Ramana marharshi,Rajneesh,zen,yoga tai chi ,and numerous paths.read book after book after book,all the while still not feeling I belonged on this earth,I was either in my head or in space.the last few years have been somewhat more peaceful with my 11 cats and large garden to care for and I’m amazed I’m still here at 74 ,with no medication whilst so many of my friends are ill taking pill after pill. I give thanks and find my morning and evening meditation gives me the peace to enjoy the present moment . I’ve said it before but I always find you fascinating because I can empathise with your incessant urge to find truth and I totally get you and wish you peace.🙏❤️
Wonderful job, Chris! You’re the best. However, it’s ‘cobbled’ it together, not ‘hobbled’.
Thanks! I was probably mixing them together because it feels more messy than artisinal.
Yes, and it can be broadened. I trained in SE - Somatic Experiencing - by Peter Levine, and there are ways to even be more efficient.
Aside resourcing with senses, support is good. I am also a dog behaviorist and pets are often preferred because they are non verbal but still transmit the mammal support through the Vagus nerve!
Organic Intelligence and Hakomi are also based on those principles.
This is a game changer! I do have a mantra that helps me disconnect my thinking mind, but I can only do it for so long. This protocol will allow me to do it for days if not weeks!
Wow, I thought I was alone in this. I totally relate. I was actually talking to a psychiatrist friend about the possibility of me experiencing OCD, and I said something along the lines of "I think that I overthink and am constantly making so many connections that my brain starts making connections that aren't there, or making the connections that are there seem way more important than they actually are." Thank you for sharing this!
That's extroverted intuition. If it feels pathological you might be making a cognitive loop (see Personality Hacker) or living in a different place than with your head in the air and feet on the ground (see John Beebe).
Walking meditation is pretty common in Zen Buddhism. I forget the Japanese term for it. Glad it’s help you
Chris, your explanation of the analytical mind becoming too dominant is spot on. I highly recommend reading 'The Master and His Emissary' by Iain McGilchrist, in particular the first half. This book is a masterpiece, perhaps the most important book I have ever read, and explains the difference between styles of operation of the brain's two hemispheres and the implication for us personally and as a society.
Great advice! I do ATT sound meditation and practice mindfulness. Here you need to concentrate on one sound and do not pay attention on other sounds. However, it is sometimes hard to stop overthinking and overanalyzing in a moment, especially during conversation as it my typical way of thinking.
Any advice on helping to combat OCD is gratefully received! Thank you
Balance! So glad you made the trip. I'm chomping at the bit again.. :)
Thank you for sharing a more personal experience. I think we could benefit from this!