Getting High

 

Get High without Drugs

Harold Shore

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 1

 

Table of Contents  About this book book............. ............................ ............................. ............................. .............................. ............................7 .............7 Why Get High?.....................................................................................8 Getting high is a valid life purpose...................................................8  An age age old desire desire......... ................. ................. .................. ................. ................. ................. .................. ..................8 ........8 Getting high to change state.........................................................9 Euphoria – getting high to feel good.............................................9 Getting high high to be at one with the universe universe......... .................. ................... .................9 .......9 Getting high for self-healing........................................................10 Getting high high for self-reintegration self-reintegration........... ....................... ......................... ........................10 ...........10  Variation is healthy healthy........ .................. .................... ..................... ................... .................. .................... ................ ......10 10  Altered states states are normal normal........ ................. ................... .................. .................. ................... ...............11 ......11 Transcending drug conflicts...........................................................11 We'll show you how.........................................................................12  A better better way of being hig high h.......... ....................... ....................... .................... ..................... ..................... ............13 ..13 Get high voluntarily........................................................................13 Enjoy the intensity you crave......................................................13 When and for as long as you want...............................................14  Your altered state sh should ould sustai sustain n itself itself..... .......... .......... .......... ......... ......... .......... ......... ......14 Be the way that's right for you........................................................15 Select the way way you want your min mind d to work work..... .......... ........... ........... .......... .......... ......1 .15 5 Feeling better.............................................................................15 Enhance the way you are................................................................16 Pleasure......................................................................................16 Self-reinforcing...........................................................................16 Presence.............................................................................................17 What presence is.............................................................................17 What presence does........................................................................18  An emotional emotional holid holiday.................... ay............................... ..................... ..................... ...................... ...............18 ....18  Ah! Here Here we are. are............ .................... ................. ................. ................. ................. ................... .................. ..........18 It's the only time we actually have..............................................19 How to do it....................................................................................19 The Smiling Breath (Sukhabhati)........................................................22 It's easy easy................. ........................................ ............................................ ............................................ .............................2 ......22 2  You can't fail................ fail............................ ...................... .................... ................... ..................... ...................... .............. ....22 22  You're free to to improve it.......... it.................. ................ .................. .................. ................ ................. .............22 ....22 Sensualizations...........................................................................23 Simplicity........................................................................................23 Technique.......................................................................................23 Mood................. Mood ........................................ ......................................... ........................................ .................................... ..............24 24 Effects of doing the smiling breath.................................................24 It's self-reinforcing......................................................................25 It becomes more powerful with practice.....................................25 It helps you get along with others...............................................25 Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 2

 

It can make you more attractive..................................................25 Don't impose this on depressed people people............. ........................... ...........................25 .............25 Be subtle.....................................................................................26 Breathin Brea thing.. g.................... ........................................ ............................................. ........................................... .......................... ......27 27  Yoga........................................  Yoga........................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................27 ........27 Breathing and time.....................................................................27 Timing patterns...........................................................................28 Styles of breathing..........................................................................31 The complete breath...................................................................32  Alternate nostril bre breathing athing......... ................. ................. .................. ................. ................. ...............33 ......33 The force of the breath................................................................33 Bandhas..........................................................................................34 The root lock...............................................................................34 The neck lock..............................................................................34 Diaphragmatic lock.....................................................................35 The psychic direction of the breath.............................................35 Breathwalking................................................................................36 Holotropic breathing.......................................................................37 Psychedelic intensity...................................................................37 Mild euphoria..............................................................................38 The renewal relaxation....................................................................39 breath.........................................................................38 Complete Continuous breathing..................................................................39  Awareness  Awarene ss of every feeling....................... feeling................................... ........................ .......................40 ...........40  Acceptance  Accepta nce.............. ............................. ............................... ........................... ........................... ..........................40 ..........40 Intention.....................................................................................41 Using your mind.................................................................................42 Set and setting................................................................................42 Controlling your environment.........................................................43 Focus on inspiring and positive things........................................44 Having a high quality mental diet...............................................45 Stay away from negativity...........................................................45 Spend your time on things things you can affect affect............ ...................... ..................... ..............46 ...46  Altered kinesthe kinesthetic tic st states ates............... ............................ ......................... ......................... ........................47 ...........47 Controlling Controllin g intensity and dura duration tion........... ....................... ......................... ........................50 ...........50 Designer highs: highs: not designer d drugs rugs.......... .................... ..................... ................... ..............51 ......51 Scanning for the good.....................................................................53 Review and identify identify what's good – every day day......... ................. ................. ..............54 .....54 Hypnosis.............................................................................................55 The placebo effect.......................................................................55 The Schachter effect...................................................................57 The Milton model........................................................................58 Changing your experience of things............................................61 Meditation......................................................................................62 The habit of return......................................................................62 Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 3

 

Celebration.................................................................................64 Telling yourself a story – the power of inner ritual ritual......... ................... .................65 .......65 Emotional Alchemy.............................................................................68 Escape!...........................................................................................68 Ways of coping................................................................................69 Using whatever life brings..........................................................69 Seeing things differently.............................................................70 The transmutation of energy.......................................................71 Time distortion...................................................................................74 How we tell the time.......................................................................74 Remaking time................................................................................75 Mind machines...................................................................................80 Brain waves....................................................................................81 Beta ................ ....................................... .............................................. ........................................... ............................. .........81 81  Alpha.............  Alpha ............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. .............................. ..................82 ...82 Theta...........................................................................................82 Delta..... Delt a.......................... ....................................... .................................... ....................................... ............................. ........82 82 Entrainment....................................................................................83 Kinds of machines...........................................................................85 Stimuli Sti muli.................... ......................................... ....................................... ........................................ ............................. .......85 85 Phase and kind of stimulation.....................................................87 Programming..................................................................................88 Ramps.........................................................................................89 Ramp and return.........................................................................89 Sweeps........................................................................................89  Alternation........  Alternation ................. ................... .................. ................. ................... .................... .................... ..................90 ........90 Tonal ranges...............................................................................90 Physical techniques............................................................................91 Face................................................................................................91 Lips.............................................................................................91 The tongue..................................................................................92 The eyes......................................................................................92 The hand.....................................................................................93 Brain Gym.......................................................................................93 Lazy 8's.......................................................................................94 Brain buttons..............................................................................94 Cross crawling............................................................................94 Hook-ups.....................................................................................94 The elephant...............................................................................95 Thinking cap...............................................................................95 Energy Yawn...............................................................................95 Calf pumps..................................................................................95 The energizer..............................................................................96  Autogenic training training.......... ................... .................. ................. ................. ................. ................. ................. ............96 ....96 Begin with a body scan...............................................................96 Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 4

 

 Always end by 'canceling 'canceling'.................. '............................. ..................... ..................... .....................97 ..........97 The heaviness exercise................................................................97 The warmth exercise...................................................................99 Calm and regular heartbeat .....................................................101 It breathes me...........................................................................101  Abdominal  Abdom inal warm warmth th......... .................. ................. .................. ................... ................. ................... ...............102 ....102 Cool forehead............................................................................103 Confidence................................................................................104  Advanced  Advance d autogeni autogenic c trainin training g......... .................. ................. ................. .................. ..................105 .........105 Stillness........................................................................................105 Frequently Asked Questions.............................................................107  General Questions........................................................................107   This is too much work! I want something that is as easy as taking a drug drug...... ............................ ............................................. ............................................ .................................... ...............107 107   These techniques seem tto o work best in solitude, I need something that works in a social situation. situation.......... ................. ................. ...............107 ......107   How do I make tthese hese ex experiences periences last longer? longer?.... ........ ......... ......... ......... .......108 ..108   Presence......................................................................................110   How do I know I'm doin doing g Prese Presence nce corr correctly? ectly?.... ......... ......... ........ ......... ........110 ...110   What is the definition of Presence? Presence?..... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......110  intense Is Presence like being involved in same very fast action or activity?........................................................................111   Why did you put Pre Presence sence first in the b book? ook?....... .............. ............... ..............111 ......111   Smiling Breath.............................................................................112   Who named this 'Sukhabhati'? And what does that mean? mean?.... ......112 ..112   I don't feel happy now. Why should I make m myself yself happy? happy?.... ......112 ..112   How do I smile with my eyes? eyes?............ ......................... .......................... .........................112 ............112   How do I make it stronger and las lastt longer? longer?....... .............. .............. .............. ........113 .113   Breathing.....................................................................................113   When is the best time tto o pra practice? ctice?............ ....................... ...................... ....................113 .........113   How soon should I advance to a longer breathing pattern? pattern?.. . . . .113   How long should I practice? practice?........ ................ ................. ................. ................. ................. ..........114 ..114   Which pattern should I start with? with?...... ........... .......... .......... .......... ........... ............ ..........114 ....114   What should I look for in my practice of the pattern patterns? s?... ..... ..... ..... ....114 ..114   Hypnosis......................................................................................114   How do I create good suggestions about getting high? high?..... ......... .......11 ...114 4   Meditation...................................................................................116   Do I have to have b be e initiated by a tteacher? eacher?..... .......... .......... .......... .......... ........116 ...116   What are good good sub subjects jects tto o med meditate itate on? on?....... ............. ............. ............. ..............117 ........117   Can I actually meditate on a coin, as in your example? example?..... ......... .......11 ...117 7   How long should I meditate meditate?............... ?........................ ................. ................ ................. ...........117 ..117   When should I meditate? meditate?......... .................. ................... ................... .................. ................. ...........118 ...118   How soon will meditat meditation ion mak make e me high? high?........... ..................... .....................118 ...........118  Altered Kinesthetic States............................................................118   Will I see p paisley aisley patt patterns erns and the walls moving? moving?........ ................ ............118 ....118 Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 5

 

  Is this stuff safe? If you get into an altered drug-like state, say while driving, aren't you impaired? impaired?....... ............... ................ ................ ............... ...........120 ....120   What should I start with? with?....... ............... .............. ............. .............. .............. .............. ..............120 .......120 Mind machines..............................................................................120   Where can I get a m mind ind mac machine? hine?................ .................................. ............................121 ..........121   How do I take the experience of a mind machine beyond the context of the mind machine session, so that I can enjoy the benefit without the electronics?................................................121   With s so o many possibilities, where an and d how do I start? .... .......... .......121 .121   Do min mind d mac machines hines have medical applications? applications?....... .............. .............. ..........123 ...123   What about combining mind machines with other techniques given here, such as the smiling breath?....................................124   Stillness.......................................................................................124   Why does this qualify as a way of being high? high?...... ............ ............ ........... .......124 ..124

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 6

 

About this book Recreational drugs are obsolete! It has been said that that a person buyi buying ng an electri electricc drill doesn’ doesn’tt really want a drill, they really want the hole it can make. make. In the same way, a person obtaining obtaining and usin using g drugs doesn’ doesn’tt really wan wantt the drug itself, they want to experience the results of taking the drug. They really want to enter a specific state of consciousness. This book is about how to enter desired states of consciousness - to get high - without using drugs. This book is a manual on how to achieve the kinds of states sought by recreational drug users, but without any use of of drugs. People seek specific states of consciousness and drugs are just one means of getting into such states. Drugs do work and for many people drugs were the first way they became aware that such states of  awareness exist. As a result, people assumed that drugs were tthe he only way to access those ways of perceiving and feeling. And people thought those states were so valuable and felt so good that they wouldn't hesitate to put up with the expense, health risks and social and legal hassles associated with drugs to regain those states of consciousness. But the good news is that there are ways of entering these states of  mind that do not have the drugs' expense and risks. And in fact, since these ways are dependent upon your own skills and are fun to use, continued use will improve your mastery to the point where you have better experiences from your own mastery than drugs could possibly give you. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 7

 

Why Get High? Getting high is a valid life purpose Altered states of consciousness have been sought by mankind since time immemorial. The achievement of altered states of awareness has been involved in the foundation of most human religions and the occasion of many insights and inventions

Not everything is possible to pattern our normal waking consciousness, which is optimized for rapid recognition, communication and self-preservation. Design and insight are actually inhibited by this kind of awareness.

An age old desire Anthropological records show that all cultures have discovered and incorporated of changing consciousness. arly of alcohol in ways most cultures is ample evidence ofThe this.eearly Thediscovery use of  chemicals to stimulate or alter awareness remains a world wide phenomenon. While the use of cchemical hemical agents, such as alcohol, caffeine, hemp, kava kava, betel nut, khat, etc, is common, there have also been other techniques in common usage: ritual dancing such as spinning, immobility, self-deprivation, chanting, ritual, hypnotic practices, and unusual breathing techniques are just some of the ways human have learned that they can alter aawareness. wareness. This book looks at some of these as well as some novel techniques for altering awareness that have only emerged with the rise of modern technology. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 8

 

Getting high to change state The desire to enter into different states of of mind, for pragmatic or comfort reasons. is one that all humans have. Everyone knows that when you change your state you change the way the world looks and alter the range of things you can do.

Euphoria Euphor ia – getting high to feel good One of the states sought after most commonly is one of euphoria – a general sense of well being. After struggling with the challenges of  the day, it seems to be a common need to enter into a more pleasant state before sleep. To many it seems that you can't do well unless you feel good. There is a class of religions that hates euphoria as a distraction from the idea that only God can legitimately grant such feelings of  pleasure. Of course, if you're selling bliss, it makes sense to hate anyone or anything who o offers ffers it more readily. It's bad ffor or business!

Getting high to be at one with the universe Our normal state of consciousness is characterized by a sense of  anxiety and separateness. Yet experiences of blissful unity are normal and well-known. Seeking to regain that sense of unity is a fundamental desire of humans. Since the availability of the original way such unification was experienced is often blocked, humans seek alternative means to achieve the unified and blissful state. Drugs have been a classic means to that end.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 9

 

Getting high for self-healing Getting high often offers a perspective from which psychological healing can occur. Normal consciousness may constrain a person to a view that supports the problem; altering that allows the person the choice of seeing a better way. It is well known that drug addicts often see the futility and selfdestructive nature of their habits only when they get high. Unfortunately, Unfortu nately, as th thee old song says, “Tomorrow never knows” - the insight is specific to the state of mind in which it occurs. When they return to normal awareness, they come back to focusing on the compulsion to get high again.

Getting high for self-reintegration Insights are state-specific and to recover them it is often necessary to regain the state in which they occur. Normal consciousness, with its symbolic logic-tight contexts, can fracture a person's psyche. Getting into an altered state can allow people to access material that would otherwise be relegated to the unconscious.

Variation is healthy The body that is capable of many things is healthier than the body that can only do a few things. We are not advocating any extreme behaviors here, just the Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 10

 

personally controlled access to states by non-drug means that have the same benefits of drug-induced states but without the expense, medical and legal consequences. By making altered states of conscious available based on learn able skills, a lot of the social pressure to over-use them evaporates. When something is always available, the compulsiveness of it is diminished.

Altered states are normal Altered states occur naturally – dreams, sexual orgasm Altered orgasm,, spiritual release,, depression and “flow release “flow”” just happen in tthe he course of life life.. Why not learn to reliably re-induce them without drugs?

Transcending Transcendin g drug conflicts A distressing phenomenon of modern life is the persistence of  “drug “dr ug wars” carried ou outt by governmen governments ts for variou variouss purposes. While the phrase 'war on drugs” entered common common usage during the presidency of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, there actually seems to be a number of drug wars that are related. These drug wars seem interminable and costly in human terms. And it is a war zone that anyone with an interest the expansion of  consciousness can avoid. When you know the techniques given in this book, book, you can modify your awareness without d drugs. rugs. Not having to use drugs allows you to achieve some distance from this problem. You will have placed yourself in a different context.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 11

 

We'll show you how The purpose of this book is to show you how to use non-drug techniques to get high. We will show a v variety ariety of techniques for altering states of consciousness in ways that achieve what drug users typically seek.

  We will show how to achieve these states without drugs. The emphasis will be on detailed instructions sufficient to enter into the desired state reliably and repeatably.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 12

 

A better way of being high Get high voluntarily We are talking about altered states of consciousness that are under the person's person's own control. With drugs, once you have chosen the amount of the drug you take over a particular period of time, the duration, and intensity of the resulting experience is totally dependent on the interaction between the drug and your body, with body-weight and characteristic individual tolerance and reaction to the drug dominating the intensity of the experience. Once you take the drug, you lose choice. With non-drug means of altering consciousness, duration and intensity of effect remain up to you, even after the experience is under way.

Enjoy the intensity you crave The intensity of an altered state of consciousness (ASC) should be controllable by the person undergoing it. They should be able to control the degree of change that is comfortable or useful to them. Instead of having to risk unpleasant or dangerous side effects of  over-dosing chemical, you should be able to get as high as you want cleanly, and accurately. This is fairly difficult to achieve with drugs, as drug potency is a function not merely of the amount of  drug consumed, but also of the person's level of rest or fatigue, amount of food eaten recently, mind set and environmental context and personal sensitivity. Yet efforts to control drug potency focus on dosage and dosage intervals! This is because once you have ingested a drug, it is fairly difficult to stop its action. With non-drug means, controlling the level of effect is much more direct, and much much more reversible. Thus intensity can be more Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 13

 

appropriately modified during the experience.

When and for as long as you want A desirable state of consciousness is one that can be started, endures as long as desired desired and be terminated aatt will. You shouldn't have to wait for its onset (unlike the latency period associated with most drugs) and the duration of the state of consciousness should be up to you. Being able to ending that state of consciousness at will is an important requirement.

Wouldn't it be appropriate nice to go totoa the party, enter into very relaxed euphoric state gathering, anda then, when itsand time to return home, be able to snap back into a normal alert state of  awareness appropriate for the journey? You drive home normally. Then when you are comfortable at your home, you may choose to re-enter the state of consciousness you had at the party. You can similarly change your state when you have to deal with an interruption requiring your attention. Its easy to do this w when hen your altered state of consciousness was achieved without drugs, hard or impossible when drugs were the way you altered your awareness.

Your altered state should sustain itself  A desirable state of consciousness consciousness should remain even when I’m I ’m not trying to maintain or even notice it. For example, when when I want to enjoy some music in a state than allows me experience it intensely and with delightful time-dilation, I want to be focused on the music, not on maintaining my level of consciousness.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 14

 

Of course, this is one area in which which drugs excel. The predictable duration of the drug ensures the persistence of its associated states of consciousness. But such persistence can be achieved by nondrug means as well. Post-hypnotic suggestion can cause states to persist for very precise amounts of time, or only to occur in specifically appropriate and favorable context

Be the way that's right for you Select the way you want your mind to work Any true altered state will involve some kind of changes in mental function. This could be something as simple as b becoming ecoming more relaxed, or preferring to use another sensory mode, or having more vivid imaginativ imaginativee flights. It might iinvolve nvolve bei being ng able to “think out of the box” box” about tthings hings – to generate a new pe perspective rspective.. Or it might be an enhanced ability to scrutinize a logical or legal document with a fuller sense of the implications involved.

Feeling better Typical bodily changes would include enhanced or decreased alertness, alterations in rate and depth of breathing, postural choice, even alteration in pupil size, blood pressure and pulse rate. For example, performing some of the Yogic breathing exercises detailed below will alter your blood pressure and skin galvanic response. As your mind changes, your body will respond. As your body changes, your feelings will too. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 15

 

Enhance the way you are

Pleasure A desirable state will be typically be more pleasurable than your normal baseline state. There are many ways that this can happen due to the wide variety of  altered states. There are many kinds of positive feeling and each one can be enhanced and associated with a specific state of mind.

Self-reinforcing If a state is pleasant, there will naturally be a desire to experience it again and again. Since that act action ion that brings about the state will be under our conscious awareness and control, you'll be able repeat that action to be able to enjoy that specific state over and over. Some mind-alterations were designed specifically to be selfreinforcing. Start doing Sukhabhati (described below) and you'll be on your way to endless enjoyment.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 16

 

Presence What presence is Presence is attention to the present moment. It is th thee practice of  attending to whatever arises without reference to past valuations and future hopes, fears and p plans. lans. Just being aware of the present as it unfolds, letting yourself sense whatever comes and letting yourself  be driven by the moment. Presence is the simplest and yet the most profound of all practices. One aspect aspect of presence is that it is a form of sensory “uptime” “u ptime”,, when all your sense are devoted to what is available n now. ow. We can see what is before us, or we can visualize the past, from what is in our distant past to what is we aanticipate nticipate as our future. Such visualization is internal, it is when we are down inside our minds. In uptime we see what is outside of us. All the senses have b both oth internal and external modes, down and up phases of their operation. Uptime is when all our senses are externally focused.

Presence is related to the Buddhist practice practice of mindful mindfulness ness – a practicee called by the B practic Buddha uddha “the only way” to achiev achievee enlightenment. One who practices mindfulness knows what he is doing as he does does it. Breathing a short breath, he knows he is breathing a short breath; breathing a long breath, he knows he is breathing a long breath; lying down he knows he is lying down; walking he knows that he is walking. Yet presence is not thinking – thought is always about an intentional object that may or may not be actually given and thought Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 17

 

tends to lead the mind by associative pathways to other thoughts away from what is given right now now.. Presence is awa awareness reness itself.

What presence does An emotional holiday Because presence is oriented to the present, its first effect is to calm the emotions. Our feelings aare re derived from past experiences and involve the perception of things iin n terms of those experiences. That is to say, I am constantly judging that this thing is one of those, this is in this this grou group p or class – and I kno know w what tthose hose m mean ean for m me! e! I'm always besieged by significance. Such an effort of judgment involves memory, categorization and association with a known feeling. Of course all tthis his happens in a split second and occurs so fast that we cannot stop it once it starts. But to the extent that we inhibit this reference to the past, to the extent that we allow ourselves just to be in the present, our emotional reactions are given a rest. As our emotions are put on hold, we give ourselves a moment of  peace and provide ourselves a space for regeneration. This is a true holiday, and we can take it just be being present to our surroundings. Even one minute of presence can have a delightful restorative effect.

Ah! Here we are. Presence has the effect of revealing our environment to us in unexpected ways. Attending to what our senses bring, we notice things that would normally escape us, and allow the richness of our Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 18

 

environment to reveal itself. Even in a room that is familiar, it is quite likely that you will notice things that had you had missed before. When this occurs as you are out and about, it will often seem as if you rediscovering your environment, as if you are seeing it for the first time.

It's the only time we actually have Our body lives in the present; only our mind has the ability to lose itself in the possible and the past, in the unreal. To practice presence is to return to the only reality we have. To live the present is to live fully, not merely potentially. Not only is it the only time we really have, but when we are aware of the present, our sense of the passage passage of time changes. The future does not press towards us, because it is always now. While things change, the presence of the present doesn't. There is a paradoxical timelessness during the state of presence.

How to do it Actually, presence can't be done; it just h happens. appens. The good news is that we can encourage it to happen b by y playing at it. The rest of this section describes practicing presence in this playful sense. To practice presence, the first thing to do is to realize that that you are not aiming to be in this state all the time. Our thoughts and time-lines and emotions and distractions are part of life as well. So we should start with the limited goal of practicing presence for limited periods of time, just as one would go on holiday only for a Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 19

 

limited period of the year Start by choosing choosing a small period of time – like 5 minutes. Just be in the present for that little time. Or perhaps you can do this on a walk, and choose to be immersed in your present sensations for the time it might take to walk to some nearby place. Then set up a habit of rotating your senses, so that you will typically move between feeling and smelling and heading and sight. Practice moving between these until it becomes a skill. (A few minutes might be sufficient to get into this pattern.) Perform this sensory rotation for your chosen time. Do this whenever you please, but at least once a day for a couple of weeks Of course, thoughts will occur to you and when they do, just notice that you have drifted away from presence and gently return to your senses. The net effect of this will be to add a skill of breaking away from your normal awareness into one that is just as valid and yet a refreshing change.

You can do this to give yourself little mental vacations, or you can extend this practice for longer and longer periods of clock clock time. If  you do choose to practice this for extended periods of time, you will have begun the practice of insight meditation, which leads to a centered calmness, and clarity of mind. As you practice presence, you will begin to spontaneously experience moments of presence in which time and self seem to disappear. These will last from a few seconds to possibly an hour or more. Usually they will last for a few m minutes. inutes. This is really Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 20

 

nothing you can control. You will naturally emerge form this state when you need to. Typically, you will only be aware of  spontaneous moments of presence as you emerge from them. As your practice evolves, not only will you be graced by these moments of presence, but it as if your normal time-bound, egodriven experience will also take on some of the openness and spontaneity of actual p presence resence as well. It is as if your normal consciousness is secretly learning from these moments of presence. You'll notice you feel happier, more accepting and the same time that you are more resourceful. There is really no way to force it; it  just gradually happens. h appens. There is nothing you can gras grasp p and there is nothing to be known, yet this will leave you spiritually richer and at the same time more willing to listen to and be available to others.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 21

 

The Smiling Breath (Sukhabhati) Sukhabhati is the happy breath. It is probably the easiest way to induce a feeling of euphoria. Sukhabhati was specifica Sukhabhati specifically lly develop developed ed aass a ‘g ood addicti addiction’ on’.. The aim is to give people a way of feeling good that lies entirely within their power, one that that they can enjo enjoy y anywhere and at anytime. By being free to enjoy Sukhabhati, the hope is that people will have the opportunity to be happy more often and would eventually learn to prefer being in this state. This will liberate them from the patterns that held them in less aware, less open states of mind.

It's easy The breath of happiness is available to all, because it is very easy.

You can't fail There no t‘worrying wr wrong ong ’ way to doyou’re the br breath o off it happ happiness. iness. you u can forget is abou about whe whether ther you’ reeath doing corre correctly. ctly. So yo

You're free to improve it You’ re free to improv You’re improvee upon th thee basic ttechniq echnique ue if you want. The breath of happiness was specifically designed to be enhanced by those who want to adapt it to their special circumstances or skills. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 22

 

Sensualizations Visualizing in complete, rich and sensual detail the things you like is a obvious way of enhancing the breath of happiness.

Simplicity Sukabhahti is designed to be simple and easy to do, anytime, anywhere. anywher e. You don’ don’tt have to reveal it to others if tthat’ hat’ss not harmonious harmoni ous in a certain situati situation. on. There’s There’ s not mu much ch to sa say y or rea read d about it. It is just this incredible simplicity that allows it to be universally available.

Technique The smile is the context of the breath. Sukhabhati begins with a

slight smile. It should be slight because a slight smile is easiest and least obtrusive. In Sukhabhati, you smile first with with your eyes and then ever so slightly with your lips. Just let yourself breathe! Impose no pattern on your breathing, there’ss no way to do tthis there’ his inco incorrectly. rrectly. As you b breathe, reathe, jjust ust be aw aware are of your breathing and how how it feels. As it changes just follow the feeling. Begin by letting your current facial expression fall away. The start to smile. Let a slight smile light up your eyes. Then let let Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 23

 

that slight smile spread to your lips. Just by smiling, you will begin to relax into a mood of contentment. Follow your breathing and how it feels. Change Changess will occur – they’ they’re re OK, just fo follow llow them them too. It’ It’ss YOU YOUR Rh happiness, appiness, you’ you’ll ll have it in y your our own way! At the beginning, to get a sense of this breath, do it for 5, 10 or 15 minutes continuously. This will enable you to get a sense of the feeling that the breath of happiness induces. You can do this anytime you want. No one needs to k know. now. You might find it handy to do this in situations where you're stuck – like waiting for something something or someone. Its amazing how you can fill spare moments with happiness without taking anything away from your other activities.

Eventually you will naturally want to enjoy the breath of happiness while focusing focusing o on n your no normal rmal act activities. ivities. You’ You’ll ll find th they ey go be better tter when you do.

Mood Because of of the ‘s ‘suff ufficiency iciency’’ of hap happiness, piness, th there ere is no further goal to be achieved. You are enough, you have enough, you do enough – this is sufficient. You’ Yo u’re re alrea already dy ‘there’ ‘th ere’ – there’s there’s no fu furth rther er th thin ing g to be so sough ught. t.

Effects of doing the smiling breath

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 24

 

It's self-reinforcing Sukhabhati was designed to be a good addiction. It feels so good, you’ll you’ ll naturally start do doing ing it m more ore and m more ore often often.. This tri trivial vial little exercise will start sprinkling happiness all over your day.

It becomes more powerful with practice Because it only depends upon you, you naturally get better at doing it as time goes on.

It helps you get along with others If you’re you’ re feeling g good, ood, o other ther are easier tto o get aalong long wi with. th. Things that would have have annoyed yo you u in the past, don’ don’tt matter as mu much ch when you are are in a happier and more resourceful mood. New possibilities seem to open up on their own.

It can make you more attractive

Happy people moreyou attractive, considered. Sukhabhati willare make happier all thethings more you do it, theSince more others will naturally enjoy being around you.

Don't impose this on depressed people

We live a world of frustrated people, and the last thing they want is to have some idiot grinning in their face. They do want to be happy themselves, of course, but happiness may seem like a big step away Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 25

 

from where they are. People are attached to their problems for all sort of reasons, not all of which they would be able to explain.

Be subtle The slight smile with the eyes and lips that is the context of the breath can be very slight if need be. You should not confront others with happiness if it would create more of a problem than they already have. Just being inwardly content will help them, and they might be able to approach that level of confidence and resourcefulness that helps them beyond their clutch on negativity.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 26

 

Breathing The use of breathing techniques to induce altered states of  consciousness is as old as human recorded history. I will not attempt to cover such an enormous subject fully here. Even if that were possible, it would not be useful. What is useful is  just to illustrate some of the most common practices practice s primarily involving the breath and to show how they can alter consciousness.

Yoga Control of the breath has been a m major ajor aspect of yoga. Called  pranayama, (energy control) it uses control of breathing to break  the mind’ mind’ss addicti addiction on to it itss current picture of the ego’s world aand nd to induce another state of awareness more more pleasant, effective and conducive to spiritual evolution. Pranayama involves controlling the breath though the use of  different patterns of breathing, styles of inhalation and exhalation, bodily “locks”, “locks ”, and directi direction on of the breath en energy ergy with th thee mind.

Breathing and time Begin by doing just a few repetitions a day of one of the patterns discussed below. Once you have done that pattern for a week or so, you can begin to increase the repetitions you do daily. Start with 5, just to get the hang of doin doing g that pattern. Then add a few more repetitions every week. Eventually you will want to build Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 27

 

up to 100 cycles or more. It doesn't take 100 breaths breaths to get h high! igh! By the ti time me you have built up to doing 50 or breaths in a rhythmic sequence, you'll be able to alter your awareness awareness within the first few breaths. The skill you've developed in conscious breathing will have led you into very altered states and also spontaneously created a self-reinforcing cue for your mind to get high. The goal here is to become comfortable doing the breath pattern, so that you fall into a easy rhythm doing it. There is a kind of  “AHA!”” point where in “AHA! instead stead of laboriousl laboriously y doing that pattern pattern,, you find yourself inside it. At this point just continuing is the m most ost natural path.

Timing patterns There are four phases of the breath – inhalati inhalation, on, retentio retention, n, exhalation and exclusion. In inhalation the breath is drawn inward by extending the diaphragm down and by expanding the chest. In retention, the breath is held within the lungs by preventing it from flowing out of the mouth or nose. During exhalation, the breath is allowed to flow out of the lungs by relaxing the the chest aand nd retracting the diaphragm. Exhalation iiss relatively passive. The exclusion phase involves stopping the breath after exhalation, thereby excluding air from the lungs.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 28

 

The relative length of each phase is shown for every pattern as follows: : : : The numbers given below for these timing patterns are meant to be multiplied uniformly by some small factor, such as 2,3,4 8, 10 or 16. For example, in the first pattern given 2:1:2:1, the factor might be 4, so that there would be an inhalation of 8 counts, a retention phase of 4 counts, an exhalation phase of 8 counts and an exclusion phase of 4 counts. Using a higher factor will produce a slower breath and, when mastered, will give more p profound rofound results. But it is far more important to establish a steady rhythm or groove with a low count than attempt to to do the breaths with a high factor. When you have established a steady rhythm, you will be able to sustain the desired state and enjoy its benefits more than when you are making the serious effort that a high factor requires. You can expect that the state developed with these patterns will persist for a while after you stop consciously practicing the pattern. You can continue to sustain its intensity by briefly repeating the pattern to refresh the state.

2:1:2:1 – the holding br breath eath

This breath is very relaxing after even a few (10 or so) rounds. It is called the holding breath because of the exclusion and retention phases. At first you should practice this with a low multiplier to get a feeling of where where it leads you and then build up to more. This breath can be used when you want too quickly move from an agitated to a relaxed state of mind, or to prepare yourself for a stressful challenge.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 29

 

1:1:1:1 – the stable bre breath ath

This is an even breath which includes retention and exhalation phases. It tends to produce a very tranqui tranquill aand nd “spacey “s pacey”” state of  mind. Because retention and exclusion are not part of n normal ormal breathing cycles, performing state you were previously in. the stable breath will break whatever Sometimes this pattern is called 'square breathing'.

1:0:2:0 – the calmin calming g breath

This is a calming breath with the exhalation being twice the length of the inhalation. The zeros in the retention and exclusion phases of  the breath means that those phases are not part of this cycle. There is only an inhalation and exhalation phase. It's easy to do this particular pattern in a public setting. The calming breath will relax the body and mind and can be used to induce sleep when when you find yourself agitated at night. Otherwise it is generally conducive to a passive, meditative attitude. Generally, those patterns in which the exhalation is longer than inhalation are more relaxing; those in which the inhalation is longer than exhalation excite and stimulate the mind. The variety of  patterns will provide you with subtle choices of the kind of  tranquility you want to enjoy.

1:4:2:0 – the transcendi transcending ng breath

This breath is used in conjunction with alternate nostril breathing (discussed below). This will produce an altered state almost instantly. One of its effects when used with alternate nostril Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 30

 

breathing is brain hemispheric synchronization.

2:0:1:0 – the arousing brea breath th

This is a stimulating breath. This is best used with a fairly low multiplier. multip lier. You can u use se this to “turn “tu rn yourself on” before a stressfu stressfull challenge. There are many more patterns of breathing that can be learned from any competent yoga yoga practitioner. (You may have to seek beyond your local Yoga Studio for the level of skill I am referring to here. The people to know this are the sort of yogis who are doing it for spiritual growth rather than health, beauty and physical relaxation. You want to find the kind of yoga practitioner whose focus is altering their awareness to attain samadhi (ecstatic meditation) for detailed instruction in pranayama.) That said, you do not have to relocate to the Himalayas to use breathing to become proficient in altering your consciousness. Select one pattern and just practice it every day until you can reliably enter into the consciousness you desire. Build up to thirty minutes a day with the breath pattern you have chosen and you will have built for yourself a resource for the rest of your life.

Styles of breathing It is now time time to dis discuss cuss the “depth “depth”” of the breath breath – which p parts arts of  the lung are used. There are different levels of breathing which involve different physical mechanisms and which have different effects when they they predominate. These are the three physiological levels of breathing: apical (shoulder), inter-costal (chest) and diaphragmatic (belly). These terms correspond with the various Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 31

 

groups of muscles that initiate the breath. In apical breathing, breathing is done from the top of the lungs. Your shoulders move up and down, the rest of your body need not move. In inter-costal breathing, breathing is done from the middle middle lung. The expandsDiaphragmatic and contracts, breathing both the shoulders and belly can remain rem ainchest mo motionless. tionless. is the deepest form of breathing and is performed with the large lower part of the lung. The belly moves in and out, the upper part of the body need not move. This is the most relaxing way to breathe. Babies naturally breathe like this when they sleep.

The complete breath

The complete breath or yoga breath is a combination of all the three types of breath into one slow circular breath. "Circular" just means that the in-breath leads directly to the out-breath and the out-breath immediately to the in-breath. There is no retention or exclusion phase in between them. (The 1:0:2:0 breath given above is an example of a circular breath.) First you inhale with your diaphragm, letting the belly move out and down. As you inhale, llet et your spine arch inward ever so slightly. After y your our lower lung fills up, expand your chest muscles until the middle lung is full. Finally, raise your shoulders slightly to allow the top portion of the lung to fill. For the exhalation, simply relax in reverse order. Let your shoulders drop, allow your chest to contract and finally let your belly gently contract.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 32

 

Alternate nostril breathing Alternate nostril breathing involves using just one nostril and then the other on when successive breaths. First you through onenostril nostril, then it is time to exhale, you inhale close the original and exhale through the other one. The next inhalation is through the open nostril. Then that open nostril is closed, so th that at the eventual exhalation is through the original nostril. The effect of this is to completely change your mental pattern. To achieve this kind of breathing, typically the nostril that is not being closedThe by gently it closed with either thumbused or a is finger. nostrilspressing are alternatively closed, and the the open nostril will carry the breath. A more sophisticated form is to direct the breath through the nostril simply by the use use of your attention. To practice this, get a small mirror so you can see which nostril is fogging the glass. With a little bit of practice you will discover you can control which nostril the breath is flowing through with attention alone. Some yogis think this is the most effective form of alternate nostril breathing for attaining an altered state of consciousness.

The force of the breath Varying the degree of force used in performing these patterns will give widely varying varying results. It is best to attempt the calming patterns with a gentle breath, ideally so gentle that it produces no noise when you do it. (This takes a little w work!) ork!) The stimulating breaths may be done done more forcefully. In some cases, iitt can be

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 33

 

useful to a small number of repetitions with great force.

Bandhas The Bandhas or locks can be used to enhance the effect of these breathing patterns. In general they should not be used until the groove or immersion state can be reliably achieved with a given pattern. There are 3 locks, the root lock, the neck lock and the diaphragm lock.

The root lock This is performed by clenching the Kegel muscles that surround the anus and perineum. It is said to hold energy in the body that would otherwise move down and out. The root lock is used during retention and exclusion phases of the breath.

The neck lock The neck lock is performed by bending the chin into the sternoclavicle notch at the top of the breastbone and closing the throat. Sometimes the closure of the throat is accomplished by pressing the tongue up against the upper palette of the mouth. It may also be accompanied by focusing the eyes toward the third eye position located just behind the center of forehead about one inch above the eyes. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 34

 

The neck lock, like the root lock, is used during the retention and exclusion phases of the breath. While doing the neck lock during the retention phase, it is especially useful to visualize energy moving up and down the spinal column.

Diaphragmatic lock The diaphragm lock is quite different from the other two. It performed at the end of exhalation by lifting the diaphragm into the thorax quickly and firmly. The effect is to stimulate the body. Sometimes after doing this, one feels that one is walking on air. Literally, concrete pavement can feel like a cushion! The body seems full of energy, not in the sense of nervous or muscular energy, but rather in the sense of a more centered, softer aliveness.

The psychic direction of the breath

The psychic direction of the breath refers to how you use your mind when you have achieved a steady rhythm or groove with the breath. It depends depends upon having reach reached ed this “inside “ins ide the breath” state. Although physically the breath is moving through the lungs. pulmonary tract and nostrils, you can visualize the breath as entering or leaving through any part of of the body. This has the effect of energizing that part of the body. Some people notice healing or reduction in pain as a result.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 35

 

Later, when you have experienced energizing various body parts ,by altering the psychic direction of the breath, you can mentally project the breath to other things and people. To do so, once you have achieved a steady rhythm with your breath, visualize the breath being exhaled to enliven or energize whatever you will. You'll want to be in a loving and peaceful mood before you do this.

Breathwalking It is extremely effective to combine the practice of breathing patterns with walking. Here the step functions as the count. Using the example given above, one might breathe in while taking 4 steps, and then breathe out while taking 4 steps. You will find that this induces the feeling characteristic of the pattern very quickly and deeply. Prolonged breathwalking is a m most ost effective means of  inducing altered states of awareness, gently and with no health challenges. I recommend using only the Relaxing, Stability and Stimulating patterns at first – those involving retention are too tricky to be useful. Keep it simple. Breathwalking is a meditative experience, integrating bodily movement, breathing, and mental activity. According to Dr. Herbert Benson, of Harvard Medical School, breathwalking evokes the relaxation response. In my experience, using a relaxing pattern helps me achieve that same deep clear calm that sometime emerges during psychedelic experiences. In fact, tthat hat state of deep meditative calm is more reliably reached through breathwalking than it is through the use of  drugs. Many people could use more exercise anyway. And as far as exercise goes, this must must be one of the easiest. Because of the Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 36

 

rhythm of the breathing and walking, when you hit a comfortable pace, it's more like you are floating along your path than stressing yourself. But the physiological benefits are there just just the same. Its an exercise you'll gladly repeat.

Holotropic breathing Holotropic breathing is a technique developed by Drs. Stanislav and Christine Grof in an effort to naturally replicate their use of  psychedelic drugs in accomplishing deep psychotherapy. The basic technique is to breathe rapidly in a circular fashion in a set and setting that will provide direction to the mind. Mind set is provided by the previous discussions with the therapist and the desires of the voyager. The setting incl includes udes music selected to guide the voyager where they want to go. For the rest of this section we will call this rapid continuous breathing the holotropic breath or holotropic breathing.

Psychedelic intensity “ Psychedelic” Psychedelic” just me means ans “min “mind d reve revealing”. aling”. Full psyched psychedelic elic experiences can be created with holotropic breathing for over one half hour in length length and extending for up to several hours. By comparing the experiences experiences record by Dr. Grof with the catalog of  effects listed by Masters and Houston in their book The Varieties of  Psychedelic Experience it is clear that such voyagers can rreplicate eplicate each and every effect encountered by using drugs such as LSD Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 37

 

Mild euphoria Sometime you don't want to embark on a mind exploration intended to resolve and release birth trauma and childhood problems. Sometimes you just want to feel good for a while. Sometimes a gentle breeze is more welcome than a storm. This can be accomplished with between 5 to 10 minutes of  holotropic breathing. It can be maintained with periodic “refresher “re fresher”” periods hol holotropic otropic breat breathing hing lasting a fe few w minute minutess or so each.

The renewal breath The key to the practice of renewal is the insight that we suppress various thoughts and feelings because we deny them, we make them “wrong” “wr ong” in an eeffort ffort to achiev achievee greater mental harmon harmony. y. Perhap Perhapss we were criticized for having these feelings by someone we cared for or whom we depended upon. In order to resolve the inner conflict such criticism would cause, we made those feelings “wrong” “wr ong” and supp suppressed ressed them fro from m conscio consciousness. usness. But suppressing the feelings doesn't make them go away, it just makes them unconscious. They continue to affect h how ow we act and what we want, only beyond our awareness. They become painful and compulsive. A central aspect of renewal practice is the re-acceptance of these feelings into awareness. awareness. Then you release the energy involved in their suppression, get to deal with them in the present and remove the pain and and compulsiveness from your life. In doing so, you will Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 38

 

have expanded your consciousness; you will have gone from darkness to light and from compulsion to freedom. There are five parts to this process: complete relaxation, continuous breathing, acceptance of every feeling, integration of your feelings and intention thesointention renew aspects yourself.of These aren't sequential steps much astoparallel a gradual process. However they are presented as a sequence to enable the practitioner to build the practice of renewal breathing in a step by step manner

Complete relaxation The first step in practicing renewal breathing is to completely relax your body. Get into a position in which you can just let your arms and legs relax. When you can let yourself safely sink down comfortably, you can let go of the all the tensions and readiness that characterize normal awareness. Many people like to lie down, and this can even be done while floating in water.

Continuous breathing Once you have begun the process of complete relaxation, you can start thethat process continuous Continuous breathing entails there of is no breath orbreathing. pause between the inhalation and exhalation phases of the breath. It also means that when you inhale, you inhale completely, not cutting off the process at some point. And when you exhale, you let the air out, without holding some back. The connectedness o off the breath, especially allowing each phase of the breath to complete before beginning the next phase will release energy that more restricted patterns of breathing have denied you.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 39

 

Awareness of every feeling With the new energy now circulating within your body as you breathe, be aware of every detail of feeling that you experience. Your consciousness will naturally move around your body and both positive and negative feelings feelings will occur tto o you. These will be brought to the surface by the extra energy made available by the breathing and by complete the relaxation of your body. Just accept them and stay with them, no matter how painful or annoying they are. Accept all their details. Focus into the feeling, explore its parts. Just staying with feelings that are initially painful or annoying will cause them to change into other feelings. Feelings aren't things, they are just patterns of energy. Once they are brought into awareness, you will notice that the energy naturally changes. It always changes!

Feelings are also directed – feelings are associated with those ideas, feelings are about ideas and experiences.

Acceptance The acceptance step is where you accept your feelings fully into your awareness. It is w where here you cancel the 'make wrong' or suppression that normally accompanies such feelings. There are many ways of doing tthis. his. You can ccompare ompare the feeling with something much worse. You can ssee ee it as a necessary part of  your healing and success. You can see it as the best thing for your future, in the form of a learning opportunity. You can enjoy it for Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 40

 

itself. You can see the thought associated with the feeling as equally true, false or possible as anything else. You can see the humor in it. You can see it as just a necessary phase. As you find ways to accept this feeling and allow it as part of your consciousness, you discover your judgment of things is Iseparate from the thing itself. I have athat feeling, about something and have a  judgment of it. But I could have a diffe different rent judgment of it. Just because I used to think this way, don't mean that's the only possible way to think. Why shouldn't I allow myself to be happy? And if I can be happy with this feeling if I think of it differently, what would be harm in trying that now

Intention The key to success with this technique, as with any technique, is the intention to actually do it, to actually iintegrate ntegrate your awareness. If  you truly intend to integrate your consciousness, almost any technique will work. The degree to which you can perform the previous four aspects of renewal doesn't matter. So long as you really intend to achieve integration, you will be able to achieve it. So maybe your relaxation wasn't as complete today as yesterday, perhaps you didn't breathe fully continuously the whole session. But if you want to stop suppressing a feeling, for to accept it and deal with it on a conscious level, you can anyway. All it takes is the intention to do it.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 41

 

Using your mind Using mental techniques techniques to get high seems obvious enough - “being “ being high” is a special class of menta mentall states and since the mind can learn learn to transform itself, why not simply learn how to get high? In point of fact, the obsessive normality many seek to escape was produced by mental events. And now you can use the power of these same mental events to redirect the energies of the mind toward states that are more enjoyable and more insightful.

Set and setting "Set and setting" was the terms the late Timothy Leary used refer to both the mental and physical environment of a person, especially in relation to embarking upon a mind-altering experience. "Set" or "mind set" is a combination of attitude, expectations, and determination or focus. This is essential for success in any endeavor, especially one that so intimately involves consciousness. Attitude is defined as "a mental position with regard to a fact or state or a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state". It is in essence your bias or point of view about something. Are you predisposed in favor of it or against it? An attitude is always always an attitude about something. It could be an event, a task, a person, or as general ideas as just how you are treated by other people. In the context of getting high, attitude means your position with regard to changing to a more open and pleasant state of consciousness, your readiness to change your mental state to one more pleasant for you. You have to be willing. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 42

 

Expectations are created both by your past experiences and by what you can vividly imagine. Past experiences can give a strong sense of  what will occur, but need not be your only guide. Being able to vividly imagine an outcome will cause it to occur, even though you haven't experienced it yet. Decision is critical - you may like something and be able to envision it, but you must actually choose to make it happen. You must decide to have that or experience that. "Setting" refers to your physical and social environment. Obviously, for changing your state of consciousness, the external things you have to deal with are going to dominate your awareness. If you are preparing a meal with your family around you, some of these techniques are inappropriate, while others, such as the breath of  happiness or "Sukahbhati", may work better. In general, you want to select situations and people who are supportive and conducive to whatever you are doing.

Controlling Controllin g your environment Beyond set and setting issues, which refer to your present, there are internal and external factors that you want to align with your goals. Otherwise, its like trying to drive with one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake. The more aligned the factors are with your goals, the sooner and more brilliantly you will succeed. The human mind has a tendency to repeat itself, to form recurring patterns. This is the basis of learning, skills and culture. It is also the basis of personality. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 43

 

We naturally have modes in which we learn and modes in which we enact what we have learned. When we are in learning mode, whatever we are exposed to in terms of experiences and ideas, tends to stick with us and get played out in our enacting mode. The alternation of these modes occurs daily and in larger cycles that span periods of our lives. Just as it is important to eat foods that agree with your body and build health, so it is important to expose yourself to experiences and suggestions that agree with your mind and support what you want to accomplish. But just as you can consume junk food or even some poisons and not feel the effect right away, so you can expose yourself to bad mental inputs and not feel the effects right away. Nevertheless both bad physical and bad mental food have their consequences. Bad physical food will eventually make you sick, and bad mental food will eventually frustrate your ability to accomplish your desires. The good news is that you can control your mental inputs and this will support, enhance and encourage those factors that lead to success. Here’ s a crit Here’s criterion: erion: Is tthis his input he helpful? lpful? Is there some wa way y I can use this or react to this positively? How does it make me feel about what I am trying to accomplish? If this helps me or u usefully sefully informs me, then its its good mental input. If it excites me me about things I cannot affect, affect, or depress depresses es or discourag discourages es me, then I don’ don’tt need it.

Focus on inspiring and positive things

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 44

 

What things work for you, what things get you inspired or get you unstuck? These are things that you need to focus on regularly. This will be how you succeed.

Having a high quality mental diet Seek out things that teach you how to succeed, inform you about what you are trying tto o accomplish or give you new skills.. Read books or listen to tapes that tteach each and support you. Celebrate the good things in life. Do what wo works rks for you.

Stay away from negativity It is critical critical to avoid the influ influences ences of other peop people le’s ’s negat negative ive opinions. We are powerfully shaped by th thee opin opinions ions of others. Our desire to please others, to be one with the group and conform are all at work here. This is especially true when those people are close to us in some way. But if we want to achieve mental goals we have to select those influences that are in alignment with our purpose. Some people will scorn any attempt to succeed because they themselves are not successful. They would like to be; th they ey want success for themselves themselves and don’t see why others shou should ld have it when they they don’ don’t. t. So the their ir reacti reaction on is to attemp attemptt to make you fa fail. il. Others won’ t even try to succe Others succeed ed and look to have ssupport upport for their lack of success from others. If you look determined to attain a state they cannot, they will try to discourage you and convince you that Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 45

 

what you you are aattemp ttempting ting can cannot not be do done. ne. And tthey’ hey’ll ll find lo lots ts of  supporting evidence in the mediocrity they see all around them. If you seek to be able to achieve altered states of consciousness without witho ut drugs, you are attempting what others do not – our drug based culture promotes the materialistic you chemically alter your physiology to alteridea yourthat state ofneed mind.to If you are satisfied with that belief, you will not even try anything to achieve different. The failure of others to get high by other means is usually only because they have never tried other means. You do not need need to limit yo yourself urself to the level level of other’ other’ss failures and indolence. Trying out the techniques in this book will empower you with many ways to get high without drugs. Another source of negativity comes from people who are simply uncommitted. Or perhaps it w would ould be more accurate to say that they are commi committed tted to b being eing uncomm uncommitted. itted. They’ They’ve ve been wrong before and by God, they're not going to let themselves be fooled again! And they think that the best way not to be fooled is not to be convinced of anything different than the opinions they currently hold. (This mindset actually guarantees that they are perpetually fooled.)

“ Those Those thin things gs don’t work ffor or me me!” !” the they y proc proclaim laim – or more general gen erally ly – “Those thi things ngs d don’ on’tt work work.” .” But sin since ce th thee rea reason son tthat hat things don’ don’ t work is tthat hat they don’ don’tt seriously ttry ry them them,, this iiss hardly an opinion to be taken seriously.

Spend your time on things you can affect One source of negativity in life is the news and local gossip. The news and local gossip can be a royal waste of time and a source of  Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 46

 

much anxiety, anger, and depression. Most of it will never affect you, and you won’t be able to do any anything thing abou aboutt it anyway. Gandhi once said, “I won’ Gandhi won’tt let any anyone one walk iin n my min mind d with th their eir dirty feet!” feet!” It’ s good aadvice dvice tto o follo follow w if y you ou wan wantt to eenjoy njoy h higher igher states of consciousness. Inbody. a sense, most news is to your mind what indigestible food is to your

Altered kinesthetic states This is the technique that allows you to experience states which are exactly the same as those induced with specific drugs. It depends upon some previous experience of alterations of consciousness with those drugs. By vividly remembering the exact set of feelings involved in the onset of an altered state of consciousness, you can induce the state of consciousness exactly. When you do this right, you might be surprised at just how intense the effects are, even the very first time. (When drug users learn this trick, it will drive drug dealers out of business.)  What you can id identify, entify, you c can an rere-create. create.

In fact, if you are having any difficulty with this, you're probably trying too hard. In the case of drug experiences, just think of those feelings which you would notice when you are identifying a sample of the drug that was quite excellent. Concentrate on those feelings for a little while. Soon you'll start to notice other things that remind you of that drug state.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 47

 

The specific technique is the following. Find a moment when you can reflect uninterruptedly. Get something to take notes with: you start by interviewing yourself. First remember a time when you got high using a specific drug. Go back toresponding that time and remember how you noticed that you were indeed to the drug's influence. What did you notice first? Specifically, what feeling or change in you body's action did you you notice? Perhaps it was a certain feeling in your head, a specific kind of spacey feeling or relaxation. Or maybe it was a feeling in your body of comfortable warmth. Whatever that first feeling was, write it down.

Now what was the second thing you noticed that convinced you were getting high, that you were responding to the drug's influence? Perhaps it was a dryness in your mouth, or maybe it was that colors seemed brighter. brighter. Write tthat hat down too. So now your list might be like this:   1: that light headed feeling  

2: dryness of mouth

What was the third thing in order that you notice when you got high with that drug? Perhaps it was a kind of warmth and loo looseness seness of  you hands. Write that down. So you list might look that this now. 1: that light headed feeling  

2: dryness of mouth 3: warm loose hands Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 48

 

After a bit, you might end up with the following list: 1: that light headed feeling  

2: dryness of mouth 3: warm loose hands 4: body feels heavy and doesn't want to move

 

5: colors are bright

Now go through the list in the order you have written it down, imagining each feeling as best you can. If you correctly noticed the feeling and their sequence, by the time you have completed this sequence, you will find yourself having other feelings associated with the previous experience of the drug. This works because that sequence of feelings is both an anchor for and a mirror of the state of consciousness. In practical terms, this is the means of getting high which is the most precise in re-creating the kind high associated with a specific drug. As I pointed out, you must have some actual previous experience for this to work. But once you have had enough experience to be able to distinguish a particular drug's typical effects, you can then fully re-experience the drug high without the drug. This is based on the same mechanism as the so-called placebo effect. In the placebo effect, the subject gets the same physiological benefits of a drug merely because they believe that they are getting the drug, when in fact they are not. This can occur both for drugs that have pronounced psychological effects as well as for drugs whose action is primarily below awareness, such as, for example, an antibiotic. It is the mental image of the drug action and expectations which work, not the drug itself. itself. That is because drugs are just the trigger for tthe he body's response, the actual cause of your feelings. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 49

 

Of course, in the placebo effect, we are utilizing the belief that one has actually taken the drug, and the mind's ability to fulfill its expectations of that drug's effect. In mimicking the precise sequence of feelings that are involved in the use of a drug, we are doing something different. We are using the same feelings that an expert drug user would use to determine that he or she had taken the drug in question.

Controlling intensity and duration Re-inducing drug states by vividly remembering the sequence of  feelings that accompany their onset is both powerful and easy. All this takes is memory and the will to do it.

Once you have accomplished this. one thing that you can do is to gain some control over the intensity and duration of the experience. When I want to intensify a state, I just ask myself, myself, “w “what hat would thi thiss be like if if it were ttwice wice as sstrong?” trong?” You do kn know ow how to m multiply ultiply by two, don't you? So you would know when something h had ad gotten twice as strong, wouldn't you? What's it like when that happens? Would you be able to feel if it were three times as powerful? Once you can induce the feeling of the drug by remembering how you would know that the drug is working, you can make it stronger by this technique. And you don't have to stop with one doubling. Induce the feeling, double it, and double it again. See how much fun you can stand. You won't be using up your stash!

I find that re-induced highs tend to be quite persistent just because they are desirable states. (Since you bothered to re-induce them at all, you probably enjoy them.) As soon as the mind knows it can Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 50

 

enter these states of mind at will, it will automatically enter and preserve those states it prefers. But no one would want to be stuck in just one type of consciousness all the time. I find that it helps to set a limit of how long I want to enjoy a particular high. For example, I might want to stay high until the party is over. Once I step outside to drive I'm automatically regain the alert focused state that driving requires. (And there's there's nothing unusual in your blood or on your breath.) It's good to train yourself to induce a variety of states of mind, so that you can shift both in and out of those sweet spots you prefer.

Designer highs: not designer drugs Is there something about the drug high you were re-inducing that you don’t don’ t like? For exam example, ple, maybe you don' don'tt like the hunger that accompanies a cannabis high. Or perhaps you would like a reinduced caffeine high to be more mellow.

Once you have established your ability to achieve a high which recreates what you typically would get with a certain drug, you can change it to whatever you desire. Enter the original state. Ask yourself what you would experience when you have succeeded in fully modifying that aspect of the state in the direction you desire. How would you know that its really happening? And as you get a sense of that, what would make you enjoy it for a while?

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 51

 

That's about all there is to it. You don't need a degree in organic chemistry, you don't need to risk the unexplored side-effects of a new chemical. You just have to know what you would prefer. Enter the unmodified state and then vividly imagine how your new modification would feel while you are in that state. It helps to remember that because what you are imagining is just your own mental state, there is no barrier to your entering that state directly. It's not the same as imagining you have some physical object. Of course, you have learned the difference between imagining and actually possessing external things. However, w with ith mental states the rules are quite different; you are free to enter into any state you imagine fully. For some people, the following procedure works: visualize yourself  as if you were looking at yourself when you are in the state you want to be. Pretend you're standing outside of yourself looking at yourself in that state. Imagine wh what at you'd see. Add details; enrich the image until it's vivid. When you have a really good im image age of  how you would look like in the state you desire, step into that image – it's yoursel yourself, f, you can do this – and be in that st state. ate. I first learned learned this as technique in anger management. There were times I would be upset and know I wanted to calm down. After reminding my of something that made my blood boil, my guru suggested I imagine myself peacefully sitting across the room. When I actually did this and then projected myself into that imagined person, I was amazed at how dramatically different I felt. I went from red hot to cool in a moment! A further illustration of how this works occurred when I was doing a little hypnosis with my pranayama (Yoga breathing) teacher. When she had entered a light trance, I asked her to remember how she felt when she had been the the most calm. After a moment I could see by the softening of her face that she was really getting into it. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 52

 

Then I suggested she was going to be twice as calm as she was now. I said her unconscious knew what that was like and she could let herself be open to that, but no sooner than she wanted to feel that way. I could see the change happening as I spoke with her. Then I said that I knew she could multiply by five, and her unconscious mind even knew what what it was like to be five times as calm. Again she would feel that now only as soon as she wanted to .... When I finally brought her out of the trance she confessed to me that she had never in her life experienced such peaceful bliss. She had originally started to re-live the feeling she had reached years before after five days of fasting and breathing exercises with her teacher in Nepal. She said she felt quite happy to be in that state again. That's when I first suggested she double it and then quintuple the ecstasy. And she did. I wondered just how far I could have taken her? How much peacefulness could she stand? That's when I realized that I could do this for myself too – that there were no real limits to how high I could I let myself myself be. I found some time to fully remember a powerful experience and then managed to remember to double it's power. By that ttime ime I was beyond thinking in wo words. rds. Just how far do you want to go?

Scanning for the good "The mind is its own place and can make a heaven of hell, or a hell of heaven". John Milton – Paradise Lost Whether you look for the good or look for the bad is merely a habit of mind. And you can shape this habit the way you want. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 53

 

Thousands of things occur to you every day. What you select to pay attention to is what will shape your life. What you mind, you will find. If you look for the good, your life will be good; if you look for the bad, your life will be bad. Many people have trained themselves to look for problems and hope to improve themselves by negating those problems. But be because cause they have trained themselves to look for problems, all they find are problems. And you become what you behold. It seems like the mind does not have the ability to form an image of "not". It can only imagine actual sensible qualities. So when you think of things you don't want and say to yourself 'not this', your imaging brain can only image 'this'. Any thought that you have once becomes likely to be repeated, due to the fact that every time you have a thought, your brain physically reshapes itself to make having that thought a little easier, a little more probable. Not only that, anything you imagine yourself to be, your unconscious will try to fulfill. Together these two principles can form a powerful engine for self-realization or self-destruction. Look for the good, imagine how things will work for you, see the positive outcomes that you can enjoy and your mind will work to produce these in your life.

Review and identify identify what's good – every day A little work here will help to build the "good" muscle in your mind. Regular practice helps here a lot. Think of 25 great things about your life every day. These can be things you enjoy, things you are grateful for, things you like. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 54

 

“ 25” is just an arbit arbitrary rary nu number mber – just keep do doing ing thi thiss until you’ you’ve ve put yourself in a great mood. By finding what is good and new right this moment, we practice looking at our present reality and identifying the positive things in it. Doing this on a regular basis will transform your sense of your life and reduce the stress you experience. In fact, it is eespecially specially good to practice finding something good and something novel at rigorously predefined times of the day. Having to com comee up with the good and new forces forces you to scan for the good good when you’ you’re re not  already in a positive state of consciousness. And that's when you need to the most. Learning how to find the good and new at those times is the best time to exercise your skill. Many people practice saying grace at the beginning of a meal. One adaptation of this would be to have everyone around the table verbalize something that is good and something that is new in their experience, in effect identifying the good things that the prayer of  grace generally refers to. By actually specifying good tthings hings out loud at such a time, the same purpose is fulfilled, but the effect is stronger because the mind has to search for specific things that God has brought us.

Hypnosis The placebo effect It is standard practice when testing the efficacy of a drug to do a double blind experiment in which both the subjects and the experimenters are unaware of which subjects are getting the drug being tested and which subjects are getting a inert pill, sometimes Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 55

 

called a placebo. What is interesting is that many of the subjects receiving the placebo actually experience all the same pharmacological effects as those subjects receiving the real drug, supposedly due to their expectations. Drugs are considered efficacious if the percentage of subjects receiving the real drug who have reactions is significantly higher than the percentage of reactive subjects who are receiving the placebo. This testing methodology is built on the fact that many drug effects can be caused by the belief that one has been exposed to the chemical rather than from any effect of the chemical itself. An interesting example of using the placebo effect to induce a druglike altered state of consciousness occurred to one of my friends when the author enjoyed the friendship of Dr. Humphrey Osmond in the late 60’ s in Princ Princeton, eton, New Jersey. Dr. Osmond had tremendous authority in our eyes: we knew that he was the person who had originally originally coined the the “psychedelic”, “psychedelic ”, that he had been doing medical work with psychedelics for the previous 15 years, that he had brought the psychotropic qualities of  morning glory seeds to the attention of the scientific community, and that he he was senior co-author of the medical ttreatise reatise “Psychedelics”. Osmond knew of my friend's deep interest in psychedelics and that he had already experienced the drug LSD-25 hundreds of times. One day, my friend's wife was visiting him and Osmond offered her some unusual mushrooms, suggesting that they would have the same effect as LSD. LSD. Curiously, he suggested that the way to prepare them would be to saute them in butter.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 56

 

When his wife brought them home, my friend thought that the suggested method of preparation was odd, because it seemed the heat and butter would destroy the chemicals that would be involved in the desired drug action. But who was was he to challenge the directions of our learned friend? His wife cooked them as directed and he consumed a plate of them. He said they tasted pretty good, actually, a real change from the bitter tastes many plant sources had. Just as Os Osmond mond had predicted, a powerful powerful LSD LSD-like -like “trip “trip”” began began.. Four hours later his wife ended my experience by telling him that the mushrooms were just Chanterelles – and it had been Osmond’s desire to play with him through suggestion. Osmond's authority in my friend's eyes was all that was necessary to invokee powerful beli invok belief ef and the “pla “placebo” cebo” effect of th thee powerful LSD trip.

The Schachter effect This effect concerns how the mind combines a label and a physical stimulus to produce an effect quite different from the effect that the physical stimulus would have produced all by itself. One way of stating this principle is that it is not the body state itself  which produces a certain feeling but rather the interpretation placed on that bodily state. In the original experiment during the 1950's. Schachter and Singer gave epinephrine to their subjects. Epinephrine will induce excitation or anxiety. Then they approached different groups of subjects in various ways and the nervous excitement generated by the drug was interpreted as being the emotion involved in the response. The subjects then continued Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 57

 

to have other physical experiences associated with that emotional response. For example, when the subjects were approached by a smiling member of the opposite sex, they developed the bodily reactions reactio ns associate associated d with sexu sexual al arousal. (“Ah, (“ Ah, so it was a sex drug!”) When th they ey were aapproache pproached d with co contemp ntemptt they experienced anger and felt the other bodily reactions which are appropriate appropri ate to anger. (“T (“That hat pill made made my b blood lood bo boil!”) il!”) To use this, you have to be able to have a feeling that you can describe accurately and then label as whatever you w want. ant. For example, exampl e, pain can be des described cribed to yourself yourself as your body’ body’ss process of self-healing. Another instance can be to describe a ccertain ertain kind of breathing as itself a form of getting high.

The Milton model Milton Erickson was a leading practitioner of medical hypnosis who often used subtle language techniques to swiftly provide patients with more satisfying satisfying and useful patterns of living. He did so by recontextualizing their understanding of experience in a permissive way so that they were free to choose outcomes that were more gratifying than those behaviors they had been stuck in. One aspect of the language whereby he accomplished these transformations was to use non-specific language to formulate statements that the person would be free to interpret as truly descriptive of their experience and then to gradually lead the person so that new options would become apparent to them. Trance is not some unusual, bizarre state; it's just a form of mental focusing, and we naturally allow that to happen unless there is something that challenged us or seems wrong. wrong. So it is important in using words to go into a trance to say things that must be true. If I told you that the light is very bright as you read this, it might not be Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 58

 

for you and you'd become more critical. But if I just told you tthat hat there is light that helps you see this, that has to be true and would help you listen in a more focused manner to what I had to say. If I told you you were standing up as you read this, that might not be true and force you into a critical mo mode. de. But if I merely said, your eyes are open as you read these words, that is true and helps you focus further on what I have to say. So to get into trance and begin to use the powers of your mind, it is best just to note, in a general sort of way, what happens to be true right now. And as you do this, you can use the non-specific expression of that to amplify and unify your experience to the point where you can accomplish what you desire. In much of our experience, we care constantly correcting and rejecting what is said to us, because it does not describe what we know and experience to be be true. This keeps us in a reality-testing mode. However, where we are presented with language which reflects our reality, we will start to accept it as valid, understand it in terms of our specific experience of it. So when I could talk about your ability to see, to distinguish shapes and make sense of things, even though I don't know how bright it is where you are or what source of illumination you are using, you will easily remarks aboutbe, seeing and lightnaturally in terms and of what is true tunderstand rue for you.my And you could or n not ot be,  just a little more receptive r eceptive to the words which follow. And either way is OK so long as you can distinguish my words and understand what they mean, because just the ability to do is one of the requirements for using language to change consciousness. I know you are wondering how these trivial facts about language have been used to g get et people high. Especially since language is more often used to focus consciousness in ways that are the opposite of being high. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 59

 

The activities of consciousness which are used to focus on meanings and sensation are the same activities that get you high when they are focused in a different fashion. It's not a case of needing something new; by being conscious enough to read and understand these words you have all you need to alter your awareness now. How would would you k know now whether you understood that? You automatically look inside for the sense o off significance. And in fact looking inside is the key that unlocks the doors to altered states. You can tell whether this makes sense because you have an inner criterion for something making sense. Just as you can tell when you are in another state of mind because you have a way of telling when that has happened. You know what tto o look for in the w way ay you feel and the way your mind works. That's how you would know as you look inside, just how what your state of mind is now. You could even imagine what it's like when you're as high as you want. Now, sometimes there's the temptation for me me to go off into a pleasant mental zone even as I'm trying to w write rite these w words. ords. People who use trance sometimes tell you to relax,  but that's not really necessary. You can do this anyway you want. Just amplify your experience by identifying it consistently, going along with whatever is true for you, whatever is happening until you are ready to transition smoothly into being able to follow a suggestion that takes you where you want to go.

So you can use anything in experience as a starting point for being able to go into the mental state you desire. It is your own mind that allows you to create your state of awareness and look for those signs you use to decide that you're high.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 60

 

You can just think about it whenever you want it. it. Its not about language putting anything into your mind, so much as it is your ability to understand how language can help you find those ways you already have to change your state to one you truly desire. And to let that happen  would be a go good od tthing, hing, isn’ isn’tt it? Now,  let's talk  about ....

Changing your experience of things It is a little known fact that you have a lot of control over how you experience the things in your your life. Your mind mak makes es a huge contribution to how you experience anything. Here we are not talking about set and setting. We are discussing the specific way in which your mind represents the experience. This representation is how you choose to remember it and how you choose to talk to yourself about it. How you remember it and thin think k about it determines your reactions to it. it. The specific form in which you categorize each experience will predispose how you handle it. Most of your sensory experiences are through seeing, hearing or feeling. And so you represent th these ese experiences to yourself through a process of of internal seeing, hearing or feeling. Each of these ways of internal experience has certain characteristics. For example, when I remember something I have seen, it has a certain apparent size in my mind. So w what hat if I changed that size? Suppose I took  something someth ing I liked and made it b bigger? igger? (It’ (It’ss my mind, I can do that). When I make it bigger, bigger, I might notice that changes how I feel about it. What if I made it brighter? Or m more ore colorful? Does that change my feeling? Altering something I like in this way is a great way on enhancing my pleasure in it. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 61

 

The same same thing thingss can be done wi with th anyt anything hing I do don’ n’ t enjoy. Perhap Perhapss there’ss a voice in my head th there’ that at is just the memory of someone someone nagging me. So what happens if I make that voice fainter? How about if I imagine it coming from very far away? Perhaps I can make that voice faster and high-pitched like a chipmunk. Would its nagging nagging bother me as much? How about if I made it very quick? All of these alterations will affect how we react to our inner experiences of events. Being able to alter tthese hese aspects of  experience is a major skill that will allow you to alter the way you handle your experience.

Meditation Meditation is a classic means of altering consciousness. In fact, meditation is so classic and so well known that it covers a very wide range of meanings and has myriad forms. That being the case, any claims to there there being a “right “right”” way to per perform form meditati meditation on must be understood understo od as “r “right” ight” withi within n a specific con context text of a spiritua spirituall practice and its goals. For our purposes here, we will consider meditation to be any mental practice that principally involves focusing the mind on a particular subject or in a particular fashion.

The habit of return

The mind naturally moves from subject to subject, either by Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 62

 

association or by logical progression. The trick is to utilize this tendency to move move to achieve focus on a particular subject. This is done by developing the habit of returning to the original subject of  the meditation. As soon as you notice that you are not thinking about the original subject, you gently return to the original subject. The technique is to constantly return to the original original subject. The mind is actually allowed to wander with the intention of returning immediately after it has touched upon one relationship, or context or property of the subject. It is programmed to wander and return. For example, I wish to concentrate upon a coin. I see that it is round and immediately return my mind to the coin. I think of its hardness and I return to the coin. I think of its weight and I return to the coin. I think of how it came to be there on the table before me and I return to the coin. I think of its significance as a monetary unit and I return to the coin. I think of the its composition of metals and I return to the coin. I notice its color and I return to the coin. I think  of the side that is showing and I return to the coin. I think of the inscriptions on it just as physical shapes and I return to the coin. I think of how its edge is formed and I return to the coin, I think of  how worn it is and I return to the coin. I think of the date on it and I return to the coin. I think of the monetary system it is part of and I return to the coin. I think of my possession of it and I return to the coin. I think of tthe he coin’ coin’ss size and I return to th thee coin. I tthink hink of it itss angle of presentation to me and I return to the coin. Get the idea? As I meditate on the coin, admittedly a simple object, I have build a up a rich idea of the coin and can continue to do so. Basically my mind has noticed just one property or relationship of  the subject and then returned to the subject. My mind has concentrated on the object even while its normal processes of  thought and interpretation continued. When I wander away, for this process of return, I just return to the Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 63

 

subject, in this case, the coin. As I do so, my mind becomes focused on the coin and my emotions become tranquil. And this is just from a few moments of thoughtful concentration! As I continue to do this, a rich mental intuition of the object is progressively achieved while the mind remains focused on its chosen topic. At some point, the intuitive idea shines forth in the mind and the coin is experienced with a depth beyond what would have been imagined. Now you seem to really know the coin in a way you could not have previously imagined. This moment of  intuitive experience is rapturous and beautiful.

As you continue with your meditation on the coin, your mental processes will need less and less explicit formulation in words. You  just continue to explore explor e the subject intuitivel intuitively. y. Eventually the rapture falls away because it too seems to be a distraction and you  just experience the coin joyfully. As your concentr concentration ation deepens, even the enjoyment of the experience is discarded as a crude annoyance. Only the coin remains. Now you are fully concentrating on the coin. See the Buddhist classic meditation treatise Visuddhimagga  (the Path of Purification) by Buddhaghosa for a very detailed outline of  this process. Buddhaghosa treats the process in the same detail as a good engineering manual, with explicit descriptions of each step on the way and how to deal with various kinds of distractions and challenges.

Celebration

A particularly fun form of meditation is to celebrate something. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 64

 

And how are things celebrated? When you celebrate something you remember it, talk about it and even even daydream about it. You decorate and embellish your ideas of it and refer to it frequently. You promote it to others. You cherish records of it and commemorate it. If you can, you collect instances of it and other memorabilia. You may find yourself, imitating it and eenacting nacting those parts that please you you the most. At the very le least ast you will review it and concentrate your mind on it whenever you can. What you celebrate, you nurture; and what you nurture, grows. So if  you want to nurture a higher state of consciousness, you should celebrate it. Don’ t make the mist Don’t mistake ake of celebrati celebrating ng what you think causes what you desire. desire. If you ce celebrate lebrate A (which you do don n ’t really w want) ant) because you think it causes B (which is what you really like), you  just end up with a lot of A, but not necessarily a lot of B. To celebrate the cause of what we really desire is one of the biggest fallacies the human mind can commit and one of the most common. Rehearse success, not the means to success.

Telling yourself yourself a story – the power of inne innerr ritual A particularly interesting form of meditation which utilizes the tendency of the mind to move from thought to thought is the practice of inner inner ritual. In general, this is the repetition of of some sequence of ideas, often in the form of a story that expresses some special theme. In many forms of inner ritual, this is a religious story. Powerful legends, such aass the P Parsifal arsifal legend, have also been used in the same way. By going through the ritual, the mind ccan an easily stay on topic, and the transformations of awareness that the legend induces occur. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 65

 

Classic uses of ritual to alter consciousness include the Tantric traditions of both Hinduism and Buddhism as well as the alchemical and magical traditions of medieval Christian practice. The Eleusian mysteries of ancient Greece are probably an example of this process as well. well. Carl Jun Jung g ’s works g give ive som somee modern iinsight nsight in into to these traditions as do the works of writers like Aleister Crowley. One powerful aspect of these inner rituals is that the participant goes through or is led through multiple levels of nested contexts that effectively detach his awareness from day-to-day living. Only then is the participant allowed to follow the story line which now occurs within a structure of meaning that alters awareness.

But youcloisters don’ t have don’t to travel to ancien ancient t Greece, the Hi Himalayas malayas arcane in Europe Europe to use this technique. You can createor your own stories of transformation and use them to reshape your awareness. Chances are your own ritual will fit your own n needs eeds and powers more perfectly. Create a story line that leads you from where you feel yourself to be to where you want to be. As you do so, embellish that story line with symbols that have powerful meaning for you. Go over the story, enriching it with detail and giving its plot powerful twists that lead to the emergence of the consciousness you desire. Once you have your story worked out, now imagine that you are living through this story in the first person. Do so repeatedly so that you feel the changes described are happening to you. If you practice this every day, you will soon have built a way of leading yourself from one level of consciousness to another, a way that is reliable and predictable; a way you can control.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 66

 

You probably already tell yourself stories anyway! But are they  your  stories?   stories? Do these stories serve you you?? So take control of the pathways of your imagination and go where you want to go, not just where others have programmed you.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 67

 

Emotional Alchemy Escape! All these techniques are well and good for empowered resourceful states, but sometimes people use drugs, not to get high, but to avoid being 'down'. That is to say, drugs are used as a means to cope with bad days and negative situations. A major use of recreational drugs is to change emotional states on bad days. People look for a way to tto o repair or avoid unpleasant o orr poor reactions to things. This is the "I really need a .... .. now" coping syndrome, where drugs function as a fix for an emotional state, or for a state in which we are 'stuck'. Drugs serve as a powerful escape mechanisms for people who cannot cope with their perceived situation. They use drugs as a means of becoming emotionally unstuck. Taking a drug is something they realize they can do, and the bodily change that results changes their emotional state because emotions are always felt in the body. What we're talking about here is learning how to deal with negative feelings such as anger, inappropriate sexual arousal or lack thereof, fear, the sense of being dominated by those agenda it is to control you, political partisans who won't leave you alone and whom you cannot avoid, deprecation & slander, frustration, and your own internal obsessive ranting about all or some of the above. These are common enough needs, whether or not you use drugs, and you Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 68

 

will do everything everything you can to d deal eal with these situations. Here we will review some powerful alternatives.

Ways of coping What is needed are ways of coping with situations that get you emotionally stuck and unhappy. There are 4 m main ain ways to do this. First, reduce your exposure to psychic material you can't handle. Second, develop the habit of using whatever life brings for your own purposes. Third, learn to see it differently. Fourth, change your response to something useful – transmute the energy within yourself. We live in an information age and we are constantly bombarded with information designed to excite excite a response. But just because you w were ere exposed to some information does not mean that you can effectively respond to it. We do react emotionally to it, but then what can we do? To reduce your exposure to material you cannot handle, your criterion should be: can I or would I do anything about this? If the answer is no, turn away from that source of 'information' and lighten your emotional burden.

Using whatever life brings As you develop a habit of using whatever life brings for your own purposes, you will become very powerful and successful. You will take advantage of what becomes available for y your our own purposes. You'll move from being 'at effect' to being 'at cause'; from being a victim to being active and the author or your fate. Just this change of attitude will alter the significance of what may have been a trying situation. By getting into an attitude of control, you'll feel better.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 69

 

Whenever something displeases or annoys you, IMMEDIATELY ask  yourself, how can I use this? The answer you come up with could could be really off the wall, so long as it helps you in some way. In fact, the more 'unusual' your answer is the better – then it might contain the seed of an idea that is a creative way of dealing with your situation. The key here is to learn to respond immediately to any difficulty with the question, how can this help me, or what can I learn from this? As a rule, collect three different answers as to how this situation could help you or be turned to your advantage. By the time you have thought of tthree hree answers as how this could help you, your emotions will have transformed themselves into something more pleasant. Other questions questions to ask, “W “What hat is the best thing about about this for me now?” “Howthis cangreat?” I have fun wi with th thi this?” s?” “Wha “What's t's the sma smallest llest ch change ange th that at wou would ld make

Seeing things differently The art of seeing things in a different light is called 'reframing'. Reframing something means to put it in a different frame or context of  meaning. Whenever you reframe something, you understand it differently and it loses its psychological power over you. It loses iits ts sting. For example, if something someone has done is bothering you, it might change if you can see their actions coming from their weakness rather than their strength. Usually we are bothered because we attribute power to the source of our annoyance. Seeing them as powerful makes us feel helpless. So when we see the weakness in that source or that it is motivated by its own problems, the situation might go from being a real bother to being something silly. At least you will have m more ore options for dealing with it it..

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 70

 

Your feelings of annoyance or frustration might also change if you put the entire situation in a different context. Just doing so, means that, in your mind, you have stepped outside of the situation and are looking at it in a different way.

Ask yourself what this would mean in a grander scheme of things, or how you would see this this next year? Would even care about how you feel now, knowing what you did then? Why are you certain you have to respond to this situation the way you have? Is it b because ecause of some component or it? Could it turn out to have different consequences than you anticipated? Are you sure there couldn't be other important factors affecting ti that you haven't considered yet? The liberation occurs just just in the asking of these sorts of questions. No matter what the answers turn out to be, you have taken charge of the situations and can move on to more empowered feelings.

The transmutation of energy It happens to everyone. everyone. No matter how proper you've been, no matter how careful of their feelings, someone comes along and dumps their problems on you – either by a burst of anger you didn't deserve, deserve, or by hurting or offending you, or by ignoring you unfairly, keeping you waiting when you really were in a hurry, etc. You did nothing to provoke them. It all seems so wrong. Their negativity probably wasn't even aimed at you. You just happened to have been there at the wrong time. You were not their target. You are the accidental victim of their own bad feelings. But no matter, it makes you feel bad. You may n not ot be able even to respond to the person who got you into this state. But your body goes into a 'fight Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 71

 

or flight' response mode anyway Physically, you're ready to lash out or run away. But you can't. So you're left w with ith an activation of your body's defense mechanisms which, if not dealt with, will be just useless stress for your body

It is at this point that people reach for their favorite drug in an attempt to change the way they feel. But there is much better way way to deal with this this all too common situation. You can take the emotion you are feeling, and use it in a way that will change the way you feel, without striking out at someone or holding it within you. What is suggested here is an unobtrusive exercise, such as repeatedly tightening and releasing a muscle group you want to strengthen, using up whatever negative energy you feel until you no can no longer feel it. Such tightening and releasing of muscles is effective in toning and strengthening them and will use use up that energy. Muscle groups such as the stomach muscles, thighs, calves, chest, supper and lower arms can be exercised unobtrusively in this way. It is important that the exercise be unobtrusive so that you can immediately apply this technique even in social situations when the occasion arises. So, for example, someone snaps at me. Instead of snapping back at them, or holding in my resentment, I realize that if I did not provoke their action, I am not really their target – their words were thrown at me but just because I was there. I remember that I can use this energy for whatever I want. Since I'm working on strengthening my stomach muscles. I do a few contract/release cycles until the feeling of being abused goes away. Afterward I feel clean and empty, open to whatever I have to deal with next. I've stopped the pattern of negativity in my environment; I've done some useful exercises for my body which were paid for by the person who irritated me; I've put myself in a position of control instead of adopting a Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 72

 

passive attitude. Now I can forget about it. All I'm left with is some exercised muscles (which is a good thing). This is one of the most valuable techniques in this book, even tho' it does not deal directly with the creation of positive states of mind. Not getting into negatively altered states is very liberating. Reducing the load of negativity carried within, or at least not adding to it, changes the the way life feels. It's such a relief not to aanticipate nticipate that every day will throw up something that will put me down or make me feel bad. It's a form of mental security.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 73

 

Time distortion Changes of consciousness will often bring with them changes to the way we experience time, and such changes are frequently used as a criterion of  whether your awareness has changed. Conversely, changing the way we experience time can be sufficient to change our consciousness. Of course, here we are not talking about physical time, a dimension of the physical world. We are focusing on subjective time, which is a ccomplex omplex and multi-faceted way we represent physical time to ourselves. Such a representation is as much the product of consciousness as it is of the external world.

How we tell the time Our sense of time is a product of both subjective factors and of our use of  external instruments that represent time spatially or numerically. We observe clocks and the passage of regular events, such as the alternation of day and night or or the even the flow of o our ur own breath. We also observe sequences events andour map these onto of these devices andin regular sequences. Thisofconstitutes 'observation' time. Implicit these observations is our theories about time, such as that it flows in a universal uniform linear fashion from past to future or that it always progresses in the the same direc direction. tion. We believ believee this is how it really iiss – but in fact, in physics, both Relativity and Quantum theories take a different view of time. Our assumptions about time may only be useful aapproximations pproximations to what is physically real. But there's more more than sequence involved here. Our experience of time includes our position in it, our orientation to it, our sense of its flow, the Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 74

 

degree to which we are aware of time at all, the granularity of our sense of  time as well as how it related to external measuring devices. In addition, our experience of time involves our dominant mental operation. Are we mostly intuitive, sensory emotional or rational in the way we live? Each of these dom dominant inant m mental ental op operation erationss has it’ it’ss own characteristic orientation. Intuitive persons will wilimportant l focus onto the future, as that temporal is where they see the possibilities that are them. Emotional people will be concerned with the past, the source of those feelings through which they interpret life. People whose dominant mental activity is what they can experience with the senses will be oriented to the present. Rational persons, whose favored way of seeing experience is thought, tend to experience things within a time line that extends from the past, through the present and into the future. Each way of approaching experience is valid and useful, and each gives a different emphasis to the way we can experience time. Obviously, there's a lot of things that we can change here.

Remaking time We can readily alter our perception of the granularity of time. This is the measure large a piece of time we consider a unit. Do we focus on a minute orofonhow an hour? A powerful way to become aware of how the granularity of time affects our day-to-day perception can come from the all too common experience of  waiting in line. Imagine yourself in a traffic ja jam. m. If your 'unit' of time is the movement of each car through the intersection, the process can seem interminable. But if your 'chunk' is the time it takes for you to get through the whole line of traffic between you and the intersection, it will seem that you're through it right away. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 75

 

This little trick has saved me hours of frustration, even it it didn't save me hours of time. But the purpose wa wass to change my perception of time, when I couldn't change the actual route I had to take.

Another way to change your perception of time is by altering your dominant mental process to another one you use less readily. If you experience the world mostly through the emotional values that are served or frustrated in experience, you can focus on what is possible. Then you will be forced to focus on the future and this will change how time feels to you. Going into a different brain state (see the next chapter on mind machines) can powerfully powerfully alter the perception of the passage of time. In particular, in alpha and theta states the passage of time will have a more relaxed feeling. In theta states, it is as if time is a property of the objects of experience, rather than those experiences being within a time that is like a container of  things. In theta, each experience provides its own time to you. Time doesn't seem to a quantity that can be used up by this or that; it is this or that experience that provides the time to you so that it can emerge in your consciousness. It isn't necessary to rush; each thing supports it itss own  justification and time for being. Another way to distort time involves the use of hypnosis. It depends the fact that our brain is many times faster than anything that causes our experiences - that is, even a fast mo moving ving object still gives us an experience in real time, while our brain can imagine long sequences of such experiences in a very short time. time. For example, it is possible to relive a movie in full detail, which seem as if it takes several hours to view, in a few seconds. Note that such expansion of time only deals with material that has already Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 76

 

been encountered. It is not a matter of going through normal life at such accelerated speed. While our visual imagination can go a very very fast rates, our imagination of bodily senses dealing with feeling and motion simply would not keep keep up. Such feelings by their very nature persist in a way that images do not. The technique is to go into a trance and to see yourself performing some activity that can be quantified – something that can be counted. Make a note of what number you reach. Repeat the act of going into trance for the same length of external time and p performing erforming that same activity. As you perform this, you will notice that the number you reach will steadily climb, even though the duration of your trances will remain the same. This will convince you that you can speed time up subjectively. Now program yourself to have a very long time to perform the countable activity and and that you will be able to comfortably complete many many instances of that in the time time you are going to g give ive yourself. This time you will find that that you are able to vastly increase the count of things you can get done. At this point, you are ready to enter trances and practice what you have learned, or review moments that are particularly rewarding and supportive. You will be able to experience hundreds or even thousands of repetitions in the space of a few minutes minutes while in trance. If review can help with the subject you've chosen, you will find that it is as if you had practiced that subject for weeks at the speed of normal consciousness, except that you only needed to devote a few minutes while in trance to achieve this effect. Another distortion of time which relies on sensory experience uses the sense of hearing and combines combines the sense of pleasure with it to to produce a relaxed concentrated awareness. For example, if you have worked very hard physically and then were able to rest and listen to music, especially music whose internal beauty and richness reward you, the pleasure in your relaxed body combined with intently focusing on beautiful music will slow time down in a way that is quite magical. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 77

 

Once more, the formula here is deep muscular relaxation combined with focused attention on hearing music. It doesn't seem to work as well for arts other than music because they do not take time the way mu music sic does. It also doesn't seem to work for temporal arts such as watching a movie of a play because such arts seem to embed their own construction of time that produces a different experience. Another powerful distortion of time is to change how you represent it internally. This is the p phenomenon henomenon known as the time-line. We have a tendency to organize events in the past, present and future spatially, imagining event in the past in one place, and events in the future in a different place. Some people represent time as a line that crosses in front of them from left to right. Others represent time as a line going from behind behind them (the p past) ast) to the pace in front of them (the future). They feel immersed in ttime ime and always about to confront what the future brings. Just shifting from one pattern to the other will change your sense of time. But you can do more with this pattern. For example, if you imagine the time-line as it stretches out into the future as sloping gently downward, you will see your future as being easy and relaxed, as opposed to representing your time-line as sloping upwards into the future (a harder uphill climb). Or you can imagine your future timeline as having many paths, thus opening yourself to many possibilities rather than just one. You can ssee ee it as short, meaning that future events will be crowded on it, or stretched out, giving you the sense of having adequate time to deal with what comes.

While these visualizations are purely subjective exercises, they will change Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 78

 

your actual sense of time and your style of consciousness as a result.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 79

 

Mind machines IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you or anyone else who would use these devices is subject to any form of seizures, epilepsy, or visual using a pacemaker, suffering cardiac arrhythmia or photo-sensitivity, other heart  disorders, or o r is currently taking stimulants, tranquilliz tranquillizers, ers, or  psychotropic medications, DO NOT USE THESE MACHINES. While using such machines, if you feel uncomfortable or bothered by the  flashing lights, stop your session. 

Mind Machines are devices that provide controlled stimulation to the body in the form of regular pulses of light, sound and possibly microvolts of  electricalWhen energy. are inthese various forms of extended rhythmic patterns. theThese body stimuli experiences controlled stimuli, it reacts by entraining itself to those rhythms. This affects the mode in which the brain works and therefore the quality of consciousness that you enjoy. Mind machines are very precise and powerful means of altering consciousness. The experience is rather odd at first. You put on a pair o off specially wired opaque goggles and earphones. The program starts and you close your eyes. But even though your eeyes yes are closed you begin to see a kind of light show. At the same time there is a regular beeping sound from the earphones. Soon you notice that the light show is changing and you follow these changes. change s. After a few m minutes inutes you may notice that y you ou fee feell differe different. nt. It’ s a pleasant change, but hard to describe. Depending on the program, you may be more tranquil, or more alert. All o off this continues until the session ends. Typically sessions go on for periods ranging from ten minutes (rather short) to two hours (somewhat long). I prefer sessions that last about half  an hour but have used a wide range of times in my own work with mind machines. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 80

 

Depending on the kind of session, different ideas may come into your mind. Some of these might be long forgotten thoughts; others are wild fantasies. fantasi es. Not quite like dreams, they aren’ aren’tt like daydream daydreamss eith either. er. You can think clearly, but the style of your thought will seem to be changed.

After trying alpha and beta sessions, you might want to try a theta and delta session. Theta sessions are more imaginative whereas delta sessions can lead either to sleep or to a profound thoughtless, calm clarity. This clarity might not be enlightenment, but certainly is quite delightful. These kinds of sessions can be accurately programmed sequenced and combined for very specific effects.

Brain waves The brain is an o organ rgan that exhibits rhythmic electrical patterns. These patterns can be detected by electrodes that are attached to your scalp which send these patterns to a machine called an electroencephalograph. This machine can then transcribe these rhythms into mechanical impulses – allowing them to be recorded. The graphic record looks like waves of  different frequencies and amplitude.

Due the complexity of the brain, you are typically enjoying many different frequencies of brain wave at once. Moreover, your brain w will ill shift from one pattern to another rapidly. As a result, the patterns your brain are somewhat complex and may even appear to be chaotic.

Beta Beta waves are the waves most common in normal waking consciousness. They exhibit frequencies between 12 and 20 cycles per second. (Hertz is Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 81

 

the unity of frequency here. One cycle per second is called a wave with a frequency of 1 Hertz. 4 cycles a second would be a frequency of 4 Hertz.) Beta waves are between 12 and 20 Hertz.

Alpha Whenever you relax, your brain shifts into the alpha class of brain waves. These are between 8 and 12 Hertz. You fe feel el calm, and receptive. Your senses may seem sharper. Alpha brain waves are often exhibited by experienced meditators as they enter into meditative states.

Theta When you're drifting off to sleep, or just waking up, or having a vivid daydream or actually dreaming during sleep, your brain will show a theta wave pattern. At times like these logic and proportion seem to fall away and ideas blend together in novel and amazing ways. Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso were wonderful at illustrating some of the possibilities of  this kind of consciousness. So were the com composers posers Richard W Wagner agner and Igor Stravinsky. Theta waves are between 4 and 8 Hertz. You can visualize well, and you will be more suggestible and more creative in this state.

Delta As you go into a deep dreamless sleep, your brain produces delta brain waves. These waves are between .5 and 4 Hertz. These low brainwaves tend to be the largest of all brainwaves in amplitude.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 82

 

As I mentioned mentioned earlier, you needn’t be sleeping duri during ng delta stimulation. stimulation. However, if you are awake your mind will definitely be calmer and clearer. There can be a sense of unity or belonging.

Entrainment Entrainment is the phenomenon whereby one object that is exposed to the periodic motions of another object begins to exhibit these motions itself. For example, when two bells are placed in proximity to each other, and one bell is struck so that it begins to ring, the other bell will also begin to ring.

The rhythms of the brain we have been discussing are similar. When the brain is exposed to stimulation at a frequency in the range to which the brain can respond, the brain will tend to entrain itself to that frequency. For example, if the eyes are exposed to a light that flashes 10 times a second, the brain will have a tendency to develop alpha brain waves (starting in the visual cortex) at about the same frequency. This is ccalled alled the Frequency Following Response (FFR) of the brain. Simultaneous exposure to sounds that cycle on and off at the same 10 times per second frequency will cause the entrainment to occur even more rapidly. Since it is well known that experienced meditators show alpha rhythms while they were meditating, this means that using controlled stimulation it is possible to replicate the same brain waves observed in experienced meditators. Subjectively, this is felt as a process of becoming more calm and relaxed.

This also works works for levels of stimulation beyond alpha. If you experience Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 83

 

both light and sound pulses in the delta range (between one to four Hertz) you will have a strong tendency to go to sleep or to enter an extremely tranquil conscious state. Theta stimulation will enhance your ability to go on imaginative journeys and to absorb any verbal material that is presented.

This is a powerful discovery. Since we can alter our mental states and inner mood via simple external stimulation, we have a powerful, noninvasive, reliable means of changing our state. Even better, because the frequency of light and sound can be easily controlled through instrumentation, the stimuli inducing change of state can be replicated and precisely controlled. This means that that we gain close control of the state that is induced. We can rrepeat epeat rather exactly the stimulus that caused a kind of reverie or the degree of relaxation we enjoyed. It is tthen hen possible to rapidly enter (or re-enter) that desired state. While the Frequency Following Response is not the only thing operative here, nevertheless, the experience it induces in one session will be anchored to that specific pattern of stimulation and have a tendency to be re-evoked when that specific kind of stimulation is experienced again. We can use instrumentation to produce complex stimuli to achieve specific mental states, or program how the stimuli are to be sequenced over time so that it is possible to design not merely states but also develop the experience in specific directions. Combined with the huge variety of  controllable aspects of stimulation, mind machines become a highly precise, reliable and powerful way of altering consciousness. In short, mind machines machines can bring the experience of getting high to a new level unmatched by any other technology.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 84

 

Kinds of machines There is a wide range of mind machines now available on the market, ranging through a wide spectrum of of features and programmability. programmability. Some are simple appliances with only a dozen or so options from which to select. Others come with 30 to 100 programs pre-installed, the ability to automatically write new programs and programming languages for those who want to completely control the experience. Naturally, as there are more features available, the price of the unit goes up. The price range is typically between $100 US for simple models and $700 US for top of the line models with an amazing collection of features.

You can have powerful experiences with even the simplest models.

Stimuli Mind machines currently deliver three main kinds of stimulation: sound, light and, on the more advanced m models, odels, micro-volt electric pulses. These can be used alone or in various combinations as fits the requirements of the user. Sound is perhaps the most fundamental of these inputs and can be used to induce very subtle types of stimulation. Individual tones can be given, turning on and off at the d desired esired frequency. Or it iiss possible to deliver continuous continu ous tones to both ears which differ so that the “beats” “beats ” betwee between n their frequencies produces the desired frequency in the mind of the the user. This is called “binaural” stimulat stimulation. ion. A powe powerful rful varian variantt of this is to use ttwo wo set setss of tones to produce two generated frequencies. This allows for complex states to be evoked – the most famou famouss of which is the “b “body ody asleep-m asleep-mind ind awake” condit condition ion that is supposed to allow out-of-body-exp out-of-body-experiences eriences to occur. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 85

 

It has been found that using different pitches of sound can induce different kinds of experiences. Lower pitches tend to have a physiological effect and produce changes in bodily feeling, whereas higher pitches tend to act on mental and intuitive abilities and produce changes in how you think and perform higher mental So the to user can choose to excite his pitch mind while tranquilizing the functions. body by listening a beta frequency at a high while also listening to a delta frequency at a low pitch. Or the user can vary the pitch while maintaining a given frequency so that he can tune his whole body to the same level of stimulation. Sleep induction programs use this technique. While sound is usually experienced through some device like headphones, it is possible to use speakers to allow the stimulation to be experienced by everyone in a room. Alpha rhythm sounds have been broadcast in police stations and medical waiting rooms to produce a calmer atmosphere for all involved. Some of the original work with this kind of stimulation was done with light sources. In the eearly arly 40’ 40’ss it was fo found und that having su subjects bjects llook ook at a strobe light delivered delivered at 10 hertz had a tranquilizing and relaxing effect. Of  course, the subjects were being entrained into an alpha wave state. Just as sound has pitch, so light has color. Varying the color of the light used by the subject can can vary the way in a person will respond. A combination of red and green electrodes in the goggles seem to deliver a very colorful inner experience. An interesting kind of stimulation is based on receiving microvolt pulses of  electricity, usually through electrodes placed on the earlobes. This is one of the more powerful te techniques chniques of entrainment. The electrical pulses should be of such low amplitude that you cannot feel them.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 86

 

ECS (electro-cortical stimulation) tends to produce stronger feelings and also to create feeling of contentment or pleasure. Many drug users find this is a good substitute for the feelings they seek when they are enjoying their drug of choice. Interestingly, ECS also seems to suppress feeling of  withdrawal when the subject has just stopped taking one of the addicting drugs, such as an opiate, barbiturate, amphetamine or cocaine-derivative. This has been observed in both laboratory animals and with human users. Because ECS does not involve the ears or eyes, it is possible to receive this kind of stimulation while doing other things, such as reading, or while performing sedentary tasks. ECS stimulation tends to have more persistent after-effects than just light and sound stimulation.

Phase and kind of stimulation All of the stimulation sources mentioned above have two points of entry into the body. Both eyes may be stimulated together or each stimulated separately. Similarly for sounds and micro electric pulses which are delivered through the ear. When pulses pulses are d delivere elivered d togethe together, r, they aare re said tto o be “in phase”. When they are are deliv delivered ered alt alternately, ernately, they are said to be “out of phase”. These produced different experiences for the user. In general, in-phase stimulation entrains more rapidly. Stimuli may be direct or derivative – for example, short beeps heard at a given frequency constitute direct stimulation at that frequency. But if the stimulation is delivered at one frequency to one ear and at a slightly varying frequency to the other ear, the brain will entrain to the difference of  the frequencies. This is derivative or b binaural inaural stimulation. Dual binaural beats allow for some amazing mental states to be created that far surpass any drug phenomena in sophistication. For example, a Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 87

 

frequency of 5 Hz with a tone of 128 Hz combined with a 15 Hz frequency with a tone of 512 Hz creates what can only feebly described as an alert calm ecstasy. And there are hundreds of different combinations more that may be explored here.

Programming Thus far we have only described single, static states which can be produced by mind machines. machines. But the instruments can also be programmed to deliver sequences of states, which greatly extends their power. Usually, when a user begins to use a mind machine they will be in an alpha or beta state, and if the target state is very different, it takes a while for entrainment to happen, or for the mind to transition from its original brain state to the desired one. One way to help the mind move smoothly from a starting state to the desired state is to entrain at the state the user is probably in when he begins to use the machine and them to ramp through intermediate states to the desired state. Because the entrainment that occurs at the beginning beginning of the ram ramp p is very close to the user user ’s current sta state, te, it will happen swiftly and easily. Then by altering the delivered frequencies to the desired state the user is gently lead to have the desired experience. Once it became obvious that this was possible, designers then began building specific transitions into mind machine programs to achieve various purposes. Programs for m morning orning awakening, or having an afternoon rest or for optimal learning were soon developed. Typically any mind machine on the market will have at least a dozen of  these programs and some have up to 100 programs installed. In addition, middle to high-end machines give the user the ability to develop programs of their own. Needless to say, thi thiss opens up a huge domain for explorations and self-configuration that expands the use of these machines Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

88

 

virtually without limit.

Ramps

Ramps are simplest programming sequence. Suppose your target frequency is a theta frequency of 5.5 Hz. Hz. Since users are likely to be in a state between 12 and 15Hz when they put on their equipment, you might first entrain them to a frequency of 13 Hz. That's easy, because they aare re probably already there. Then you lower it to 12 Hz, 11 Hz, etc., pausing at each stop to allow the user to entrain to the lower frequency. Since a small change is easier to adjust to than a large change, the user will easily follow the stimulation down to the target level.

Ramp and return After the period you wish to stay at the target level, it is usually good to gradually ramp up to a good exit frequency close to normal consciousness. The pattern of ramp, entrained state and return ramp is a classic form of  Mind Machine programming.

Sweeps Another pattern is to slowly sweep across a range of frequencies that span and even exceed the range you wish to focus on. This is powerful because in entraining to the sweeping frequencies, the mind loses its ties to normal awareness. Sometimes several sweeps at the beginning of a program will totally detach the user from the expectations of normal consciousness.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

89

 

Alternation The classic “wake up” program invol involves ves alternating frequ frequencies encies betw between een 10 and 18 18 Hz, or alternating alpha and beta stimulation. The best programs of this type will start with longer periods of alpha stimulation at the beginning gradually altering to longer periods of beta stimulation at the end. The effect is tto o gradually entrain the brain from a relaxed state to an alert state. Alternation is a way to combine two kinds of stimulation on even the simplest machines.

Tonal ranges The pitch of the sound being used will cause the experience to be physical or emotional or mental depending on the octave being used. A low octave will cause the effects associated with its frequency to appear in a physical form. Delta at a low pitch will cause physical rest while beta at a low pitch will cause physical agitation. On the other hand delta stimulation at a high pitch will cause a kind of mental pause or still clarity (delightful), while high beta stimulation will cause mental agitation and nervousness similar to drinking a lot of coffee.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

90

 

Physical techniques The origins of physical efforts to alter consciousness is, like the use of  breathing shroudedn in the all mists of prehistory. Arts, Yogatechniques, and self-deprivatio self-deprivation have be be used to changeDance, the wayMartial we feel. For the present purpose, I only wish to comment on some simple and as yet, relatively unknown techniques that work well to alter consciousness.

Face Curiously, the face has been ignored by fields such as NeuroLinguisitic programming while they concentrated on eye movements, tonality and posture to elicit their cues about inner processes. Yet the face not only expresses our awareness, it can help create and anchor it as well.

Lips

The lips are a powerful tool both for expressing and creating consciousness. (We all learned this as children.) In particular, the degree of  tension or relaxation of the lips seem to both reflect and control the extent to which we are allowing ourselves to either enjoy or resist experience. It's worth noting that profoundly relaxing the lips is one of the best ways to induce a state of awareness similar to that induced by the euphoriant drug GHB (gamma hydroxybutyric acid).   In addition the sensitivity of the lips is a factor in experience. Allowing the lips to feel increases your g general eneral receptivity the world around you. That Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

91

 

makes sense considering the very large number of afferent nerves that end in the mouth and lips.

The tongue

An easy way to enter into a relaxed meditative state is to relax the tongue. Much of our our thinking is involves internal verbalization which uses subvocal micro-motions of the tongue muscles. Relaxing the tongue helps shut down the process of inner verbalization which supports symbolic, betawave consciousness.

The eyes The eyes, and especially the muscles around the eyes are a powerful creator/determiner of consciousness. Anyone who has lived in those countries where women veil their faces will know just how expressive the eyes can be. The young women women there, allowed no other means of showing their feelings in public, are mistresses of this art. But we all have it it.. In the chapter on Sukhabhati the first step in inducing that change of awareness awareness is to smile only with the eyes. If you start with the lips, it is less likely to induce the happy feeling being sought. How to smile with the eyes alone? Think that you are looking at something you love and your eyes will begin to smile. It feels as if they are shining. Now just for contrast, think of some experience of harsh denial you have undergone. And as you do this, sense how your eyes change. That will show you how the eyes express awareness. Now reverse the process. Begin to sm smile ile with your eyes without any particular thought in mind. You will notice that your mind selects pleasant Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

92

 

experiences – as if seeking out reasons why the smile would be experiences appropriate. As you maintain this smiling with the eeyes yes your mood wi will ll progressively improve.

The hand The hand is also expressive of and d determinative eterminative of awareness. People are more aware of how the hand expresses awareness than they are how ho how w it can shape our consciousness. We relax or tighten our grip; touch things softly or strike them, caress or control. Because we use our hands with such a variety of movements and with relative speed, we may not identify the relationships of our hands to our awarene awareness ss – which usually we're focu focusing sing onclearly our hand's the objects with w hich they interact. But theserelationship interactionswith are related to our awareness and mood. What would it mean if someone clenched their fist as they expressed affection? There's obviously some internal incongruence here.

Brain Gym 'Brain gym' is a set of simple movements to help the body enter states where the ability to learn is enhanced. Basically they are designed to energize the communication between the various lobes and hemispheres of  the brain. They should be done before any session where you will be absorbing new information, or when you are experiencing a block in performance or awareness. While these exercises were developed to allow challenged people unlock  their learning potential, they'll work for you as well and should be regularly Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

93

 

used to enhance your capability to learn and visualize. Typically you only do each exercise for 2 to 5 minutes. Certain exercises have an immediately noticeable physical effect and you can use this effect as a guide for how long the exercise should be performed.

Lazy 8's Hold your hand out in front of you and extend the thumb, Now draw a large 8 on its side (the infinity symbol) slowly in the air. As you do this continue to focus on your thumb without moving your head. Of course this means you have to follow it by moving your eyes, not by moving your head!

Brain buttons Place your left hand on your navel and rub under your collarbone with your right hand. Brain buttons stimulate the flow of blood to the brain and gently wakes up the brain for effective sensory attention.

Cross crawling

Slowly walkthe in place, the knee eachbrain, leg with the opposite hand as you raise knee. touching This activates the of whole increasing communication between the hemispheres. It is useful to do this when you get stuck.

Hook-ups Cross your feet and cross your rotated arms and clasp your hands, then bring them up to your chest while holding them together. At the same time, gently touch your tongue to the upper palette right behind your teeth. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

94

 

Maintain this for between 2 and 5 minutes. Hook-ups have a calming effect, bringing the body out of emotional states and allowing more rational, "cool" behavior to emerge. It is a powerful stress buster. It can be used to change your state when you are excited or disturbed and you want to change that.

The elephant Starting with your left side, place your left ear on your left shoulder close enough to hold a piece of paper. Then bend over to the lleft eft from your waist without moving your hips of feet. Trace a llazy azy eight in the middle of your visual field. This should be done for two or three minutes on each side. This exercise whole body while improving vision, hearing and the abilityintegrates to sustainthe attention.

Thinking cap Place your fingers on each ear and slowly uncurl the edge of the ear from front to back. The Thinking Cap wakes up the whole hearing mechanism and improves memory.

Energy Yawn Massage both sides of the face around the temporal-mandibular joint while slowly yawning. The energy yawn im improves proves verbalization and communication skills.

Calf pumps Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

95

 

Place one foot about 12 inches behind the other. The heel of the back foot should be raised. take a deep breath and as you exhale bed the front knee and lower the heel of the back leg to the floor. As you inhale straighten up. Calf pumps release stress and improves the ability to communicate. This exercise is also great when you have been driving a long distance and need to have a brief "unwinding" before you continue.

The energizer This is done sitting at a desk. Place both hands on the desk face down. down. Inhale and as you exhale, bend your neck forward and drop your head until your chin touches your chest. As you inhale, bring the head up until the back is slightly arched. Repeat several times. This should be done every fifteen minutes or so if if you are w working orking at a computer. The Energizer reenergizes the mind and helps focus attention.

Autogenic training Autogenic training is a technique for training yourself to enter and leave into a deeply deeply relaxed state at will. It is very systematic in its approach to this, relying on the practice of a specific set of exercises that will result in developing a profoundly relaxed state. It reduces stress to a point that is competitive with the major euphoriant drugs. The following are the techniques involved in autogenic training. The first two are used at the beginning and end of every training session.

Begin with a body scan

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

96

 

Before you begin an autogenic training session, it is recommended that you scan your whole body. Begin by focusing your awareness on your feet, then move your consciousness up your legs until to reach the pelvis. Now move your awareness over your body up to the neck. Next, scan your arms. And finally become aware of your head. The purpose of this is to focus your mind on feeling your body, and also to become aware of what's happening in it.

Always end by 'canceling' After performing a set of the exercises, it is important to cancel the shift into the relaxed parasympathetic state the training induces. The whole point of theistraining system back is to master the alertness. shift into relaxation and back. Canceling the movement to normal To cancel, clench your your fist and then straighten your arms. The bend your elbows, bringing your hands up and down two or three times. Finally take a deep breath and as you let it out open your eyes. This simple procedure will become a tool for re-entering normal alert, competent consciousness.

The heaviness exercise Now that you know how to begin and end a training session, the first relaxation exercise is the limb heaviness exercise. On the first day, just repeat to yourself 3 times,

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

97

 

My right (left) arm is heavy. Selecting that arm w which hich is the dominant arm. Then cancel. Repeat this sequence three times. So the complete procedure in this introductory session involves these steps: body scan heaviness exercise canceling heaviness exercise canceling heaviness exercise canceling It is important to understand that that you are not making this heaviness happen, you are just repeating the suggestions verbatim and passively observing what may happen. It is also iimportant mportant to know that there is no hurry to achieve success – the urge to attain success will be counterproductive and actually reintroduce muscular tensions. On days 2-4, repeat the following sequence to yourself. My right arm is heavy. My left arm is heavy. And then cancel. Repeat this whole sequence 3 times per session.

On days 5-7, this is the sequence to use: Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

98

 

My right arm is heavy. My left arm is heavy. My right leg is heavy. My left leg is heavy. And then cancel. Repeat this whole sequence 3 times per session. Do three or more sessions per day, usually at morning, midday and night. After each session, it is useful to note any experiences in a diary. Now add the neck and shoulders to the practice. On days 8-14 use this sequence of suggestions: My right arm is heavy. My arms and legs are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My neck and shoulders are heavy. (repeat 3 times) I am at peace. (repeat 3 times) And then cancel. Repeat the sequence 3 times per session.

The warmth exercise Here we begin to integrate the suggestion of warmth into the exercise. This will happen in the third week of your training.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

99

 

On days 1-3 of this week (the 3rd week) use these suggestions following a scan of your body. My right arm is heavy. My arms and legs are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My right arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms are warm. (repeat 3 times) My neck and shoulders are heavy. (repeat 3 times) I am at peace. (repeat 3 times) And then cancel. Repeat the sequence 3 times per session. As always you should do three or more sessions per day. On days 4-7, you add the suggestion that your legs are warm. My right arm is heavy. My arms and legs are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My right arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms are warm. (repeat 3 times) My right leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms and legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My neck and shoulders are heavy. (repeat 3 times) I am at peace. (repeat 3 times)

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

100

 

And then cancel. Repeat the sequence 3 times per session. As always you should do three or more sessions per day.

Calm and regular heartbeat During the fourth week, add the suggestion that your heart beat is calm and regular. My right arm is heavy. My arms and legs are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My right arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms are warm. (repeat 3 times) My right leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms and legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My neck and shoulders are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My heartbeat is calm and regular. [repeat 3 times) I am at peace. (repeat 3 times) And then cancel. Repeat the sequence 3 times per session. As always you should do three or more sessions per day.

It breathes me During the fifth week, you add a suggestion about breathing, in a passive sense. The n new ew sug suggestion gestion iiss “It breathe breathess me.” Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

101

 

My right arm is heavy. My arms and legs are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My right arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms are warm. (repeat 3 times) My right leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms and legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My neck and shoulders are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My heartbeat is calm and regular. [repeat 3 times) It breathes me. (repeat 3 times) I am at peace. (repeat 3 times) And then cancel. Repeat the sequence 3 times per session. As always you should do three or more sessions per day.

Abdominal warmth In week six, you add the suggestion of abdominal warmth. The script becomes My right arm is heavy. My arms and legs are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My right arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms are warm. (repeat 3 times) Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

102

 

My right leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms and legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My neck and shoulders are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My heartbeat is calm and regular. [repeat 3 times) It breathes me. (repeat 3 times) My solar plexus is warm. (repeat 3 times) I am at peace. (repeat 3 times)

And then cancel. Repeat the sequence 3 times per session. As always you should do three or more sessions per day.

Cool forehead During the seventh week, you add the suggestion that your forehead is cool and clear. My right arm is heavy. My arms and legs are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My right arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms are warm. (repeat 3 times) My right leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

103

 

My arms and legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My neck and shoulders are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My heartbeat is calm and regular. [repeat 3 times) It breathes me. (repeat 3 times) My solar plexus is warm. (repeat 3 times) My forehead is is cool and clear. (repeat 3 ti times) mes) I am at peace. (repeat 3 times) And then cancel. Repeat the sequence 3 times per session. As always you should do three or more sessions per day.

Confidence In the eighth week, you being to add suggestions about your all over state, such as “I am ccalm alm aand nd con confident”. fident”. So n now ow the script is My right arm is heavy. My arms and legs are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My right arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left arm is warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms are warm. (repeat 3 times) My right leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My left leg is warm. (repeat 3 times) My legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My arms and legs are warm. (repeat 3 times) My neck and shoulders are heavy. (repeat 3 times) My heartbeat is calm and regular. [repeat 3 times) It breathes me. (repeat 3 times) Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

104

 

My solar plexus is warm. (repeat 3 times) My forehead is is cool and clear. (repeat 3 ti times) mes) I am calm and confident. (repeat 3 times) I am at peace. (repeat 3 times) And then cancel. Repeat the sequence 3 times per session. As always you should do three or more sessions per day.

Advanced autogenic training At this point you are skilled in self-inducing a trance and both entering and leaving a very relaxed state of being at will. Now you are ready to add other useful suggestions to your script depending upon your own needs and desires. You have built a capacity to direct your mind and body powerfully. It is important to make your suggestions positive and beneficial. You should be careful about doing this, as you are speaking directly to the subconscious mind and it will take things v very ery literally. One autogenic trainer reported that some male students decided to do the warmth exercise on their sexual organs, and their sperm production decreased dramatically. After they abandoned this suggestion, however, their sperm count returned to normal.

Stillness Don't move! This is probably the easiest way to alter your consciousness. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

105

 

The desire to move periodically is part of the body's homeostatic maintenance system. In the short run, this is just to keep your awareness within certain limits. (There is a lo long ng terms purposes which is to allow circulation to proceed to parts of the body which my be poorly served by your present position. - but we are not talking about remaining immobile for more than two hours.) Here the trick is assume any comfortable posture and just keep it until the urge to adjust your position arises. Simply ignore that urge and and maintain your position. As you let yourself remain imm immobile obile for a period beyond what your body is used to, you will begin to alter your state of awareness. Usually the effect is to induce a kind of waking reverie, a vivid kind of  daydream. Sit or lie still, and let your mind fly.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

106

 

Frequently Asked Questions  General Questions   This is too much work! I want something that is as easy as taking a drug. When you get high from a drug, you must first obtain it, find a place where you can take it safely, learn how to take it efficiently, spend time taking it, deal with any physical side effects that you don't want, and then wait for the drug to take effect, hoping that you got the dosage just right. Actually, in the long run, this is much easier and quicker than taking a drug. You can learn some of these techniques in the ttime ime it would take to smoke a half half dozen joints. And then you have them at your disposal freely, instantly and forever. forever. You'll never have to wait for privacy to get high. You'll never have to invest time in acquiring your drug. The economic/cost advantages are all of the side of getting high without drugs.

  These techniques seem to work work best in solitude, I need something that works in a social situation. These techniques are certainly learned in solitude, but, with the exception of mind-machines, Autogenic sessions and physical immobility, I have used them all in social situations, even in crowd situations. What you need to do is practice them when you can focus on them and rehearse them to the desired degree of intensity. Once you get to that point, you need to establish an anchor or trigger. This is a Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

107

 

physical gesture that you only use for the purpose of entering into the states you have developed. It could be doing a certain kind of smile, or touching your ear lobe in a certain way or place. You could also use your voice to accomplish this, saying a word in a certain tonality that is only used for getting into a special kind of space. The trick is to get into your desired state and then at the point where it is close to its most intense and then do the special behavior. Do this frequently to create a habitual association for yourself. I find it o often ften take a couple of dozen practices to really hard-wire such a trigger in, but then it works like clockwork. The more unique the gesture, even the more silly, the better you will learn the association. association. But choose things you can do without being noticed by others. I've done these techniques at concerts, at social gatherings, in corporate office settings, on the street, in stores (sometimes to pass the time while my partner shops!), and pretty much anywhere I please. once I've got them working - up to the right intensity - its great fun doing them. I used to rent a house from a Mountie - o one ne of Canada's federal cops, and I loved to get into a virtual cannabis high whenever he came around to pick up the rent. I'd wait till he was there before I started. And he would inevitably get a con contact tact high while we chatted. We became pretty good friends!

  How do I make these experiences last longer? This was perhaps my greatest challenge with these techniques. Now I have a layered method that works for me. You'll need to have developed at least one of the techniques in the book to the point where you can enter an altered state readily. Hopefully it will be be an altered state that you llike. ike. For the purpose of answering this question I'm going to work with the smiling meditation. Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

108

 

(Sukhabhati). You also need to identify some things which are always true for you. For this purpose I have selected (1) my body always has a sensation of weight (2) I am always breathing and (3) I am alw always ays - to some degree - awake when I want to do these techniques. So the first thing I do is I associate one of these three feelings with my ability to do the smiling meditation - to put myself into a happy state. So now w when hen I feel the w weight eight of my feet on tthe he floor, or of my body in the chair, I think of the happiness I enjoy with the smiling mediation. So the first layer is the h happiness appiness of the mediation. The second layer are these constant feelings and my associating them with the first feeling. The third layer is that when I try to remember what they high felt like, I can always do that. Think of something you like, but don't have. Concentrate on it so that you build up a vivid picture of it. See its size, its shape, its color, everything you like about it. Now think of something else. After a while see see if you can still think of that thing. And of course you can. In the same way you can always recover your high, whenever you look to see if you are high - because you're being high is the very thing to which you're turning your mind. So whenever you need to check on whether you are still high, you are! The fourth layer is a trigger to start the whole thing off. I wrote about that is answer to the previous question. Now this sounds a lot m more ore complicated than it really is. In practice it flows rather well. I get into a state I like and I'm constantly being sustained in it, by things that are always true of my waking Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

109

 

life. Even when I get absorbed in something else for a moment, I still want to be in my happy or calm or excited state. And when I turn my mind to that, there I am. But I am free to leave the state if I want to, or whenever I need to. I have sustained highs this way for many hours! Just like any practice it takes repetition to build up the associations where they work for you habitually.

 Presence   How do I know I'm doing Presence correctly? When you're doing Presence correctly, you won't be concerned with that issue! You'll just be aware of what's happening around you. There iiss sometimes a "snapping out of it" feeling as you go back into your normal everyday trance. When you look b back ack at the moments when you were aware in Presence mode, you will notice that you were unemotional or simply happy.   I've experienced Presence and it's really cool, but I don't feel high like I do on pot. What are you looking for to prove to yourself that you do feel high? IF you are looking for a replication of a particular drug experience, then perhaps you should look at the technique "Altered Kinesthetic States". That is closer to the states of consciousness induced by drugs you may have experienced in the past.  

What is the definition of Presence? Presence may be formally defined as a context free, assumption free awareness of what is going on the present. It is an awareness that Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004

110

 

may described without words related to necessity or possibility or valuation. When you find yourself saying, "This must be that" or "This ought to be like this" then part of your awareness is not based in the present but in some context or hope or memory. memory. That is OK in itself, so long as you don't let that context, hope or memory swallow you up because you are holding on to them so vigorously you lose your connection to the present.

  Is Presence like being involved in same ver very y fast action or intense activity? There is a similarity. Such activities require you to focus on what is happening to you right now. In fact, this is part of their attraction, they provide a relief from the concerns and anxieties of  normal consciousness. But you can't always indulge in eextreme xtreme sports or high-speed activities whenever you want to retreat into the simplicity of the present.

  Why did you put P Presence resence first in the book? Presence requires no special breathing or bodily expression or equipment or situation. No one can tell you're doing P Presence resence unless they your brain waves measure electrical potential of  your measure skin. (You will show moreoralpha brainthe wave wav e activity and a higher galvanic skin response when doing Presence.) When you do Presence properly, many of the other techniques may start up anyway, especially the smiling breath. Presence is the purest high of all, because it is your most natural state of mind. It brings openness, relaxation, humor and delight. It's always available to you. Open your Present.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 111

 

 Smiling Breath   Who named this 'Sukhabhati'? And what does that mean? Pandit Parakriyananda named it. I was told it means "good cleansing".

  I don't feel happy now. Why should I make myself happy? Do you want to feel happy, or do you want to continue feeling the way you do? It's your choice. You may feel that you don't have the right to feel happy or that things have to be different for happiness to be correct or  justified. You mayas besomething looking for a raise, or toyou fal falllthe in love have better health that will give rightor toto feel happy. And right now those things haven't happened. But even though that may be true, why does that mean you can't be happy? You yourself support the rules and criteria for happiness that work  for you. And you can change those rules whenever you want. want. (Or do you also have rules about when you can change your own rules?) Think about it as a self-fulfilling prophecy; if you do the smiling breath and induce happiness in yourself, you will actually be improving your chances for getting that raise, attracting that special someone and even feeling better. When you're happy people th think  ink  you're a winner, and everybody loves a winner. Happiness is powerful stuff!

  How do I smile smile with my eyes? Think of something something you really like. That should start it.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 112

 

  How do I make iitt stronger and last longer? When you practice this when you are alone, make a really big smile. And just when you're doing that imagine hearing a huge crowd cheering you for every good thing you've ever done. (Trust me, Eyore, they'll come to you.) As you imagine that sound, raise your h head ead as if thing were looking up. The method for making this last longer was given in the general section of this FAQ. FAQ. To briefly repeat it, develop a positive state and build an association with experiences that you always are having such as feeling your own weight, breathing or being awake. Realize that when your attention shifts, you can always go back into this state. And build a trigger for it when you want to start it.

 Breathing   When is the best time to practice? I prefer the early early morning when I h have ave just arisen. Another good time is late morning, when you have digested breakfast and are still clear headed. A th third ird time is mid-evening, after supper has settled. The most important thing is that it be a regular time, so that breathing practice is just part of you daily schedule.

  How soon should I advance to a longer breathing pattern? Take your time. It's better to lengthen the the session with a simple breathing pattern you can easily do than to extend the length of each breath by using a higher multiple of the basic pattern.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 113

 

  How long should I practice? Start with short sessions (5 to 10 minutes) and move to longer periods as you need to spend more tim time. e. Choose a length of time that is consistent with your practicing every day.

  Which pattern should I start with? This depends on what you want to accomplish. If you are no normally rmally tense, and want to relax, start with a calming pattern (1:0:2:0). If  you are normally too laid back and want some energy in your life, start with an arousing breath (2:0:1:0 or even 4:0:1:0). Do the arousing pattern somewhat forcefully for the quickest results.

  What should I look for in my practice of the patterns? With breath patterns that are meant to stimulate you, you should be able to feel the stimulation immediately. Similarly with calming breaths, look for a the emergence of a more peaceful feeling. With some of the other breathing patterns you should observe that you are falling into a 'groove' in which keeping the pattern going seems like the path of least resistance. You will get the sense of the breathing process becoming one of 'effortlessly being breathed' rather than of  actively breathing. At this point you will start to feel the p pleasure leasure of the pattern.

 Hypnosis   How do I create good suggestions about getting high? The first thing you need to do is to write out a detailed description of the state you seek. It has to be one that works for you that really expresses the state you really want. You should ma make ke

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 114

 

it as richly detailed as you can, the more numerous and explicit the details, the better. Now rewrite that description, making it all positive and present tense. By positive I m mean, ean, instead of ssaying, aying, for example, I don't feel bothered by things, you would say, I feel peaceful and able to focus. Instead of saying, I am beyond pain, you would say I feel pleasure. You should be specific - I feel a pleasurable space in my head and my stomach is relaxed an warm. Concentrate on what you want to actually enjoy. You should put it into all three 'persons' of speech - I feel warm; you feel warm; Harold feels warm. You should then put your present tense sensory descriptions into dependent clause - I don't know yet how fully I will feel a pleasant warmth in my belly or how soon I'll feel a delightful laziness. Notice that the described state 'a pleasant warmth in my belly' is also actively suggested 'feel a pleasant warmth in my belly'. When your suggestions are in dependent clauses, you mind has to form an image of of what those clauses mean to understand the sentence. And it's not something that I can reject - I don't know when I'm going to feel stoned, do I? Anything that is well described is a com command mand to the unconscious. Use language that suggests possibility - "I realize that if I feel very lazy and comfortable, I'll come closer to all the other feelings I seek." Here the world "if" introduced what I want my mind to do "feel very lazy and comfortable". It acts as a 'softener' making it easier for me to contemplate the suggested description - "I'm not saying "You feel relaxed". If someone said that to me it might not be true and my rejection of it would tend to disrupt my focus. But it's hard to object to someone saying that "if I feel relaxed",

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 115

 

because while relaxation was suggested, it wasn't asserted. And what isn't asserted, won't be denied. Just one suggestion may not work very well. But when you put 50 or 100 suggestions in this form together, they will have an effect. When you have compiled your suggestions this way, record them on a tape which you can them listen to when you want to induce a high state. As you record the tape, speak slowly and pleasantly in a tone that you will enjoy listening to. (I found, being a man, that having a woman read suggestions to me worked rather well. What was cool was that she went into a trance while she was reading them!) Advertising and politicians use this kind of language all the time to lead us into the reality of motivation and desire that they want. I'm  just adapting it to our own purposes. If you want to know more about the method I am using to construct these suggestions, study Neurolinguistic Programming or Ericksonian hypnosis.

 Meditation   Do I have to have be initiated by a teacher? A good meditation guide or teacher is a real blessing, but actually is not required. The real initiation occurs w when hen you begin to do it. A teacher can structure your practice and provide support for the practice. But only you yourself can do the practice of focusing your mind, and that's where all the real learning occurs. Remember that the people who started many of the traditions did not themselves have teachers. They may have had some iideas deas about how to begin their search from their culture or from other teachers but they went ahead and discovered for themselves what w worked orked for them. They

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 116

 

were often alone, with no one to turn to as they sought the release or insight that they later taught to others. (Nobody taught the Buddha how to do Buddhist meditation.)

  What are good subjects to meditate on? The best subjects will be simple, stable and emotionally neutral for you.

  Can I actually meditate on a coin, as in your example? You can meditate on almost anything that you can return your attention to in a concentrated way. Simple objects, like a coin, can work. Even better, simple bodily processes like breathing, or one's sight, or the "inner light" will work. Breathing is particularly good because you always breathe, so it is always with you. you. (You are still breathing, aren aren't't you?) Breath is major body-mind process and reflects y your our changing states. Breath is complex enough to keep your attention. You don't need any thing other than yourself to do this. But its the practice of concentrating your mind, not what it is concentrated on, that defines meditation and provides all the benefits.

  How long should I meditate? As with any practice, you should start will a period of time that you can manage. You wan wantt to create success early in your practice. 10 15 minutes in a good period at first, short enough that you can do it, but long enough to give you practice in returning to your meditation subject.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 117

 

  When should I meditate? The answer is similar to breathing practice. Choose a tim timee that you can use every day to meditate. Do not do it (at first) right after a meal or when you are dealing with stress. Make sure you do it every day.

  How soon will meditation make me high? If you are worried about getting high with meditation while you meditate, it will interfere with your concentration. You will be constantly distracting yourself to check 'Am 'Am I getting high?' But if  you just continue to concentrate on your meditation subject, not caring how you are being affected ( how high you are getting), you'll get very high with practice. So the answer would be, meditation will get me high as soon as I forget about getting high. Sometimes this is called "letting go".

 Altered Kinesthetic States   Will I see paisley patterns and the walls moving? You can expect to experience the things that are the most important elements of that kind of high. For example, if seeing paisley patterns on surfaces is how you tell that you are high on a strong psychedelic, you will see them. If having the walls move is what you expect, you will see that. The degree to which you re-experience drug phenomena is determined by how well you have modeled the onset phenomena you already know and of  course, your most common experience of that drug. The "paisley patterns" question originally came to me as a surprise,

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 118

 

because in my many LSD trips many decades ago, these things only appeared in the first dozen or so trips. After that, my psychedelic experiences were typically more "deep calm innocence" experiences, whose sensory phenomena were mostly visual hyper-acuity (which causes anything that moves to look like it has multiple pretty ghost images trailing it), kaleidoscopic internal imagery with my eyes closed, and intensely sharpened sense of touch smell and taste. There was aalso lso a sense that time was more relaxed and I could experience music in a new and more intimate way. I re-experienced all of the phenomena of my typical trip when I did the Altered Kinesthetic States pattern, but I didn't have the paisley patterns or shimmering walls. So tthis his question surprised and challenged me at first. I had to go back in time and then induce the state to even begin to see things like that. What finally kicked it off was re-entering the belief state that "Everything Is A Alive". live". (I tried to cook on one early trip. I picked up a piece of celery and realized it was still alive in m my y hand! I ended up communing with the celery and didn't eat much that day. Remembering that helped me to get back into that state of consciousness where the walls started 'breathing'.) I realize that to anyone who is an LSD virgin, the above paragraphs must seem completely daft. To those of us who know know,, it is a Way and a Truth hidden from our "normal" awareness. Only the stubbornly ignorant would presume to dictate that only one is valid. Stuff like breathing walls and paisley patterns are phenomena within consciousness, and perhaps evidence of its quality, but they are not the state of consciousness itself. Since they are visible (and fun), trippers dote on them. But they're th thee content of a certain awareness, not that awareness itself. Just hallucinations you say? No more than than the common view of the solidity and flatness of the wall is. Actually, physics trells us the wall is a sparse shimm shimmering ering lattice of energetic processes. Both the "flat solid" perception and the "breathing, alive" perception are both

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 119

 

distortions which reveal how the observer is a condition of the observed. So the answer to the original question is this: you'll see what you typically saw, and you can recover phenomena by getting back into the belief context that was active at the time.

  Is this stuff safe? If you get into an altered drug-like state, say while while driving, driving, aren't you impaired? These techniques should only be practiced in a safe non-distracting environment that are conducive to their un-distracted enjoyment. That said, I created a state of consciousness that is perfect for driving which involves focusing on the present conditions around me and driving perfectly. I don't let my mind wander to other things; I am absorbed in the driving now. I find that this helps me get through any journey much much more pleasantly. Even rush hour traffic jams don't bother me, they're just part of the 'm 'meditation'. editation'. Very peaceful.

  What should I start with? Start with experiences which have a definite startup sequence that you can recall. These are the easiest to recover with this technique, which depends upon using that initial sequence of phenomena to access your memory of how you previously got high. It is also important to do this where you can allow yourself to let the high occur and persist. Don't do this where you w will ill be interrupted, because you will be training yourself to fail. Choose a time and a place where you can enjoy the results.  

Mind machines

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 120

 

  Where can I get a mind machine? There is a list of currently active vendors maintained at http://1st-spot.net/topic_mindmachines.html

  How do I take the experience of a mind machine beyond the context of the mind machine session, so that I can enjoy the benefit without the electronics? When you feel you are beginning to enter into a state you like, create an anchor by touching yourself in a specific place or saying a certain word in a certain way. The anchor should be quite specific to the state you want to to recall. Then when you wish to re-invoke that state, use that anchor to help you remember it.

  With so many possibilities, where and how do I start? The ideal way to start would be to set aside a time every days for a couple of weeks when you are going to work with y your our machine. Do not do this at a time and place where you are likely to be interrupted. (But if you find you are interrupted, that's OK. Just end your session and continue the next day.)

Begin with alpha wave programs just to practiceplace in working the machine. Such programs are also an get enjoyable to start.with You may find that you fall asleep during some of the programs, or that there is a period where you have "no-mind". This quite OK and natural. (Typically, you w will ill feel quite refreshed after this happens.) At other times, you will just eexperience xperience various sorts of  kaleidescopic hallucinations followed by a change in awareness, both in the way you think and the subject matter of your thoughts. After experiencing the relaxation of alpha brainwave states, you may want to experience the deeper theta brainwave states. These will put

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 121

 

you in a more dreamlike state in which your body will feel different and you will think in a very different way. Here the limitations limitations of  space, time and causality will be nothing to you and you will be more in the realm of possibility thinking. (Or even impossibility thinking!) Sample theta states gently; some people have strong emotional issues that will re-occur to them in such states and you will have to deal with them by yourself. If it is unpleasant - just take off tthe he equipment and stop the session. This is less likely to occur though, because of the way theta sessions are induced. The programs that lead to such states will first entrain you into a very relaxing alpha meditation-like state before entraining you into the more hypnotic theta states. So you will be entering such states in a relatively unstressed manner. Since the approach has a different signature than what triggered stressful episodes in the past, your utilization of this level of consciousness is likely to be very different. I like to have a voice recorder near me when I do theta states as I come up with all sort of creative ideas about all kinds of things. Just a word or two will help you remember your ideas later, when you can expand upon them. High theta (8 - 6 Hz Hz)) is a wonderful brainstorming tool. If you find theta states to your liking, you can begin exploring the levels between 6 - 4 Hz. This is much more dreamy, imaginative and open to some of the different time distortion phenomena discussed elsewhere. But there is a strong possibility of inducing the "no-mind" or sleep states at these relaxed brainwave levels. This is why I like to do low theta states in the morning when I don't need sleep. Having acquired some experience along these lines, you might want to experience delta sessions and high beta sessions. Delta brain waves are associated with dreamless sleep, so you may very likely fall asleep at some point. point. If you do remain awake, you w will ill experience a

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 122

 

extremely calm and blissful mode of awareness. There is a kind of  concentration that occurs in such a quiet state, so surround yourself  with beautiful things for such sessions.

  Do mind m machines achines have medical applications? Yes, they do. Consult your doctor and follow their advice. The v value alue of your doctor is that he or she provides not only medical knowledge and experience, but also an objective perspective and diagnostic capabilities you do not have. One legitimate problem doctors may have with instrumentation like mind machines is a lack of specific control. Since most machines machines come with controls that allow the user to adjust them in myriad ways, the physician has no way of knowing that you are following their recommendations. It is as if they were to prescribe a specific drug for your problem and then send you home with an entire pharmacy in your pocket. How would they know that you were following their recommendations? So it is understandable they don't feel comfortable with the current state of the art. Possibly in the future, manufacturers will build machines that have some lock or password so that they can restrict the functionality of  the machine to what they see as beneficial to the patient. Then we will see more application of such machines in day to day treatment of  various conditions. The medical literature is already full of peer reviewed papers detailing what these are. Many of the applications are symptomatic; pain control, sleep induction, etc. Other applications are in the easy induction of  hypnotic states to facilitate patient ttraining. raining. Still others applications deal with altering underlying disease phenomena and etiology.

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 123

 

  What about combining mind machines with other techniques given here, such as the smiling breath?

This can work well, and you can use the smiling breath technique to "anchor" specific brainwave states you like. In addition, the smiling breath technique can add a specific direction to a given brainwave state. There have been numerous suggestions about combining pranayama (breath-control) (breath-contr ol) techniques with mind ma machine chine states. There have even been machines created specifically for this purpose! However, I find that the kind of attention used in breath control is different that the free-floating consciousness induced by mind machines. That said, I've had best results combining breath control with stimulation frequencies between 11 and 14 Hz (the alpha - beta borderline). Mind machines work well with verbal material to be learned or enjoyed. Self-hypnosis tapes for habit control work well with mind machine settings between 10 and 6 Hz (low alpha, high theta). I have also used such states for learning first foreign language vocabulary material. (This iiss like Lazunov "super learning" techniques.) If you have a specific story (see "Tell Yourself a Story") to rehearse and celebrate, you may find that theta brainwaves between 6 and 4 Hz provide a powerfully receptive state for these patterns of  transformation. Some of my friends claim that combining long (2 hour) theta sessions work well with transcendental meditation sessions.

 Stillness   Why does this qualify as a way of being high? It would be improper not to cover this since way of altering

Getting High without Drugs © Harold Shore 2004 124

 

consciousness, especially since it has been in use by seekers for consciousness, thousands of years. Every state of awareness has its physiological counterpart and to change the way you use your body is to change your mind. Actually, to answer the question you merely have to try it. When you are motionless, your attention can withdraw from its concerns with your environment and your inner life is correspondingly enriched in a away that reflects your current mind set and physical setting. If you begin this practice in a positive way, perhaps by reviewing things your happy about and are grateful for, you will find that your subsequent thoughts will spin out along positive directions, And if  you have taken care to make yourself comfortable, your body will augment this comfort. I find m myself yself becoming quite stoned in a non-heady way when i do this. It also works for me as an effective pain killer. (I suffer from an intermittently painful eye disease, and often deal with the pain that arises by lying very still. I find that just as effective as the pain medications prescribed by my doctors.) Apart from working as an analgesic, Hindu and Christian mystics found stillness to be a powerful means of inducing the kind of meditation or spiritual communion that they seek. As you p progress rogress in this, you can expect insights and even visions to arise.