Narratives run our lives day in and day out.
It is said that the average person has about 65,000 thoughts running through their mind in the span of a day.
65,000.
Imagine the flurry of ideas, concepts, and supposed truths that we begin to believe with the conglomerate of words – making up the arbitrary meanings that we impose onto our reality.
Some of these thoughts, fly away into the ether — coming and going like a fall breeze, and others, can end up sticking like gum on the bottom of our shoes.
The thing about thoughts — is that many times they can evoke feelings — which end up contributing to certain moods or sentiments, which in turn become the motivation for the actions that we take.
All of which, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, depending on what the thought, feeling, and action end up becoming.
When we bring this to our awareness — we have the opportunity to discover and unveil the many ways that we can work on reframing thoughts in order to unlock our highest potential.
What does it mean to reframe a thought?
Well, I believe it was Byron Katie who posed the infamous question:
“Is this true?”
Meaning – is the thought, idea, or narrative that I’m playing in my head, actually true?
Or, is it a self-limiting belief, a story, which isn’t serving my highest potential?
Is it a pattern that I am allowing to play out — without giving myself the space to pause or question it?
Sometimes, we are in such an autopilot mode — that we don’t stop to question whether or not what we think is grounded in the entirety of the truth.
And many times, there isn’t just one truth — there are many truths, and in that knowing — we can explore the multitude of possibilities that are available to us, regarding our thinking and our way of perceiving what is happening.
We can only see as far as we think — and only do as far as we believe.
When we are trapped in our mental loops of judgement, separation, and turmoil – the energy that we act from will also be fused with those limitations.
But the times where we keep on keeping on — the times where we are both practical, but also ideal in the possibilities that we can create — we allow a greater possibility to unlock potential and reach vistas that we hadn’t previously imagined.
When we change our narrative from “I can’t…” to “I can…”
From “impossible…” to “hm…it’s probable…”
We can truly move into spaces of possibilities and creative potentials that we wouldn’t be able to do so otherwise.
There are different avenues we can take to begin to shift how we think — and how we relate to what we think. I want to share a few that I’ve known to work well.
- Meditation and Mindfulness
Although those words might sound unnerving to some who would rather find something more entertaining to distract themselves with (I know it — I’ve been there), there is nothing quite like the greater sense of inner peace, sense of presence, and acceptance — amongst whatever might be happening in our lives.
Meditation also trains us to create more space.
More space between our thoughts, and more space in between our reactions, so we can begin to practice taking more breaths, and more moments of pause, in between the things occurring internally and externally.
Through these practices, we can experience more clarity of mind, more mental spaciousness, and an opportunity to give our conscious mind a chance to intervene between the chaos of the often hyperactive monkey mind.
- Journaling & Gratitude (separate & together)
I was gifted my first journal on my 5th birthday.
Through the experience of journaling throughout the years, I can tell you that it has helped me immensely to clear my mind of the excess thoughts, ideas, and fears — which in turn, allowed more room for inspiration and optimism to flow through.
The book ‘The Artist’s Way’, has a practice of engaging in what the author calls ‘morning pages’ — it is a practice of, essentially brain-dumping anything and everything that comes out of you, by way of journaling, every morning.
The idea is that once we ‘stream of consciousness’ purge all of the mental excess — we make room for the creative potential of the mind — the downloads, the inspiration, the wisdom, etc.
Now, for the gratitude.
First off, this is the first thing I go to when I find myself in a scarcity mindset.
If I’m feeling down, or like something is not enough, I remind myself to find all the things in my life that I am genuinely grateful for…
the delicious sushi I ate for lunch yesterday…
the (comfiest) bed that I get to sleep in…
friends and soul-connections sprawled all throughout the globe…
the luxury to write my thoughts and inspirations in order to share with the web…
and so on.
Sometimes we are so set on what we don’t have, or what isn’t here, that we miss out on what is already present for us in its current form.
Because the chase – is literally never-ending.
But by having gratitude — we allow ourselves an opportunity to acknowledge what is already present and available to us, and from there — we can truly give ourselves an opportunity to build upon what is already present.
With gratitude — we are also given an opportunity to reframe those negative thoughts that arise within our minds in order to shift them into thoughts that are more productive, supportive, and expansive.
By combining both the art of journaling and gratitude — especially as a consistent practice, perhaps when we’re feeling a scarcity mindset coming on, or when we need some extra encouragement — can be a great anchor for changing the way we think about things to support us in reframing thoughts.
- Conscious Microdosing
A well-known tool that has been proven to support individuals in reframing thoughts — is microdosing psilocybin.
Keep in mind, that from my personal experience, this is best done in a conscious, safe, and comfortable setting, either alone or with individuals whom you feel safe with, and can fully trust.
But first, let’s discuss… what is microdosing?
Microdosing It is ingesting incredibly small amounts of a medicine, to the point where you don’t even necessarily feel a shift in consciousness, in order to experience the benefits of the medicine during your day-to-day waking state.
Psilocybin microdosing is known to support two fundamental mechanisms in reframing thoughts.
- Neuroplasticity — Also known as the brain’s plasticity, refers to the brain’s ability to adapt, rearrange, and reframe while creating new neural connections in response to learning, experience, and environmental changes.
- Neurogenesis — Neurogenesis is the formation and growth of new neurons, a.k.a brain cells.
Talk about literally reframing thoughts.
Neuroplasticity
Studies done on individuals utilizing microdosing have found significant changes in mood and in the neurobiology of the brain.
How?
Well, when psilocybin gets metabolized in the body, it transforms into psilocin, which structurally resembles serotonin — a neurotransmitter influencing mood and perception.
Psilocin then interacts with various serotonin receptors, notably the 5-HT2a receptor, which has been widely associated with the effects of psychedelics — such as an altered state of perception and hallucinations.
At the cellular level, studies have demonstrated that psilocin, by activating intracellular 5-HT2a receptors, promotes cortical neuron branching, leading to increased synapse formation and dendritic spine density.
[what on earth does that mean?]
Think bridges being created between brain cells so they can communicate with one another better.
This effect is particularly noteworthy because reduced dendritic spines (less bridges between the cells) are often observed in individuals experiencing depression.
So having more ‘bridges’ between the brain cells — increases the potential for learning, encourages a greater sense of upliftment, and supports an overall sense of increased processing speed with new thoughts, ideas, and connections.
Neurogenesis
Neurogenesis is the formation and growth of new neurons, also know as — brain cells.
Okay, although this study was done on mice — it’s still pretty cool and bodes well for the potential impact on the human brain
chemistry.
The studies conducted propose that psilocin, the substance derived from psilocybin in magic mushrooms, doesn’t just affect one type of brain receptor, but also influences another important protein called TrkB.
Psilocin’s interaction with a specific part of the TrkB receptor seems to change its shape, making it better at binding with BDNF, which is a key growth factor for the brain.
This interaction has been shown to promote the creation of new brain cells — and could potentially help in reducing feelings associated with depression, as seen in the tests conducted on mice.
In simple terms, psilocybin doesn’t just boost BDNF, which is essential for brain health and neural health, but it also seems to encourage better communication between brain cells.
This activity might significantly impact the creation of new brain cells, especially in brain regions such as the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is crucial for memory and learning.
Can you see now how microdosing might support us in moving towards reframing thoughts and shifting out of long-standing modes of thinking?
Exploring A New Way of Thinking
There are so many ways in which we can reframe our thoughts — in order to unlock our potential.
When we begin to explore the different ways we think, the ways we interact, and how we relate to the things that cross our minds, we can give ourselves a true opportunity to open up to new ways of being and operating in the world — and in turn — open up to new ways of creation.
Haniff, Z. 2023, June 21. Can Psilocybin Stimulate Neurogenesis in the Hippocampus?