Thanks for posting, I’ve struggled with substance abuse myself and I’m sure many other folks in EA have as well. It’s a seriously endemic problem in the modern world that we don’t discuss enough as a cause area or community health issue in my opinion.
My first recommendation would be find a new therapist who’s open to learning about new things. Anecdotally I spent years going through different therapists, and finally found one that was interested in a rationalist perspective. He’s read many slate star codex posts and I feel I can talk to him about things from an EA/rationalist lens. It takes effort but it’s worth it.
I’ve also found John Vervaeke’s lecture series, Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, to be helpful in understanding my own ‘triggers’ so to speak. I’d recommend giving it a listen, it’s very similar to rationalist arguments in many ways.
Thanks! I’ll check out the video for sure. As for the new therapist, I’ll admit I’m reluctant here. Most simply I don’t think I have it in me to do that, I would be worried about how it would make her feel. I know that’s not a good reason, but it is a realistic constraint on my behavior, so I see no point denying it. Additionally though, I want to engage in a certain amount of deference in case I’m wrong about what works, and also since I haven’t really talked to her about this concern, I feel like I owe it to her to at least do that first. I think the compromise position I’m drawn to (which might prove unfeasible), is to continue seeing her but also get help closer to my own approach.
If you explain your issues a good therapist will usually suggest other folks that may be more in line with what you’re looking for! It can make the search less laborious. Good luck :)
Thanks for posting, I’ve struggled with substance abuse myself and I’m sure many other folks in EA have as well. It’s a seriously endemic problem in the modern world that we don’t discuss enough as a cause area or community health issue in my opinion.
My first recommendation would be find a new therapist who’s open to learning about new things. Anecdotally I spent years going through different therapists, and finally found one that was interested in a rationalist perspective. He’s read many slate star codex posts and I feel I can talk to him about things from an EA/rationalist lens. It takes effort but it’s worth it.
I’ve also found John Vervaeke’s lecture series, Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, to be helpful in understanding my own ‘triggers’ so to speak. I’d recommend giving it a listen, it’s very similar to rationalist arguments in many ways.
https://youtu.be/54l8_ewcOlY
He has an audio only version on Spotify as well.
Good luck to you, and feel free to message me if you’d like to chat more.
Thanks! I’ll check out the video for sure. As for the new therapist, I’ll admit I’m reluctant here. Most simply I don’t think I have it in me to do that, I would be worried about how it would make her feel. I know that’s not a good reason, but it is a realistic constraint on my behavior, so I see no point denying it. Additionally though, I want to engage in a certain amount of deference in case I’m wrong about what works, and also since I haven’t really talked to her about this concern, I feel like I owe it to her to at least do that first. I think the compromise position I’m drawn to (which might prove unfeasible), is to continue seeing her but also get help closer to my own approach.
If you explain your issues a good therapist will usually suggest other folks that may be more in line with what you’re looking for! It can make the search less laborious. Good luck :)
Thanks! Yeah, I should probably talk to my therapist more openly.