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Phase 1 - export - low tonic, high phasic - 1st jhāna - observation
Dark night
Allow demons to rise; identify code to be removed
Observe; do not engage
Export old narrative: this conditioning is not me
Norepinephrine spikes and then calms down on entering jhāna
Current parallel: MbCBT (mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy)
Phase 2 - compile - rising tonic, lowering phasic - 2nd jhāna - rapture
Desire for deliverance
Compile new narrative; this conditioning does not serve me
Allow all thoughts and feelings to proceed; do not interfere
Observe, release
Current parallel: ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy)
Note: serotonin also increases and other neurotransmitters certainly at play.
Phase 3 - install - high tonic, low phasic - 3rd jhāna - equanimity
Equanimity
Move focus to bodily sensations
Release all concept of conditioning
Release effortful focus and settle in equanimity
In some cases, phasic dopamine increases = re-observation. In others it does not = A&P.
Observe, release, observe, release; all is flux
Current parallel: SE (somatic embodiment)
Phase 4 - reboot - maximal tonic, minimal phasic - 4th jhāna - maximal equanimity
Path (or A&P, dissolution)
Reaching maximal tonic dopamine, phasic dopamine approaches zero
Dopaminergic signalling to time cells drops due to lack of fluctuation
You have a single non-moment which is everything and nothing at once
The unbroken chain of thought is broken
Current parallel: N/A
Phase 5 - upgrade - unknown tonic, maximal phasic - nibbana
Fruition
System reboot
New baseline established
Bliss, equanimity, a complete reprogramming of your mental process
The chain starts again, but it is new; changed
There is no longer a self
Only flux
Everything is and always was ok
Current parallel: N/A
Note: I had a brief ecstatic seizure at this point; I felt it coming and sat down. I recommend you do the same.
Protocol:
Phases 1-2 = cycling // increases tonic dopamine rapidly (Heijnen et al) and provides strong anchor for difficult emotional processing.
Phases 2-3 = vocalisation or motion // grounding and somatic release; further increases dopaminergic tone and settles phasic dopamine (Tang et al) ; good on-ramp for sitting meditation.
Phases 3-4 = sittingmeditation // can increase tonic dopamine (Kjaer et al) by up to 65%.
Phase 5 = everything you have // Maximal multimodal engagement to consolidate new network attractors while ensuring you do not rick injury. I used music and dance, then as it ramped up I sat down and chanted with meteors in each hand while rocking back and forth. See MN39 about flushing the body with rapture.
Note that nibbana is not always necessary or achievable. This only comes after the darkest of nights; the buddha dying of starvation and given a bowl of rice, the trauma of a lifetime breaking free. For most instances of reprogramming, an A&P event will be sufficient, and the phasic dopamine re-encoding will happen during the REM phase of your sleep cycle. Right effort is all.
This model tracks well with current research being done into MDMA-assited trauma therapy and aripirazole use for treatment-resistant PTSD.
The buddha often talked about balancing energy and concentration. Too much energy (dopamine) and too little concentration (neuronal capacity) and you will be agitated and restless (manic); too much concentration without enough energy and you will be lifeless and dull (anhedonic). Do not fight your endocrine system; learn to control it. Learn to ride the tiger.
1 - raise tonic dopamine levels and receptor sensitivity though regular and sustained Z2 exercise and meditative practices. This takes weeks to months, but is not hard so long as you are consistent.
2 - modulate dopaminergic tone through meditations of varying intensities. Increased tonic dopamine will reduce the impact of phasic spikes. Train to be largely unaffected by the phasic spikes; an objective observer.
3 - build the neuronal capacity to retain control regardless of your dopaminergic makeup. When you are cycling and want to go hard, do not. When you have an itch, wait for a second before scratching. This is all training you to break the chains to your phasic dopamine / dvar / craving.
Speculative neurotransmitter changes (this is where the meds held me, though it wasn't intentional)
1st jhāna: calmness, ability to observe and release thoughts = norepinephrine ↓
2nd jhāna: rapture = tonic dopamine ↑
3rd jhāna: equanimity = phasic dopamine ↓ (I also had serotonin ↑)
4th jhāna: deep stillness, neutrality = all of the above, steady over time (NE ↓ tonic DA ↑ phasic DA ↓ 5HT ↑)
These changes open the door to processing deep rooted beliefs and trauma. Once the process has started it can't be stopped; if you stop during your own 88 hells then you may well get stuck there. You have to release into the ego dissolution and allow your junk to be thrown out of the closet before you can start to put things back in.
Potential induction methods by risk: behavioural > electrical > pharmacological
Daylight and circadian rhythm heavily impact tonic dopamine. Wake early and get as much sunlight as possible. Sleep at a regular time.
Receptor sensitivity increases during the winter because of lower sunlight and lower dopamine availability. Intra-day dopamine levels are highest in the early afternoon.
Regular Z2 exercise increases both dopamine production capacity and receptor sensitivity. It's also the best thing for your overall health.
The ideal time for touching nibbana might be on a sunny afternoon in the spring, after a winter of Z2 exercise and meditation. This would mean your receptors are up-regulated, tonic levels elevated, and phasic levels are controlled.
Important:
Do not crush down the rapture you feel during exercise or meditation; lean into it while letting it go.
At the same time, do not let the rapture carry you away; you are training yourself to control it.
Vipassana is essential for nibbana: you need to be able to expand your awareness to cover your entire sense-world.
You are training yourself to hold a state of maximal dopaminergic activation yet retain control, so you can achieve zero-phasic for a brief moment.
You will need to be able to intuitively handle incredible phasic bursts if you want to survive and guide the subsequent upgrade.
Even more important:
Whatever you feed into your mind before, during and after the upgrade will shape your entire reality. I am not joking.
You need to ensure that you are trying to become a happier, better person who has a strong moral framework, or your world will get significantly worse.
This is why I am trying to translate the teachings of the buddha on the neobuddhism page. You need an ethical framework.
Traumatised people will experience nibbana explosively, while it will be more subtle for the non-traumatised; the buddha will have been incredibly traumatised after his time as an ascetic, which may account for his perfect enlightenment.
My type of audhd is characterised by both strong neuronal capacity and crazy dopaminergic signalling. I have a wild tiger and a tough rider. I need to strengthen both.
My mistake before was trying to contain the tiger. This is not the goal. The tiger is nibbana. You expand the cage to encompass your entire sense-world, then contract it back to a single person.
Reps at the gym.
Cast a net, reel it in.
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