Norgs, Australian slang for women’s breats, nickname originating from one fateful day. A day that started many nicknames for our buddy. Can add a few more alterations too. This one, the first day and very first class of high school.
Boobs was sitting in class with 24 or so other newbies waiting for his name to be called from the role. Fred’s turn was up, the teacher cannot be recalled, ‘Frederick, ummmm, Norgs?’. Laughter erupted. Tits raised his hand, present shyly.
The Narrator enjoys talking about Fred’s school days, they were fun. He was a fantastic student until he wasn’t. He didn’t care, school was stupid. Still he excelled without caring at all about it. Got through secondary school without any effort, slumped considerably in the final two years but it didn’t matter, he passed without reading a single book, barely a page. English book reviews, without cheating and without reading the books he passed. School box ticked.
Has read thousands of books now, all of his own choosing. Barely reads anymore.
Years later attended university, a bit more study this time but not a whole lot, got a nothing degree and moved on. University box ticked.
Both useless. The nothing degree had it been a something degree remains useless.
He knows this, he went back to Uni some years later to do a counselling course in order to get the piece of paper that allowed him to do counselling work officially. A piece of paper is what is required to do counselling work, fucking batshit bullshit.
He lasted one semester, nobody was being taught how to work with people in vulnerable spaces. Nobody had done any work on themselves, University staff top of the list. Courses need to teach people to work on themselves and find their own way to healing. The tools they create in this process are the only ones they can speak to and work with others to adapt to client needs.
As mentioned previously without the personal approach the counsellor is taking up the spare spade next to the grave their client has been digging all the years they have been alive. They are digging their own graves too, holding two spades at once without noticing.
Fred directly addressed this with both the course facilitator and the head of the department. Told Charles Darwin University in, well, Darwin, that what they were doing was rubbish, there was no healing it. The response, oh pathetic. The response, keeping a long email short, stated that University degrees give people jobs, they get more money, their quality of life improves. It strikes out poverty.
Does it though? Does it really? Is having money a better life than not? Fred definitely argues this rubbish, how many examples there are of both. How many people with money are not satisified with what they have and their lives? Better question, easier to answer, how many are? In this whole world, the number Fred reckons he could count on one hand, the hand missing a finger. Not a single person in his life meets any type of satisfaction quota, the ones with the most are the least satisified.
When living in hypocrisy quality of life declines for everyone. Hypocrisy, telling others what to do without the teller doing it in their own life. Telling others this or that will bring them relief or freedom when it has not done so for you is hypocrisy, this is what the University taught. Hypocrisy is ignorance, ignorance is hell, the more one lives in it the deeper the hell they find themselves in.
Hypocrisy. Hello every religious leader in the world, the Narrator talks directly to you here too.
Exam time, the hypocrisy of the University continues to show itself. Post identifying that poor people finishing Uni and getting jobs makes their life better the exam was set for a day at 6pm.
The course is both in person and online, people from all over attend. Some, Fred one, do not have access to the required technology in their home. He was in a car and swag, still home. Many need to attend public spaces, a library for instance to meet study requirements. Libraries, particularly in rural and regional areas generally close at 5pm. 4.30pm or 4.21pm. Yeah, 4.21, it’s a public service thing.
Fred, believe it or not, got up them. This time he did it publicly, he knew what he was saying, he made sure everybody on the course heard the conversation, posted it and all replies in the course chat. Justification after justification after justification from the CDU without once being able to see the hypocrisy they act with. The lecturer, currently doing a PhD or something in some healing discipline could not see this, she sent the email reply. Even the lecturer of counselling has no idea what it is to work with people, to live outside hypocrisy, to live in truth. No idea how to do healing work, yet is teaching the class.
Nothing changed, Fred told her he opted out of doing the exam. You cannot do that Fred, we need approval. ‘No, I don’t. I opt out’. Fred did what he said, participated no longer. He passed the semester he thinks, not sure, got a email about some high achiever award in one of the two subject’s even. Assumes it was for the healing approach based on a variety of tools essay he wrote. It was brilliant, really brilliant. Again, believe it or not, it was all about drugs.
Years earlier, maybe two years post original degree, he attended a different counselling course, again lasted one semester. This time at The Gordon Tafe in Geelong. Day one first class, nobody is left behind here, we cater to all learning types. Great thought everyone.
But no, not the case. Fred was cruising through, it was boringly easy, absolutely boring, was never going to make it through. It was not even simple, more simple than simple, it was a talk fest where almost nothing was learnt. Physical attendance mandatory for this one. Fred got sick of it, he hadn’t learnt how to be with his frustration yet and spoke up in the middle of class from the space of frustration. Nobody appreciated it.
Norgs was struggling with the Tafe’s approach to the course but nothing was done, they barely paid attention. Fred was the only male in the class, the only one with a University degree, possibly the only one that finished high school.
He was called into the senior lecturer office who started to try and discipline Fred, even at this time Boobs was having none of it. The lecturer tried to maintain a professional I know what I am talking about and you cannot get to me attitude. Fred got to him. Mentioned the talk fest, the lecturer’s body language changed considerably, his face went red, and frustration took over him. His words were the truth of what he is, a hypocrite.
That’s all the original comment was, hypocrisy. The institution was only willing to work with anyone as long as they have not already achieved academically, once they have they are irrelevant, this should have been the opening line. Or maybe it was because he was the only one that had a cock. Probably both.
Funny though, he proved them wrong, continues to. The second line, everyone who has attended this course, even if they have left at some stage has come back and completed it, achieved their certification,smiles all around the room. Fred wonders if they are still using this line, he knows 100% for sure it is not true. He won’t be returning. He won’t be completing the course even if they offer him a whatever it is called, honorary counselling degree, nope Fred does not participate in hypocrisy.
The option is off the table for CDU too. May it, or at bare minimum the counselling department be disbanded.
Fred has himself a bit of a headache today, nobody at work noticed any change. Didn’t say anything if they did. It doesn’t impact the manner in which he projects himself. He rarely gets sick, the occasional headache the closest it has come since 2020, maybe 2019 when he had the last bout of cluster headaches.
These things are awful, absolutely awful, two weeks of intense pain and nothing stops or eases it. He has reflected on them, they have all come after he has done ridiculously stupid things. The first one started after he went drinking one night when he was in his early 20s. Didn’t do anything stupid on this piss, it was the being on the booze itself that was the stupid.
Earlier that day he got knocked out playing Australian Rules Football, knew he was KO’d. Woke up on the ground with blood coming out of his mouth and didn’t know how it happened. Still, knowing he should not got super drunk that night with mates, spent the next two weeks in and out of hospital with this horrendous thing.
The dumbest, most ignorant, self and world hurting shit he has done has resulted in these things. Illnesses, look into them you’ll see more. His mother died of cancer after years and years of fighting it. Years and years that were full of stress, never taking a moment to look into herself and find the cause of her suffering. Illness is not just a random thing, it has a catalyst that is based on behaviour, look closer and the way to it will be found. Knowing such detail can be curative.
A healthy relationship with psychedelic medicine can be extremely helpful here, extremely. It is important to know how to recognise and develop that relationship to understand such a comment.
Fred sat with, well lay down with ketamine last night. The experience lasts between an hour and two, additional dosing can extend it. Fred knows that post Special K sleep can be difficult to come by. He did a lot of work on the original dose, knew he didn’t need more but decided to see what happened all the same. Nope, his work was done, he was right originally, the second dose did nothing but delay sleep considerably. Still slept but woke up heavy with a headache.
A medicine like ketamine is not recommended for people with addiction or substance dependance concerns so we will discuss others here after too. Ketamine and MDMA are the two psychedelic medicines to be aware of in this instance. Ketamine also loses its effect quite quickly, the body gets used to it rapidly, one needs to take more and more as tolerance grows. The other psychedelics are not habit forming, part of their safety.
Safety should the relationship be understood.
Fred really enjoys the work with K. It is a beautiful medicine. One of the easiest to take, creates a phenomenal feeling of safety. The safety space is what allows people to look into their trauma more directly without being afraid of it. It is also a clear to understand motivation for the addiction, dependance and abuse that can come from using it. Very very clear to understand its benefits in depression, PTSD, anxiety, trauma and everything else.
Ketamine is an easy medicine to understand relationship, how to dose. Scales are a great help as a starting point, but really looking at the amount that you are about to put into your body is the best. Dosing is different for everybody, using the individual eye and feel is the most accurate.
Medicines need to be challenging but not so challenging that they cannot be sat with. Each one has telltale signs that lead you where you need to be. More importantly to know the signs is to know the medicine is working. Without the knowledge it is extremely easy to dose too highly, it’s not doing anything, better take the same amount again.
Oh no, bad relationship.
Signs for Special K are simple. It takes around 10 minutes after administration for the effects to come into play. 15 minutes after putting it in the body pinch your skin, pinch it hard, hard enough that it would usually hurt a lot. If it does not hurt the medicine is working. Do this when you don’t feel its other effects before dosing more.
Should the pain of the pinch be reduced but still painful dose more, no more than half the original dose. Should there be no pain wait another 15 minutes. Ketamine is gentle, it starts gently and builds up, peaks around 45 minutes to an hour. So at 30 minutes should there be no pain in the pinch and the trip is pretty easy dose more, again no more than half the original dose. Again, wait, repeat if needed, build your relationship.
Ketamine blocks pain receptors, part of the reason why it is such a fantastic tool for healing work, also part of the reason for its addictive properties. It is such a clear and simple connection to make as to the reason it works so well. Should one use their brain they understand that trauma, PTSD and all the rest do not allow us into them because we cannot deal with the pain that presents in our body when we try to access those stories. The physical pain. The suffering.
Blocking the physical pain we then access and start to heal as the original cause is starting to be understood and expressed, expression is the key to healing.
Important point here, the difference between pharmaceutical mental health medicines and psychedelic medicines. Pharmaceutical’s are designed to depress/suppress feelings where psychedelic’s are tools of expression. There is no healing in suppression, there is no living in suppression, expression is the only way to heal and find freedom.
Know too Ketamine has after effects, one it is hard to sleep. Two there can be a hangover type thing like Fred experienced today, it can be very sapping of energy and mental functions not unlike a hangover from alcohol. Be aware of this should you need to do shit the next day.
Fred usually wouldn’t medicine on a school night, work night, but sometimes he does when there is a specific process that will benefit. Last night was such a night, he did fantastic work, really fantastic work. Simple stuff but, buddies, that’s what we are simple, human beings are not complicated no matter how much you want us to be. We’re just dumb, that isn’t complication.
MDMA and Ketamine are the only two it is possible to overdose with from the psychedelic family. Traditional overdose meaning here, where the overdose has significant health outcomes, possibly death. The other psychedelics no. Take LSD for example, there is a story floating around of someone who took a 5000 time overdose, went into a coma type thing for a few days and came out of it okay, not recommended but the example is the point. It is very easy to take too much acid as the amount needed for outcomes is tiny, the amount need to trip absolute balls is tiny. Same with Ketamine but two very different outcomes had the dose mentioned above been K.
Research too, know doses, basic time requirements, cautions with other medicines you may be on and all the rest. Highly recommend one does not mix any of them, psychedelic or pharmaceuticals, with alcohol. Alcohol, legal, yet the most destructive, toxic and poisonous substance in Australia. Topic for another time.
So, Ketamine, easy to form a relationship, easy to get lost in addiction. Be aware of yourself and you’ll be okay.
Other medicines the process is the same as the above. Start with the dose you start with and pay attention to your body, you’ll start to build relationship. Some of the early signs for each medicine the Narrator will outline below.
Cannabis, dry mouth, a weird body energy that will be new. It starts within a minute or two of smoking it. Eating it 30 minutes to an hour, again know the differences between methods of administration. There are many types and strains of cannabis, research is important here. The indica ones will leave you sitting on the couch, the sativa too at high doses. Sativa at more manageable doses won’t do this, can basically get on with whatever, it’ll generally all just be a lot funnier, and you may get insanely hungry at times. This is the munchies word that is oftern repeated.
Mushrooms, mostly eaten. 30 minutes to an hour to take effect. Generally the first sign will be a strange sensation in the stomach as the psilocybin is converted to psilocin. One may start to see shapes and things come in and out of their vision that they aren’t sure are there or not.
LSD, almost identical to mushrooms but without the stomach feeling, it usually starts a bit quicker, 15 to 25 minutes, but still wait 45 minutes to an hour before adding more. It will be a feeling version that is more general throughout the body.
Iboga, every movement will start to create a form of sickness that extends outside of just the stomach. The first few times sitting there will be a lot of vomit when you try to move, painful vomit, without much coming out. It is demanding that you be still with it.
Ayahuasca and other swallowed DMT versions, almost identical to Mushrooms however the strange feeling will be more similar to nausea, sickness in the stomach, than anything else.
Smoked DMT, almost immediate onset where you will know within 10 seconds whether the dose is low, okay or too much. Should it be too much there is nothing that can be done about it except pray that the 15 to 45 minutes feels like 15 to 45 minutes. It can feel like hours, days, weeks, months, a lifetime.
Know your relationship, it can only be done by paying attention.
Learn your relationship.