I explored meditation for two years before anything else
Sam 34yo, Software engineer
Three years
“Everyone wanted to talk about mushrooms. I wanted to know what my own mind did when nothing was added to it.”
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I explored meditation for two years before anything else
148 wordsLife before I started
I was thirty-two, working in software, and permanently braced for something.
What I was experiencing
Anxious, over-caffeinated, and deeply sceptical of both pharmaceuticals and anything with the word journey in it.
What I'd tried before
Nothing formal. I read a lot and did none of it.
What I explored
Two years of daily meditation, a ten-day silent course, cold showers, and eventually one supervised psilocybin session in a legal programme.
What happened
The two years of practice made the later session far less frightening and far more useful than I think it would have been.
What surprised me most
That the session confirmed things meditation had already shown me rather than revealing anything new.
What didn't help
Cold showers, for me. Bracing, not transformative.
What I'm still working through
I still over-caffeinate. Some things are stubborn.
What I learned about myself
That preparation is not a formality. It is most of the work.
Where I am now
Steady. Practising daily. Not planning another session.
What I'd tell someone starting out
If you are curious about a big experience, spend six months getting to know your own mind first.
Explore what Sam tried
These are the tools and practices Sam named in their story. Tap any one to read what it is, why people use it, and what the evidence says.
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