Meditation Party with Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren: Psychedelics, ADHD, Waking Up From Distraction, and Singing Without Being Self-Conscious
This Meditation Party episode features meditation teachers Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren, who openly discuss living with ADHD and its impact on meditation. They also address listener questions on psychedelics and managing distraction during practice, emphasizing authentic self-expression.
Deep Dive Analysis
12 Topic Outline
Introduction to Meditation Party and Listener Feedback
Jeff Warren's Experience with ADHD and Meditation
Understanding ADHD: Types, Challenges, and Superpowers
Mindfulness Practices for Managing ADHD Symptoms
The Universality of Working with an Unruly Mind
Listener Question: Substances, Psychedelics, and Buddhist Precepts
Exploring the Role of Psychedelics in Healing and Spirituality
Listener Question: Overwhelming Awakenings from Distraction in Meditation
Strategies for Working with Intense Emotional Overwhelm in Meditation
Sebene Selassie: Joy of Dancing and Singing as Practice
Jeff Warren: The Meaning Crisis and Fittedness
Dan Harris: The Power of Invigorating Social Connection
5 Key Concepts
ADHD Masking
Masking in neurodiversity refers to the unconscious or conscious effort to hide or suppress one's neurodivergent traits to fit in with societal norms or expectations. It can happen without realizing it, driven by assumptions about how one needs to be or think within a particular culture or family.
ADHD Hyperfocus
A feature of ADHD where an individual can become intensely absorbed in a subject they are highly interested in or motivated by, to the exclusion of everything else. While it can be a 'superpower' for deep learning, it can also make it difficult to transition out of the focused activity.
ADHD High Sensitivity
Individuals with ADHD are often born with high sensitivity, meaning they have very thin boundaries and are easily pulled in different directions by people or situations. This sensitivity can lead to emotional overwhelm but also fosters deep compassion and awareness of others' states.
Heedlessness (Buddhist Precept)
In Buddhism, heedlessness refers to a state of carelessness or negligence, often induced by substances, that leads one away from mindfulness and clear awareness. The precept against intoxicants is interpreted as avoiding anything that leads to this state, rather than a blanket ban on all substances.
Fittedness (John Verveke)
A concept from cognitive scientist John Verveke, suggesting that a sense of meaning in life doesn't solely come from within or from external sources, but emerges spontaneously from the degree to which one feels 'fitted' to their life, relationships, and work. It implies a harmonious relationship between oneself and the world.
5 Questions Answered
Individuals with ADHD can benefit by recognizing their unique mind's 'superpowers' like hyperfocus (when interested) and high sensitivity (for compassion). Meditation practices can be adapted to allow for freestyle focus, threading mindfulness into daily life, and incorporating movement like shaking or walking, rather than strict stillness.
The Buddha's precept against substances refers to those that lead to 'heedlessness.' While some traditions have strict prohibitions, many modern practitioners view psychedelics as 'plant medicine' that can offer profound insights and healing, especially when used intentionally and integrated with a meditation practice, rather than leading to heedlessness.
Yes, it can be normal to feel overwhelmed or experience intense emotions when 'waking up' from distraction, especially for those working with trauma. This experience can soften over time with practice, and strategies like focusing on the felt sense in the body, opening eyes, or taking deep breaths can help regulate the nervous system in the moment.
The practice is not about stopping thoughts or staying focused perfectly, but rather about the continuous process of noticing distraction and gently returning to the present moment. This 'wandering and coming back' is the core training, and it's okay for thoughts to be there without interference.
Instead of strict, separate meditation sessions, one can 'thread in' meditative principles throughout the day. This includes practicing the 'wandering and coming back' habit, incorporating self-compassion, and using movement like shaking, dancing, or walking meditation to work with restlessness.
41 Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Regular Social Contact
Systematize regular social contact with invigorating people you enjoy, as this has been shown to be a massive boost to mental health.
2. Cultivate Inner Sense of Belonging
Cultivate a sense of belonging and fittedness from within by engaging in practices that connect you to yourself, strangers, and the world, rather than solely seeking external validation.
3. Embrace Authenticity, Reduce Masking
Practice authenticity and self-expression by avoiding censoring yourself to align with perceived audience expectations or others’ opinions, which is a big part of the meditation party.
4. Overcome Self-Consciousness
Actively work on overcoming self-consciousness, as it limits what you feel capable of doing in all aspects of life, not just dancing.
5. Articulate Challenges for Perspective
Verbally articulate exactly how you are being challenged in the moment, as this is healing and takes you out of the experience to give you more perspective and agency.
6. Use Mindfulness for Self-Regulation
Bring mindfulness to support conditions like ADHD by pausing, observing what is actually happening, and returning to your breath to develop self-regulation.
7. Integrate Meditation into Daily Life
Thread meditative principles like ‘wandering and coming back’ or self-compassion into your daily activities without stopping, making meditation a continuous flow rather than a strict, separate practice.
8. Shake and Move to Release Restlessness
To manage restlessness or hyperactive energy, start by shaking your body, then progress to more fluid movement, dancing, animated yoga, tai chi, or walking.
9. Freestyle Focus Meditation for ADHD
For ADHD meditation, allow your mind to wander with a ‘freestyle focus,’ then gently bring it back, practicing this ‘wandering and coming back’ as a flexible, on-the-fly meditation habit.
10. Slow Dance with Restlessness
Engage in a ‘slow motion dance party’ by locating feelings of self-consciousness or restlessness and moving with them, as if slow dancing, to process and integrate them.
11. Return to Focus in Meditation
In meditation, accept that thoughts will arise; the practice is not about stopping them but about repeatedly noticing distraction and gently returning your attention, viewing it as a continuous process of ‘coming home.’
12. Allow Thoughts, Gently Return
Allow thoughts to be present without interference during meditation, and consistently return your focus, as this is the core training that everyone is in.
13. Observe Sensations During Panic
When experiencing intense emotions like panic, become aware of the physical sensations, rate their intensity (e.g., on a scale of 1-10), and observe them as they change, shifting into the ‘watcher’ mode to reduce feeling stuck.
14. Name Your Experience for Relief
Simply naming and acknowledging your current experience can provide immediate relief and perspective, especially when dealing with intense mental states.
15. Broaden Mindfulness to Whole Being
Broaden your mindfulness practice beyond just the mind to include your whole being; lean back and feel what’s happening in the moment to create a wider, less overwhelming perspective.
16. Return to Felt Sense Experience
When feeling overwhelmed or experiencing a ‘violent awakening’ from distraction, return to your felt sense experience by focusing on your body and remembering your presence, rather than trying to track every thought or emotion.
17. Track Experiences to Prevent Overwhelm
To prevent emotional overwhelm, especially when working with trauma, practice tracking experiences in your body and mind consistently.
18. Grounding Techniques for Overwhelm
When experiencing overwhelming ‘violent awakening’ during meditation, use grounding techniques such as opening your eyes, placing a hand on your body, deep breathing, lying down, or touching the ground to self-regulate.
19. Dance Soberly for Joy, No Self-Consciousness
Engage in sober dance parties or personal dancing without concern for how you look, embracing physical expression for joy and self-liberation.
20. Incorporate Spontaneous Daily Dance
Incorporate spontaneous dancing into your daily life, even in mundane settings like your living room or a subway platform, to express joy and liberate yourself.
21. Sing as Morning Contemplation
Re-engage with singing, using chants or songs as a morning meditation and contemplation to remember your true nature, purpose, and community.
22. Express Internally for Healing
Recognize that certain healing or awakening processes require external expression through singing and dancing, as some things cannot be resolved purely internally.
23. Cultivate Meaning with Diverse Practices
To cultivate a sense of meaning and wisdom, engage in an ’ecology of practices’ – a diverse set of activities and approaches that support your relationship with yourself and the world.
24. Seek Diagnosis for Neurodiversity Support
If you suspect a neurodiverse condition, seek a diagnosis to connect with best practices and supportive communities, which can be a significant step in understanding and managing your condition.
25. Enhance Meditation with Friends
Meditate with friends to enhance the experience and avoid it feeling like a solo struggle or ‘death march.’
26. Solicit Critical Feedback
Actively solicit critical and constructive feedback after offering anything, and pay attention to it, even if it feels outsized, to identify areas for improvement.
27. Balance Feedback Integration
Be aware that constantly adjusting to every criticism to include one person might alienate another group, suggesting a balance is needed to maintain integrity.
28. Don’t Dilute Your Message
Avoid over-integrating all feedback, especially outlier criticisms, to prevent diluting the core message or purpose of your work.
29. Avoid Epiphany Expectations
Avoid setting expectations or goals for ’epiphanies’ in meditation, as this can lead to frustration and hinder the practice.
30. Evaluate Substances for Heedlessness
When considering substances, evaluate whether they lead to ‘heedlessness’ (lack of mindfulness or care), as this is the key criterion from a Buddhist perspective.
31. Psychedelics Not Always Necessary
Understand that psychedelics are not necessary for healing or spiritual insight, as different approaches work for different individuals.
32. Healing Not Dependent on Psychedelics
Recognize that while psychedelics can offer benefits, they are not a mandatory path for healing, especially given current trends.
33. Integrate Psychedelic Insights with Meditation
If using psychedelics, ensure you have an integration plan or a meditation practice to help sustain and apply any insights gained, as breakthroughs without integration are less effective.
34. Approach Psychedelics with Caution
Approach psychedelics with caution and intelligence, recognizing the complexities and potential risks associated with their use, as many people are not doing it intelligently.
35. Plant Medicine for Life Transitions
Consider plant medicine ceremonies as potential ‘initiation experiences’ that can reveal new perspectives and facilitate significant life changes, such as career shifts.
36. Integrate Indigenous Healing Knowledge
Acknowledge the indigenous origins of plant medicines and consider how to respectfully and effectively integrate this ancient knowledge into contemporary healing practices.
37. Connect Beyond Self in Psychedelics
When engaging with psychedelics or similar practices, aim to connect with the larger world and external forces, rather than solely focusing on personal issues, to align with indigenous wisdom.
38. Dance as Meditation for Insights
Explore dancing as a form of meditation to achieve deep insights and connect with mind, body, and world, similar to insights gained on the cushion.
39. Watch Podcast Videos on YouTube
To access video content of the podcast, visit the 10% Happier YouTube channel, where a link will be provided in the show notes.
40. Attend Meditation Party Retreat
Attend the Meditation Party Retreat (in-person or via Zoom) in October at Omega to engage with the teachers and community; a link to sign up is in the show notes.
41. Get Licensed for Nature Meditations
If you love leading meditations in nature, consider getting the necessary licenses or certifications (e.g., hiking guide) to do so legally and safely.
5 Key Quotes
The real agenda here is to show you that meditation does not have to be a solo death march. It is vastly enhanced by having friends.
Dan Harris
My mind and body will always be predisposed to ADHD, but it is not the heart, the core of who I am. And actually, the more I only narrowly identify with that, the more I put a limit on myself that I don't need.
Jeff Warren
The act of articulating exactly how you're being challenged in the moment is healing. It takes you out of that experience of challenge and gives you more perspective.
Jeff Warren
You don't have to stop the thoughts. You really don't. You just need to get distracted and come back. That it's a process of always coming home. It's not a process of staying home.
Jeff Warren
There is not an indigenous tradition that doesn't include some form of movement and singing as part of the medicine, as part of meditation, as part of waking up. There's some things you just can't do internally. It has to be expressed.
Sebene Selassie
3 Protocols
Working with ADHD Restlessness in Meditation
Jeff Warren- Start by shaking your body: shake arms, fingers, whole body.
- Move into more fluid movement, like a dance party, animated yoga, or Tai Chi.
- Engage in walking or standing meditation.
- Try a 'slow motion dance party' by locating restless feelings and moving with them intentionally.
Regulating Emotional Overwhelm During Meditation
Sebene Selassie- Open your eyes if they were closed.
- Place your hand on your body.
- Take a deep inhale and exhale.
- Lie down or touch the ground to feel grounded.
Morning Meditation Chant
Sebene Selassie- Sing or chant the words: 'I remember, I remember, I remember, I remember who I am.'
- Allow the chant to wash over you as a contemplation.
- Use it to remember your true nature, divine self, purpose, and community.