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This is where I post short articles about things that I discover.

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Road ahead
Credit: Midjourney




Origins of IFS in the bicameral mind

This article was published in PARTS & SELF magazine and is reprinted here verbatim.

Richard Schwartz derived the Internal Family Systems (IFS) method through clinical experience. While many reports of positive outcomes attest to the method’s validity, IFS is seen by some as a somewhat separate and niche approach within the broader field of psychology. One way of placing IFS in a historical context is to look for theories of psychological evolution that hinge on the differentiation of Parts from a mono-mind. The Bicameral Mind Theory, advanced by Julian Jaynes, is one such theory. This controversial and unconventional theory is outlined in his book “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind” (published in 1976).

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The frosty methods of the multi-million dollar company behind Wim Hof

Original in de Volkskrant published 21 Oct 2023

By Anneke Stoffelen

A message from ‘ice man’ Wim Hof, this spring on Instagram: ‘Don’t worry about your fears. Embrace them!’ In the video you see the 64-year-old wellness guru stepping into an apparently icy lake in front of a brown rock. His gray hair drips in wet strands over his shoulders. “The fear of cold is logical,” says Wim Hof’s voice in the voiceover, while on screen he blows out short bursts of air above the water surface. “But if you do the breathing first, you will see that the fear disappears.”

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Jackson County Commissioners: Does Measure 110 have any benefits?

Law

I submitted more testimony in reference to the letter CALL FOR THE REPEAL OF THE PROVISIONS ENACTED PURSUANT TO OREGON BALLOT MEASURE 110 (2020) order 192-23.1

Specifically, I read from Eight Moms, One House, and a Road Map Out of Drug Addiction.

Also see my testimony from Aug 2023 and last week.


  1. Commissioners Proclaim Jackson County’s Call for the Repeal of the Provisions Enacted Pursuant to Oregon Ballot Measure 110 (2020) https://jacksoncountyor.gov/news_detail_T10_R56.php ↩︎

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Psilomethoxin, My Case Report (Addendum #2)

Purely based on subjective experience, I estimate the pharmacodynamics as:

pm <- function(x) 7.5*dchisq(4*(x-.5), 6)

The x axis is hours and the y axis is scaled so that 1 = a capsule of dried Pm mushroom powder.

pd

plot(function(x) pm(x), 0,6, xlab="hours",ylab="capsules")

Using this function, you can estimate the effect of multiple capsules taken at different times. For example, suppose you take 2 at 10am, 1 at 10:45am, 1 at 11:15am, and 1 at 11:45am. If you space out 5 capsules like this then the peak is only about 3.5 capsules worth at 1pm:

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Jackson County Commissioners: Rescind Letter Calling for Repeal of Measure 110

Law

On Sep 27, Oregon Public Broadcasting published an article, “Study says drug decriminalization in Oregon did not cause more overdose deaths”1

Three years after Oregon voters elected to decriminalize drugs, a new study has concluded that the first-in-the-nation law has not led to increased drug use or drug overdoses. The conclusion counters an increasingly common narrative that Oregon’s drug problem is unique in the country — and that decriminalization is to blame.

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Why I loath the Southeastern United States

I spent about a decade in the Southeast. I lived in Charlottesville, VA from 2011 to 2017 and in Richmond, VA from 2017 to 2021. Although I identify as one of the most privileged demographics, a white heterosexual man, I suffered from the racism of the Southeast. There is a subtle vibe of cruelty that taints everything from wealthy suburbs to the decaying downtown. I am so glad to leave that place.

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