The Anxiety Epidemic, Antidepressants, and CBD Part III Cannabis: the Essential Relief of Being Connected

By Susan Boskey

(This is the final of a three-part series: The Anxiety Epidemic.  Read Part I and Part II.)

“We are not humans having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” ~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Modern society is so far down the rabbit-hole that we can easily forget who we are. Anxiety sets in when we want to measure up to standards of “the good life,” as determined in large part by commercial interests. Advertising can override our natural intelligence and instead lead us to buy-in to what we think we must have or do to be happy.

Do we have the right clothes, beliefs, education, car, home, attitude, partner, cell phone, apps, job, political affiliation, hairstyle, social media friends, etc.? The list of must-haves and the anxiety over achieving them seems only to grow. It’s a zero-sum game.

A Sign of the Times

These days the image we project endears more social currency than our likely less-illustrious reality. Behind the façade of unaffected coolness anti-anxiety pharmaceuticals serve to mask the epidemic truth of emotional and mental anguish. Such performance charades may be politically correct and financially expedient but come at a high cost to the intangibles of human integrity, wellbeing and relationships.

Given that material splendor is held up as the ultimate, to-be envied cultural benchmark, the spike in anxiety is no big surprise. In my view, North America has surpassed the tipping point. Not unlike the Roman Empire, where greed and covetousness poisoned everything, we now also traverse the downside.

What goes up must come down.  

The good news? Whenever material success is understood for what it is – an empty shell in the grander scheme of things – something interesting happens. The focus can shift from prioritizing external image to tending to one’s inner substance and integrity.

One by one, we each become a building block towards the creation of a more honest culture: the Golden Rule replaces Zero Sum as the measure of success. But, make no mistake: this won’t happen from the top-down; rather only when enough of us, not motivated by power or money, figure it out and find a way to reclaim sanity in our communities.

This is where cannabis enters the equation.

No way am I referring to the recreational use of cannabis though neither do I judge it. CBD, and other cannabinoids administered in micro-doses, can have a profound and long-term effect in both reducing and healing anxiety with little to no side effects.

It’s a scientifically proven fact. Cannabinoids, (particularly CBD), can improve anxiety by increasing serotonin in the brain and also via neurogenesis, the production of new brain cells in the hippocampus. [1] [2] [3] Precise dosing for anxiety is on a case-by-case basis.

Perhaps equally, if not more, important is the potential spiritual impact of cannabis. Here’s how:

The filters and layers of protection through which we typically interact with others can fall away completely while a respite of inner connection remains. We are able to see and know things about our life that we may have hidden from ourselves; things that may lead us to adopt a more accepting view of a difficult situation. All this as therapeutic cannabis opens a window to recognizing oneself as a part of something greater.

Anti-anxiety pharmaceuticals are good for short-term immediate relief, only, in this writer’s opinion. Solving the personal issue of anxiety is something else altogether; it is not so much a medical problem as it is the territory of self-examination and the courage needed to get honest with ourselves.

Therapeutic cannabis is nature’s prescription for healing anxiety from the inside-out. As we turn our backs on and loosen the zombie-like grip of commerce over our thoughts and actions we can absolutely recover the health of our soul and redefine a life worth living.

It’s time to learn a new face to the whole world wide human race

Stop the money chase – lay back, relax and get back on the human track

Stop racing toward oblivion – oh, such a sad, sad state we’re in

      And that’s the thing – do you recognize the bells of truth when you hear them ring?

~Leon Russell, Stranger in a Strange Land

Susan is a 2018 graduate of the Holistic Cannabis Academy with over 45 years of personal involvement in the spectrum of wellness modalities. Her mission today is to intervene in the noise of modern life and help people identify and remove stressors that trigger their dis-ease while providing strategies towards a living experience of inner calmness, contentment and inspiration.

Her curiosity about life, and health in particular, fueled her determination to learn everything she could and help others. Susan’s private practice (in-person and on Zoom) is based on the paradigm of whole-person wellness, body, mind and soul, and includes addressing lifestyle issues. As a non-physician coach she enjoys the added flexibility of providing in-depth care plans for her clients. Visit her website: http://lifestylewellnessrx.com