(The PERMA framework for a fulfilling life)
Dr. Marty Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology, postulates that there are five “ingredients” to a truly fulfilling and happy life. He uses the acronym P.E.R.M.A. to help people remember them. They stand for Pleasure, Engagement (losing yourself in an activity), Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.
(Nootropic stacks for mood and mental focus)
There are two cognitive enhancers in the “racetam” class I especially like. One is called “Aniracetam,” and the other is called “Pramiracetam.” Aniracetam is shorter acting, but may be better at improving one’s mood, whereas Pramiracetam is longer acting, and more powerful when it comes to creating mental focus. You can buy both of these on many websites, including www.absorbyourhealth.com.
Also, a good guide to learn more about these supplements can be found on www.smarternootropics.com. Once there, click on the free “The Complete Guide to Nootropics.”
Taking a supplement called Phenibut (250 to 500 mg) can be a nice addition to Adrafinil.
Adrafinil is available for sale online, but don’t take it more than once or twice a week.
If you’re looking for one tablet that does it all, you might try Sulbutiamine. Sulbutiamine is a lipid soluble form of vitamin B-1 which can cross the blood brain barrier more easily.
About three times a week (tolerance builds quickly) I take two 200 mg pills of a Sulbutiamine supplement from Double Wood Supplements.
If you want to turbo-charge this vitamin for the brain even more, consider taking 750 mg Aniracetam with it, and/or 500 mg of CDP Choline—along with some food. Currently this is my favorite combination for feeling focused, motivated, and happy.
The website, http://ForrestHealth.com has a lot of the latest and greatest brain supplements. I would recommend Brain Vital and Brain Vibrant Supreme, but Phos Cal 900, or Energy 1 and Energy 2 sprays are also worth checking out.
you call the fine folks at TTA, or visit their website, they will go over the various effects of the Kratom products they sell. Perhaps my personal favorite is one called “Wooly Mammoth.” It leads to a mild, relaxing euphoria that can last for several hours. It’s important to know that you don’t want to mix Kratom with alcohol. I don’t know why, but everyone always says that. You’ve been warned.
According to their website, www.Gabatrol.com, “Gabatrol optimizes brain function in several ways. One such way is via GABA, a naturally occurring amino acid found in food, but which is also a potent neurotransmitter in the brain.
Recently, a friend of mine turned me on to a bottle of something called “Mood Shine.” If you’d like to avoid alcohol, but you like feeling a bit tipsy, this concoction can be your thing. It’s a mixture of Kratom with some other nifty herbs, and it left me feeling happy, euphoric, and no noticeable hangover the next day.
Last, but not least, if tinctures are your thing, you can find a whole lot of them at www.harmonyherbals.net. If you’re looking to chill, I can recommend their “Joy,” and their “Damiana” blends.
Since I have some extra money and I like to explore, I’ve tried all these products and found the ones that I like the most.
Uptime: As I mentioned, this nifty pill is effective, healthy, and can pack a wallop. It has some caffeine in it, but it mitigates the tendency for a caffeine crash by putting the caffeine in a healthy blend of vitamins, algae, wheat grass, and alfalfa leaf. In addition, on www.Up-time.com, you can also order a maximum energy blend and various energy drinks. My body likes this stuff.
Energy Now Ginseng: These pills get incredibly rave reviews, and for good reason.
Ultra Energy Plus: This product is a bit different than most energy pills. It does not supply a “rush” of energy. It contains no caffeine, guarana, or other caffeine like stimulants. Rather, on its website, www.RainbowLight.com, this product is described as providing
“Noostax Capsules.” After filling out their brief online questionnaire, webnutrients.com sends you tubes filled with five custom made capsules geared towards creating the exact effect you’re looking for.
recommend getting it at www.TwistedThistleApothecary.com, where their Chocamine powder is made up of a 25x extract of cacao.
(Energy supplements and knowing what works for your body)
It takes time and some money to experiment with all the possibilities here. Yet, once you find the products you like, you’ll find that you’re both more productive and happier. By having several energy boosters that work for you, you can avoid the problem of diminishing returns and taxing your body in unhealthy ways. The result is something akin to a superpower—an ability to be at your best consistently, day in and day out.
Checking “under the hood” to see what’s going on there by taking neuroscreening tests is a good place to start.
(Biohacking consciousness with microdosing and brainwave tech)
The idea intrigued me. According to the reports of people he interviewed, virtually everyone who ingested about 10 micrograms of LSD (about 1/15th of a normal dose) found it to be very enjoyable. In addition, the people he interviewed commonly reported that it was also helpful for spiritual learning and even made them more effective in their job and their relationships. Furthermore, no one reported any negative side effects from such experiences, even if they were taking it two or three times a week.
At a talk I did at Google in 2014, titled “The Future of Happiness,” I discussed various futuristic ways technology will impact our search for happiness. You can find that talk at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2WC00LvGAo., or better yet, type in “Jonathan Robinson + Google talk” in the search bar and it will come up. Anyway, although that talk was just 18 months ago, some of the “science fiction” methods I presented have
Thync has only been out a few months. The company has energetically pursued feedback as to what seems to work well for people, and what does not. They
The Emwave Pro and Emwave 2 even have games you can “play” to increase your ability to quickly enter a heart-centered state of mind and body.
The Heartmath technologies are all based on measuring something called Heart Rate Variability, or HRV for short. All their products use a small sensor
(HeartMath and the quick coherence technique)
teach the Quick Coherence technique in many of my seminars, and people love it. In as little as 60 seconds, you can go from stressed-out to joyed out, or if you prefer—from pissed to joy.
who love a dog will understand this method more than those who don’t!). Anyway, such a remembrance never fails to open my heart and calm my mind. Although the Heartmath products are helpful for increasing your level of heart coherence, you can practice the Quick Coherence technique simply on your own without their gadgets. However,
difficulty until you can achieve a high state of coherence rather quickly and easily. Heartmath’s HRV measuring products start at $129, and go up from there.
Any game that can get you dancing, moving, or enjoying music more is likely to make you happy. An additional advantage to these games is the fact that they can often be shared with your friends and family.
She states, “Games make us happy because they are hard work that we choose for ourselves, and it turns out that almost nothing makes us happier than good hard work.” Ms. McGonigal describes in her book how video games can be used for everything from fixing real-world social problems like depression, to helping global issues like climate change.
But my friend persisted, and soon I tried a CD. It was clear that the binaural beats of this CD were playing with my brainwaves—big time. In fact, they had scientific evidence that the various sounds on their CDs could affect brainwave patterns by a process known as “brain wave entrainment.”
A direct competitor to Holosync is a company called Life Flow (project-meditation.com). Life Flow is a lot less expensive than Holosync, but also has less customer support. In addition, most people say Life Flow is not as impactful as Holosync, but if you’d like to avoid having a lot of old issues come up for you, that can be a good thing.
I find that I mostly listen to Iawake stuff—partly because I like the variety they offer. They have programs ranging from leading you into profound states of meditation to programs for a quick energy burst.
However, if you consistently invest an hour a day to their use, you’ll likely experience an inner journey through various levels of your mind and psychology.
Lester spearheaded, you can find out more information at www.Sedona.com. I can heartily recommend their courses.
(A guided release practice for letting go of negative emotions)
Once you’re in a comfortable place where you won’t be interrupted, listen to your recording of the following words read very slowly. The words in parentheses are not meant to be read into your smartphone. They are simply to help explain what I’ve written and/or to help you with the pacing of your speech. Read these words into your smartphone: Allow yourself to notice or remember any uncomfortable situation that has left you feeling stressed in any way. Normally, we resist or distract ourselves from our negative emotions. Instead, welcome whatever your current experience is. (Pause for about 10 seconds). Take time to welcome or appreciate your bodily feelings, like you would welcome or appreciate an old friend. (Pause for a few seconds) Become curious as to where and how such thoughts or feelings actually feel in your body right at this moment. (Pause). If you notice you’re still resisting your experience, welcome the resistance—the way you would a small child—with open arms and a smile. (Pause). Allow your current experience to be there—exactly as it is. (Pause). Once you’ve fully welcomed or allowed your experience to be as it is, ask yourself, “Has this uncomfortable feeling resulted from my wanting Control, or Approval, or Safety, or my wanting to feel more Separate—such as wanting to be right or put others down?” (Pause). Take note of which desire feels the strongest in you. Once you’re clear on what desire—control, approval, safety, or separation—you have most wanted in this situation, ask yourself, “Could I let go of grasping after that desire (control, approval, safety/security, or separation) just for the next 20 seconds?”(Pause). Realize it is your feeling of “wanting” or lack that creates your suffering, and resolve to let that feeling of lack go. (Pause). Take a deep breath and allow yourself to let go of craving or needing whatever you felt you were needing—just for now. It may help to yawn, shake, let your jaw hang loose, or make loud sighing sounds as you attempt to let go of being constricted in your body and emotions. (Pause). Now ask yourself, “Could I let go some more? (pause) Could I realize these feelings are just the result of a story I got running in my head? Could I choose to let go of my story just for right now and feel the stillness underneath?” (Pause) Now feel where you felt the uncomfortable emotions—such as in your chest or stomach area—and imagine opening up a window there and letting the energy and feeling pass through you—dispersing into the air or down into the Earth. Once again take a deep breath and either yawn, shake, sigh, or whatever feels right to do to let go of the stuck energy in your body. (Pause) With each breath you exhale, allow the feelings to disperse even more. Feel the spaciousness inside of you. (Pause). Ask yourself, “Could I let go of trying to figure out how to handle this situation, and instead surrender this problem to Beingness? Could I realize I don’t know how this whole thing turns out,…
first, this may take 5 to 7 minutes to do, but you can eventually learn to let go of small upsets in under a minute.
unwanted feelings helped me to feel safe to truly feel my feelings—rather than distract myself from them. That made…
(Three good things and the science of gratitude habits)
One of the most effective ever studied is called Three Good Things.
it for only one week has been shown to increase your level of happiness by up to 25% six months later. Now
The Three Good Things method Dr. Seligman came up with has three simple parts. The first part is to think of something that happened to you during your day that you felt was good, or in some way made you happy. It can be a little thing such as your appreciation of the day’s weather, a nice conversation, or even the yummy sandwich you had for lunch. Step two is to simply write down in a journal or on a piece of paper what it was that made you feel good. Step three, which Dr. Seligman emphasizes is the most important part of this exercise, is to reflect on your role in creating that moment of goodness or happiness. That’s it.
Doing these three steps should really take less than a minute or so to complete. Then you repeat this exercise two more times so you have a total of three good things you’ve written down, each time asking yourself, “Why did that good thing happen to me today?”
(Kindness as the single most effective happiness booster)
According to research, the number one proven way to boost your own happiness level is to perform an act of kindness for a stranger or a friend. Kindness is clearly a powerful tool.
Me: Yes, that’s the way to really get a sense of this. If you do two nice things for people around you every day for a week, you get hooked on it—because kindness is like chocolate. It’s addictive. And when you learn that it really works to make your life more joyous, then you keep it going…
Yet, the possibilities are endless. Some of my favorite acts of kindness include giving a shoulder massage or empathy to a friend, telling someone what I appreciate about them, or sending someone an emailed article on a subject I know they are interested in. It’s fun to come up with new and spontaneous ways to be kind to the people you interact with—whether that be your mate, your kids, or the cashier at the grocery store.
Chapter 20: Tapping Towards Emotional Freedom The Emotional Freedom Technique, better known as EFT or “Tapping,” is a method for quickly letting go of negative emotions. In case you don’t know what it is, I’ll briefly describe it, and tell you my personal experience with it. EFT has grown quickly in popularity because it can be done on oneself, and because it can sometimes help people overcome deep-seated psychological issues in a matter of minutes. If after my description you would like to learn more, you can learn how to do the method, step by step (for free) at www.emofree.com.
(Deep-connection questions for intimate conversation)
The Questions: (take turns answering each one). 1. When are you the happiest? 2. What is your greatest strength? 3. What is your greatest weakness? 4. What was the most difficult time in your life? 5. What is extremely important to you? 6. When do you feel most affectionate?
- What are you avoiding right now? 8. What helps you to feel really loved? 9. What is the thing you most regret having done? 10. How do you think I see you? 11. What is your heart longing for? 12. What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment? 13. What was your first impression of me? 14. What do you like best about me? 15. What kind of person have you dreamed of becoming?
The Gratitude Visit involves three basic steps: First, think of someone who has done something important and wonderful for you, yet who has not been properly thanked. Next, reflect on the benefits you received from this person, and write a letter expressing your gratitude for all he or she did for you. Finally, arrange to deliver the letter personally, and spend some time with this person talking about what you wrote.
- Happify: Happify is a major player in the field of “happy apps.” It has a lot of games and activities, and a lot of “tracks” you can do to improve your happiness level. In addition, for $5 a month for a year, you get access to a lot more tracking, games, and activities on both your mobile device and computer.
A smart alarm is simply an alarm that aims to wake you up while you are in a lighter stage of sleep. In the app, you select a 30 minute “window” as to when you’d like to wake up. Then the app decides (based on your movements)
(EMF protection, light therapy, and environmental wellness tools)
place my drinking water on these pieces of organite and then drink from those glasses throughout the day. The effect is subtle, but the water both tastes better and seems to nourish me in a deeper way.
used as water enhancers, organite is sometimes fashioned into pendants or pyramids to help people with EMF radiation–or to just feel better. If you type in “Organite” into Google, you’ll see a lot of websites where you can buy organite for very little money.
EMF’s and energetic “shielding.” I used to think that people who claimed they were feeling electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) were on a par with the people who said they were abducted by aliens. Yet, a friend of mine who is sensitive to these fields proved that I was mistaken. She could consistently tell me if my smartphone or Wi-Fi router were turned on or not. When they were on, she felt weak. When they were turned off, she felt fine.
You can try to avoid Wi-Fi whenever possible by using an Ethernet cable. In addition, you can buy various gadgets that can help. These gadgets range in price from about $3 to about $3000. As with all unregulated health gadgets, you need to be careful that you’re not just throwing away your money. A good web site to learn more is: www.electricsense.com.
A second way to easily avoid EMF waves is to put a laptop “radiation screen” on your laptop. You can buy one of these for about $75, and if you suspect that your laptop is making you sick and tired (instead of your work), then this can be a good investment. The “HARApad Elite 2.0” gets good reviews. You can buy it and/or read its technical reviews (along with the reviews of many other good products) at www.lessemf.com.
Two other products worth mentioning are the Aires shield, which will only run you about $50 at www.toolsforwellness.com. (Click on EMF protection to see a full list of products).
For somewhere between $40 and $150 bucks, you can get a “Lightbox” online. The research on the effectiveness of Lightboxes is actually quite impressive.
To get a sense of how “Light therapy” may be of help to you, I can offer you a four minute video on YouTube that can give you a taste. Here is the URL you can find it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzuAXLF6Hbw
According to their web site, www:ToolsToAwaken.com, “ SolTec technology consists of amplified layered music played through transducers that generate music and vibration in addition to synchronized electromagnetic fields.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the chair only costs $3200 plus shipping. While not cheap, that’s not bad for a chair that induces deep physical and even spiritual experiences. I have an office chair that I paid $1500 for, and although it’s quite comfy, it has never induced a spiritual experience in me. In addition to the $3200 SolTec Chaise, Dr. Cohen is now working on an even more powerful (and more expensive) version.
Chapter 36: Foot and Hand Massaging Recently, a friend asked me to name my top ten ways of finding joy. It’s an interesting exercise to do—both for yourself and your loved ones. I was surprised to realize that hand and foot massage made my top ten list. It also made my wife’s top ten list, which is probably why most nights we trade hand and foot massages while we talk about our days.
If money is no object, then treat yourself to the Human Touch Modern Reflex 2 Calf and Foot Massager. At about $260 bucks, it does a nice job. Some people say it’s the next best thing to skin-to-skin contact. If money is tight, you can do no wrong with buying a HoMedics FMS-200H Shiatsu Elite Foot Massager for about $50.
I used to live at a house that had its own float tank—so I have a lot of experience with them. They take a little getting used to, but once you learn to relax into the environment (or lack thereof), you’re free to examine your mind in a new way. After all, there are no visuals, sound, or sensations, so what you’re left with is your inner dialogue—or perhaps a glimpse of the peace within. Whenever I would use the “tank,” I would come out feeling relaxed and refreshed, as well as humbled by how active my mind usually is.
In Silicon Valley and other high stress places, many people use tanks as a way to unplug from the world of stimulation and tap into their creative brain. People usually love them or hate them, and you never know which category you’ll fall into until you try it.
I used to think of aromatherapy was one of those things “new age” people do when they’re not busy talking to angels. It just seemed a bit too woo-woo for me. Then a friend of mine gave me some essential oils as a gift.
Our olfactory sense is very primal. If you stimulate it in just the right way, it can make you feel wonderful and help you remember great memories from the past. Obviously, the perfume industry knows that the right scent can lead to attraction and sexual desire, and the same is true for certain essential oils too.
Although I am no aromatherapy expert, I’ve found the “Doterra” product line to be of top-notch quality. I have especially enjoyed their “Breathe” and “Wild Orange” mixtures, but also like “Balance,” “YlangYlang,” and “Lime.”
Each morning when I take a shower, I put a half drop of Doterra’s “Breathe” or Olbas Oil (a combination of eucalyptus and peppermint oil) in each nostril. Then I take some deep breaths. The combination of the oil and the water of the shower enlivens me and makes me more awake. I use it instead of a cup of coffee. Olbas Oil is available in a lot of health food stores, and sometimes even at CVS.
Whenever possible, I try to review products that cost under $300. Yet here I will make an exception. I’ve owned a far infrared sauna for about five years. Typically they cost between $1000 and $3000. Occasionally, you can also find them in gyms and health clubs. If you don’t want to spend that kind of money, you can also get some of the benefits of far infrared by buying a far infrared heating pad. Depending on size, these can cost between $90 and $500. You can find a variety of these products at www.toolsforwellness.com. Once on their site, click on “Pain Relief and General Health” to find a list of the infrared heating pads. If you have questions, the folks at Tools For Wellness are very helpful in answering your questions.
(Ecstatic and 5Rhythms dance as embodied joy practices)
Ecstatic Dance is the easiest. According to the website ecstaticdance.org, there are only three things you need to know in order to do ecstatic dance: 1) Move however you wish. 2) No talking on the dance floor. 3) Respect yourself and one another. Depending upon what city you are in, Ecstatic Dance groups often charge between $10 and $20 to enter the dance hall. The music varies depending on the DJ, but it often has an electronic or techno feel to it. You can find a list of cities and times where ecstatic dancers gather at their web site. If you would like to try dancing with no structure whatsoever, this is the place for you. Although dancing with another person is allowed, usually Ecstatic Dance involves simply dancing and moving your body on your own.
As with Ecstatic Dance, 5Rhythms dance gatherings usually occur in a big room with a DJ. The cost varies, but $10 to $20 is pretty common. To find a class in your area, simply go to the 5Rhythms.com website and click on “Find a class” in the navigation bar. You can also Google “Five Rhythms + (your city)”
you’re cheap and lazy like me, you can create your own Five Rhythms playlist by Googling “5 rhythms music playlist”. You’ll find some websites that offer complete playlists for free. Just play the music and dance on your own or with a couple of friends. Of course, this isn’t nearly as good as dancing with a room full of people and a great sound system, but at least the price is right.
1.Tongkat Ali: This root has long been used as an aphrodisiac and remedy for age-related sexual disorders. According to Dr. Edward Group, “The root contains compounds that have repeatedly been shown in animal studies to stimulate
According to Mikey Siegel, a roboticist turned “consciousness hacker,” technology will someday help awaken humanity to its deeper transcendental potential. What might that look like? It may look like more people tapping into the “heaven within” while under the influence of a gadget or healthy supplement.