Lesson 608: The Mechanism of Psychoactive Substances and Mood Fluctuations
Duration:75 minutes
Topic Introduction (Overview):
Many people believe that "emotions are just psychological problems," but when psychoactive substances are involved, emotions are often a direct echo of changes in brain chemistry. This lesson will guide you to understand how substances such as alcohol, nicotine, sedatives, and stimulants act on systems like dopamine, GABA, and glutamate, creating an emotional rollercoaster of "just moments ago feeling great, and now plummeting." You will see that the brain doesn't lose control for no reason, but rather constantly adapts to external chemical signals.
We will not encourage you to immediately stop using any medication. Instead, we will help you first clarify: Which mood swings are highly correlated with substance use? Which belong to pre-existing emotional patterns? Through drawing, journaling, and body awareness exercises, you will learn to distinguish between "emotions amplified by substances" and "true inner needs." This will lay the foundation for discussing treatment plans with your doctor and adjusting your lifestyle. Under safe conditions, you will gradually shift from being driven by emotions to more conscious observation and choice.
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▲ AI Interaction: Seeing the Emotional Waves of "Material Amplification"
Please recall recent emotional changes you experienced in the following situations: after using alcohol, nicotine, sleeping pills, painkillers, or energy drinks, or during the days when their effects wore off and you were not consuming them. Please describe this to the AI:
① Use the before, during, and after mood curves (e.g., "relaxed first, then irritable and empty").
② The most obvious physical changes (heart rate, breathing, mental clarity, fatigue);
③ The most confusing fluctuation pattern for you, such as "I feel really down even though nothing has happened".
AI will help you:
① Identify which of these might be "chemical emotions" influenced by psychoactive substances;
② Provide one or two safer observation methods instead of immediately blaming yourself or forcibly discontinuing them;
③ Provide a brief description template that you can give to the doctor to facilitate future communication.
○ Observing the Tide of Emotional Waves: Musical Guidance
Choose an instrumental piece with distinct ups and downs, but not overly stimulating. The rhythm can be varied, but it shouldn't be too noisy.
Close your eyes and imagine the changes in the intensity of the music as the emotional waves you experience under the influence of material things: at the peak, your chest feels full, and at the trough, your whole body feels empty.
Silently mark in your mind: when the music gets louder, silently say "this is an amplified emotion"; when the music gets softer, silently say "this is the void left after the chemical recedes".
Experience for yourself: you are not the emotion itself, but someone observing the ebb and flow of the tide from the shore.
Aromatherapy Drink: Rosemary & Citrus Refreshing and Balancing Drink
Recommended reasons:Rosemary is often regarded as the "herb of clear memory." Paired with the delicate fragrance of citrus peel, it helps to support a slight sense of clarity and stability when the body is feeling sluggish. It is not a strong stimulus, but a gentle "re-energization."
practice:Steep a small amount of dried rosemary and a small piece of orange or lemon peel in hot water for about 5–7 minutes. You can sip this slowly when you're preparing to record your medication and mood logs, or when you want to gently pull yourself back from a state of numbness. Please note: This is not a medicine, but simply a gentle environment to provide clearer inner observation.
○ French Natural Diet: Provençal Herbs, Vegetables, and Chickpea Bowl
In the French naturopathic diet, meals rich in plant protein and fiber are often used to stabilize blood sugar and energy levels, thereby reducing drastic mood swings caused by hunger and sudden blood sugar fluctuations. A diet primarily consisting of chickpeas, combined with Provençal herbs and vegetables (such as tomatoes, onions, and zucchini) tossed in olive oil, allows for a slower and more sustained release of energy.
For people who are prone to sudden mood swings before and after using substances, this meal is like telling the body, "I'm no longer chasing instant stimulation, but giving you patient support." It's not meant to "treat," but to help you observe your emotional mechanisms without causing your body extra suffering from fluctuating energy.
○ Chinese Calligraphy (Seal Script) · “Observe emotions like the tide, but do not be swayed by them.”
Practice sentences:
Observe emotions like the tide, but do not be swayed by them.
Key points to note:
- The lines in seal script should be even, thin, and continuous, like a continuously extending line that connects the "waves of emotion" into a viewable whole, rather than fragmented pieces.
- “The structure of the character ”观“ is slightly elongated to emphasize the attitude of ”standing back and looking” rather than immediately plunging into the peaks and troughs of the waves.
- “The phrase "like a tide" can be broadened slightly to symbolize the ebb and flow of emotions, which is a natural phenomenon rather than a personal failure.
- “The phrase "not drifting with the tide" should be written with composure, especially the words "drift" and "float" should be written with restrained strokes, reminding myself that even if the chemical signals fluctuate, I can still practice maintaining a stable point of view.
Mental Healing: Mental Mandala Imagery 12
Please draw a group of circles radiating outwards on a piece of paper: the innermost circle uses a bright, glaring color to symbolize the instantaneous excitement brought about by material stimulation; the outermost circle uses a slightly darker color to represent the fatigue and loss that follow; and the outermost circle uses a soft and neutral color to symbolize the awareness position you are practicing.
A mandala is not about drawing something, but about observing—observing how the colors change in concentric circles, observing how you gradually retreat from the center of being drawn in to a more stable ring. You don't need to rush to delete any circle; simply acknowledge in your observation that there is bodily chemistry, past experiences, and your budding right to choose within it.
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Lesson 608: Drawing Guidance Suggestions for "Emotional Fluctuations and Material Curves"
Purpose:It concretizes the "invisible chemical fluctuations," allowing you to see the general relationship between emotions and matter on paper, rather than being left with only chaotic self-blame.
step:
① Draw a horizontal axis at the bottom of the paper to represent time: you can label it as "before ingestion", "during use", "dampness period", "the next day".
② Draw a vertical axis on the left to represent emotional energy, from "extremely low" to "overly excited".
③ Use a brightly colored line to depict a typical emotional curve of you under the influence of material things: Where is the peak? Where is the trough? How sudden is the change?
④ Use a softer line to draw a baseline of your emotional state when you have no material possessions. Don't aim for precision, just give yourself a point of reference for comparison.
⑤ Write a sentence in the blank space of the diagram:“"This line is not my whole story, but just a mechanism that is happening within me."” If you wish, you can mark a few issues you want to discuss with your doctor or therapist.
Please log in before submitting your drawings and feelings.
○ 608. Log Guidance
① In the past week, at what points did I use alcohol, nicotine, sleeping pills, painkillers, or other psychoactive substances? Please briefly list the times and circumstances.
② What were my emotional states before, during, and after using these products? Which emotional fluctuation left the deepest impression on me?
③ If I were to view these fluctuations as "chemical emotions," my first reaction would usually be: to blame myself, to become more dependent on substances, or to try to observe them?
④ What small thing can I try to do today: record a clearer emotional curve, postpone the use of the product, or pay more attention to the signals my body sends?
⑤ Write a sentence:I'm learning to distinguish between chemical fluctuations and genuine inner needs, instead of blaming all my emotions on myself.
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When you understand the mechanism of psychoactive substances and emotional fluctuations, emotions are no longer just "I failed again," but can become a curve that is understood, recorded, and gradually corrected.
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