Hey Null,

It is a truly awesome and inspiring thing to see you becoming so involved in therapy. It is the most important tool and the one that compliments all other healing tools to improve their effectiveness. A strong foundation in psychotherapy brings great healing on its own, and that foundation allows all the other healing experiences and tools to be as effective as possible in combating depression.

To heal from the trauma and depression you have experienced without pharmaceuticals is a remarkably brave and intense undertaking. It inspires me to read your posts and hear about all the different ways you have worked towards your healing. Regardless of wherever you currently are on your healing journey, it is obvious that you are an individual who possesses the strength, willingness, and hope that it takes to heal without pharmaceuticals. I've personally known many patients with depression and have studied the stories of countless others. You most certainly stand out as being a person who, without a doubt, has the capacity to get through this. The discovery you have made about the help you get by adding structure to your life is extremely important. This discovery is a defining quality among the people who have exceptional success in healing life-long depression.

It seems like you have keen a sense of understanding when psychedelics are a good tool to be actively using and when they are not needed. I hear you say that you haven't used psychedelics for a very long time due to poor set and setting. Consider that maybe you have avoided creating the appropriate set and setting for psychedelics in your life because on some level, you have known that these drugs are not meant to be part of your healing journey during this time. I think that those of us who use psychedelics for healing have a much keener sense of when we should use and when we should avoid psychedelics than we realize.

Psychedelics are extremely useful for one particular type of life challenge- this is big decision-making. Psychedelics come in very handy when we feel "stuck." Decisions that require great amounts of work and courage are so hard to make, especially when we are not completely sure that a decision is the right one at all. It sounds like you are doing a very good job at healing from your depression with the tools you have chosen to use right now. If you feel stuck, if you find your healing journey obstructed by the challenges of making a big decision, choosing a new path, or making difficult changes, I think psychedelics could be very useful to you. But until then, I hope you have faith and pride for the ways you have fought your depression without drugs. Therapy, groups, service, and other engagements are the things that will exercise your willingness, strengthen your commitment, and hone your skills that you will use moving forward on your healing journey.