Cannabis, Grief and "Easement"

Music by Max Cooper- HOPE- Art by Thomas Vanz

Salutations~

I have been writing less lately, as I had been caring for my convalescent old cat Shonen during his twilight days and it had been taking up a lot of my energy / emotional wherewithal.  It has been a very difficult time for me, but thankfully everything aligned where he was able to meet his end with dignity and comfort with loving family by his side.

It is so hard.  I am sad and don't want to turn this into a memorial piece, but I'd like to speak about my own relationship with grief and cannabis.

We all process grief in similar, yet uniquely particular ways. When we experience profound personal loss, we can feel that our world has been shaken to its very core, normal routines disrupted and behaviors altered by the gnawing pain of bereavement.

Mourning deeply can cause intense and acute periods of depression, anxiety, anger or any number of emotional manifestations.  Some people cope with these feelings by talking with their loved ones, spiritual / community leaders, while others might drown their sorrows in work, exercise or substance abuse.   How does cannabis factor in?

As described by the late Dr. Tod Mikuriya, medical cannabis pioneer, in regards to cannabis therapy for patients with chronic medical conditions;

"It permits one to accept and own one's source of discomfiture, which in a way is therapeutic, because with so many different kinds of conditions, the discomfort, the pain triggers a train of thinking where the source of discomfort takes on a life of its own, and becomes larger than life, dominating ones awareness and consciousness.This then drives the obsessional thinking and worsening of the perceived pain.

"Well this is what Cannabis interdicts beautifully. This is why I describe Cannabis as an "easement." It doesn't suppress anything, it doesn't numb. In the usual sense it's not a narcotic. It enhances a certain kind of perception and permits a certain alteration in the relationship within the individual in dealing with the source of chronic pain."

I personally believe this pertains to the healing process with grief as well.   Mourning is sadly something that may take the rest of our lives and it is something we have to work through, rather than bandage over.

Cannabis doesn't numb the pain like alcohol, or anti-depressants.  It opens the aperture on our inner minds lens and allows a little more light in, pulling the optics back to where we are less hyper-focused on the loss, perhaps offering perspective about the "bigger picture".  Providing a bit of a psychological breathing room, if only for a brief window, is invaluable in times of despair. 

It is in this short time of "easement" that we should allow ourselves some space to heal, to cry and feel whatever it is that we are feeling. To escape the tunnel vision, the body-locking sadness for a moment- to reach out to your best mate, a health care professional or even your bud tender, to TALK about loss and release some of the pressure in a healthy way.  

Open the shuttered windows and watch the shadows scatter.  

I can only speak to my personal experiences in life- but I find that cannabis can help families and friends find closure, by helping individuals open up and share positive ( or negative ) memories, to help reconcile the past, while keeping the Spirit alive for the future.

                                            Don't entomb yourself with their memory.

Grief is natural and inevitable.  Feel encouraged to reach out to the people around you; to share a bowl, a bottle of wine, or a pot of tea- chances are they are needing to connect with you too. Or if those people aren't available, try some of the amazing ( and free! )  Grief Support networks online or in your community.

Having the comfort to talk about serious issues like death, loss and depression takes some of the darkness away from those spectral topics and therapeutic cannabis helps me facilitate a space for those discussions to happen.  By no means will cannabis fix your broken heart, but it might help you realize, you are healing more than your realize and that this too, shall pass.

R.I.P. Shonen "The knife" Cordova - 2003- Aug 17 2019 
....It was a grand adventure, wasn't it? Love ya forever and ever buddy

*There are dangers associated with cannabis use and mental health. Increased rates of psychosis, schizophrenia and amotivation being risks that should not be ignored. I don't endorse the use of cannabis unless indicated by a doctor. The potential for abuse is very real, especially while in times of emotional upheaval. Self moderation is extremely important, use sparingly to give yourself space to process everything.