A discussion where people can share (or not) information about medications and noticeable effects with regards to their Occult Practice. Not an endorsement of specific medication and information talking about side effects that affect their practice should use generic names to reduce legal exposure. You should state that this is your own opinion and experiences.
If you don't want to share that you're on or was on medications, then state it as things you noticed from a friend. Some of us have friends on medication or that have psychological conditions that are treated. This is a space for that.
This is NOT medical advice and all of it requires being seen and treated by a qualified physician in your area's health care system. There is no substitute for seeing a qualified mental health practitioner with the credentials and certification to help you make your choices.
My advice is not ordering off of the Dark Web or similar. You want to know what your getting with a guarantee of dosage and purity. You've been warned/advised. See you physician (doctor) for both diagnosis and medication. I also encourage therapy to help with the underlying issues. (I did this for years after Iraq and do right now due to specific stressors I expect to be gone in 6 months).
I was on medication after my experiences as an Infantryman in Iraq. I was having adjustment issues and sought medical help through the VA to get appropriate treatment. This was both medication (as a tool) and behavior based through multi-weekly sessions.
This is a quality of Life issue. We've all already survived what we've been through. No need to suffer continuously as a "badge of honor". I also want to make it clear that when these acute, temporary stressors are gone, the medication will be medically tapered off. it's a tool, not a fix and when approached as such, it is more effective.
I can say that my experiences are different from other male family members - including my Father. Medications that worked for those members don't work for me and medications that have worked for me haven't worked for some siblings. It can be frustrating to get the right medication at the right dosage, for sure.
I used medicine for both focus and stress reduction after Iraq. I recently got more medications for anxiety - which I should've been treated for in the past. Some of my old mix from 2004-2005 is in the mix (1). I typically use Buproprion for focus and this focus is helpful for waiting out momentary anxiety issues. It can aggravate anxiety, but can also provide the focus to distract oneself from the anxiety.
But this thread is about the Occult.
To be honest, I cannot speak to learning all Occult skills while on medication. I can speak to skills being used on it and those 20 years ago that "cut me off from feeling Nature".
The point isn't to bash medication. Heavy anti-psychotics can dampen many skills and extra-cognitive functions. I noticed this when one was prescribed for sleep. It was like a lead blanket came over me when it kicked in. The generic name for that is Quetiapine. There were no dreams, but also no nightmares, and no waking up by launching up from the bed to defend oneself. And I experienced grogginess and disorientation upon waking.
Anxiety is a troubling thing. Sometimes there are triggers, sometimes there aren't - with an aura of physical and psychological combinations that elevate behind the scenes. I've had two successful approaches with this. The first is a medication for focus (to treat the ADD and same manifestation from PTSD). The second is a medication to create a distance from the anxiety itself.
This results in a distance from the physical reactions to anxiety, while giving the mind some space to process and not react as much. As I don't deal in controlled or illegal substances, I have experience with Sertaline. For those using it, it can have a sort of off-balance effect during the adjustment period, but it hasn't affected my ability to talk with or understand spirits. I can blunt harsher, immediate emotions, but that's a hallmark of my practice to begin with. Skill should overcome that and I can help provide insight and potentially a path, depending on the practitioner.
Sleep is one of the most critical pieces of mental health. One of the first things they try to treat with War vets is establishing sleep. That was true 20 years ago and true now. The rest can fall apart. The issue here is with those whom dreamwork are the primary mechanism of their practice. I was once on the Quetiapine for sleep. I was also on Doxepin - which I didn't care for immediately. Now, I'm on Trazedone.
I used diphenhydramine for years for sleep and allergies (I'm allergic to cats and have 3). But there is a dementia risk for it - just it exists for my alternate doxylamine succinate. That's a shame. I like both and they are in numerous sleep medication. I can say that a multi-year use of these by myself resulted in few remembered dreams. This would not be a worthwhile usage for those that like or require dream intervention to speak to entities or do magic.
Thus, I currently use Chamomile Tea and an additional sleep aid. Now this sleep aid does give VERY vivid dreams, but it works for me for 6.5-7 hours, which is the sweet spot for me and sleep. That medication is Trazodone. It will not work for those requiring sleep contact, but that isn't a part of my practice unless something is dire and the spirits will make sure I remember it.
I can still evoke, invoke, and recognize spirits on medication. It isn't always as "acute" or "vivid", but established communication methods can assist with this (pendulum, moon blocks, tarot, etc...). I don't need any of those mediums.
The larger point is that our more psychic skills can still work even as we pursue therapy and quality of life. Don't let the need for excessive emotion keep you trapped in trauma for you magical success.
What stands out to me most is that getting help doesn’t make someone’s spiritual practice any less valid. Suffering shouldn’t have to be treated like a badge of honor, or like something you need to hold on to in order to stay spiritually connected.
I think there’s a difference between medication changing how someone experiences their practice and completely taking that ability away. Changes in focus, emotions, sleep, dreams, or alertness can definitely affect how intense a ritual or spiritual experience feels. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the practice is gone. It may just mean the person has to approach it differently.
For someone who relies heavily on dreams, losing some dream recall could be a real challenge. Someone who mainly works with ritual, tarot, pendulums, invocation, or other waking practices might notice something completely different. That’s why personal experience matters more than broad claims that a medication automatically “blocks” or “enhances” occult ability.
I also want to emphasize the safety side of this. No one should start, stop, taper, or change medication based on a forum post—or because they’re worried about losing their spiritual sensitivity. Those decisions should be made with a qualified medical professional.
Maybe the more useful question isn’t simply, “Does medication interfere with magick?” but rather: What changed—focus, dreams, emotional intensity, perception, motivation, or something else—and how did the practitioner adapt?
I also want to emphasize the safety side of this. No one should start, stop, taper, or change medication based on a forum post—or because they’re worried about losing their spiritual sensitivity. Those decisions should be made with a qualified medical professional.
And under a qualified physician as mine were.
Maybe the more useful question isn’t simply, “Does medication interfere with magick?” but rather: What changed—focus, dreams, emotional intensity, perception, motivation, or something else—and how did the practitioner adapt?
Agreed. It's "taboo" in part because being vocal about it tells potential adversaries about weak links or situations to prey upon, but also because those that require emotion as fuel KNOW they would see a drop in efficacy if mental health or drug treatment were started. That isn't the case at all.
@vitriol if you're game, I'm willing to post half of my Energetic Training Manual here. If others work through this, these principles become clear by the half-way point. Open offer. Not expecting a quick response.
What stands out to me most is that getting help doesn’t make someone’s spiritual practice any less valid. Suffering shouldn’t have to be treated like a badge of honor
Prior to my current life, that's exactly what my "life challenges" were. So were most for those I grew up around. The hard truth was that that achievement - however substantial and noteworthy - was where they stopped. This doesn't apply to everyone and didn't apply to me.
I think there’s a difference between medication changing how someone experiences their practice and completely taking that ability away.
Agreed. Following the adjustment cycle, things should actually improve and skills can be practiced. A sibling of mine never found that right medication. I've largely worked with mine.
The truth is that most people magic are petitions on some level. Likely hybrid in that it requires something from them (the target, an offering) and the rest is largely waste if it isn't cathartic. Visualizing the destruction of someone 100 times with emotional means the message has been garbled 100 times. It's an ironic truth of black magic.
I rely upon self-medication for My Magick. I use (or stop using) nicotine, caffeine, alcohol and/or cannabis for My work. When I perform Baneful Magick I just stop using nicotine - for a short time - dose up on caffeine and then I go for broke. Afterwards, I have a tobacco smoke and drink alcohol.
Decades ago, I was really into Aleister Crowley. Enough stated.
Al.