“If you’ve been working on something for a few hours and you smoke a joint, it’s like hearing it again for the first time.”
-Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac.
Now that my t-break is over, I’m eager to get back to creating more come-up meditations 🧘🏻 I find that combining cannabis with short meditations and thought exercises can really make the whole high more positive and meaningful.
In this come-up meditation, we’ll be exploring the effect of cannabis on music and memory.
For me, one of the many pleasant aspects of being high is that it can heighten my appreciation of music.
Leafly has an article analyzing this phenomenon, according to which possible factors are how cannabis alters our perception of time, visual processing, and helps us be more focused on the present.
In my experience, you can find totally new aspects to music, even from songs you’ve heard dozens of times before while sober. Maybe a a cello riff here or a cowbell beat there that you never really noticed, but which contribute to the mix in a way that you now see as significant.
But in addition to music, I also like what cannabis does to my recall. Though it can be famously detrimental to short-term memory (“What am I doing with this tortilla and Nutella again?”), I’ve found that it can actually make long-term memories more vivid. It’s helped me unearth first-person perspective memories from decades ago, which is always a trip. The phenomenon is also referenced in this article on the benefits of music for the brain from Johns Hopkins.
These two effects are what we will be experimenting with now 😎
To prepare for this meditation, you’ll need access to music, for example through Spotify or Youtube. Just be sure to set it up so that you can keep listening to this meditation in the background, on the same device. Do not play the music yet.
Next, you’re going to pick three songs, ideally ones that you haven’t yet listened to while high, or at least not for a long time.
Think of the first piece of music you remember purchasing with your own money. If it’s an album, pick a song from it you listened to a lot, but haven’t heard for ages. Write down the name of the song somewhere.
Second, think of a song from our childhood or adolescence that served as the soundtrack for some emotionally significant time: a heart-wrenching crush, an endless summer, graduation celebration, or other momentous event. Perhaps something you listened to with a good friend or lover. Write down the name of this song too.
Third, go to this page and open up the top hits list for the year you were 17 in. Glance through it and pick a song that you at least vaguely remember hearing a lot, but which you haven’t heard in ages. Not something you hated.
Finally, please use headphones or high-quality speakers, as listening to music on your phone’s or laptop’s speaker is less likely to produce the desired effect.
You don’t need to be high for this meditation, but if you wish to be, I suggest you consume only a small dose and start the meditation as soon as you begin to feel the effects. You’ll need to be able to remember simple instructions and stay more or less on task for a few minutes at a time, so maybe dose accordingly 😉
When you’re ready, you can start the meditation, minimize this window, and open your music service. But please don’t play the music until requested to do so 😎
Enjoy!
-G. G.
Smart Cannabis Use is for informational purposes only. You need to be aware of and abide by the laws in your area. Please also be aware that cannabis is not suitable for everyone, such as minors or those with certain mental health conditions. You are responsible for your own choices and actions.