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Dopamine Fasting

nytimes.com

21–30 of 137 posts

Re: Dopamine Fasting

#21
post #16
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I Ctrl-F-ed "Vipassana" when I read the description but it was used in a very different context.

From another post in this thread I found [1], written by the person who coined the term (Dr. Cameron Sepah, Executive Psychologist & Venture Capitalist, Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Medicine), and who sees it being hijacked in media. > [...] Dopamine Fasting is based on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the gold standard treatment for compulsive behaviors like internet addiction, which I train psych…

Thank you, much appreciated!

Re: Dopamine Fasting

#22
post #15

This sounds extremely dangerous. Having low amounts of dopamine or even just a decreasing amount of dopamine can cause psychosis and Parkinson's disease. Don't listen to this garbage without talking to your doctor first.

Read my original guide: "This is not to demonize dopamine; it’s an important brain chemical, and people who are low in it (whether naturally or by taking antipsychotic medications) can be lethargic and anhedonic (taking little interest of pleasure in things). Also, properly-prescribed dopaminergic medications can help people with ADHD & Parkinson's improve their ability to focus and regulate their behavior. Rather, my point is that we may be getting too much of a good thing, especially when dopamine reinforces behaviors that are out of line with our values."

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dopamine-fasting-new-silicon-...

Re: Dopamine Fasting

#23

Terribly biased hit piece on Silicon Valley, here is my rebuttal: https://medium.com/@DrSepah/why-the-media-lies-to-you-about-...

Yeah... but I can see how the name "Dopamine fasting" can get people confused

Re: Dopamine Fasting

#24
post #15

This sounds extremely dangerous. Having low amounts of dopamine or even just a decreasing amount of dopamine can cause psychosis and Parkinson's disease. Don't listen to this garbage without talking to your doctor first.

I think you are taking the title a bit to literally. By "dopamine fast", what is meant is abstaining from activities that give you "cheap" dopamine hits, such as participating in social media and receiving likes in your posts.

This is absolutely safe. If you brain is healthy, it will produce the dopamine it needs either you want it or not. Abstaining from Facebook, or even abstaining from all activity and spending the day staring at a wall will not change that.

Re: Dopamine Fasting

#25
post #23

Terribly biased hit piece on Silicon Valley, here is my rebuttal: https://medium.com/@DrSepah/why-the-media-lies-to-you-about-...

Yeah... but I can see how the name "Dopamine fasting" can get people confused

Read the original guide, it's pretty clear: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dopamine-fasting-new-silicon-...

Re: Dopamine Fasting

#26
post #13

Terribly biased hit piece on Silicon Valley, here is my rebuttal: https://medium.com/@DrSepah/why-the-media-lies-to-you-about-...

Thanks. I needed something that addresses the weird end of the NY Times article when he refuses to speak to someone - I thought that the goal is the exact opposite - more "real" human contact and experiences and less of things that directly push your addiction circuits.

No, it's so that they can work even more, because "they can't allow themselves NOT to work on weekends".

Re: Dopamine Fasting

#27
post #15

This sounds extremely dangerous. Having low amounts of dopamine or even just a decreasing amount of dopamine can cause psychosis and Parkinson's disease. Don't listen to this garbage without talking to your doctor first.

Speaking of garbage to not listen to...

Re: Dopamine Fasting

#28
Naming things is hard.

This seems to be a scientifically proven and effective treatment which has proved benefits. But the name makes people have incorrect assumptions (and apparently also at least one practitioner). So it’s getting a lot of bad press.

All because of a bad name.

Re: Dopamine Fasting

#29

Terribly biased hit piece on Silicon Valley, here is my rebuttal: https://medium.com/@DrSepah/why-the-media-lies-to-you-about-...

I find that graph of media consumption outrageously hard to believe. The average person spends 11 out of 24 hours every day consuming media? People average 4 hours a day watching TV and 1.75 hours a day listening to the radio?
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