ADDICTION AND THE FLIPSIDE

Richard Martini

3 min read

Addiction and the Flipside.

We did not plan for this episode. But our moderator on the flipside, Luana Anders clearly did, and brought a number of people to chat about it.

She said she wanted to discuss the process of addiction.

Elvis came to give his two cents about it. About how wanting to escape from reality comes from the idea that one is unloved, or suffering. Points out that in his life, he didn’t realize that he was causing others to suffer — and yet he now regrets having done so.

Janis Joplin came through to talk about her addictions — and how trying to escape from reality “was an illusion.” She offers that “escaping from the illusion of reality” — meaning becoming aware that one is onstage during their lifetime, creating a reality, and that by trying to escape from the reality they created for themselves, they lose the connections to others.

Then Aretha came through to say “everyone has addiction in their family.” She pointed out some of the smaller ones, like being addicted to soft drinks, or other vices that people have — that’s another form of addiction. And how everyone has a family member that suffers from addiction, so can be more empathetic about it.

Then Junior Seau showed up to talk about how addiction affects the brain in a similar manner to CTE (which he took his own life over). How the “hits to the head” cause the CTE, but the addiction is like taking “hits to the head.” Then he made the statement that the same therapy that cured Joe Namath from his CTE (which he’d come through to tell us before and is in the film TALKING TO PAUL ALLEN, JUNIOR SEAU AND DAVE DUERSON on Youtube for free) — he said that “oxygen therapy for the brain will help with the treatment of addiction.”

That may be a known fact — I don’t know. But it certainly bears looking into. I just hope people remember where they heard it — from Junior Seau on the Flipside.

Finally Anthony Bourdain came through and talked about how his use of heroin as a youngster had robbed him of the ability to experience joy, which contributed to his leaving the planet early. He expresses remorse for that — as noted he’s come through often on our podcast, and is always hilarious- but in this case, he reiterates how meditation can help people to survive being on the planet, but emphatically argues that “rehab” and “detox” are blips on a person’s time line. That they should have no fear of doing so, that they should say “fuck it, I’m going to do this” as well as to love oneself enough to care to fix the problem.

That was his “mic drop moment” which ends the podcast.

Again — no planning was done between Jennifer and I, the comments are so out there, so profound, so beyond any scope of theory or belief that either I or Jennifer could invent, and anyone who is a therapist, or interested in the subject of addiction should take a lesson.

Finally, I asked Anthony to ask someone in our class a question, and the one he asked them is “what’s the one thing that would have stopped you from being caught up in addiction?” and they all answered with the same word.

“Love.”

Mind bending to hear, mind bending to report.

Jennifer can be found at JenniferShaffer.com, the podcast is HACKING THE AFTERLIFE on itunes, the forum is HACKING THE AFTERLIFE on Quora, the website is HackingtheAfterlife.com and the film is on Amazon HACKING THE AFTERLIFE.

It’s an hour long podcast today, but is worth listening to by anyone.

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer, Anthony Bourdain, Robin Williams and Robert Downey Sr.

Another unusual podcast. 

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer, Anthony Bourdain, Robin Williams and Robert Downey Sr.

As we've noted in the past, it's rare that people show up to insist on being interviewed.  In this case, it was someone we'd interviewed in the past, in fact a year ago, July 17th, 2020 Anthony Bourdain and Robin Williams stopped by on a podcast named "Exiting Early." (Anthony and Robin appear in the books "Backstage Pass to the Flipside," both interviewed extensively.)

But in this case, Anthony wanted to weigh in on the film about his life, called "Roadrunner." 

He says he was disappointed in it, that the filmmaker "didn't have a clue" as to what happened to him - how he himself didn't have a plan to exit early, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with his relationship with Asia Argento.

He pointed out that he thought the AI of his voice sounded "robotic" (neither I nor Jennifer have seen the film) and the ending, having an artist deface a mural on camera for the film was "shitty."  Again - I haven't seen it, but I took the time to ask him about it. He also called the filmmaker "amateur" but gave the film a "five" out of ten because at the very least, it had footage that he'd shot in it.

I'm a filmmaker myself, member of the DGA/WGA. I was so stung by Ebert's "thumbs way down" review of my film "Limit Up" at the time, when Luana Anders was still on the planet (cowriter of the script) when I asked her to read the review, but to edit out the negativity... over the phone she read "Richard Martini... directed Limit Up."  Took me a year to read the negative review.

So it gives me no pleasure to tee off on this filmmaker - even though I was a music critic at Variety for years, I always tended to give people the benefit of the musical doubt.  If I doubted they're rehearsed, I noted it. In this case, Anthony came forward to tee off on this filmmaker. Wasn't my idea. 

I tried to ask him cogent questions - and to fill in the blanks. "Why no note left behind?" He answers that eloquently. He talks about how to meditate to help set aside negativity. He talks about finding beauty in gratitude.

As I note in the podcast, if you're going to make a film about someone, take the time to see if it's possible to communicate with them. Ask their loved ones if they've had dreams, find three different mediums and ask the same questions (as I do in "Talking to Bill Paxton" on Gaia) take the time and effort to allow the possibility that they might have an opinion on their own story.

I can only report. The only editing in this podcast is done for time if there's a long space between me asking a question and Jennifer getting an answer. . Apologies for having to end it early - Charles Grodin, Prince and Robert Downey Sr. ("Greaser's Palace") all make appearances and report things I've never considered or could have heard of.

I asked about Robert senior because Luana knew him, he directed her in the film "Greaser's Palace" which is on cable, and ran this week in Santa Monica.

Robert Sr. says that his son is already "speaking to him" and the father says he's learning from his son, as well as being proud of him.  Prince reminds us that strings tuned too tightly tend to break, a metaphor about finding a "middle way" between not listening to loved ones, and finding a way to "tighten up the string" to allow them to communicate to us by tuning into them.

The film cited in this podcast is "Hacking the Afterlife" - it's available on Amazon Prime through Gaia. If you have Amazon Prime it's a small five dollar charge to watch it.  It represents ten years of research, and notes the science behind the flipside.

Again - I didn't ask for Anthony to come forward, Jennifer did not either, and he had a mouthful to say about his opinion about this film Roadrunner about his life.  I don't think he's saying "don't watch it" but he is saying "don't buy the conclusions about who he was, as this filmmaker didn't have a clue."

Ask Anthony on one's own. If you knew him, you love him, or even liked him - set the stage for a meditation where he sits across from you and answers questions. An obvious first question would be "So Anthony,  how accurate was this podcast I just heard?"  Enjoy.

Not trying to sell anyone on changing their world view - but this is verbatim, as recorded, live a couple of hours ago with Jennifer Shaffer, a medium who works with law enforcement agencies nationwide on missing person cases.  I can't do anything else but report. Apologies to all this podcast might offend. 

My two cents

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer, Elvis, Bill Paxton and Steve Bing

Another mind bending session with Jennifer Shaffer.  Allow me to repeat - this is live on the air, I have not conversed with Jennifer prior to the session. 

I invited three people - my pal who said something to me in the kitchen of my home, a friend of mine who passed away whose son has down syndrome, and my pal Bill Paxton. 

I had no idea that Elvis would appear or have something to say - however as noted, we interview him in "Backstage to the Flipside 3"...  I had invited Steve Bing the previous week, but he wasn't "ready yet" to have this conversation (as his death was the day before, and it takes some time to get used to the environment). 

Steve Bing with Bill Paxton, Cassian Elwes, Adam Rifkin, James Caan
When I saw this photo after his passing, I knew that Bill could
facilitate this conversation (and he does. From Adam's FB page.)

What Jennifer says about him - not knowing who he was - is absolutely correct. (Steve was a filmmaker who died by his own hand, jumping from his apt. in Century City). Sometimes people are "not ready" to speak with us, but later are. I leave it up to Luana Anders and her clipboard. During one session, Tom Petty came forward, and I asked him "why?" since I'd never met him in life.  He said "You have no idea how hard it is to talk to you two. Luana is like the person with the clipboard who decides who gets the VIP pass." Hence the title "Backstage Pass to the Flipside."

In the intervening weeks, since our last session, and when we heard he "wasn't ready to speak to us" I saw a photograph posted by one of Steve's friends that included Bill Paxton in it.  

Since Bill is an old friend and frequent contributor, I invited him to help us talk to Steve. 

Dennis Hopper and Luana in "Night Tide" - later
Dennis cast her in "Easy Rider."

Luana Anders is my friend on the flipside who runs this class, and knew Bill in life, and Jennifer through me. Jennifer has no idea that I was going to ask Bill about Steve - and I captured the moment when she realized who he was.  

She's the holder of the clipboard.  If you aren't on the
clipboard, you don't get into class. Sorry.

For those who know these folks - we are here to demonstrate how easy and simple it is to communicate with our loved ones on the other side.  The idea that Elvis would give us the theme for this episode - "write the love song of your life" is mind bending and poignant.  



I do not name the family that has a child with down syndrome because I will direct them privately to this episode - its for their eyes and ears only, but for anyone out there who has a sibling, child with down syndrome - what this young man had to say "I only have about 10% of my energy on the planet" is in line with the reports we've done with others.  

Great show, great cast

That Jennifer saw him as a "hologram" - meaning "see through" - or "not all there" is also in line with reports from the flipside about people who are still on the planet.   (People who have near death experiences and see people "who are still on the planet" often see their pals or loved ones as "see through.")

A note about Steve's "soft landing."  We first encountered this during our interview with Harry Dean Stanton just after his passing. (From "Backstage Pass to the Flipside book One") Upon crossing over, Harry saw himself in this car, driving up to Monterey. He “assumed it was a dream.”

There was a third friend in the car as well. Let’s call him “Fred.” (I reached out to “Fred” yesterday as Harry had a message for him, and answered some questions raised here.)

Harry said “I thought this is what happens when people die — they go to a happy memory, like a dream, and then they’re in that dream forever in kind of a loop.” The idea that a dream or memory would just play out over and over when someone was no longer on the planet. Then, he said, they had a flat tire.

And as they were fixing the flat tire, Harry said he “realized this was not something that had happened” — that they did not have a flat tire on this trip. So he looked at his friend “Fred” and said “We didn’t have a flat tire.” And “Fred” said “I know.”
It was at this moment he realized he wasn’t in a dream — but “in the afterlife.” Harry chuckled as he said (through Jennifer) “Luana gave me a soft landing by doing that.”

In this interview, Steve Bing reported finding himself on a movie set, directing a film. While Steve produced a number of successful films, he also directed a feature film "Every Breath." It's a unique experience, and I can attest that being in the director's chair on a film set (I've written and/or directed 8 theatrical features) can feel like "home" to those who've directed.  It's fun, it's about visualizing what's in your mind - and it's not something we ever forget, even if the films don't "do that well."  

So by "suddenly appearing on a film set" and not knowing which film it was, is a version of a "soft landing."  A person is focused on the task in front of him or her, instead of focusing on the "where am I?" This is also why many people report that they were "greeted by pets" on the flipside - our focus shifts to the fact that we recognize someone we love unconditionally and gives us that kind of awareness - "Oh. I'm not dead. How can I be if I'm here with my dog/cat/cockatoo?"

When I refer to Steve Bing's "dark and light friends" in this interview - only they would know who I'm referring to. Some who consider themselves "closer friends" because of their status, fame, or utility to him in life - or some who could be considered "lighter friends" because he only showed a side of himself that was helpful or fun to them. 

It's weird that in life we may meet someone we dismiss out of hand, and on the flipside realize they were our brother/father/sister/mother in a previous incarnation, and their role in our life was merely to help us along the path. (We are all just walking each other home.)

Steve unequivocally states in this interview; "they're all the same, and he loves them all."

So - if one isn't aware of how to communicate with a loved one on the other side - that would mean that they have yet to learn how to do so. 

And there is no amount of money that will purchase that ability.  No amount of fame that changes that aspect.  There is no hierarchy in the afterlife - no fame, no one "hoards the jelly beans." So those who pretend it exists here are in a state of "performance illusion" - or perhaps in a kinder way, they "are fully invested in the play they're currently in" as if money mattered, as if fame mattered, as if anything but love mattered.

Steve Bing suffered from anxiety, according to this interview, and did himself in because of a "broken heart." However, because we've done a number of interviews with Anthony Bourdain, I asked him to come forward and ask Steve a question, hoping he would offer the sage advice he's give us before. "If you don't know how to meditate, learn to do so." He did have sage advice for us.

That's why we do this work. 

That's why I post these unedited, raw "as it happened live on camera." Jennifer didn't know who I was referring to as "Steve" - until she did live on camera.  

As I point out - I don't have to prove that Jennifer can speak to the flipside - law enforcement agencies nationwide ask her to do the same for them - I have at least four books ("Hacking the Afterlife" "Backstage Pass to the Flipside 1, 2 and 3") that demonstrate that she can learn "new information" from the flipside.  I'm not here to prove anything to anyone - nor is she. 

However - we do our best to be straightforward, and present whatever comes through as it comes through. To demonstrate how simple it is to ask questions and get answers. Anyone can do it.

Everyone has loved ones on the flipside who have been trying to reach out to them - and because of the filters involved, have denied they exist. 

My advice; stop that. Let 'em through. They still care about our journey. Let them give advice. Who knows, they may even pass along a lottery number or two.

This session is a bit of a roller coaster, and I don't recommend it for everyone - but if you've read "Flipside" are familiar with this work, it's in line with everything else we've done.

"Elvis has not left the building."



Finally - I'll let Harry Dean Stanton have the last word:

When the notorious atheist showed up in a session with me and Jennifer I said to him "So Harry, famous atheist fellow, what was it like to realize there actually is an afterlife?  What do you want me to tell your friends at your memorial?"

He said "Tell them there is an afterlife."

I laughed. I said "Harry, your friends are all just like you - none of them will believe I spoke to you in this fashion."  So he gave me three private messages to give to pals at his memorial. Close friends who all had health issues that I didn't know, Jennifer couldn't have known - and yet when I mentioned them to these people they knew "beyond a shadow of doubt" that only Harry Dean could have told me these things.  They were flabbergasted. One screamed. (And later when discussing these health issues with their children independently - they all confirmed beyond a shadow of doubt that Harry knew what he was talking about.)

But I also told them what Harry told me later - "Tell people to believe in the POSSIBILITY of an afterlife, so then they won't waste another minute of their lives arguing about it like I did."

Wise words. Thanks Harry. 

The late, great Harry Dean Stanton

A Star Wars fighter, 11:11 revised, Wilfred Owen and Anthony Bourdain

My thoughts on the ubiquitous 11:11 (revised).  

Gabriel before he blows his horn

As I've mentioned in "Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer" - my wife Sherry had a dream where she ran into my old friend Luana Anders.  

She asked "How can you be here? You died 20 years ago."  

Luana showed her a spaceship - a TIE fighter that Luana had seen in a toy store hours earlier.  If you look at a TIE fighter it looks like a physical interpretation of 11:11. 

Two sides with a place in the center to meet

Two identical sides with a place in the center to meet.

Sherry pointed this out to me yesterday.  That dream had another detail that I had missed. The TIE fighter. She didn't know what it was called.  But Luana essentially said "I took this to come here."

I thought Luana was joking "I took a space ship to get here."

But she was being SPECIFIC.

Then Sherry asked "How can that be?" And Luana replied "Think of 11:11. We meet at the decimals."

What does that mean?

I take it as this; in my research I've asked people on the flipside (sometimes through Jennifer Shaffer, sometimes while speaking to someone who is accessing the flipside without hypnosis) and they say "I have to slow my energy down" or "I have to adjust my frequency to yours" - and I also have heard "And you have to adjust your frequency to mine."

I just read this, this morning. A physical representation of 11:11. It came from a comment posted to a question I'd answered on the topic; a reply on Quora. 

"Eight-months after my first husband passed away, I had a wonderful dream about him. Back then I was a student of lucid dreaming, so I “awakened in the dream” quickly as I sat on our “dream” living room couch. I could see my husband materializing next to me on the couch, but then he began to disappear. It looked like he was being beamed in, ala Star Trek. Intuitively I knew I needed to raise my vibration in order to connect with him. I did a quick centering meditation in the dream state and was able to meet him in the middle-ground where I was vibrating faster and he, slower.

I asked him how he was, and he said, “Wonderful.” Then I asked if he’d heard all the things I’d said to him as he lay dying in the hospital - how much I loved him, etc, and he said, “Yes, but I didn’t die.” I felt confused and said, “But Michael, your ashes are in the urn in our armoire.” And he said, “I know. But I didn’t die.” And then I understood. Then I asked if it was alright with him that I’d started dating again, and he laughed a little and said, “Of course.” And then I woke feeling wonderful."

Got that? 11:11. Raise your vibration on your side to match theirs on the flipside. They have to lower theirs to match yours to communicate. (Like in a star trek transporter.  You have to match the frequency.)

It does not get any more specific than "I am still alive." Not "partially alive." Not "kind of alive" Not "let's define what that means if i don't have a body." THEY ARE NOT GONE. THEY ARE JUST NOT HERE. (Thanks for sharing Tamra)

From a previous post about Armistice Day:

Armistice Celebration (wikipedia)

11:11:18. At 11:11 a.m. the guns fell silent over the fallen dead 100 years ago. But 11:11 is also a metaphor for how we can resurrect those dead.

Think of the left 11 as a hallway for the flipside, the right 11 as a hallway here. As i was told by someone on the flipside: "We meet at the decimals." They have to slow down their frequency to chat (sense/talk/appear in dreams) and we need to speed up ours (meditate/hypnosis/talk via a medium).

We meet in the middle. You can ask questions. When you hear an answer before you can form the question you'll know you've made a connection.

There. I just blew a trumpet and brought back everyone who died a century ago. Up to you what to ask them or what you can learn from their journey. 

Some years ago Sherry had a dream she saw two WWI British soldiers in our living room. One said "you have a book with some of my poems." She heard a name. We looked up his name and Sherry recognized his photo; an English poet who died during the war. The man with him, his best friend who died as well. His name; Wilfred Owen.

Wilfred Owen

This is the WWI poet who stopped by our home one day a few years ago. Sherry saw him (and a friend) in a dream. He leaned down to look at my library of books and said something like "You have one of my poems." The next day Sherry mentioned this to me, as she had heard his name and saw his face. We looked him up and indeed, we did have one of his poems in a book of English Literature. (Reprinted below) On this VETERANS DAY I'm here to tell you that no one is dead. They are not here, but they are not gone. This is not unique, have been documenting this for ten years now. Not gone. Just not here.

WILFRED OWEN

When war was declared, Wilfred Owen was in France working as a private tutor. He returned to England and joined the Artists' Rifles in October 1915. He was subsequently commissioned into the Manchester Regiment and was sent to France in December 1916. In April 1917, after a traumatic period of action, he was diagnosed with what became known as shell-shock, and was sent back to Britain. While recovering in Craiglockhart War Hospital he met Siegfried Sassoon. There, with Sassoon's support, he found his poetic voice and wrote the famous poem, Anthem for Doomed Youth.

Owen returned to France in August 1918 and was awarded the Military Cross in October. He was killed in action on 4 November, just a few days before the Armistice. (Actor Daniel Day Lewis is the head of his society.)

 https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/9-poets-of-the-first-world-war

Anthem for Doomed Youth

BY WILFRED OWEN

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
— Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; 
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds." 

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47393/anthem-for-doomed-youth

(Interesting to note that Daniel Day Lewis is the head of the Wilfred Owen society.  Coinkydink? Perhaps.)

Today, a complete stranger asked me what his rabbi tried to tell him 50 years sgo. I asked him to recall the event. He said he could see him with his eyes closed. 

I asked what his hands felt like. "Soft. Comforting. Unconditional love." I asked if i could ask his rabbi a question directly. "Yes." I asked what he wanted to tell this boy 50 years ago. "Follow the path." I asked if the man now understood what he meant by that. He did.

They are not gone. They are just not here. Up to you what to ask them. They're eager to continue the conversation.

Backstage Pass to the Flipside

(Technique is covered in "Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Medlyn Shaffer ")

Finally, yesterday on Reddit someone posted a link to the article where the french chef Daniel Boulud says (in his opinion, no evidence cited) that Anthony Bourdain "died of a broken heart."

That's NOT what Anthony says in "Backstage Pass to the Flipside."

Anthony on wikpedia. Straighten that tie dude!

I wrote this reply on his behalf:

"Sorry. That's BS." That's a direct quote from Anthony on the "flipside." We interview him in "Backstage Pass to the Flipside: Talking to the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer." He talks about WHY he split, and who was there to greet him on the flipside (that French chef pal of his who shot himself, his pal Bernard Louiseau.) 

Anthony can tell you himself if you ask him. Yeah, he was broken from the grind of working nonstop and didn't have any support system or mechanism. (Like if this chef was such a good pal, he would have been up in his grill prior to this, knowing he was having a hard time). 

As Anthony put it "Tell people to learn to meditate." I asked "Why?" He said "Because if I knew how to meditate I would fucking still be alive." 

He's not gone, he's just not here. Stop blaming others for his act. I asked if we should ban bathrobes from hotel rooms so people like him couldn't use them to do themselves in. He laughed "You don't want to see me naked." The medium could see him looking pretty much the same, but with no tattoos. And whenever I'm interviewing someone new in our "classroom" and I find it tough going I ask him to help. 

Last week I was talking to someone who had a successful life all the way to the end. I asked Anthony if he wanted to ask this famous guy a question. He said "How did you do it? Stay alive with all the pressure?" And this person said "Because I had a group of friends I could call day or night for help. Which you did not." Touche'. So.... Chef DB; Don't claim he "died of a broken heart" if you weren't there to make him laugh or heard him tell you that himself."

     Which was met with the reply: "Seriously? I wish I had more than one downvote. Go plug your bullshit somewhere else."

      To which I replied:

"Good for you brother. I'll give the opportunity to downvote this comment as well. It's not my theory opinion or belief this is the case. I've filmed people under deep hypnosis for ten years (45 so far) and they claim the same thing. I've examined thousands of cases from Dr Helen Wambach and Michael Newton; they say the same thing. I've presented research to scientists at UVA and subsequently interviewed dozens of NDE cases. 

I'm sorry this post upset you; that's not my fault. I am just quoting what my pal the medium said (who works with law enforcement nationwide on missing person cases.) Whatever: vote away."


I sound like a broken record but it bears repeating:

It's not my opinion, belief or theory that a medium reported what Anthony had to say. I have it on film and anyone can judge it for themselves.  I have film of this particular medium (and others) accurately talking to people on the flipside (dozens of times) about things only they could know, things that are "new information."  It's not my theory that it's new information, I then follow up the research and prove it to be accurate (or not).  You have a problem with what people say on the flipside about their departure, take it up with them.

Anthony didn't die of a broken heart. Sorry. That may be the scenario people want to believe, it may be what makes them more comfortable with their own journey, it may be what they want to take away from the loss of such a smart, erudite and compassionate human.  But hang on - he hasn't gone anywhere, he's not gone at all.  It's only our inability to see/hear/talk to him that prevents us from knowing that he hasn't gone anywhere.

What's more important? Hanging onto the belief that he checked himself out over a broken heart? Or realizing that he's still accessible?  Ask him yourself.  He's happy to reply.

And that's my two cents for the day. 

MEANWHILE... enjoy this tune that I came up with about Luana's visit in a dream describing 11:11.  Something fun I created on my keystation 88 and improvising "whatever popped into my head" while listening to the tune.  Flipside songwriting.

Suicide and other lovely Flipside topics regarding Kate, Anthony and Robin

Well, it's in the news.

From the Observer Website

Kate Spade's husband revealed she had been "taking medications for depression" for the past 5 years.

Anthony Bourdain's best friend said he'd been in a "dark mood for days."

Here's an excellent article written by a friend of his about suicide.

What's that about? Alas poor Yorick, I knew him... not so well?

Worth reading repeating. Ah. Mig. Da. La. Amygdala. It's the tiny walnut sized part of the brain that regulates serotonin. It becomes damaged by fill in the blank. 
Drugs/trauma/indifference/tragedy/medicine/PTSD. Anyone can fix it themselves. See Richard Davidson research. Up to you.

(SSRI drugs like prozac regulate serotonin, but reports are that up to 15% of the people who take them have adverse "serious side effects" - the drugmakers websites warn people about them, ideations of violence or self harm" - but for some unknown reason - the test that anyone can take to see if they can tolerate these drugs - is almost never given (according to a doctor friend of mine.)  So - if someone is prescribing you serotonin inhibitors - check to see if you can take the test, or check into Richard Davidson's work that shows a particular form of meditation can change the amygdala and help it regulate serotonin.  Not opinion, theory or belief - but science.)

In my work with Jennifer Shaffer, we run into people on the flipside who've committed suicide "all the time." Someone just wrote me about it being a "solution" for some folks... all I can do is report what I'm learning. 

In the case of "genetics" I've learned that meditation can cure or alleviate depression. In terms of drug therapy, I've found that meditation affects the same part of the brain the drugs are designed to affect; the amygdala. But in terms of the spirituality - ay, there's the rub. He's not gone. He's just not here. Kate is not "gone" she's just "not here." Here's the reply I wrote about the topic, that I'm sharing in public because... well... it needs to be repeated:

As to "why would someone commit suicide, was it a life's plan?" It's much much much more complex and complicated according to this flipside research. Each person has their own reasons - there can be 1. soul reasons 2. sociological reasons 3. genetic reasons. No one reason outweights the rest, and usually is a combination of all three.

If you start with "we don't die" then you can examine the process... why do we come here? why did he or kate choose their lifetime? If you examine these - you need to talk to them directly. "Why did you choose this lifetime?" Why did you choose to leave it in this way?" These questions are knowable,and believe me, I ask them.

I do so in my next book with the help of a medium... (Jennifer Shaffer) and we explore all the possibilities.

 Only Anthony (or Kate, or Robin Williams) can answer this question. 

I can tell you that many reply "It's a combination of all three" - the SSRI drugs, the unbearable genetic code issues with dealing with depression, the sociological issues - and even the example of an "exit point" - that they took "because they felt they had done all they can do."

In one case, we heard "I did this so I could experience all the pain that I brought to my family and friends so I could learn a lesson for a future life where I will help people with these kinds of issues."

I don't take suicide lightly - (and Jennifer deals with it on a daily basis) but I don't shy away from examining it. What people say is consistent from the flipside - that they still exist, that they still grieve and mourn and feel bad about what's happened... but some claim it was "meant to be" some claim that "they're still here, still helping." 

Some have said "everyone commits suicide every puff of a cigarette, every pill they drop - they all want to numb themselves and not be alive" - that's another way of viewing it. But all I can say is "if you want to know why someone checked themself off stage, you must ask them to get a solid answer."

If you want to read up on a person who took their own life,then wrote a book about it from the flipside, I recommend reading Erik Medhus' book "My Life After Death" - it's a frank, stark discussion of what it was like for someone to take his own life, then realize he hadn't ended his life at all... and then dealing with the pain and suffering he'd caused... 

However, he found a way to reach out to his mother (Dr. Elisa Medhus) and together with a variety of mediums,he's been in constant contact with her. (Channeling Erik- conversations of a mother with her son in the afterlife)

I can tell you that I've "heard his voice" at the end of one conversation he recently had with Stephen Hawking (anyone can hear it on youtube at the end of their talk) and I know Dr. Medhus personally - and know from her own lips how her son "called her on the phone" one day from the flipside.

In this talking about suicide - and we should talk about it openly and without fear of being mocked or lessened in any way - it's something that we can deal with, treat, work on. 

Once we come to realize we chose this lifetime, we chose being here - and when we "kill ourselves" we don't kill anything - we just put ourselves into a state of not being able to experience things that we experience here (breathing, tactile sensations, other tasty treats) we realize why we chose to come here in the first place, and why we should have stuck around to "see how the third act plays out."

People consistently report that once we are "back home" (their words, and I've filmed 45 deep hypnosis sessions and examined thousands of others) they experience "unconditional love" but also the regret they have for engendering pain in others, in making the journey that less bearable for others.

Yes, it's a form of "giving up" or "tearing up the contract" (or as Val Kilmer said "cheating") - but if you come from a place of unconditional love (and that's what people consistently report) then you have the ability - we all have the ability - to regard these events with unconditional love.

Give it freely. Give it to Anthony. To Kate. UNCONDITIONALLY. To those who you love and you don't want to see leave who are struggling. But remind them; "Hey you SIGNED UP FOR THIS. AND DAMMIT I NEED YOU TO STICK THE F*&K AROUND." Remind them why they should stick around. Make them laugh. Then make them laugh harder. And finally; make them laugh some more. If they're so busy wetting their pants while laughing, the idea of checking themself off the planet seems further away.

Off soap box. (back to your commerically sponsored social media construct.)

From Asia Argento a few weeks ago.

Just said to the family "let's Bourdain." Meaning "let's explore some neighborhood and try a place we've never tried before." #bourdain A new verb. "Not gone. Just not here."

https://www.richardjdavidson.com/

Finally, about Robin William's New Documentary:

Here's the first review of Robin's upcoming HBO show - (trailer is below) and an excerpt from "Backstage Pass - Talking to the Flipside" with Jennifer Shaffer" 

Jennifer and I "listen in" to our "class" on the Flipside, (class is moderated by Luana Anders, our "professor.") Various people I knew Luana knew, or Jennifer knew or has met offer insight during our sessions. 

In this case, I'd met Robin before, he's made a number of "appearances" (in "Hacking the Afterlife") The responses we gather in these sessions are sometimes profound, often hilarious, sometimes eerily on point. In this case, I had just heard there was going to be a documentary about him - Jennifer knew nothing about it. I ask the questions,Jennifer (the medium/intuitive) offers what she hears.

Rich: Hi class. Who wants to talk?

Jennifer: Robin. (Williams)

R: Hey, there’s a documentary coming out about you – someone who loves you made it.

J: “Magical,” he says. His family is really involved in this, feels like.

R: So your review is “It’s magical?”

J: "Magical but not the beginning. It builds up the story."

R: What’s the beginning about?

J: "His parents."

R: They’re trying to rationalize why you took your own life?

J: "They talk about cocaine (in the show)."

R: Is it inaccurate or not the whole picture?

J: “Just not the whole picture. They shouldn't emphasize the struggle as much.” Robin showed me the homeless guy.

R: “Radioman?” The character he played in “The Fisher King” with Jeff Bridges?

J: "Hollywood’s like that; they just do that."

This was recorded A YEAR AGO. I had no idea what the story would be like - and as you'll see it's just what he's saying it is.

Our class often admonishes me (often) for not sharing what we "hear" whenever we hear it. "You're holding back." 

Am posting this as a "review" from "Robin:" "Magical!" I'm sure the film will be hilarious, but will likely leave out the part that includes the minor detail that our loved ones are often still accessible; "Not gone. They're just not here."