Hi Dr. Hayes: I frequently recommend ACT to people, and I applaud you for your excellent work.

I have a question about psychedelic and related therapies.I assume you're aware of Stan Grof's work with psychedelic therapy, and his attempt to replicate it with holotropic breathwork.

I've seen some research on his breath work and I understand the benefits are ambiguous. However, in the decades since he developed that, there is research on yoga nidra (profound relaxation... though with more!) and lucid dreaming that I think suggests the possibility of a non drug alternative.

For people who master WILD ("Waking induced lucid dreaming"), there appears be (I admit, research does not yet confirm this) a possibility of accessing similar (possibly superior!?) benefits to psychedelics.

I"ve always believed that if it was possible through one's own intention to access the same states that are provided by psychedelics, the benefits would ultimately be far better. But I understand, few want to undertake the intense discipline it has generally required to access such states on their own (Alan Wallace, who writes of such discipline, at present meditates about 9 hours a day!

So here's my question - I'll put it in a hypothetical form:

QUESTION: IF - major caveat, IF.... a relatively easy technique was developed to access psychedelic states without using drugs, do you think it would be a good thing?

To put it another way, it would involve a practice to shift, using your language, from content to context AND simultaneously to access subliminal and subconscious aspects of consciousness which our linguistic brain generally obscures.

Thanks for your consideration and once again, kudos for your excellent work (fellow psychologist here)