“‘Flaky breakthroughs’ pervade coaching — and no one tracks them” by Chipmonk

Has someone you know ever had a “breakthrough” from coaching, meditation, or psychedelics — only to later have it fade?

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For example, many people experience ego deaths that can last days or sometimes months. But as it turns out, having a sense of self can serve important functions (try navigating a world that expects you to have opinions, goals, and boundaries when you genuinely feel you have none) and finding a better cognitive strategy without downsides is non-trivial. Because the “breakthrough” wasn’t integrated with the conflicts of everyday life, it fades. I call these instances “flaky breakthroughs.”

It's well-known that flaky breakthroughs are common with psychedelics and meditation, but apparently it's not well-known that flaky breakthroughs are pervasive in coaching and retreats.

For example, it is common for someone to do some coaching, feel a “breakthrough”, think, “Wow, everything is going to be different from [...]

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Outline:

(03:01) Almost no practitioners track whether breakthroughs last.

(04:55) What happens during flaky breakthroughs?

(08:02) Reduce flaky breakthroughs with accountability

(08:30) Flaky breakthroughs don't mean rapid growth is impossible

(08:55) Conclusion

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First published:

June 4th, 2025

Source:

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/bqPY63oKb8KZ4x4YX/flaky-breakthroughs-pervade-coaching-and-no-one-tracks-them

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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