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Psilocybin mushrooms are fungi that contain the psychoactive substance psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic that, together with other effects, can cause powerful hallucinations and mystical experiences.

Psilocybin is better known as 'magic mushrooms' or 'magic mushrooms'.

More than 180 species of mushrooms contain psilocybin or the derivative psilocin, and the fungi have a long history of use in Mesoamerican spiritual and religious rituals. They are also one of the most popular and widely used psychedelics in the United States and Europe.

However, psilocybin mushrooms are more than just a medicine and a supper. They have been used in therapeutic settings to treat a variety of conditions and disorders, including cluster headaches, obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction, and a recent revival in research into the therapeutic effects of psilocybin shows promising results.

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Many factors contribute to the psilocybin experience, including dose, mindset, attitude, and your body's personal chemistry. With that in mind, each individual journey will be unique to the person, time and place, and there is no way to predict exactly what will happen. But understanding the common experiences and effects of psilocybin can help prepare you for your journey.

 

What to expect

Psilocybin mushrooms are generally eaten in their whole, dried form, and most people agree that they don't taste great. To mask the taste, some people brew the mushrooms in a tea, put them in Nutella or peanut butter, mix a juice or smoothie or grind them and put them in capsules. Each of these ways has a slightly different effect. For example, drinking a mushroom tea has a faster effect than eating it; swallowing capsules causes the effects to occur a little later.

 

A typical trip on a moderate dose of psilocybin mushrooms (1-2.5 g) includes an increased intensity of emotional experiences, increased introspection and altered psychological functioning in the form of 'hypnagogic experiences', the transition state between waking and sleeping. In fact, brain imaging studies show that a psilocybin trip is neurologically similar to dreaming, which gives you a good idea of ​​the mindset you engage in when you have a psychedelic experience.

 

During a psilocybin experience, you can expect perceptual changes, synesthesia, emotional shifts, and a distorted sense of time. Perceptual changes can include visuals such as halos around lights and objects, as well as geometric patterns when your eyes are closed. You can also experience vibrant colors, tracers, distorted vision and a sense of the world around you.

 

Thoughts and emotions can also change. It is not uncommon to have a sense of openness to thoughts and feelings that you avoid in your daily life, as well as a sense of wonder and joy about the world around you, the people in your life, and your own mind. You may also feel a sense of peace and connection to the world.

 

Strong emotions, both enjoyable and challenging, are common during a trip. When unwanted feelings emerge, it is best not to resist, but let the feelings take their course. Many people who have reported the presence of strong negative emotions also report feeling a simultaneous sense of calm acceptance and detachment, especially if they don't resist and remind themselves that the emotions are temporary. Resisting the emotions can lead to a 'bad trip'. (See "Bad trips" for more details.)

 

Physical side effects vary from person to person, but may include a change in heart rate (up or down), change in blood pressure (up or down), nausea, increased tendon reflexes, tremors, dilated pupils, restlessness or agitation, and problems with coordinated movement. Some also report feeling deeply relaxed and calm.

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