Psilocybin therapy (magic mushrooms)

What is it?

Psilocybin[a]: a naturally occurring psychedelic compound produced by more than 200 species of fungi.

One of the trendiest drugs around, Psilocybin mushrooms, aka "magic mushrooms" or "shrooms," have been used for roughly ten thousand years as a medicinal and spiritual tool by indigenous tribes from Central America to Siberia. One ethnobotanist, Terence McKenna, even claimed that magic mushrooms may have accelerated human evolution.

Ingesting enough psilocybin can produce a hallucinogenic effect, otherwise known as a "psychedelic trip", which is why the use of psilocybin-containing mushrooms spans religious, ritualistic, medicinal, spiritual, and recreational use. Ingesting psilocybin-containing mushrooms in tiny amounts, aka "micro-dosing", is becoming increasingly popular among the working population to reduce anxiety and improve,

  • wellbeing,

  • mental health,

  • focus,

  • and creative thinking.

A word of warning, though, "Psychedelics allow the brain to let down its guard, which can lead some people to experience past trauma that they haven't properly worked on and through."

- Michael, freelance software engineer

So what is psilocybin therapy?

During psilocybin therapy, the patient ingests a dose of the chemical psilocybin while being monitored by a therapist. With guidance, the aim is for the patient to generate insights and awareness from the psychedelic journey to change unhelpful behavioural and emotional patterns.

The goal of psilocybin therapy is to reduce or better understand emotional obstacles and long-term problems faster than it might take using other forms of treatment, where it can take years to work through issues slowly.

Currently, this treatment is not used in standard medical practice and is illegal across most of the world, as is the use of the mushrooms themselves; this often includes possession, growing, selling or purchasing the mushrooms, so

If you want to try the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin, please do your homework first.

How does it work?

The body converts psilocybin to psilocin, the compound which produces the psychoactive effect.

Both psilocybin and psilocin have a similar molecular structure to the chemical messenger, serotonin - often called a "happy hormone" because it promotes mental wellbeing. Psilocin molecules activate the same receptors in the brain that serotonin activates; receptors which mediate functions like,

  • mood,

  • imagination,

  • learning,

  • and perception.

The use of psilocybin promotes changes in the user's consciousness, sensory experience, perception and mood; this is known as the psychedelic "trip". Users often say that the mind feels more "open", and things can feel intense and other worldly.

Studies have shown that "psilocybin use results in significant changes in brain dynamics and functional connectivity (FC) between areas of the brain." which may explain why the use of psilocybin can feel relatively dramatic compared with other therapies.

These new neural connections can create different, odd, magical, and sometimes scary ways of thinking, which are hard to predict or control; this is one of the reasons why users must approach psychedelics with great care.

People often use psilocybin therapy to treat the following,

  • depression

  • anxiety

  • mood

  • quality of life

  • addiction

  • chronic pain

  • PTSD

During a treatment, the patient ingests a psilocybin capsule, hopefully taking them on a psychedelic journey to a lesser or greater degree. The therapist facilitates, monitors, and guides the experience using talking therapy during and after the "trip".

Depending on the patient's dosage and needs, a session might last between six and eight hours and is usually a one-time event, followed by talking therapy, where the patient is encouraged to discuss their experience.

To use this substance therapeutically, you must seek out only people professionally trained to guide you through the experience. And please remember that psilocybin-containing mushrooms may be illegal in your country.

Is this for you?

Much unlike physical therapy, dry needling, massage, Rolfing, and many other treatments focused on the physical aspect of the tension, hypnotherapy focuses on the psychological aspect that could be part of the problem.

That is also why it might be of interest for people with chronic pain. If physical therapies don’t seem to make a difference, perhaps working on the somatic/psychological side could give reprieve.

Especially when you feel like you’ve tried every treatment that is out there, it could be worth to approach the issue from a different perspective.

If anything, Psilocybin will make your brain make total new connections. It is obviously very much outside of the box of what is considered “medicine, therapy and healing", though there is more and more scientific research backing its impact, and in an increasing number of countries around the world it is considered as a accepted way to help people work through a plethora of long term problems.

It is perhaps needless to say, but a potential important aspect of a successful psilocybin session is that you are open to the idea that physical pain could be derived from psychological triggers, and that for your specific condition, the key to healing could be in your head.

As the chances are high this is a complete new terrain for you (and might still be illegal in the country you reside!) you are going to need to do a lot of prep. Are you ready to take a deep ol’ plunge in a total different reality?

Some of the questions you should ask: why do you want to try this out? What do you want to get out of the therapy? What would be the main focus for you to dive deeper into? What are you scared of?

Furthermore, it is key to shop around and to deeply understand what is on offer. Make sure to find a therapist that you feel comfortable with, so that you can discover this new part of reality step by step at your own pace.

Lastly; be careful. A therapy or trip like this could take hours, and it is not risk free. Make sure if it is truly worth the risk for you and if you can accommodate any kind of negative side-effects.

What is my experience?

Psilocybin therapy (Magic mushrooms) have changed my life.

I have of course been very hesitant if I should discuss my experience here as I understand it is a dividing topic, and not everyone can agree on people using such products. Just as much, it has helped me in so many different ways that I would feel off not sharing this, as it has been a huge part of my healing journey, and I want to provide clarity for people in similar positions.

  • If this is not for you, that is totally ok. Don’t go there, and don’t feel like you have to, there are so many ways to becoming more aware and more in tune with yourself.

If you are interested, I hope I wrote my story as authentic as possible. If you think my language gets too flowery or oozywoozy then that’s probably fair enough;) Not sure how I can bring it otherwise so I guess you just have to get on with it!

—————

When I used Psilocybin for the first time (as well as all the times after, as well as other plant medicines) it became so clear to me that my pain was truly there, and in so many different ways. (If I’m not explaining this well feel free to write me one on one, because it is not the easiest topic to put to paper.)

Basically, my being changes into my pain. I have a feeling that I’m lifted up, as you sometimes see in sci-fi films where a body is levitating one meter above the floor, and from there, my body changes in all these different colors, much like a heat map. Subsequently I can see the pain pulsing, racing, blocking and throbbing, much like a cancer or other toxic overtaking my entire body. I see the blockages and it is as if I all of a sudden understand why I have that much pain, because I am filled with it.

As if all of a sudden pain is a substance, bad energy that wants to flow and needs to go out, but is stuck because it is blocked, hidden away, denied further entry. In those moments I can zoom in on a specific area, for instance the back of my neck and with every movement I feel the pain saying: "yes”, how the slight movement helps awaken the flow that can move that dormant energy and get it out. As if my whole body is begging me to move and shake and stretch.

At the same time, I am going through specific emotions, and these are much much beyond any feelings or thoughts. It is all about BIG THINGS. Despair, the suffering of the entire world, the regrets of millions of people, my own deep grief that seems to cover centuries and centuries. Loss through all ages. If I’m able to feel that I think, no wonder I am physically hurting.

What comes after is a moment of release, of deep sorrow, of seemingly endless wheeping. With every expression of pain and desolation it seems like my body is more free. My neck becomes less stiff, my wrists rotate with a sense of ease and lightness, my shoulders relax.

This is for me the height of the trip, where I am super aware of myself (being able to steer my body) whilst also super connected to the other realm. What I emotionally feel, I can practically express through my body. It is my favorite stage. As if a super advanced yogi I can do stretches I never thought possible and all of it feels SO, SO GOOD.

At the same time I’m relieving my heart? my soul? by wheeping and sobbing and crying and feeling all the feels. Lightness, gratitude for what was and being able to let that go. Let sorrow and grief pass like a broken ship that is finally sailing out of the harbor, on to a new world, a cloudless sky.

The most touching part of mushrooms to me are the feelings of gratitude when you have worked through an emotion. As if all of a sudden the sky clears after a big storm, as if the first ray of sunlight touches your skin after years in the dark. How you feel so new, so pure. So whole.

Depending of the strength of the mushrooms this trip can take 4 hours, and can be either mellow, where there is much more room for soft wheeping (e.g. tears rolling down my face) to super intense sessions where I feel like I can take no more and want to feel no more. In those moments thankfully I can redirect the experience to a more mellow flow, (often I advocate that I’ve done enough for now and am allowed to go back to ‘chill’).

How does it help my chronic pain?

For some reason there is a direct correlation between the stretching and letting go I’m able to do during the trip, and the physical pain in that specific space. It’s not a 100% success rate, there are sessions where I feel less of an impact, but for me that is then also ok. Again, with mushrooms as with every other plant medicines it seems like you invite ‘so much’ into your life, (possibly the entire universe) that having expectations or holding grudges if nothing happens doesn’t seem like an option.

I feel it is definitely so much more than just a medicine to whatever is bothering you physically, and by being able to accept and honor that you bring a sense of calm to yourself. I hope this is helpful, feel free to send a message if you have any other questions!

How can I try this?

If you’re interested in this treatment, and you have no one in your network that can recommend you someone, Google is your best friend. With the above key-words and desired area you should get quite a lot of result. Please check out my article on How to book a treatment for the first time here.

Disclaimer:

This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion and dis­cus­sion about health, treatments and related sub­jects. I try to shine light on a vast and often ambiguous arena by sharing my own experiences. The words and other con­tent pro­vided in this blog, as well as any linked mate­ri­als, are not intended and should not be con­strued as med­ical advice. I’m not a medical expert. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should con­sult with an appropriately-licensed physi­cian or other health care worker.