I realize that my title is provocative, but I'm genuinely asking as someone who has not had a mystical experience, or an otherwise therapeutic psychedelic experience.

(For context: I've only felt intoxicated and seen the details of the popcorn ceiling swirling a bit under psilo: my medium and high doses were identical in that respect except for a little nausea, once, with a higher dose. I did not otherwise "hallucinate" or have insights or "go" anywhere. I was mentally sober, just intoxicated in the sense of very relaxed. I had one kind of mild visual distortion only--the swirling in the ceiling--and none with eyes closed. I did not "trip" judging by what most people describe when they say they tripped. What I'm getting at is that I'm asking my question as someone who's pretty "psychedelic-naive.")

Anyway, don't misunderstand: I'm not stating that psychedelic use is escapism; rather, I'm asking what it is that makes it different from escapism. Apparently the phrase spiritual bypassing is used when psychedelics are used for escapism. What I'm asking is what makes non-bypassing use different from the escapist kind.

FWIW, I'm asking because I'm wondering if this is worth exploring further with higher doses or different substances or both, or whether I'm projecting a panacea on to these substances when the reality is that life is just hard, and that pretending otherwise isn't going to make life any less hard. How is psychedelic exploration different from a "cope"?

(One answer suggested psychedelics give you insights that you couldn't easily get otherwise. But is that actually true for someone who's already reflective about a lot of things?)

so i’ve never done psychedelics and im about to try shrooms here soon, anything i need to know or do before i take them?

hi y’all, so just letting y’all know i’m gonna be talking about bad trips in detail, because i need some advice on what my boyfriend can do to help me while i’m having a bad trip. so, content warning if you’ve had a traumatic trip.

so, i started tripping in august of 2022. my boyfriend was the knowledgeable one between the two of us, so he helped me learn about them. i’m still learning though. he would make us tea with lemon, and we would split a few grams in the tea and have a fun trip together. all was great for the first three trips, then for some reason, i had one really bad trip, and now i’m stuck in this loop of consistently only having bad trips. and i know some people say that there “aren’t any bad trips,” well, these are. and one of them really screwed me up mentally. commonalities between these trips are: i get “locked in”. i can’t move, talk, open my eyes, sit up, anything. i’m literally locked in my head. a million voices in my head are going a million miles an hour, thinking my worst thoughts like “everyone hates you” “you can’t trust your boyfriend, or anyone for that matter” “you’re a failure”. repeating over and over, while i feel like my soul is being hurled through every dimension possible. i’ve tapered down how much i take by a lot. i’ve even tried .5 of a gram, and this still happens. my boyfriend has no idea what to do to get me out of it, he can’t get me to even sit up or open my eyes or say any coherent words, so last couple times i’ve tried (i’ve tried maybe 5 or 6 times since my last good trip) he just kinda lets me go through the motions and eventually i roll over and “wake up”. it’s honestly a terrifying experience. last time it happened, i had to call off work the next day because i was so mentally messed up and out of it. i honestly don’t know what to do. i would LOVE to do microdosing, or doing guided trips to help me with my severe anxiety and my ptsd, but i can’t do that when i’m literally locked in my own head and i can’t be brought out of it. so, with all that being said, is there any way i can be brought out of it at least a little bit so it’s maybe just a neutral trip instead of bad? if there’s a way i can turn it into a good trip, or prevent this bad trip loop i’m stuck in, i’m all ears, but i’m even open just making it a neutral trip, if such a thing exists. is there anything i can do before or during the trip to prevent it or bring myself out of it? any advice would be appreciated. thanks for reading <3

🌟 Join Our Psychedelic and Trauma Study! 🌟

What's the Study About? We're investigating challenging or traumatic experiences with psychedelics and their lingering effects. Your insights will help us understand how these experiences impact mental health. Your anonymity and confidentiality are guaranteed.

Benefits of Participation:

• Your valuable input will shape future research and support for the psychedelic community.

• The survey takes approximately 35 minutes to complete.

• Participation is voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Aged 18 years or above.

• Have experimented with psychedelic substances at least once.

• Able to read and write in German or English.

• Experienced a challenging or traumatic event during psychedelic use.

Join Us Today: https://www.psychedelicsandtrauma.net/en/

Your participation matters. Together, let's uncover the complexities of psychedelics and trauma. Be a part of the conversation and make a difference. 🌈 #PsychedelicResearch #TraumaStudy #HumboldtUniversityBerlin

I took a well prepared for 4 gram macro dose. I am very prone to nausea & vomiting & was a little worried it would destroy my stomach so I ate a small meal. It definitely delayed the effect. I felt it come on as jitters & nausea for a good hour or more and had effects when I wore headphones with meditation music & a black out mask. Past that not much …..then it picked up 3 hours later. The nausea was too much (ginger doesn’t work for me) so I took a Zofran. That made me trip harder. It was all good…I cried from an overpowering sense of love & some other emotions that needed to release. I finally started getting some subtle visuals at 4 hours post initial dosing. At that point I felt drained. This was all very cathartic in a medicinal way. I decided to take a benzo because it felt like this was going to really go on & on. My question. Does using a benzo negate the positive effects of the psilocybin? I dose in an attempt to treat anxiety, depression & reframe my sometimes small ego driven responses to life. Hoping the benzo doesn’t negate the work of the psilocybin.

So I’ve taken some mushroom trips a few times the past few months. I took a heroic dose one of those times and felt there was an Evil presence in me that was controlling me. I’m not quite sure how to explain it other than it felt like it was a dark entity from another dimension that was trying to control my movements and make me pinch myself like it was extremely heavy, I was even talking in tongues at one point. I felt the same thing the last time on 3.5 g. It’s very intriguing to me. I’m perfectly fine I always throw on Alan Watts to distract my mind when I venture off path. I’m just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences?

Background: Male, late twenties. This is my 3rd time using shrooms. Did 1.5g and 2.0g around 2 years ago and ABSOLUTELY loved it. I am now trying 2.5 grams because I wanted to go deeper than last time, and wanted the 1.0g booster dose handy in case I wanted to go deeper / extend the experience.

I prepared a lot for the experience. Planned to do it at home with three trip sitters who are mostly sober (drinking a little and one is a little high on weed). All incredibly kind people wanting to help make my trip special. We’ll call them: Wife, Best Friend, and Sister. (It’s my wife, one of my best friends, and the best friend’s sister). They were all taking care of me the entire trip, asking what I wanted to do, getting me sodas and snacks the entire time. I highly recommend having people wait on you while tripping.

8:00pm: 2.5g dose down the hatch (chocolate bar, legit source). The first hour was spent going in and out of the trip room and briefly playing a video game. After only 30mins I began to feel initial effects. Things were breathing, body felt heavy, and it felt like a weed high until around 9:00pm.

9:00pm: All four of us are in the living room. My trip playlist is playing out loud. Each song sounded perfect and crisp. I’m attempting to play a card game with everyone but the face of the cards were shimmering, and anything I focused my attention on would take my entire attention.

9:20pm: All these initial effects were similar to my 2.0g trip. I knew I wanted to go deeper so I took the 1.0g booster dose and hit a weed pen a few times. I got to talking with Sister and had a lovely conversation with her. Words were very difficult to formulate. I knew what I wanted to say but articulating the words was hard.

9:50pm: I got into conversation with Best Friend. We had a deep conversation about the values I hold deeply in life. Best Friend is in counseling school for her masters and is very good at asking meaningful questions. She told me what a great friend I am and how being around my wife and I is very good for her. She can how see a healthy relationship functions in real life. This conversation felt incredibly deep and meaningful.

The intensity is bumping up. Over the next 20mins the booster dose and the weed is starting to take effect and the visuals are amplifying. Things that were slightly breathing and moving before are now colorful and moving as if in a stop motion video. The band members on the TV playing with each song are moving around quite a bit. I was thoroughly enjoying the visuals.

10:20pm: I go into the trip room and begin painting while listening to music with one earphone, talking to Best Friend, hitting a nicotine vape and weed vape, and drinking a sprite. I was having a blast.

10:40pm: 2.5 hours into the trip and I can tell things are not getting too intense at all. I felt as though I had complete control and knew there was no chance of a bad trip (something I was worried about going into it). So I take the last of the mushroom stash, (0.5g) and continue to hit the weed pen more.

11:00pm: Over the next hour I certainly peaked. It was spent in the trip room painting, listening to music in my headphones, or off a record player. All the girls were in the trip room talking, and having a good time.

I am in complete bliss. I felt with each heartbeat I was pulsating pure euphoria. I felt / imagined pulsating colorful visuals flowing out of my head forming a colorful mushroom above me. I was telling my wife that “This is awesome, everything is awesome!”. Everything was indeed awesome. I had the greatest body high and was filled with pure happiness.

This continued for the next hour as everyone began to get sleepy and ready for bed.

12:00am: We all watch a nature documentary on Netflix for a few minutes before everyone goes to sleep. A horrific scene of locusts migrating and moving all over filled the TV. I could feel them all crawling around and morphing. This didn’t actually freak me out or anything as I found it amusing. But I could see how people have bad trips. Everything that’s happening is very emotionally significant as well as whatever is happening is the most exaggerated version of whatever it is.

For example, we talked about how cute one of my dogs were and the entire moment and everything happening was the cutest thing and moment ever created.

1:00am: Everyone goes to bed and I have one last conversation with Best Friend talking about plans to trip in the future. We both want to do it in nature next time.

2:00am: I am still kind of tripping as I drift off to sleep. I think taking the 2nd booster dose was why I was still feeling it 6 hours after initial ingestion. But the weed making me tired and exhaustion was unable to be stopped and sleep was inevitable.

Conclusions: Wow. I can’t believe how a perfect set and setting make a trip 0% scary. Like I had so many precautions in place in case things turned bad. I coached all the girls on what to do if I freak out, start looping, I had Xanax on hand to kill the trip, etc.

This was definitely more intense than my last trip. I fucking enjoyed every second of it. It’s been about 2 months since the experience at the time of writing the conclusion and I definitely walked away with some decent insight. Found out how Self-Discipline is an incredibly important value to myself. I also realized how mushrooms are more fun than any other drug I’ve ever tried and has helped inspire me to cut down / cut out other drugs in my life like Nicotine, weed, and alcohol. Because I figure having the self discipline to moderate my life is only going to add to the greatness of my mushroom experiences in to future.

I intent to take shrooms a few times a year. I am really looking for a deeper other worldly spiritual experience, but without getting into ego dissolution / death territory. I want to get to that level after I get a ton of trips under my belt.

I figure next time, I could handle 3.5g initial dose with no booster since I handled 2.5g + 1.0g pretty easily. And I figure taking it all at once will make the peak more intense.

Cheers, mush love.

Hi all - my wife is interested in going on a deeper journey than the 100mg capsules I ordered would provide but she’s wondering about the journey. For a heavy dose for a deep spiritual journey, is the experience a deep psychedelic, possibly ego dissolved experience the entire time, or is it felt/experienced in waves?

I know for deep journeys the experience can last 6+ hrs but I’m not clear on if that means you’re on Europa the entire time or just in waves or even if it’s limited to a small portion of the entire onset. Thanks!

I’m a 21 year old male and I’ve been using shrooms for a while now. But a little over a year ago I had a trip that scared me away from them and the thought of ever tripping again made my heart race. I thought I was going to die and I kept having thoughts about death and going permanently insane but I came down and was okay aside from the scary memories that lasted a while after the trip. I’m not sure if it gave me mild ptsd or something but I just know that the thought of tripping scared me until a couple days ago when I decided to give them another shot.

So I was laying in my bed at around midnight playing the new MW3 multiplayer and I decided to smoke a joint and take a couple shots to chill for the night when all of a sudden a random urge to trip came across my mind and I realized I had an eighth of APE so I said fuck it. I downed them and within like 30 minutes I was like oh shit I’m feeling the effects coming on and panicked so I ran to the bathroom and stuck my finger in the back of my throat a few times but nothing happened. But all of a sudden I just felt really relaxed and giddy.

I said you know what it’ll be okay I accept whatever happens to me. So I went back to my room and layed there in the dark with only my tv on while I stared at the MW3 home screen on PlayStation where it’s just mountains in a desert and felt like everything on my tv was shifting and forming these aztec / mayan temple designs. Like I was seeing everything become more bold and formulaic and the mountains were beginning to form ancient imagery and the outline of faces appearing and disappearing. I was fascinated and just couldn’t stop looking at them until everything on my screen started swirling and shifting into each other. But for some reason it looked more real than how I viewed things sober like there was this overwhelming sense of my mind expanding and being transported somewhere else.

I got this urge to lay back and close my eyes because it was getting intense. So I layed down and before I did I looked at my ceiling and it was slowly coming up and down while it waved around like water in the ocean. I was seeing the patterns in my ceiling swirling around in the same exact motion that water does all while it was slowly lowering down and pulling back up. I closed my eyes and saw geometry and swirling patterns as well as faces everywhere and the faces would shift between smiling and looking angry. I started hearing both male and female voices in my head repeating things like “don’t worry we’re here to help” and “I’ll protect you” and “you’re here with us now”. I was constantly being reassured that I was okay and it was like I was being welcomed into this other realm.

Then I started feeling like my body was ascending. I layed there with my eyes closed and I felt like my body was being pulled towards the ceiling or like my soul was leaving my body. I felt this constant feeling of being pulled upwards all while I was completely at peace. I just felt so cozy and happy to be there and like my soul was ascending somewhere else. I realized that shrooms don’t want to hurt us and that they only want the best for us. It made me realize that I need to stop worrying so much and being scared of the shrooms because they want to heal us. I layed there and occasionally would randomly giggle for a few seconds then go silent for like 10-15 minutes then I’d giggle again and this went on for like an hour after I peaked. I felt so blissful like a full body orgasm and I was constantly out of breath just trying to regain my composure.

It felt so sensual in a way like my body was being massaged all over and I was constantly being filled with this overwhelming sensation of excitement and peace that I haven’t felt in a long time. All while my eyes were closed and I was being encompassed in geometry and faces shifting all around me. There were these weird snake designs that covered my vision and were constantly moving around like a conveyor belt. It felt like I was being absorbed in fractals and like I was being “healed” mentally in this other dimension like I was meant to be there all this time and I’m finally home. It genuinely felt like I was reconnecting with family that just wanted the best for me and wanted to make sure I felt happy.

Once the peak passed and I was past the most intense parts, I opened my eyes and felt so at peace. My head felt so quiet but everything was shifting and colors looked so vibrant. I was so proud of myself for overcoming my fear of taking shrooms again so I started a match of MW3 and played favela which is a really colorful map in this new game. I remember seeing all the details on the map shifting and twisting and the textures in the game were constantly slithering away like a snake and my vision couldn’t focus on one thing at a time. It was just like seeing everything twist around like a water color painting like that starry night painting. Things looked swirly and cartoonish but also colors looked more “real” and “bolder” in a way. For some reason I was destroying everyone on the game and I was doing better than normal. The remainder of the trip I played some COD and eventually passed out but it was such a good trip. I’m planning on doing 5g’s soon which I’ve done in the past but it’s been a minute. I’ve been after glowing for days and I feel the most at peace I have in a long time. I’ve been dealing with anxiety and depression symptoms for a while and now they’re basically nonexistent. I really feel blessed and just happy to be alive now. This stuff really is medicine when you do it correctly and this trip made me realize that all the time I wasted being scared of shrooms was pointless since the shrooms only want what’s best for you. Anyways love all you humans and I hope your future trips go as well as mine did. I do understand that I was smoking weed and drinking on top of it so that might’ve made a difference in my effects, but I still feel it benefited me and like my brain is working better than it ever has. But regardless good luck tripping everyone and stay safe out there.

A study is recruiting adult couples who have, in the last twelve months, taken psilocybin together. Following checks regarding inclusion criteria are completed, each member of the couple will be separately invited to a 90-minute interview where you will be asked to talk about your experience. For more information, read here (https://blogs.city.ac.uk/magicofmushrooms/).

Hey all, just looking for some advice. I'm planning to take my first mushroom journey in a few weeks (only a small 1g dose of Costa Rican Cubensis) but reading up online I'm starting to question the safety of mushrooms. Not sure if I'm buying into bad tales and talking myself out of it but I'd like your opinion.

Here are my concerns.
Firstly my cousin has schizophrenia, I've read online that means there is a 2% chance I could develop it. Should I avoid mushrooms for this reason?

Secondly, around four years ago I developed daily panic attacks and found myself suffering at times with derealisation. I've since completely got over this and never suffer anything of that nature. I have control over my mind and if I ever feel I'm getting slightly anxious I have no issue nipping it in the bud. Should I be concerned about mushrooms taking me back to this place?

I got through my anxious period by meditating and reading books like the 'power of now'. Also living healthy of course. Ram Das was a big influence for me and he is one of the reasons I'd like to try mushrooms and experience nature under their guise. I hope that it will deepen my connection with nature and even offer me some clearer insight on life decisions such as choosing to reside in Australia, which isnt my home country, something I'm often conflicted about.

Please let me know your thoughts, constructive and considered advise only please.

Thanks, Nick

Hi Everyone!
I'm considering a slightly larger micro-dose of LSD-25 (around 40-50mcg) to boost my energy and mood for work today (Wednesday). This Sunday, I'm planning to experience a larger dose for the first time—either 3-3.5g of Magic Mushrooms or 75-100ug of LSD. My only previous LSD experience involved gummies that didn't have much effect (40mcg), and I've tried shrooms before, which I found enjoyable yet sometimes can be quite intense.
I'm curious if today's micro-dose might affect my experience this Sunday due to tolerance buildup. Given the micro-dosing, do you think it would have a significant impact?
Also, I'd love to hear your comparisons between shrooms and LSD, especially regarding the manageability of their effects over time. Any advice or personal insights would be greatly appreciated.
I want to try LSD-25 but I know it lasts twice as long and I will be doing it solo so I am curious for your feedback.
Thanks!

Hello, everyone.

I'm planning a solo journey with Albino Penis Envy mushrooms and am seeking your collective wisdom to ensure a safe and positive experience. It’s been over two decades since my first encounter with mushrooms, and my recent forays have brought me varying degrees of insight and visuals but not without their challenges in finding the right balance.
To give you an idea of my recent experiences:
- My reintroduction was with 2.2 grams of Golden Teachers, leading to a profound experience.
- A week later, I tried a similar dose, which was enjoyable but didn't reach the same depths.
- My third attempt involved 1.5 grams of Penis Envy, which felt muted, likely due to tolerance buildup.
- Finally, two days after the 1.5 grams, I consumed 3.5 grams of Blue Meanies, and not finding the desired effect, added 2 grams of PE with a lemon tek, which resulted in a modest experience.

Given that my last experience was just this past Sunday, and I’m looking at a narrow window of opportunity tomorrow (Friday), I’m turning to this community for insights. I’ve heard varied accounts of experiences with APES, ranging from intensely transformative to challenging and overwhelming, with some reporting significant discomfort at doses as low as 1.5 grams.

Given the potency of APES and the subjective nature of these experiences, I would greatly appreciate hearing about your personal encounters, the contexts that shaped them, and any advice on navigating these powerful mushrooms with respect and caution. My goal is to have a deeply meaningful, introspective journey that balances the desire for depth with the imperative of safety, especially since I'll be on this path alone.

I understand the importance of set and setting, and I’m preparing a comfortable, controlled environment for this journey. However, given the anecdotal reports of the intensity associated with APES, I’m particularly interested in how others have approached dosage and preparation to foster a positive and safe experience.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom and insights. Safety and harm reduction are my top priorities, and any guidance you can offer will be invaluable.

Participate in the Study - Send your interest to: C.A.Tanner@2020.ljmu.ac.uk

We want to know how you navigated and made sense of this to help us understand the full range of psychedelic experiences.

We're Inviting:

Adults 18+ with recent psilocybin retreat experience in the last 3 years.

Must not be on SSRI/SNRIs or diagnosed with major psychiatric conditions.

What’s Involved?

Engage in a one-hour interview via Zoom.

Absolute confidentiality and respect for your privacy assured.

Your insights will illuminate this understudied aspect of psychedelic research.

​

Hello Friends,
I will start off by acknowledging that even various mushrooms from the same strain can affect you differently and set and setting and many other things play a part. That being said I know that Penis Envy is stronger than Blue Meanies and Blue Meanies is stronger than Golden Teachers.
The most I've done is 2.2grams of Golden Teachers and this was just about 2 weeks ago and had amazing visuals and it was a nice buzz but I am ready for a bit more but currently I am out of Golden Teachers.
I had about 1.5grams left last week so decided to take that and chill and it was a very mellow buzz with slight color changes and tracers but nothing too intense.
I do have:
- 3.5grams of Penis Envy
- 3.5grams of Blue Meanies
I was wondering what 3grams of Golden Teachers would equate to for Penis Envy and Blue Meanies and if anyone has advice which I should choose?
I will be doing it solo in my house during the day in a safe environment.
Thank you!

Hello,

I was looking to go on a trip solo tomorrow morning around 10-11am. I’m expecting it to be over around 5pm and then was heading to another couples house at around 7pm - 11pm roughly and was worried I was going to be tired so I was thinking of doing 1/4-1/2 a hit of mdma.

Would this have a positive affect and work as it’s supposed to or would it be blunted by the effects of my morning mushroom use?

Secondary question for fun: Between psilocybin, mdma, lsd - what order could you take these so you can enjoy each of them in a week without causing major issues or lack of effects.

Thank you

Legit scam!!!!!!!!

Hello,

I was wondering if I were to take 10-20mcg of lsd on Thursday, would it still be able to take 2.5grams of Magic Mushrooms on Friday for a good trip or would it be brought down a lot by the LSD micro-dose as it’s affecting the same receptors?

My thoughts were due to the low amount it wouldn’t affect it greatly - thoughts?

Also is 10-20mcg enough to feel the lsd but be functional?

Thank you

Who Can Join?
Age 18 and Older: Participants must be adults proficient in English.
Recent Experience: You have had a psilocybin experience in a retreat setting within the last 3 to 9 months, allowing for adequate integration time without being too far away from the experience itself.
Not on SSRI/SNRI Medication: Individuals currently on SSRI or SNRI medications are excluded due to potential interactions affecting the experience.
Psychological Stability: Participants should not have been diagnosed with unstable psychiatric conditions to ensure ethical participation and safety during the study

📢 Share Your Story
Interested in contributing to psychedelic research? Your story is invaluable, offering perspectives that can foster deeper understanding and acceptance of the diverse experiences within psychedelic journeys.

Reach Out to Participate or Learn More: Caz Tanner - MSc Student, Alef Trust and Liverpool John Moores University

📧 Email: C.A.Tanner@2020.ljmu.ac.uk

Hi all -

Been wanting a place to share my last trip, as it has really stuck with me for over a week! Lost of new experiences during the trip, and some really positive lasting impacts on my mood, outlook and overall personality. Sharing for myself (notes) and for others to read/enjoy/comment on if you feel compelled to do so.

Background

• I've mirco'd a few times (enough for light visuals, breathing textures, distortions, euphoria)
• Last few times, I haven't taken enough to get any real visual/physical effects, very light usage
• Prior to this last experience, I ad never taken enough to "trip", really
• Late 30s. Corporate job. High-ish stress. Family man.

Dose, Set, Setting

I don't recommend just eating a handful of mushrooms without measuring, especially for a novice, and am kindof embarrassed to share it

• I usually grind and measure my dosage, and am very methodical and cautious
• This time, I was worried I wouldn't get any effects like the last few times, so I ate more than usual
  • About one handful of dried mushrooms (from a trusted family friend), then continued to consume a few more throughout the next 30 minutes - 1 hr, maybe another 4 or 5 smaller dried mushrooms
• At home with close family and friends, and my wife, consumed at around 10pm.
  • there had been a huge party, but most people had left and it was the "after party", so to speak, with just close friends and family, and everyone left was going to do shrooms (some on molly). Lots of lights and music still going, but with all trusted people. Like a personal little mini club at home

I've always been afraid of getting too far away from baseline. I've been curious about larger doses, but generally avoid high doses of any substances. I've always had great experiences with smaller doses of psilocybin, never a bad one, but I am prone to anxiety and existential dread. I can have awful 'trips' even with marijuana. I am also a very nervous sleeper, and have nightly existential dread and night terrors (my whole life)

Onset

Things hit me fast! I remember going from "I hope I took enough to get some visuals" to "holy shit this is awesome" to "Oh, this is going to be new territory" rapidly. Below happened across the span of about 15-20 minutes

• First visuals were tracers (which I hadn't seen before) and it was awesome. There were lots of neon lights around, and flames from outdoor heaters, which were kind of rippling through my field of vision even after looking away
• Fingers tingling, felt like I was "swimming" through the atmosphere
• Full on synestesia! I left the house for a moment, and when I came back in to the main room with the music playing, I saw things kindof pixelate every time the bass hit. Like I could see the music. What was even cooler, was every time my field of vision pixelated (geometric patters, little multicolored triangles) I could "feel" the pixels on my tongue. It was like my tongue and mouth was becoming the pixels in my field of vision, which was also the music.
  • The coolest part was that I could TASTE the universe pixels! I can still (over a week later) remember what the music/sights/sounds tasted like! Kind of metallic, but also a cross between a tase and a sensation on my tongue

I remember going up to my friend on the dancefloor and saying "Holy shit man, I'm getting full on synestesia! This is awesome. I can taste pixels!!!" and he said, "Ohhh..you chose the mushrooms!" lol

Peak?

I made my way upstairs with my wife and a few close friends to a quiet, more private room. We were all very happy to be away from the main party at this point, and found a comfy spot on the floor on the carpet

• Visuals: My vision turned almost fully 2D, I was staring at the ceiling and I remember it almost like everything became 1 single plane. When I lifted my hands, it was like they "became" a part of the space between me and everything else. Like it all collapsed into one fabric - lots of intense visuals, mostly geometric.
  • It was coming and going, almost like when I focused on someone, or someone spoke to me, I popped back into the present for a moment and could fully communicate but only for a fleeting moment, then .... whoosh, back into kind of melting into the universe around me, visually and mentally
• Physical: I felt like I was melting. Period. But it felt GOOD. I remember saying out loud "Its like a warm blanket!" while laughing hysterically and feeling total euphoria. I felt like my hands were kind of becoming my wife when I would touch her, and have vivid memories of melting into the carpet. Like, the carpet felt amazing, and i felt the carpet like I was the carpet. I wonder if this is why shag carpet was so popular in the 70s lol
  • I kept forgetting about my limbs. Like, I would see my left hand and forget it was there. It felt like it didn't belong to me at times. Also, my wife's limbs kept surprising me and for some reason it was hilarious! lol... Like, omg your foot is here! Look at your foot!
    • At this point I realized (and said aloud) "This is awesome but I am completely incapacitated" and "Like, I definitely could not operate machinery". Everyone agreed.
• Mental/Spiritual: I remember an overwhelming feeling of "realizing" what reality was. Like I was getting a fleeting glimpse of the real reality. I remember thinking "woah, we really are in a simulation" Like we were just a projection of the real universe. I also felt, overwhelmingly, like we were all the same stuff, all one being or one thing, having individual experiences for a moment. It was like peeking behind the curtain, but couldn't quite hold onto what I was seeing / feeling. I also remember having some strange time loops that made me "feel" like time was just an illusion, and space, time, physical stuff, sound, light, everything was all the same thing and was all right here in one spot. Like, no past, present, life death ... just ...everything was there all at once. I felt like this huge weight was lifted off of me, even in the moment, like the weight of being a human, and my own mortality, and all of the trivial problems of life just kind of dissolved as I saw the "big picture" even though it was fleeting and just a glimpse.
  • I remember sitting up and, in the midst of me making lots of "wowwwww" and" wommmmmpp" and "Mooooo" noises, proclaimed, "I'm not afraid of death anymore!!" and "Because humas are always so afraid and there is nothing to be afraid of!" (embarrassingly, this part was caught on video).

Come Down? Maybe a different peak?

this was the only unpleasant part of the entire experience. At this point it was around 2 or 3 am. I was exhausted, and really ready for the experience to be over. I felt very confused and disoriented, and it was almost like I was rapidly, piece by piece, becoming myself again and remembering who I was and the "reality" I was returning to.

• I was very panicked asking where our kids were. My wife kept reassuring me that they were with her mom. I asked at one point "What is a mom though" and really freaked her out. I wasn't joking. I was having a lot of trouble communicating basic concepts, and understanding basic concepts
• I was extremely nauseus, but I remember thinking "nausea isnt really real, it is just something my mind is hallucinating, becasue my body isnt real either, its just a part of the simulation" so I ignored it for the most part. I really wanted to throw up, but couldnt
• Drinking water was awful, especially cold water. I couldn't tell if the water was real, or I was "becoming" the water when I swallowed it. Same with washing my hands. very unpleasant.
• At some point I was losing consciousness (just from falling asleep) but I was afraid to do so. Mainly, I wasnt sure if I was awake or asleep already, and had this fear that if I fell asleep in a dream that i would be ....double asleep? And might not be able to wake up back in my base reality. Something like that -- it wasnt a rational thought, but more of a feeling. I kept checking with my wife if she was awake, equally concerned that if she fell asleep she might be inaccessible, like slipping into another dimension or something.
• I kept having moments of clarity where I was like, "oh, okay I think its wearing off, Im back" then ...boom...back to being confused and in a dream-like state.

All of this went on for what felt like a loooong time, but in reality was about 1 hour...Then, the fire alarm went off. Literally.

The smoke machines downstairs set off the fire alarms, and it IMMEDIATELY "snapped" me out of things. Like, I was back to baseline. Reality just snapped back into place! Weird as well.

In retrospect I think part of this comedown was a combination of me coming down WHILE slipping in and out of consciousness. So I was like, half tripping, half coming down, while twilight awake/asleep. When the alarm went off it woke me up, and shook me out of whatever altered consciousness I was kind of stuck in on a loop. Then, Sleep.

After Effects

I'm so blown away at how profound this all was. As I type it, I realize that it doesnt do the experience justice at all. I've felt so much more calm, and relaxed every day since. I also have had zero existential dread or sleep problems since! Ive been sleeping like a baby, and feel, still, just an overall sense of wellbeing and connectedness. Like, I feel like I exist as a part of the universe whose job it is to have experiences and make others' exepreinces happy. I dont feel seperate from the world, I feel like I'm just a node in an infinite space-time that gets to experience joy, and love, and all of the things while I'm "here".

Work has been less stressful. Ive been more patient. And i kind-of reaffirmd the things that are already most important to me. At the peak of losing myself in this experience (which I feel has some of the same profound effects as a near-death experience...losing yourself, then being so glad to be able to return to your regular life) all I cared about was those who I love, love istelf, and a sense of grattude to be a part of this existence, and gratitude to be living this Playthrough" in the smulation right now. It turned down the volume on all of the shit that doesn't truly matter, and it has stayedthat way for over a week.

​

​

​

​

​

Hello, r/PsilocybinExperience community,

My name is Bethany Gray (but I usually go by Bags). I am a student at Colorado State University and I am conducting a research study on psilocybin use. About two years ago, I posted a survey to several subreddits, and got over 1400 responses! The first publication from that study is pending publication.

The purpose of this NEW study is to continue to get an idea of how and why psilocybin is being used in the real world right now, and to test out some new surveys based on the feedback of the people who took it the first time. I want to understand whether there are different types of psilocybin use and what kinds of benefits/ positive outcomes/ consequences/ risks are associated with each type of use. If you participated in the last survey, you ARE eligible for this one too!
The research aims to gain an in-depth understanding the following:

• The dosages of psilocybin you typically use
• The frequency with which you use psilocybin
• Your demographic information
• What benefits and/ or consequences you have experienced from your psilocybin use

Through statistical analysis of this information, we hope to gain a better understanding of real world use and how to craft new surveys to use in the future.

Who… We are recruiting people aged 18 or older that have used psilocybin at least once at any point in their life for any reason. We also gladly accept participants who are using psilocybin in the present. We are open to hearing about both positive and not so positive experiences. Because this is an anonymous study, we have to require that you not have a family history or a previous diagnosis of any psychotic disorders and that you not be actively suicidal, as we will not be able to provide adequate support to you in these circumstances.

What… Private, confidential surveys will be available until we run out of reimbursement funding. At this time, we have enough money to raffle off ten $100 gift cards. Survey questions aim to garner an understanding of what your psilocybin use is like and what it is for. It will take you about 25-30 minutes. All responses are anonymized - your information will not be shared and cannot be traced back to you*.* These surveys are part of graduate research at Colorado State University, supervised by Dr. Mark Prince.

How… We are aware that this is a delicate and sensitive topic. Preserving your anonymity, health and safety is extremely important to us. If you would like to participate, please click the link below and it will open the Qualtrics surveys in a new tab. After you finish the whole survey, it will route you to a completely separate page where you can enter any email address you have access to for the raffle. These email addresses will be stored on a separate database and cannot be linked to your survey responses.

Your participation may contribute to a current and clinically relevant area with major unmet needs for future avenues in psychedelic research.
To participate, click the link below and it will open the Qualtrics surveys in a new tab.

https://colostate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1MM5xbeWoE2LLNk

Email bethany.gray**[at]colostate[dot]**edu with questions. Thank you!
Bethany (Bags) Gray, MS
Doctoral Student at Colorado State University

Just want a way out if things get too insane. Im gonna be doing a 3 gram penis envy trip this weekend with intentions set on letting go of things I can't control (I'm a paranoid cardiophobe when it comes to having a heart attack, I do have an undiagnosed heart issue, which is the cause of my terror, but I'm not gonna go into that right now, unless the reddit doctors wanna hear about it)

So I took 2g of shrooms yesterday. I had a really tough come up where I was extremely anxious and fearful. I remember how uncomfortable I felt in my anxiety but I was trying to connect with it. It felt like I was trapped and kept asking it what it wanted and something painful/ bit was trapped behind the anxiety. I finally started talking about how I wanted to “put myself together” and it was really hard for me not to feel messy. I deal with perfectionist issues and realized that part of the stuck emotions and anxiety was trying to control so hard to “look perfect”. Finally I had an emotional release that felt SO good. So so good to cry. I also realized as the anxiety wore off into my trip that my womb was cramping sort of like I was about to start my period. I am due to start in the next 3/4 days but never did yesterday. I figured out this might be my extra keen connection to my body while on shroom where I can feel my period coming even earlier than I normally would.. OR it meant there was some sort of emotional tie to my uterus. Idk so weird because as soon as i came back to my reality zero cramps or any sort of sensation in my uterus. Magical beings those shrooms are.

In recent years, the conversation around mental health has expanded to include unconventional yet promising treatments. One such avenue of exploration is the use of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms. While often associated with recreational use, psilocybin has emerged as a focal point in serious scientific research aimed at understanding its potential therapeutic benefits for mental health disorders.

I have some melmac revert shrooms that are drying ATM and want to know how they compare to golden teacher. I know "a cube is a cube" but I understand that this is a precursor strain of penis envy and wonder if it is of higher potency than GT or Amazonian.

My brother is currently what looks like convulsing all over his house after taking around 11g of mushrooms. His tolerance is really high so that’s a normal dose for him. He responds when I ask him questions but he keeps saying how hot it is in here and it’s because he’s literally moving non stop, like falling onto the couch and then rolling onto the floor and just cannot stop twitching and moving his body. Is this normal?!?! Help!!!

My first shroom trip on 2 grams...
The neurotic part of my brain got shut off. I lost all existential dread or fear of death, experienced euphoria, and enhanced senses as if everything was the most interesting thing I'd ever seen. I felt like I understood everything and saw the world from perspectives I didn't know existed. The existential dread remained squashed by 80% afterwards, and the neurotic side of me is still down by 50%. I literally told me friend, "why wouldn't I do this every week? This is the best I ever felt".
My 2nd shroom trip happened last night (3 weeks later). I had the same 2gs expecting a similar result. Instead, I went internal, the nausea was three times worse, and I knew innately this was a stronger dose.
I became detached from my body and crossed over. The creator straight-up told me not to treat shrooms like a recreational drug and I wouldn't be able to just visit this dimension whenever I wanted. He told me I hadn't been ready for this trip until now. I asked to stay in that dimension, or astral plane, and he told me that wasn't possible, that I couldn't just leave my body yet. I asked the entity (this entity that was propelling answers into my brain about questions I hadn't asked for answers for) to let me experience all that I could handle. He said I'll only ever give you what you can handle. I experienced ecstasy, oneness, and sustained awe. The visuals, what happened in my brain,the perspective changes within all senses, there was nothing that could prepare me for that. And I feel like I forgot 80% of it, and that that is part of the experience. We don't get to remember the whole thing, at least at this point.
Anyone else?

I had the last of my first grow yesterday, and I've finally settled on the best methods for consuming and a dosage range, having never used shrooms before. I had 4.8 g in a ziploc with a silica bag and there was residual moisture after the dehydrator I guess because it was 3.9 when I got it out.

I soaked it in my tea infuser sitting in a small plastic cup so that lemon juice was about a half inch deep for 20 minutes, then put it in a coffee cup with a ginger tea bag, poured the remaining juice in, then used my Keurig to fill with hot water and steep 20 minutes. Strained, drank, then ate solids with the gulp and wash down method since the texture disgusts me so I can't chew it.

On the come up, I was on my balcony looking at the trees in the park across from me, and they looked exactly like an Impressionist painting, like something Monet would do. The wind made them appear to boil like green soup. The clouds were incredible. I saw things in them like I did as a child, a skill that I had largely lost. This however was unlike childhood at all, since I saw a golden chubby faced man with a handlebar mustache blowing a long medieval looking trumpet while I was listening to Breathe by Pink Floyd😁

I was tripping HARD for about 6 hours, and it was just sublime. I can't wait until my next tub fruits. 🍄