Sarah Brown
Magic mushrooms are hallucinogenic fungi that contain the psychoactive substances psilocybin and psilocin. They have been used for thousands of years, and in recent times, there has been ongoing research into the potential of psilocybin to treat various mental health disorders. However, it is important to note that magic mushrooms are illegal in many places and come with certain risks. If you are considering taking magic mushrooms, it is crucial to understand the proper dosing, set, and setting to reduce harm and promote a positive experience. This includes planning your trip by choosing a safe and peaceful location, being mindful of your mindset and expectations, and accurately weighing your dose.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Safety | Magic mushrooms are illegal drugs and can be risky. They can cause hallucinations, distort your sense of reality, and affect your mental health. |
| Preparation | Plan your trip in advance. Choose a safe, peaceful place, and consider how you're feeling beforehand as your mindset can influence your experience. |
| Dosing | Understand the correct dose for your body weight and desired effects. "Go low and slow" with your first dose, and wait at least 60-90 minutes before taking more. |
| Consumption | Magic mushrooms can be eaten raw, dried, or mixed into food or drinks like tea. They can also be taken in capsule form or combined with lemon juice to intensify the effects. |
| Integration | The integration process after the trip is important for lasting benefits. Use the neuroplastic effects of psilocybin to start a new practice or change a habit. |
| Risks | Magic mushrooms can lead to unpredictable experiences, including terrifying thoughts, paranoia, and panic attacks, and flashbacks. Combining with other substances can elevate risks. |
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What You'll Learn
Plan your trip in advance
Planning your trip in advance is essential for a safe and enjoyable experience with magic mushrooms. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind as you prepare:
Set and Setting
The "set and setting" of your trip refer to your mindset and your physical environment, respectively. It is crucial to ensure you are in the right frame of mind before taking mushrooms. Reflect on your current mental state and emotions. Avoid taking mushrooms if you are experiencing anxiety or any negative feelings, as the mushrooms may intensify these emotions. Ensure you are in a calm and peaceful environment, as this will influence your experience. Choose a safe and familiar place where you feel comfortable and secure.
People You Are With
Consider carefully who you will take mushrooms with. It is advisable to be with people you trust and feel at ease with. Having a trusted friend with you can provide support and help you navigate any challenging moments during your trip. Discuss your intentions and expectations with your companions beforehand and plan activities that align with the effects of the mushrooms, such as enjoying nature or listening to music.
Timing and Dosage
Plan the timing of your trip to ensure you have sufficient time for the experience and the integration process afterward. Magic mushroom trips can last anywhere from 4 to 12 hours, depending on various factors. Allow yourself enough time to rest and recover after the trip, as the after-effects may be felt for up to 24 hours or even a few days. Regarding dosage, start with a low dose, especially if it is your first time or you are trying a new batch. Each batch of mushrooms can vary in potency, so weigh your dose accurately using a digital scale. Write down the time you take your first dose, as mushrooms alter time perception. Wait at least 60-90 minutes before considering taking more to assess the intensity of your trip.
Precautions
Before consuming mushrooms, it is crucial to identify the correct type of mushroom. Many mushrooms growing in the wild are not edible, and some can be poisonous or cause irreversible damage. Research the specific type of mushroom you intend to take to understand its active dose and potential effects. Avoid combining mushrooms with other substances, such as cannabis, alcohol, or prescription medications, as this can lead to unpredictable and potentially dangerous interactions.
Remember, the only way to guarantee a completely safe experience is to abstain from taking hallucinogens. However, if you choose to take magic mushrooms, planning your trip in advance can help minimize risks and enhance your experience.
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Understand dosing, set, and setting
When it comes to dosing, set, and setting, there are several factors to consider to ensure a safe and positive experience.
Dosing
It is important to start with a low dose of magic mushrooms, especially if it is your first time. A low dose is typically considered to be around one gram of dried mushrooms or 10 mg of psilocybin. It is recommended to start with less than one gram if it is your first time experimenting with magic mushrooms. You can gradually increase the dose every 25 minutes or so once you feel comfortable with the initial dose. It is crucial to remember that each individual's experience with magic mushrooms is unique, and the effects can vary depending on various factors such as strain, species, and personal variables. Therefore, it is always advisable to start with a low dose and increase gradually based on your comfort level.
Set
The "set" refers to your mindset and mental state when entering the psychedelic experience. Having a positive mindset and setting clear intentions can increase the likelihood of a smooth and beneficial journey. Setting intentions and managing expectations can positively impact the overall experience. Challenging yourself to identify areas for improvement in your life is a great way to begin this process. It is also essential to respect the medicine, pay attention to set and setting, and refrain from mixing drugs or alcohol to reduce the risk of adverse effects.
Setting
The "setting" refers to the physical and social environment in which you will be consuming magic mushrooms. It is recommended to choose a comfortable and familiar, and safe space, such as your home or a trusted friend's place. Ensure the space is clean, uncluttered, and has a place for you to lie down if needed. Some individuals prefer being in nature during their trip, but this may cause anxiety for others. It is also advisable to clear your schedule for the day and consider having a "trip sitter," a trusted friend or professional guide, to ensure a safe and positive experience. This person can provide support and assistance if any difficulties arise during your journey.
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Identify the correct mushrooms
It is essential to identify the correct mushrooms as many mushrooms growing in the wild are not edible and some can cause irreversible damage or even death. There are over 200 species of magic mushrooms, and since many species look alike, it can be hard to tell them apart. It is possible for people to consume poisonous mushrooms, mistaking them for magic mushrooms.
The active ingredients in magic mushrooms are chemicals called psilocybin and psilocin. Unless you are in a clinical setting, you will likely be guessing how much psilocybin is in your mushrooms. If it is your first time with a batch of mushrooms, remember that each batch can have varying amounts of psilocybin. For this reason, it is recommended to "go low and slow" with your dose and start with one gram or less. You’ll need to have a digital scale to accurately weigh your dose.
Before consuming mushrooms, it is important to understand the active dose. The most common dose could be considered to be between 1 and 2 grams of dried mushrooms, depending on the strain. However, some people take smaller doses, known as "micro-dosing," which do not produce the full psychedelic experience. A micro-dose could be around 0.1 grams of dried mushrooms.
If you are unsure about the taste of mushrooms, capsules might be a better option as they allow for accurate control of the dose. To make magic mushroom capsules, you will need a coffee grinder, an accurate set of scales that measure in milligrams, and some empty capsules. Grind the mushrooms into a fine powder, weigh out each dose, and fill the capsules. This method allows you to know exactly how much you have consumed, making for a safer experience.
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Know the risks and side effects
While magic mushrooms have been used for thousands of years, and there is increasing interest in their potential therapeutic uses, it's important to be aware of the risks and side effects before consuming them.
Magic mushrooms can have drastically different effects depending on the person and their underlying mental health. Factors such as a person's mood, mental state, personality, previous encounters with psychedelic drugs, expectations of what will happen, and immediate environment may all affect their response. For example, feelings of stress or anxiety before using magic mushrooms may result in a bad trip. Being in a good state of mind, with trusted friends, and a safe, calm, quiet, and relaxed environment before taking magic mushrooms reduces the risk of having a bad trip.
The risk of a bad trip may increase if a person takes higher doses of psilocybin, with adverse side effects including hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, nervousness, a distorted sense of time, place, and reality, and an altered sense of self. In rare cases, a high dose can lead to a long-term mental health condition known as psychosis. The temporary physical side effects of psilocybin, particularly the rise in heart rate and blood pressure, may be dangerous for people with heart disease or high blood pressure. In addition, the strength of magic mushrooms can vary greatly, and it can be hard to know how strong they are or to tell the different species of mushrooms apart, so it's possible to accidentally consume poisonous mushrooms, which can make you severely ill and can even be fatal.
Using magic mushrooms with other substances, such as cannabis, amphetamines, alcohol, or certain psychiatric medications, also elevates the risk of serious side effects and adverse events. The only way to eliminate the risk of a bad trip is by not taking magic mushrooms.
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Understand the integration process
Understanding the Integration Process
Psychedelic integration is the process of intentionally revisiting and engaging with the lessons, challenges, and insights of a psychedelic experience. It is a way to reap the benefits of the trip and work through any potential trauma. This process is essential to ensure that the lessons learned during the trip are not forgotten when one returns to normal life.
Integration is a highly personal process that will vary from person to person. It is a way to process the experience afterward, understand what it showed us, and figure out how to implement our newfound teachings into our daily lives. This process may look different for everyone, depending on their inclinations and the lessons they've learned from their trip. For example, if someone thought a lot about nature during their trip, they may want to incorporate nature into their integration process, even if they are not typically an outdoorsy person.
There are a variety of integration practices one can choose from, such as journaling, drawing, yoga, meditation, or joining an integration circle. It is important to make time and space for integration, even if it is just for rest. It is also beneficial to take a holistic approach, accounting for each of the six domains of integration to promote balance and wholeness.
Integration is not just a brief event or phase but a long-term process. Some changes may occur quickly, but many aspects of the psychedelic experience may continue to unfold gradually or even over the course of one's lifetime. It is important to be patient and take an incremental approach to integration, especially if the psychedelic experience was profound. This allows time to digest the experience and implement any necessary changes.
To support the integration process, it is recommended to abstain from alcohol for at least a week before and after taking magic mushrooms. This optimizes the beginning of the integration process, as combining alcohol with psilocybin can lead to poor decision-making and put oneself and others at risk.
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Frequently asked questions
Understand the dosing, set, and setting before taking mushrooms. Plan your trip by choosing a safe, peaceful place and people you feel comfortable with. Avoid taking mushrooms if you're experiencing anxiety or feeling uncomfortable, as this may heighten these feelings.
Mushrooms are usually eaten raw or dried, mixed into food, or brewed into tea. They can also be taken in capsule form or as mushroom chocolate. However, they should never be injected intravenously.
Proper dosing is critical for a safe and enjoyable experience. It's recommended to "go low and slow" with your dose, especially if it's your first time with a new batch of mushrooms. Start with one gram or less, and weigh your dose accurately using a digital scale.
Try to stay relaxed, take small sips of water or flat sugary juice, and let someone know how you're feeling. There is no way to end a bad trip, so it's important to embrace the experience and "roll with it."
Mushrooms are illegal in many places and can carry penalties for possession and supply. They can also be risky due to the unpredictability of the substance and the potential for negative experiences, such as terrifying thoughts, paranoia, and panic attacks. In rare cases, taking a large amount can lead to severe side effects or even death.
