Everyone’s physiology and metabolism is different, and individual brain chemistry and body size play a significant role in how each individual might respond to psilocybin, as will your surroundings and emotional state, so if it is your first time or you are significantly upping your dosage, select a safe, comfortable, and if possible, familiar place, and consider asking a sober tripsitter to be your companion for the coming ride.
Effects begin between 10 to 40 minutes after ingestion and can last between 3 and 6 hours, depending on the dose and the individual. Like all tryptamines, psilocybes often cause what have been called “the mushroom yawns” which increase markedly as one begins to peak, however, the feeling in the rest of the body is energetic, not tired. Users can expect a wide variety of possible effects and sensations, from the mystical, euphoric and revelatory to the hyperspatial and mind-alteringly observational. At doses over 2 grams, some users report experiencing warping of the visual field, and Dali-esque melting objects, and other possible effects include time distortion, hallucinations both when eyes are closed or open and synesthesia (i.e. “seeing” sounds and “feeling” colours), particularly with the Transkei variety of cubensis, which also tends to have a heavier body load. Remember to stay hydrated, especially if you’re outdoors or doing activity like dancing, and try sipping some honey ginger tea to counteract any possible nausea during the come-up. Do not use if pregnant and do not mix with other drugs, especially alcohol.
MICRODOSE (0.05-0.25 G)
- Mood enhancement
- Decreased stress
- Emotional stability
- Mindfulness, presence, and peace
- Openness and self-forgiveness
- Increased empathy and sociability
- Conversational fluidity
- Alleviation of persistent conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, PTSD
- Increased motivation (e.g. to make positive lifestyle changes)
- Increased focus/productivity
- Increased flow states
- Clearer, more connected thinking
- Improved memory
- Enhanced senses
- Enhanced appreciation for music, art, etc.
- Increased creativity
- Spontaneity
- Easier meditation
- Increased enjoyment of physical activity and everyday tasks
- Relaxation and increased awareness of body
- Enhanced athletic endurance
- Increased energy overall (without anxiety or a subsequent crash)
MINI-DOSE (0.25-0.75 G)
- Mood enhancement, mild euphoria or excitement
- Mindfulness, presence, and peace
- Openness and self-forgiveness
- Introspective insights
- Alleviation of persistent conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, PTSD
- Increased motivation (e.g. to make positive lifestyle changes)
- Increased flow states
- Clearer, more connected thinking
- Enhanced senses
- Enhanced appreciation for music, art, etc.
- Increased creativity
- Spontaneity
- Easier meditation
- Increased enjoyment of physical activity and everyday tasks
- Relaxation and increased awareness of body
- Increased energy in waves
- Mild body high
MEDIUM DOSE (0.5-1.5 G)
- Mood enhancement, euphoria or excitement
- Mild to moderate visuals (e.g. “breathing” environments)
- Increased empathy
- Conversational fluidity
- Introspection
- Increased flow states
- Enhanced senses
- Enhanced appreciation for music, art, etc.
- Increased creativity
- Spontaneity
- Increased enjoyment of physical activity and everyday tasks
- Finding otherwise mundane things funny or interesting
- Enhanced athletic endurance
- Moderate body high
MODERATE DOSE (2-3.5 G)
- Strong euphoria or excitement
- Sense of peace
- Mystical experience and feelings of wonder
- Life-changing introspective or philosophical insights
- Increased flow of ideas
- Increased creativity
- Enhanced senses
- Enhanced appreciation for music, art, etc.
- Finding otherwise mundane things funny or interesting
- Strong body high
MEGA DOSE (5+ G)
- Strong euphoria or excitement
- Mystical experience and intense feelings of wonder
- Life-changing introspective or philosophical insights
- Increased flow of ideas
- Increased creativity
- Enhanced senses
- Finding otherwise mundane things funny or interesting
- Very strong body high
RESEARCH
FDA approves psilcocyin as breakthrough drug for depression
Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Paradigm Shift in Psychiatric Research and Development
Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer
Efficacy of Psilocybin With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
This study showed that psilocybin produced substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer, and that mystical-type experiences on session days mediated the effect of psilocybin dose on therapeutic outcomes. Participants, staff, and community observers rated participant moods, attitudes, and behaviours throughout the study. High-dose psilocybin produced large decreases in clinician- and self-rated measures of depressed mood and anxiety, along with increases in quality of life, life meaning, and optimism, and decreases in death anxiety. At 6-month follow-up, these changes were sustained, with about 80% of participants continuing to show clinically significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety. Study participants attributed improvements in attitudes about life/self, mood, relationships, and spirituality to the high-dose experience, with >80% endorsing moderately or greater increased well-being/life satisfaction, which was further supported by community observer ratings showing corresponding changes.
Finding the self by losing the self: Neural correlates of ego‐dissolution under psilocybin