For most of us, our first psychedelic experience was unplanned. Maybe we were offered acid at a high school or college party; maybe a friend brought along some shrooms on a camping trip, or maybe we ate some edible we accepted on a date and to this day have no idea what it had.
For some, these first experiences were fun, but for others, they might have been unpleasant or even frightening. If you want to prepare for your first shrooms trip – or at least your first planned one – you are in the right place. From the effects and possible risks to dosing and other aspects of preparation – this article will cover everything you need to know to have a positive and meaningful psilocybin trip
Know What to Expect About a Magic Mushroom Trip
When you take psilocybin, the effects will kick in within an hour. How quickly the effects appear will depend on how you consume the psilocybin. For example, lemon tek and shroom tea will kick in much more quickly (10-15 minutes) whereas eating dried shrooms will take much longer to take effect (30-60 minutes). Once the trip begins, it will only last four to six hours, which is a relatively short time in comparison to the length of trips with other hallucinogens such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
The Effects of Psilocybin Mushrooms
First of all, psilocybin suppresses sensory filters in the brain. This results in a flood of sensory information reaching the consciousness. Imagine being aware of every sound, noticing every subtle hue of color. Imagine seeing colors that you’ve never seen before and even feeling that you can hear the colors or feel the colors. Aside from these enhanced sensory experiences, you should also expect to hallucinate, in other words, to see or hear things that are not there. A common visual hallucination involves seeing geometric shapes in places where you wouldn’t normally see them.
This enhanced perception is internal as well as external. You will see things in yourself, in your relationships, or in your past that you were not aware of before, or you will see these aspects in a new light. This new perception that users often experience was also supported by the reports of participants of a psilocybin study, who claimed to feel “recalibrated, reset like they haven’t for years”, and “enjoying life”.
Another fascinating thing that happens in our brains is that the neuronal connections increase and become stronger, and this increased connectivity lasts for at least a month. Therefore, although we won’t continue to hallucinate, we might continue to feel rewired and more perceptive for a long period of time following a psilocybin trip.
It’s important to understand that a psilocybin trip might also be a difficult experience. We might be frightened by hallucinations or feel anxious about not feeling in control of our thoughts and feelings. Even though most people still consider these “bad trips” to be beneficial in the long run, we should do as much as possible to set ourselves up for a positive experience.
Prepare Set and Setting
In his book “How to Change Your Mind”, Michael Pollan defines set and setting as “The inner and outer environments in which a drug experience takes place; ‘set’ is a term for the mind-set and expectations the person brings to the experience, and ‘setting’ is the outward circumstances in which it takes place.”
Some people do shrooms recreationally, and others take shrooms therapeutically. Nevertheless, whichever your intention is, you should be mentally prepared for a psychedelic trip, and you should be in an environment in which you feel safe and surrounded by people you trust.
Avoid noisy parties or concerts with many unknown people and unknown circumstances. Instead, consider having your first psilocybin trip in the safety of your own home or in nature, possibly in a cabin in the woods, and plan on tripping with close friends, and/or a sober sitter. If you want to do shrooms therapeutically, plan your shrooms trip in consultation with your therapist or doctor and even try to be accompanied by your therapist during this experience. If your trip is taking a dark turn, your therapist can guide you back to a safe place.
Understand Psilocybin Dosage
It’s important to understand psilocybin dosing before taking the plunge; 2.5 gr of dried magic mushrooms is not the same as 2.5 gr of psilocybin! This is because psilocybin is an isolated chemical compound whereas a whole dried magic mushroom is largely made up of carbohydrates with a small amount of psilocybin. Therefore, we must be careful to follow different dosage guides depending on whether we are planning on consuming whole dried shrooms or a psilocybin concentrate. Let’s take a look at two different dosing guides:
Psilocybin Dosage Guide
- Microdose: < 4 mg
- Low dose: 4 – 8 mg
- Average dose: 6 – 20 mg
- High dose: 20 – 35 mg
- Very high dose: > 35 mg
Dried Magic Mushroom Dosage Guide
- Microdose: < 0.25 gr
- Low dose: 0.25 -1 gr
- Average dose: 1 – 2.5 gr
- High dose: 2.5 – 5 gr
- Very high dose: > 5 gr
Finally, if this will be your first experience tripping on shrooms, start with a low dose and see how you feel. You can always take more later, but you won’t be able to “untake” one or two shrooms too many.
In fact, if you are hesitant about taking a hallucinogenic dose of psilocybin, you might want to try microdosing first. Microdosing is the practice of taking a very small amount of a psychedelic in order to obtain a lot of the same benefits of a larger dose without experiencing the hallucinogenic effects.
Understand the Risks of Psilocybin
Psilocybin is literally the safest drug out there, but you should still understand the risks, as small as they may be.
As mentioned before, “bad trips” are always a possibility with psychedelics. In particular, people with a history of mental health conditions are more vulnerable to possible adverse effects and should only consume psilocybin therapeutically and – even then – under the guidance of an experienced professional. Psilocybin is actually showing great promise as a treatment for different mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD; however, the great therapeutic potential of psilocybin does not negate the importance of consuming it with the necessary precautions.
Believe it or not, the greatest risk associated with consuming magic mushrooms is taking the wrong type of mushroom! Psychedelic mushrooms can look very similar to some varieties of poisonous mushrooms, so you shouldn’t forage for your own magic mushrooms unless you have significant knowledge about and experience with mushrooms, and you should only buy shrooms from a reliable source.
If you’re looking for high-quality psilocybin products in Canada, look no further. Get Magic Mushrooms has what you need.
Should I Take Magic Mushrooms?
Only you can decide if tripping on shrooms is right for you or if you are at the right moment in your life to give psilocybin a try. Don’t forget set and setting! If you feel calm, safe, and supported, then go ahead, but if you feel pressured into tripping or don’t trust the people you are with, say no thanks. There will always be other chances. Browse products at our online shroom dispensary in Canada.