Disclaimer: Psilocybin mushrooms are potentially illegal substances, and we do not encourage or condone the use of this substance where it is against the law. However, we accept that illegal drug use occurs, and believe that offering responsible harm reduction information is imperative to keeping people safe. For that reason, this guide is designed to ensure the safety of those who decide to use the substance. We do not encourage using this drug outside of a legal or traditional context. For this reason, if you’re interested in legally consuming psilocybin, you may join our trusted partner Synthesis for legal psilocybin retreats in Amsterdam.
This article has been medically reviewed by Katrina Oliveros, MSN-ED, BSN
Maria Katrina is a trauma-informed Wellness Educator and Psychedelic Harm Reduction Consultant. Beyond nursing, she supports health & wellness teams through medical aid, psychedelic harm reduction, and integration services.
Describing the nature and content of a psilocybin mushroom (or any psychedelic) experience can be notoriously challenging. Not only are they extremely subjective, they’re also highly personal. As a result, you’re often left with overall feelings and sets of specific observations, more than you are a clear sense of exactly what happened.
Psychedelic researcher and microdosing pioneer James Fadiman refers to a quote by William James, an American psychologist, to qualify this phenomenon: “Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness. Whilst all about it, parted from it by the flimsiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different.”
This guide will attempt to familiarize you with this as it pertains to the nature of a psilocybin mushroom trip.
Read our guide to growing your own mushrooms.
Be Ready
There’s a reason psychedelic trips are referred to as “journeys” or “trips.” They’re expansive. And for this reason, it’s important to be ready for anything. Give yourself permission to go with the flow — to surrender to an experience that could include confusion, anxiety, discomfort, hysterical laughing fits, awe, and any number of profound insights.
The truth is, no amount of mental preparation can compare to the actual experience. It’s one thing to convince yourself you’re ready for anything before tripping, but it’s another thing entirely to be in it.
From a deeply peaceful sense of oneness with something much bigger than yourself, to an inexplicable, yet certain feeling that the setting sun will bring sinister spirits into the world, these are all potential components of a psychedelic journey. And, they’re all beautiful. Seriously. There is intense profundity in this particular sort of contrast.
Recognizing, and accepting, that anything can happen over the course of a psilocybin mushroom trip will make you feel more comfortable as you begin to feel the effects of the compound. An open, calm mindset will help you remember — if things become uncomfortable — that the whole experience is temporary, typically between four and six hours. Your sense of helplessness will subside.
By acknowledging the transience of your trip, you’ll be more prepared to handle the darkness, and the light.
Safely Dosing
Accurately dosing psilocybin mushrooms is key to having an safe and effective mushroom experience.
Watch the video below to explore the different dosage levels for the safe use of psilocybin mushrooms, including a microdose, mini-dose, museum dose, moderate dose, and macrodose.
People and Places
In the words of James Fadiman, “much about our reactions to any stimulus depends on the actual context and the way we perceive it.” Another way to put this, set and setting matter.
Psychonautic pioneer and co-founder and arbiter of the Harvard Psilocybin Project, Timothy Leary, defined set as the mental state a person brings to a psychedelic experience. That is, thoughts, feelings, mood, and desires. Setting he described as the physical and social environment in which a psychedelic experience takes place.
People and places can have a large impact on your journey. When preparing for a psychedelic mushroom trip, it’s important to treat yourself, and your environment with care. Set yourself up so that if you do wander into a challenging state of consciousness, you’ll be surrounded by people and things (trees, blankets, whatever you think you may need) that are comforting.
One way to do this is to go out into nature. Find a quiet, open, natural space that is secluded from strangers and authority or security figures. Then, surround yourself with good people, or a good person. Someone you know and trust. Tripping alone for the first time can be very challenging, and potentially frightening. The safest way to approach this is to be with someone who has had experience tripping before, and who chooses to stay sober to support those who are tripping if need be.
You can learn more about setting up a safe and comfortable environment for your trip here.
Paul Austin, founder of Third Wave recalls the value of this sort of support:
Once, I was tripping in the backseat of a car with my friends. Some trivial thought freaked me out and sent me into a deep existential crisis. I don’t remember what, but I was stuck in a spiral of worry, and I couldn’t get myself out. I stopped my giggling and babbling and said something about not knowing anymore. Then I grew quiet and withdrawn. My good friend in the front seat turned around to me and casually said, “Hey, it’s fine.You’re here to have fun.” That simple sentence calmed me down, and from there my whole trip turned around. I thought I was facing some impossible struggle, but my friend straightened me out with just a few words.
Find a comforting place, and be with people you trust and feel comfortable around.
Ingestion
After your preparations, all you have to do is ingest the mushrooms. This can be done by eating them directly, by brewing them in a tea, or by baking them into chocolate or some kind of pastry. Everybody responds to the taste differently; they’re very chewy, and quite earthy.
Depending on the amount of food in your stomach and method of consumption, you may start to feel nauseated around 30 minutes to an hour after ingestion. Your hands may get clammy. This is largely due to your body’s response to the chemicals in the mushrooms; to ingesting a powerful and novel substance.
Onset
A strange, and common phenomenon as the mushrooms begin to take hold, is an anxiety about whether or not the trip is occurring. People often make comments about not quite feeling it yet, about “kind of” noticing some effects, but still downplaying them.
This can lead you astray. As mentioned earlier, relaxation and surrender are important approaches to any sort of psychedelic experience, and micromanaging your psilocybin trip won’t help you get there.
Your best bet is to eat the mushrooms, sit back, and allow them to do their work.
After the queasiness and discomfort subsides, you will begin to notice the onset of effects. Since changes in thought are more subtle and difficult to observe, you’ll probably realize you’re tripping by just looking around.
Colors will be more vibrant, they may even seem to glow. You’ll notice surfaces glittering and an increased richness in texture of (all) things. You may find yourself smiling uncontrollably, or feeling especially giggly.
And then, suddenly… you will be tripping.
The Trip
Away we go!
Sometimes, a mushroom trip will feel like a whirlwind. One in which you’ll just have to hold on tight and go along for the ride. Other times, you will have a lot more control. You’ll feel like you can navigate through a totally new mindset.
If you have a trip like this, it’s a good time to explore yourself or turn inwards. Consider examining your personal problems, relationships, goals, ideas, beliefs, and fears.
Your sense of time and space perception will be warped. The distortion manifests itself in beautiful ways— like staring at a flower for twenty minutes without even noticing how much time has elapsed.
However, if you’re experiencing distress, thirty seconds of thought may feel like a deep, anxious struggle that goes on for a half hour. Take a deep breath. Exercise your power of thought here. Give your attention to something else. There’s no point in keeping yourself in a state of discomfort.
Remember your reasons for embarking on your trip.
It’s nobody’s place but your own to say what you should or should not do during a trip. You are about to experience a complete change in your thinking and perception of the world.
Everything else is up to you.
The Comedown
Honestly, calling it a “comedown” is a bit misleading. The tail end of a psilocybin trip is often gentle and comforting, like dipping into a pool of warm water.
Contrary to the deep regret and discomfort that usually follows a long night of hard, substance-fueled partying, the comedown of a psilocybin mushroom trip tends to be mellow, introspective, and life-affirming.
In Paul’s words:
To me, going on a psilocybin mushroom trip feels like losing my mind. I forget a lot of things that I usually take for granted— simple things, basic concepts. Once, I forgot the concept of gender during a trip. Another time I forgot the concept of purchasing. I once forgot so much that I figured the only thing I knew how to do was give a smile. So, for the next hour or so, I just smiled at everyone until they returned one.
Coming back from a place so far removed from “normal” thinking can be therapeutic. For one, there’s the relief and appreciation of getting all your thoughts back. You start to find the right words for things; you start to recognize more complicated concepts. It’s very exciting.
On top of that, you may begin to notice how imaginary our lives are. During the trip, you’ll be put on a plane of raw existence. You’ll be stripped of that little voice in the back of your head, the one that’s endlessly analyzing and ascribing meaning to everything.
Then, when you come back, you’re likely to notice that that voice is not real. You’ll begin to see how those judgments and fears are artificial and entirely contrived, which can be enormously freeing.
Afterwards
Psilocybin mushrooms will help you feel, think, and perceive new things.
Whatever insights you may have encountered on your trip, keep them in mind over the next few days, write them down.
The mushrooms themselves won’t automatically change your life, but if you treat the trip as an educative experience, if you don’t disregard it as just silly fun, you will find that your life will be positively affected.
The trip may become a catalyst for a host of positive changes that were simply waiting in the wings.
Note: As with most aspects of pharmacology, how you respond to psilocybin as an individual depends on your genetics, neurobiology, age, weight, and numerous other factors. Halugen’s psychedelic pre-screening platform offers a comprehensive solution to identify inter-individual variations to psychedelic drug effects, highlight short- and long-term genetic risk profiles as well as categorize personal and familial risk. See this article on risks for more information.
Wow I really agreed with what was said. Just wondering if anyone else has felt like walking around on a mushroom trip was similar to astral projection. It was so hard at times to get around physically, mentally it was the most amazing thing ever! My body was slightly hello like and I really had to concentrate to move it correctly.
Thanks again for your experience.
I love being a hippie, now I know drugs can be a good thing in life like love drugs and even benefit you in your life. I really agree with you too and this amazing just stupendous article.
Been wanting to try shrooms for quite some time now but never knew where to get them. I have the chance to do them this upcoming weekend and reading this article was much needed. Thanks for your insight, it was extremely helpful in preparing me for the experience.
I like to mix LDS, Nushrooms, eNscaline and Balcohol all at the same time. The trip lasted for days and was unbelievable. I wennt to places I’ve never ebeen or seen. Hiighly recommened.
“I went to places I’ve never been or seen ..”.
Went there yes, but key question…Did you come back?
I say this from a perspective of someone who still sees visual disturbances 40 years down the road. It’s why I stopped taking alleged psychedelics all those years ago.
Mixing all that stuff is a big even if everything were perfectly chemically pure and as labelled. Substances perported to be one thing often are or contain other shit and taking more than one at a time seems to me to increase the chances you are taking something whose ingredients are unknown.
Not highly redommended ( by me).
That’s why it’s wise to buy a testing kit. They are very affordable and reliable. Psychedelics aren’t for everybody, but there are those of us who function just fine within society that partake in regular trips.
I’ve tripped close to 100 times throughout my 37 years and the only after effects I’ve had are trails on everything. I see trails on everything and have since I was 18. Not really that much of a problem. It doesn’t interfere with my life, but this is just from my own experiences. Every one reacts differently and every trip for myself anyways has always been different. Haven’t tried psilocybin but regularly use LSD which I do test every time.
Brad Ayers, I’m a fellow reader of this article here, I’d like to speak with you if and when you have some time!
Bro are you okay
How do you figure how many grams for a 1st trip…at 325 lbs…how many grams should i take?
Also…how long does a trip last??
Where can I order? I loved this article and I live in Maryland. Can I legally have them shipped to me? I’m a first timer so how does this work?
Hi Danni,
Due to the fact that psilocybin mushrooms are still illegal in many countries, unfortunately, acquiring them is not as easy as ordering them online. We do have an article on how to grow your own mushrooms through legally-purchased spores that you might like to read here. You can also read more about the legality of psilocybin mushrooms on our page here.
We wish you best of luck on your journey! Let me know if you have any more questions and I’ll do my best to help out.
– Britt at The Third Wave
Great write-up. I plan on taking shrooms for the first time soon. What I’m hoping for is a proper “ego-death” experience. Would love for you guys to write an article on that subject.
Did you have it yet?
I once had an ego death experience and let me tell you nothing can prepare you for this….its terrifying…i mean really.dose used was 3.5g dried cubensis.if you are sensitive to drug in general i would start with a low dose.i saw my friend lying on the floor for 4 full hour with 1g dried.tripping so much could not even open his eye…anyway if you want to experience this maybe you wont like magic mushroom anymore.
Wow that pretty much sums it all up.having done this on many occassion the one thing ive realized is that each trip is just that…a Unique, terrifying, fun, and insane experience.there is no single definition to it. It is unique in its own way. Like mother earth intended.
Spot on! Awesome to read
That was pretty solid & on point in comparison to my own experience. Thanks for this. I would love to hear more research on findings.
I had my first trip yesterday and as soon as it came on I just saw the wall moving back and forth and changing colors. Later I walk into the bathroom and the wood grain on the wall is morphing in and out. Later on in the trip I walk in the living room were my mom is and she is watching tv and it is a some kind of drug commercial and it is going thro the side effect list and the sound starts looping and it kinda sounds like Russian or something it kinda freaked me out but other than that it was an amazing trip.
I did shrooms for the first time a couple weeks ago and I love, love, love this explanation. I would love to hear more!
I was on shrooms once. And I burned down a School. Don’t do drugs folks.
i think that post is false i honestly dont think that is possible or will ever happen from shrooms
If you burned a school you are just as ass, mushrooms or no mushrooms. They don’t make you do that.
Ahahhah thats a good explanation ,i did golden teachers once ,it was one of the best experience i ever had
The Pyro tendencies is locked in the dark corners of your mind where your fear comes from you don’t need mushrooms need counseling and anger management
This is a great article, everyone should read this concise and down-to-earth message about an out-of-this-world ride.
plan b messes with your hormones, unfortunately
Tiffany,
I think you need to use your own brain to figure out things like that.
I recently had a very bad experience. Don’t get me wrong the trip was amazing but it was not worth the price. I had taken plan b earlier in the day and later decided to trip so I made some shroomaid only using about an 8th. I have tripped 3 times prior and had felt like I knew what I was doing. But the whole time after consumption was not very good. I think that there should a warning on here to help out woman and prevent them from combining plan b with shrooms because my body overdosed on serotonin, if my boyfriend wasn’t a CNA I could have died.
Can you go more in depth about an “inexplicable yet sure feeling that the sun setting will bring sinister spirits into the world”
Not speaking for Paul, but from personal experience when under the effects of mushrooms lighting changes can have profound effects on your mood or direction of the trip. Almost every time I have tripped outside I have been able to perceive even minute fluctuations in light, such as a thin cloud passing over the sun. This change in lighting usually corresponds to a change in my thought patterns, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will always think sinister spirits are coming with nightfall. I think he was throwing out a possible example of what could occur in your mind state with something as ordinarily trivial as the setting sun.
I HAVE HAD MANY DOZENS OF EXPERIENCES WITH SHROOMS, AND NEVER HAD A “BAD TRIP” PER SE, BUT UNDOUBTEDLY SOME WERE “WAY MO’ BETTA” THAN OTHERS. THE ABSOLUTE BEST TRIPS HAVE BEEN WITH A GIRLFRIEND OR MY WIFE, DEFINITE PRE-AGREED UPON PLANS FOR SEXUAL EXPLORATIONS WITHOUT EXPECTATIONS, JUST CALM & CLEAR COMMUNICATIONS. WOWEE! WOWEE! WOWEEEEEEE!!! IS THE BEST WAY I CAN DESCRIBE THOSE TRIPS. TRY IT AND SEE IF WHAT I’M SAYING ISNT THE TRUTH…YOU CAN THANK ME LATER..
i argee
ive been veen using the internet for over 20 years, and this is the first time ive ever bothered to leave a comment….but intentional or otherwise…i love the combo of your username and comment
20 years of lurking! but you are right, the combo is quite fun !
I did psychedelics, (LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and peyote) for the first time in 1968. I probably did psychedelics close to two hundred trips, the very last time being psilocybin a couple times in the mid-eighties. Well now that I’m a senior citizen a have a friend that has started growing some shrooms and I can’t wait to try some.
FYI, I don’t drink, and had to quit smoking pot several years ago because of Afib, I can’t find any info about psilocybin and Afib, but at this stage of my life I’d love to do psychedelics one more time……………..
I enjoyed many experience in college such as the ones you listed, Scott. I had many “conservative” years following that in the Navy, then I had aortic valve surgery which scares me to do anything that may harm my health.
I have always wanted to try a mushroom high, now I have access to a farm and have seen a few cubensis mushrooms around the pastures. Point being I’m not sure if this trip would be risky considering my past heart surgery. I’m in great shape with no real issues to speak of, but just a bit shy of any potential health risks.
The Third Wave has written an article addressing psychedelics and heart risk
From the little we know, due to limited research available, psychedelics activate the 5-HT2B receptor. Other drugs that activate that specific receptor (ex; weight loss drug called fenfluramine) have lead to the development of heart diseases. It is speculated that LSD and MDMA affect the 5-HT2B receptor more strongly than psilocybin, however, due to limited scientific evidence, this information must be taken with a grain of salt.
As always, it is best to consult with a medical professional to see how taking anything that activates the 5-HT2B receptor will interact with your existing condition.
I hope you find this information helpful and please do not hesitate to contact us with any further questions!
I am going to need aortic operation. I am 62 and hope to put it off until I reach 65 and can draw from my 401k. I average 27 miles/week walking and hiking in hilly woods. I am a mushroom club member. Have seen a few magic mushrooms growing in the environmentally sustainable parking lot in town. I am looking forward to there reappearance this year.
Well said, i think everybody should read this.
Not my reaction at all…I tried a relatively small dose and spent the first 90 minutes or so throwing up even though my stomach was quite empty…after that I drifted in and out of a somewhat calm but dizzy mental state where I felt something was talking to me and almost taunting me that it was “testing” me to see if I was ready for a stronger experience…it was quite scary
very good article – I went to Amsterdam yday to try and it was without doubt the craziest thing thats ever happened to me. Wish I bloody read this before trying them so I could comprehend what the fuck was going on.
I never experienced fear on mushrooms, only good feelings, love, playfulness plus I see a backgound of comedy and ridiculosuness in everything. Even when having deep visual hallucinations and color storms (which I find distracting), I’m still waiting for a bad trip. I never forget things either, I have the subjective feeling that I can think very clearly. I guess everyone is different.
I have gone shrooming several times and each time was a positive experience. I’m a senior citizen (70) and have a demon I want to excise from my soul. You see I suffer from rage, on the outside I appear calm, cool and collected; inside, I’m on a slow burn about everything. What I want to do is set the stage for positive afformations to change my character from negative to positive. I believe such a transformation is possible, doesn’t anyone have any recommendations, cautions or suggestions to assist me on my trip?
Robert, transformation is definitely possible. Psilocybin gives us the ability to heal ourselves. Take the mushrooms in a safe space. Settle in with eyeshades, put relaxing music in your headphones, and follow the path that your mind provides. Be prepared to face the demon and pay attention to the images you see. If it feels weird or scary, keep going, push through the bad stuff and it will become easier. Later, when you come down, talk it through, write it all down, and consider what your mind was telling you.
I recently took shrooms in Joshua Tree, inside of a tipi. I got stuck in this mind loop that we never actually die and just relive the same life over and over again. I couldn’t let it go and needed my brother to understand this fact. He couldn’t, so I walked in to the mountains moses style expecting to talk to god and have my beard turn white. I now have a renewed curiosity in God.
Thanks for this article, and thanks to those who shared their experiences. I am going to embark on my first psilocybin journey in the very near future. I look forward to the experience!
I live in NYC. I want to have a guided trip with psilocybin. I would like to contact a compitant and experienced person to be with me when I trip. Does anyone have a person to recommend? Thank you.
Hello, due to the legal status of psilocybin in the US we cannot provide you with that information.
There are many retreats around the world that allow people to experiment with psilocybin in safe, legal, controlled environments. Paul Austin has recently started a psilocybin retreat in Amsterdam called Synthesis.
The Third Wave published an article with a list of countries in which psilocybin is legal:
https://thethirdwave.co/legality-psilocybin-mushrooms/
Well if you live near Canada then you can order through Origin Mushrooms which is a Canadian mushroom dispensary that sells Psilocybin Mushrooms, magic mushrooms & other kinds of mushrooms online.
Thank you so much! I am in a play and my character accidentally eats “magic mushrooms” and I wanted to know how it felt like so that I could accurately play the role better. This is a great article, it is very informative and it is well written.
I’ve done shrooms about five times now, and even though I find myself taking about the same dose each time, each trip has varying intensities. My first trip was extremely mental; with barley any hallucinations, and this was about a month and a half ago. My last trip, which was two days ago was my best trip yet: moderate hallucation with wall warping, colorful aztec like patterns, and this weird static like movement and color to everything that I wasn’t focused on. for example, me and my best friend who was also tripping walked into the woods and while I was looking at him, the trees around him were moving in a static like manor with small dashes of color thrown in. Mentally, I felt childlike, giggly and happy with a sudden understanding for the unhealthy behavior patterns in my life. I felt intense love for the nature around me, and the people in my life. This trip helped me to realize how important it is to give love to the people that you incounter, because love is beautiful and everyone deserves it, so why aren’t you the one spreading it. That’s like one of the hundred lessons that I learned on this trip.
I have first tried mushrooms a year ago. For me, it was one of my best trips in my life – have tried ketamine ( meet God twice, was transcending ) and ectasy.
As a mind-expanding drug, I saw a lot of things on shrooms: spirits, aliens, and a sense that everything is connected by same conscience – everybody is God, but on different levels….
It changes the way I look at existence, death, life…
Never had a bad trip on shrooms – only with K: first time was a little scared, but now I can have control and can jump out
Mushrooms show me that this existence is just one of infinite existences
I’ve always wanted to try that out. Although, as crazy as it sounds, Psilocybin mushrooms are illegal in the Philippines. A lot of my friends had done it and they all said it was good. Although the trip may vary on the way you carry yourself. I’m not entirely convinced that it would give you a bad experience if you’re too “wary” about what’s going to happen. I believe it’s on the way you treat the experience that you are going to have. I’m not sure. Like I said, I have never done it yet.
A lot of people that I know, though they really exerted a lot of effort to hunt (not grow) shrooms, are people who basically think taking drugs is cool and not for something spiritual nor for expanding the knowledge about them. I do need a good person that could handle me should I have a bad trip.
Thanks for sharing this, by the way. Really learned a lot. I think if my experimentation will be successful, if I can successfully grow my own shrooms, I’ll be happy to get back here and share my experience. Wish me luck. Thanks.
Just tripped on more mushrooms than I ever have before, probably about an eighth, and it was the most amazing experience. I was utterly consumed by the universe. My body was pretty much incapacitated, my mouth agape, and my pupils were the size of olives.
Totally agree with the realization that this world is imaginary. Literally all that matters is love. All there is, is love. God is love. I felt this unity with God. I felt like Adam in the Garden, the first human created in God’s likeness, only to be cast out.
I had a newfound appreciation for my body, my hands, my arms, my head, the wonder of it all. My eyes were open to the vastness of the universe, as my soul expanded out into the universe, intertwining with everything else, all the energy.
It’s an ancient state, a primal state. I honestly felt like I died and was reborn as I came back into my body. Realizing my soul has done this countless times. Its overwhelming but actually really comforting.
Music was a huge part of it. Listened to Bob Marley on the come up, Beatles during the peak (the Love album, highly recommend), some personal favorites and then Glass Animals on the come down. Music really speaks to the soul while you’re in that state. But I’m thinking next time I might go out into the woods with no music next time I take this much (or more), and see what that experience is like, if I’m able to navigate thought a little more.
Okay rant over, just needed to get my experience out there.
I recently found some psilocybin cubensis and mexicana growing in the field next to my parents house. I must say, this explanation is great, don’t forget though that mushrooms seem to be some sort of entity that can guide you through your mind in very great ways. The last time I had some I felt like the presence of a wise old man, who made me laugh at the absurdities of life. Now I have the spores, and am working on inoculating the cow pastures all around the ranch.
The worst part for me was the first hour and a half after consuming the mushrooms, mainly when I was vomiting, I’d close my eyes for a few seconds and I’d see razer wire moving past my eyes and felt like the were tearing at my skin but once I got past that the next 5 hours were great once the trip started really taking off, I found myself staring at the wall; watching the door bend around. Usually when the trip was starting to go down hill and the anxiety would kick up I’d just turn on a song I really enjoyed and that would boost my mood. I also really enjoyed just sitting in my front yard and just looking at nature dance around me and enjoy the absence on sadness and negative feeling at embrace the happy and satisfying feelings that came with the trip.
I am hoping to try mushrooms soon. The impetus to try comes from learning that the magic shrooms can reset the part of the brain that is depressed. I’ve suffered from depression my whole life. If what I’ve read is true, then this might be a way to distance myself from my antidepressant meds.
I have trepidation since I don’t know what to expect. This article helped a lot. I will put some effort into finding a considerate babysitter. How long does the trip last? Afterwards, can I expect my head to be cloudy for a while (like after smoking weed)? If so, how long would it take for the cloudiness to go away?
Thanks
Thank you. This rings of sage advice and about as clear a picture of the diversity of profound experience that might be encountered as can be painted. As a child of the 60s I’ve had a couple psychedelic experiences, a couple very beautiful and helpful in long lasting ways. I think a key is to consider why it’s called a trip in the first place. You wouldn’t travel far without planning, without rest, and without counting the cost. If you respect the substance enough to go slow and plan, you may get a desperately needed attitude in life that will set you on the path you somehow forgot you were always meant to be on.
Hello
Im 41 divorced lady and live in london would love to meet up with like minded people in amsterdam this summer and have some mushrooms and be out in nature. I have never tried before but taking charge over my weight and fasting also meditating i have felt really close to the creator and also i would like to make more friends.
Enjoyed reading what to expect, thanks thirdwave! My own lone shroom trip was nearly 40 years ago but I remember it almost like yesterday. I was in the 11th grade living in California and had purchased the shrooms the same day (dried). We had ‘The Hill’ where our designated smoking section was as well as for other alternative activities ie, eating shrooms in my case. It was near the end of the school day and my second to last period was a study period (for lack of a better word) and I remember being hungry and I absentmindedly ate all the shrooms I purchased only realizing it as I was finishing the last little bit. I remember that that worried me a bit, but not much as 16/17 year olds have many other things on their minds plus my very last period was PE (physical Ed) and we were slated to play tennis that day. …well, it such a great trip, I found myself smiling and being very amused by many things. I was not capable of playing tennis per se, or rather got distracted at the “tracers” the tennis ball made after being struck by my racket. Couple that with some major audio-hallucinatory effects of the ball being hit and it was just so awesome. I recall later after school walking around with non-tripping friends and seeing dancing pink/purple elephants that were the coolest thing and if anything only felt bad the others couldn’t see what I was seeing! As to the “s’s”, (set, setting etc), I probably would have planned it differently, but it turned out just fine not having done so or be worried about it. I should point out too, that you might think a teenager with all of (their) troubles and insecurities and combined in my case of a recent and terrible family breakup with divorce etc would not be the right mind set, but it did not hamper nor effect me in any way. I want to do it again, but the instructions on how to cultivate the shrooms seems very tedious.
Okay so I have been doing a lot of research on what a shrooms trip would be like. I have not done them before but I am thinking about doing them with my friends this weekend. My friends have only done shrooms once and say it was one of the best things they have ever done! But, I just want to know what I would see and think. My friends said they all saw the same things, some alien heads in the walls of the room they were in, glowing red eyes and lots of great colors. The only thing I am worried about is seeing morbid things, like demons or something. I don’t even know if it is a good thing to do since I am only 15… any advice would help, thanks!
Hi JA,
Thank you for contributing! I think it’s wise of you to be cautious when considering trying a psychedelic for the first time. Although we believe that these substances can be used for healing and personal growth, they should also be treated with great respect.
I would suggest that you take a look at our article called “Set and Setting for LSD” here. It focuses on LSD as the substance; however, you can apply the guidelines here to any psychedelic experience. If you are going to choose to have an experience like this, it’s important that you are in a positive frame of mind, understand that you may encounter challenges during your trip, and ensure that you are with people you trust in a comfortable environment.
I hope this helps! Best of luck on your journey.
– Britt at The Third Wave
thanks, really nice article!
This is so fun to read about! Unfortunately I learned at an early stage in life I can’t participate in experiences like this. I have a very active brain and have a horrible time letting go of control of mental or physical functions. We’re talking anxiety. I do however enjoy reading and fantasizing through others experiences.
Just did shroomz for the first time, with my fiance and a good friend, who have done them before. I was extremely disappointed. They experienced things this article said to expect. I got none of it. All I got was a headache, extreme sensitivity to light and sound, pins and needles feeling in my knees, legs, arms, hands, feeling of overall weakness and like I couldn’t quite catch my breath (even though I was breathing just fine).
We went to a quiet, secluded, nature area near my house….I hated it. The noise was excruciating (wind, rustle of leaves, birds, water (river nearby) ), as was the sunlight. It was better when we went back to our place and turned off the lights, radio, tv. But even then, I was just felt weak, had a headache, a pressure in my ears. And, I just felt like crying. I was so happy and excited to try them, and then I felt nothing for over an hour while they were tripping, having “profound” conversation, but also being happy and giggling. Then I was excited when I started to feel a little of pins and needles, but then that got to be more, and the sensitivity to sound/light. I didn’t visually experience any difference in perception…at all. Never experienced a mind trip like they were. My “trip” lasted about 2 hours while theirs lasted about 6.
Is this normal for a first time?
It’s not that it was THAT bad, bit it sure wasn’t a happy, giggly, mind altering experience at all. It was just not what I expected from what I had read and heard to expect
You need a much larger dose. Search for ‘ Terence Mckenna heroic dose 5 grams’.. .. In youtube and online for it. Follow that and you’ll be better than fine 🙂 . Also step up to the plate with Ayahuasca if yoy want to ascend to the infinite Heavens. The bible is totally useless compared to Ayahuasca. After 10 Ayahuasca ceremonies after partying with infinite Angels in infinite Heavens and in Nature, you’re going to laugh your butt off with all the stupid things humans believe. And how all churches and all pastors in churches are total liars.
i took cubes (1.5g) for the first time and i had an amazing experience until i smoked too soon on it. half an hour after i smoked weed, i got out of the car and decided to go for a walk but i was unable to..? i don’t know if it was the bright sunny sky or the weed but it was so hard to function. as i got out of the car, all i could see was bright swirls that made me unable to see and i had a high body euphoria to where it felt like my whole body was twitching(?) so i was unable to walk properly and i ended up falling to the floor. once i sat down and breathed i was able to function again but a couple minutes after i stood back up, everything came back to me to where i wasn’t able to walk or see clearly. it ruined my trip and gave me confused thoughts of how to act and what to think. why was my body and vision like this? it was a really scary moment but i will try it again without smoking on it
I hope someone can help clarify. I recently did mushroom tea with 3.5gms. I did this for the sole purpose of grieving my husband whom I lost to Sarcoidosis on Feb 11, 2019. Yes the visuals were amazing and life changing and my “shaman” was as professional as they come, cool and composed as well. The trip lasted six hours but the last three hours, I was actually in tormenting physical pain! My lower extremities and joints hurt like a SoB and then I realized that it felt like someone was ripping my insides out through my anus. I have had anal sex many times and most of them have been the same experience of someone ripping me inside out (apparently not many gay men know how to make love)! Jokes apart, the same feeling of being ripped out came back. It felt good and bad! It was a known feeling of sexual intimacy so it was calming but the pain was unbearable. I looked over my shoulders to see if someone was penetrating me but there was no one there. Can someone pleas explain why I had excruciating body pain and this specific feeling of getting f@&$*d?
Many many years ago I credit Cubensis with a dramatic life pivot I made in early adulthood. I was in a lot of trouble with the law …small time stuff like DWI and possession that was all self -inflicted negative behavior. Anti-social behavior patterns were well established and consequences were piling up (family and legal). I felt very depressed and ashamed about the hole I had dug for myself. I’ll spare the tripalogue but the dose was heroic and during I had an overarching feeling of worth and renewal. Redemption was surely possible!!!! These revelations came: “The path I was on wasn’t my fate if I didn’t want it to be and that it’s up to me and I can change if I want to change….and I want to change! Also, stop beating yourself up.” These ideas were profound and I felt it in my heart and it stuck with me. I instantly seized on an interest in Computers & Tech and immersed myself in reading, studying and seeking mentors who guided me professionally and I ended up with a great career in tech I loved – working for some large Fortune 100 names you would recognize. Later, through 12 step teachings I look back and can describe the experience as a ‘Spiritual Experience’ or a ‘moment of clarity’. The Psychic change in my case; was like a burning bush experience, and I feel was only made possible with the Mushrooms and I’ve never had that same type of life altering experience since. I had a secular upbringing with no religious affiliation to draw upon to frame what happened back then as something supernatural, so I just refer to it as my pep talk with God. 😀
Thank you for sharing on the basic how-to in consuming mushrooms and spreading awareness! I hope that this magical plant would not be abused and misused. Everything, if used properly and moderately proves to be beneficial.
I enjoyed reading your article and hope to read more materials like this in the future!
Hello guys
I have a question.
Are you able to walk and move things while you are on a heroic dose of Golden Teacher ?
Can you do things that can endanger you ? (like throwing yourself out of the window or something)
Yes, it’s possible. Its best to have a sitter and/or be in a very familiar/safe place (think toddler-proof / sleepwalker safe) for a more than recreational dose.
I had the best time on mushrooms. I did it twice in my life, back in my mid 20’s and I lol every time I look back on it. First time I was at the drive in movies watching lethal weapon 3 and my boyfriend and I had eaten about 6 pm and at about 705…it started hitting me. We were happy to begin with and then we went inside the food area, omg…OMG!!!! I felt like I had just walked into a space ship filled with aliens serving me sodas and popcorn….I couldn’t stop laughing at everyone who worked there…they were not humans, they were different shades of bright colors especially blues and purples. I couldn’t stop from smiling and my face felt like a hard happy mask that was smiling nonstop….my teeth were literally dry from all the smiling….and I went into hysterics because the person who gave me the popcorn gave me funny looks and I threw popcorn at them laughing. Then I went into the bathroom stall, sat down and watched the walls breathing and I yelled out loud to my boyfriend to come inside the ladies bathroom to see this awesome stall I was in…..he said no and said come out let’s go and all I heard was the adults in the Charlie Brown cartoons sort of response and I sat there for another 5 minutes just staring at the bathroom walls going in and out and oblivious to anything else…ok made it back to the car laughing out loud all the way. Got in and Mel Gibson was bright purple and Danny Glover was blue and the movie went on for hours and hours…..we laughed and I ate my buttered popcorn, but not really….yep I was eating it but missing my mouth so I had popcorn sticking to my entire face and chewing away like I was eating it. My boyfriend almost peed his pants because I was clueless to the about 50 pieces of popcorn all over my hair and face. I couldn’t sit still so I got out popcorn and all and decided to walk around, big mistake. I saw the neon drive in lights and stood underneath the sign and was like WOW, HOW COOL IS THIS SIGN….so my bf took me back in the car and finally the movie ended like 4 hours it seemed, and I put the radio on and started singing loudly….but my words came out all jumbled….but I thought my singing was amazing….I think I had a much better response than my BFF did because he was high but he wasn’t nearly as high as I was or maybe he controlled it more because he was driving ( yeah I know this was 1992, and no we shouldn’t have been driving…), well we started driving back but yep, we were lost….we wound up at the beach because we thought we were driving home but we weren’t, everything was completely opposite….and I got caught up a local waterbed store and it’s bright pink neon signs again….well we hit the beach and of course it’s like after midnight and no ones there oh but I saw tons of people there, like it was a busy day at the beach in my mind but it was all in the dark, like tons of white spirit type of people, it was weird….and I was saying hi to them all….we left and finally got to my house. I felt myself coming down which felt very relaxing and I was still in the bathroom in my house trying to hold onto some wall breathing but it was going away and I went to sleep…..best time ever….
Nancy,
Thank you so much for sharing this story! I feel like I went on that journey with you and I laughed so hard. Mushrooms can bring about such a wide array of emotions. 🙂 I’m so glad to hear that you had good experiences both times!
– Britt @ Third Wave
Does anybody know anything about this? I recently took a guided psilocybin journey and found for the first I’d say about 2 hours, I was freezing cold. I had a down vest, polar fleece jacket and was inside a down sleeping bag. This happened to me on the first journey I did on same substance three years ago. Does anybody know why this reaction might be?
I tried shrooms for the first time this past weekend in Joshua Tree. I have to say i felt all sorts of funnies. I laughed so hard at nothing. Or if one of my girlfriends laugh we all laughed. And i felt light. Time passed so slow. It felt like forever. The stars looked clearer. The trees dancing for me. But it didn’t scare me. It was cute.
We also had our tarot cards read. This is where the emotions kicking in. My cards said I struggled with myself, i have resentment and i have to face that in order to find love. Then after my reading was over i pondered about what it could be… a light bulb popped in my head (literally) it was my dad! I struggle with that. Oh did i cry, i let it all out. I felt so much lighter once I said it. I felt a release from my soul. I do love my dad very much, its just complicated.
How many grams did you take, and do you know the strain?
First and foremost, make sure you have that friend or babysitter. Second drink water to stay hydrated and orange juice. I haven’t read that on any posts yet. This post is to help prepare for the not so fun part of tripping.
I have done a few doses over the past month and I have probably experienced each stage. The worst, is the loop or repeat of something. The second is the feeling like, this is death, or I have brain damage and I’m never going to go back to my reality. Remind yourself, this is temporary, I’m okay, I’m supposed to let go. Sometimes you can try to control the way the trip goes and sometimes you simply cannot.
I had one part where I felt like I was in a different dimension. When I closed my eyes, I felt like I was in this world of black and it was like I was just seeing brain signals bouncing back and forth, at other times it was just a neverending maze of colour. Try to keep your eyes open if you can.
Another is when you kind of look at your own existence. Your home will feel familiar but foreign at the same time. The rooms in your home can give off different emotions or vibes.
Listen to up beat familiar music that makes you happy. If you feel like the trip is too much, find something to focus on, like a video game or a movie, or drawing . You might want to just try to sleep it off if it becomes too intense. You will not succeed. Dont try to fight it. Breath. Make sure you have a nice heavy blanket or warm clothing. I get super cold to the point that I was shivering.
Write yourself a note that you took shrooms, you will be okay, you are trying to have fun and its temporary. This helped me a lot in those scary parts.
If you have the self disconnect. Remind yourself of the things you are proud of like having a job/career, having a home to live in, not being hungry, think of things you appreciate and care about.
If you’re at home when you trip, clean your house first. Trust me.
Make sure you eat something prior to tripping, have candy, fruit, nuts, crackers ready for you in case you have cravings. But again, drink fluids. Dont recommend alcohol or weed.
No one can ever fully prepare you for the experience. Try to relax, let go and remember why you decided to have the experience.
I’m not going to lie, I found it to be very challenging to get through. But I had a great sitter to remind me that its temporary, to offer to have lights on, off, get me water, juice. Check up on me and talked to me in a very calm manner. When I was in a state of complete confusion, they offered things for me to do to try to keep me from being scared.
Here is why I am deeply skeptical about western approaches to “medicine” (or yoga or meditation etc.)
It boils down to the question, “How can you be ‘one with the universe’ and ‘none with the rest of humanity’?”
People, mostly white people, who do or have done any of the above practices never seem to develop empathy for other consciousnesses, at least, never enough to actually sacrifice anything they have to try and help others. Almost nobody I have met or read about feels compelled to try and reduce the suffering and misery of other humans. Is living with discrimination (racial, for example) unreal? Is working as indentured farm labour in India or as an Amazon warehouse employee unreal? If it is unreal, why I don’t I see any of you giving up the privileges you have of this unreal life and taking on the misery of the lives of others?
If you don’t take on racial injustice, police brutality, misogyny, ableism, climate chaos etc., what are the “truly important” hard questions you do take on?
Thank you.
Yeah the come up anxiety is almost always there for me.. Ive found larger doses and lemontek with fine ground plant material reduces this.. I believe it makes the transition much faster and also prolly stronger so your fight for normal consciousness is shorter and more uphill so you surrender quicker.. tho if you do fight it may be worse but shorter. Also I had a trip where in a pitchblack garage I was able to use ecolocation from a cricket hiding under a coffee table on the other side of the room to safely traverse the obstacles locate the sound source and use my phone to see the cricket.. at the time the sound was unknown to me.. but in normal consciousness I would have been able to easily identify it. Interesting that ability must lie dormant in us somewhere.
Camped at a treehouse in Big Sur. Phenomenal experience the trees, the ocean, the animals everything was connected. My wife and I overdid it just a little bit, laughed uncontrollably for a while, deep introspective experience. We trip about four times a year. The benefits have been amazing for her. For the first time in her life, she literally stops to smell the roses. Look at the flowers watch the clouds talk to the trees. It’s been tremendous for her mental health.
The journey typically begins within 30 minutes to an hour after ingestion, with effects peaking around 2 to 3 hours in. The overall duration of a psilocybin trip can vary, lasting anywhere from 4 to 8 hours. Factors such as dosage, individual sensitivity, and metabolism contribute to the variability in onset and duration.