Magic mushrooms have been around for over centuries now. People used to use these mushrooms for all sorts of religious and spiritual purposes. Believing that it would connect them to a higher power, they sought these mushrooms. They used it to elevate their consciousness. From there, they had spiritual experiences of some sort.
Nowadays, you can still hear about people taking mushrooms. But, while people still take magic mushrooms, their uses have gone beyond that. People take psilocybin mushrooms for all sorts of recreational purposes. From helping them unwind to opening their minds up, shrooms have transcended.
We all know that shrooms are usually used for recreational purposes. Now, magic mushrooms have undergone in-depth study due to their medical benefits. Research is being done on how it can help treat certain mental illnesses. Some researchers wish to even aid in end-of-life care. So far, these mushrooms have so much potential to be used to better one’s well-being.
Despite all that, there is still so much we can still learn about these magic mushrooms. But, with what we do know, do we have an answer to the question: how do shrooms make you feel? More specifically, what does a mushroom trip feel like? From what we know, there’s at least a basic answer to these kinds of questions.
Tripping on Mushrooms
“Magic mushroom tripping” is a term used to describe the experience. When you take magic mushrooms, you’re essentially experiencing a trip of sorts.
A trip is described as a sort of high you reach. A more accurate description is the altering of one’s state of consciousness. When you ingest a psychedelic mushroom, you’re actually consuming them for its psilocybin. Psilocybin is the main active ingredient in almost all magic mushrooms. It is a hallucinogen that explains its effects on the human mind.
When you go on a trip, you put yourself in an altered mental state where your perception of things begins to change. Trips are mainly known for experiences of sensory hallucinations. This is the most common of the visual kind. This is the main effect that a hallucinogen like psilocybin has on you.
Aside from the hallucinations, you also begin to have an out-of-body experience. It starts with the feeling of melting into their surroundings. Others may differ, depending on how they perceive their environment. Some describe the sensation, which helps them be more open to everything around them. Others describe this as a mystical or spiritual experience. This helps them feel more connected.
Some people can feel more relaxed, drifting along with their thoughts, or even feel elated when they go on a trip. The trips can even help people explore their thoughts. The experience is an ideal condition that allows them to reflect. It is also an excellent way to meditate on what is happening in their head.
Experiences of tripping on shrooms will differ from one to another. But there are common characteristics that most feel. So whatever it is, you can at least be assured that you’re in for a pretty funky experience when you’re tripping.
Common Side Effects
Aside from the usual trippy things, you should also consider the other effects. These side effects can happen during or after a mushroom trip.
One of the main side effects that people may experience when they go on a trip is some shrooms, nausea, and vomiting. There’s also the chance of you feeling a little confused and disoriented. There’s also muscle weakness and a loss of coordination while tripping. In other cases, the side effects of the trip could be less intense. Sometimes, people can also experience a feeling of drowsiness or tiredness.
The side effects could be scary or confusing. It is best to first know what you are getting into. That way, you can at least mentally prepare yourself for these things. You can also ensure your safety by doing shrooms in a safe environment or with someone to guide you through it. Doing so can at least help you avoid getting overwhelmed by the other side effects you feel.
If you aren’t careful, the side effects could worsen, and you might go on a bad trip.
What is a Bad Trip?
It might sound like a joke to say that a bad trip is the exact opposite of a good trip, but what it is.
A good trip, as mentioned earlier, would let you coast along with your thoughts. This would include hallucinations that can calm you. The experience would let you feel more connected to your surroundings. On the other hand, a bad trip is an opposite. You feel unsafe while under the drug. There are also sensations of uneasiness.
A bad trip can take many forms, but most revolve around feelings of anxiety and panic. Paranoia and experiences of psychosis are other manifestations of a bad trip. During a bad trip, you feel overwhelmed by everything going on around you. In a sense, you’re trying to fight the wave of emotions and feelings that are coming at you. You find yourself in a place where everything is scary, and you have no control.
A bad trip can also manifest physically. This is where your blood pressure and heart rate rise due to feelings of anxiety. There are also things like cold sweats and fevers that can happen if you have too much.
Bad trips can leave you traumatized. It can even cause you to need some immediate medical attention. That’s why you have to do your part to prepare for trips, especially mentally. However, these can be avoided. You must take every possible precaution to make sure you don’t fall into one.
What Does it Taste Like?
Unlike the regular mushrooms that you’d typically consume, psychedelic mushrooms aren’t as palatable. While they aren’t poisonous, they still taste like you shouldn’t be eating them. Some say they taste like dirt, while others say they taste nutty or earthy.
While many have different ways to describe the taste, there is a general consensus. It isn’t exactly the most pleasant thing to eat. Because of this, people have found ways to make it more consumable. Some creative ways include making them into teas and mixing them in with their food.
What Does it Look Like?
There are a considerable number of different psychedelic mushroom species out there. However, many of them share similar qualities in terms of appearance. The Psilocybe azurescens, for example, is relatively small. It has a cap that ranges from golden brown to caramel in color. It is also described as smooth and shiny. Its stem is thin, white, and hollow with mycelium that looks similar to plant roots.
There is one unique characteristic of some mushrooms, including azurescens. This is the tendency to bruise blue if damaged.
Many Psilocybe mushrooms share similar characteristics as the azurescens. This makes it hard for the untrained eye to differentiate it. Unfortunately, psilocybin mushrooms share identical characteristics with poisonous mushrooms too. This makes it more dangerous, especially for an untrained person.
How Does it Feel to be in Shrooms?
Just like how every person trips differently, many mushrooms may have a different effect on you. Some effects depend on the potency of the mushrooms you’re taking. While some have more intense and more potent effects due to more psilocybin content. Sometimes it also depends on the strain you’re taking.
Potent mushrooms, such as the azurescens, will have a more intense sensory experience. Some people report feeling like they’re hearing and seeing everything at once. Then, it becomes quiet and calming. You can also experience all sorts of visual illusions. There’d be images ranging from shapes and lines appearing in your view.
You can also feel a sort of calm that sets in or an urge to lie down and rest. You may feel some muscle weakness and loss of coordination as well. Some do report experiencing temporary paralysis. However, this may depend on how much you’re having and your tolerance.
All in all, magic mushrooms give you a sensory experience. This makes you feel like you’re slowly melting away into your environment. You feel calm, experience and feel everything more with your senses, and drift away.
How Does It Make People Behave?
Shrooms affect each person differently. Their behavior, as well, is no exception to that.
How a person behaves when in shrooms really depends on how they are as a person. Their disposition while tripping will also affect when they take shrooms. Some people like to sit down in one spot and relax. Others want to watch the world around them and be taken in by their senses. Shrooms can also help someone get into their more creative side. All the imagery that comes to life during a trip would make sense. Still, others become more pensive and reflective. Simply owing to the way they connect to their surroundings.
Of course, some experience a bad trip. These people can end up becoming more anxious and paranoid. This can further affect the way that their trip is going. People who experience this kind of behavior will always benefit from the help of another. They’d guide them out of that bad spot and back to a better disposition.
How Do Mushrooms Affect the Mind?
To this day, the effect psilocybin has on the mind is still far from being completely understood. But at least a decent explanation for how it works its magic on the human brain is available. This is to the studies being done and currently being made.
From the studies so far, psilocybin is said to affect the serotonin levels of the brain. To be more precise, it acts on the serotonin receptors in the brain. Therefore producing an effect on the brain similar to serotonin release.
Studies on depression suggest that psilocybin can act as an alternative antidepressant. It shows that it works similarly to antidepressant medication. Moreover, psychedelics last longer compared to the current medication.
Aside from its effect on the physiological brain, mushrooms also affect the mind. So, it is true that a shroom trip can change you. Of course, the changes aren’t drastic, but they’re enough to be able to open your mind up.
One perfect example of this would be the study NYU did on cancer patients. In a safe and controlled environment, the patients were given psilocybin. This is to help them with their terminal illness. This resulted in them becoming more open and accepting of their situation. It also helped decrease the end-of-life anxiety they were initially experiencing. This could most likely be attributed to an introspective experience during the trip. This allowed them to take some time and reflect.
It is a fact that it still isn’t completely understood. But research already showed us the good psilocybin mushrooms could do. Psilocybin can be an alternative to treat mental illness. It can also help an individual to be open and have the time to reflect. Sure, there’s still a long way to go, but there’s so much to look forward to soon based on what has been achieved so far.
From religious and spiritual ceremonies, psilocybin has become something more. Yes, it has become a recreational drug. But, people are beginning to discover that it’s more than a drug. It’s a way to help expand your mind. To see things. To change your understanding of things and even an alternative medicine of sorts. Hopefully, in time, people will begin to see it as something beneficial for you. Not just as something harmful.