Magic mushrooms can change your life for good
Jul 2nd, 2008 by admin
Dede Osborn, a business consultant, took a psychedelic drug within the scope of a research project that she conducted at a laboratory of John Hopkins University. The woman said that the drug gave her the feeling of euphoria and joy. She said that she felt like she was flying. The experiment happened in 2002
Nowadays, at age 66, Dede Osborn says that she still feels more centered in who she is and what she is doing. “I don’t seem to have those self-doubts like I used to have. I feel much more grounded (and feel that) we are all connected,” she said.
The psychedelic drug was offered to 14 volunteers, who were surveyed 14 months after the experiments. Most of them said that they were still feeling and behaving better than they used to because of the drug. Some of them said that it was the most spiritually significant experiment which they have ever had.
The drug, known as psilocybin, can be found in so-called “magic mushrooms.” The use of the drug is illegal. However, it has been used on religious ceremonies for hundreds of years.
The study involved 36 men and women during an eight-hour lab visit. It’s one of the few such studies of a hallucinogen in the past 40 years, since research was largely shut down after widespread recreational abuse of such drugs in the 1960s.
The project made headlines in 2006 when researchers published their report on how the volunteers felt just two months after taking the drug. The new study followed them up a year after that.
Experts emphasize that people should not try psilocybin on their own because it could be harmful. Even in the controlled setting of the laboratory, nearly a third of participants felt significant fear under the effects of the drug. Without proper supervision, someone could be harmed, researchers said.
Osborn, in a telephone interview, recalled a powerful feeling of being out of control during her lab experience. “It was … like taking off, I’m being lifted up,” she said. Then came “brilliant colors and beautiful patterns, just stunningly gorgeous, more intense than normal reality.”
And then, the sensation that her heart was tearing open.
“It would come in waves,” she recalled. “I found myself doing Lamaze-type breathing as the pain came on.”
Yet “it was a joyful, ecstatic thing at the same time, like the joy of being alive,” she said. She compared it to birthing pains. “There was this sense of relief and joy and ecstasy when my heart was opened.”
With further research, psilocybin (pronounced SILL-oh-SY-bin) may prove useful in helping to treat alcoholism and drug dependence, and in aiding seriously ill patients as they deal with psychological distress, said study lead author Roland Griffiths of Johns Hopkins.
Griffiths also said that despite the spiritual characteristics reported for the drug experiences, the study says nothing about whether God exists.
“Is this God in a pill? Absolutely not,” he said.
The experiment was funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The results were published online Tuesday by the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Fourteen months after taking the drug, 64 percent of the volunteers said they still felt at least a moderate increase in well-being or life satisfaction, in terms of things like feeling more creative, self-confident, flexible and optimistic. And 61 percent reported at least a moderate behavior change in what they considered positive ways.
Psilocybin mushrooms (also called psilocybian mushrooms) are fungi that contain the psychedelic substances psilocybin and psilocin, and occasionally other psychoactive tryptamines. There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin mushrooms, the most common being shrooms.
Psilocybin mushrooms are non-toxic and non-addictive although they do create short term increases in tolerance of users. Oral ingestion can produce nausea, dizziness, and sometimes vomiting. The greatest danger from recreational use is a “bad trip” which can cause severe emotional and psychological distress. Also, extremely poisonous wild picked mushrooms can be easily mistaken for psilocybin mushrooms. Mushrooms should be identified by a professional mycologist if ingestion is deemed appropriate. When psilocybin is ingested, it is broken down to produce psilocin, which is responsible for the hallucinogenic effects.
As with many psychoactive substances, the effects of psychedelic mushrooms are subjective and unpredictable. A common misconception, even seen in the professional environment, is that the effects experienced from psilocybin are due to a poisonous nature of the compound, yet the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a branch of the Center for Disease Control, rated psilocybin less toxic than aspirin. The intoxicating effects of psilocybin-containing mushrooms typically last anywhere from 3 to 7 hours depending on dosage, preparation method and personal metabolism.
The experience is typically inwardly oriented, with strong visual and auditory components. Visions and revelations may be experienced, and the effect can range from exhilarating to distressing. There can be also a total absence of effects, even with large doses. This depends on the species (and to a much lesser degree the strain) of mushroom, substrate they grew from, the quality of the yield and conditions of growth.
Feelings of bliss, relaxation, wonder, anxiety, sadness, curiousness or fear have all been reported. Some users may experience intense episodes of hilarity, such as laughing for the duration of the psychedelic experience. Emotions can be experienced with increased sensitivity.
Higher doses carry the increased possibility of a surreal event known as ego death, whereby the user loses the sense of boundaries between their self and the environment, creating a sort of perceived universal unity. Users may experience intense feelings of connectivity with a higher power. Contradictory emotions, such as euphoria and despair, can be experienced simultaneously.
As with other psychedelics such as LSD, the experience, or “trip,” is strongly dependent upon set and setting. A negative environment could likely induce a bad trip, whereas a comfortable and familiar environment would allow for a pleasant experience, although neither side of this binary is without exception.
Thanks for informing. As a frequent “magic shrooms” user I can confirm the objectivity of this article. It is based on actual facts and states no judgement on the subject. I live in Colombia, and due to the climate/weather conditions, there is a permanent high probability to find psilocibian fungi in certain areas of the country. Thanks to God and enough information I have always found these experiences positive and spiritually challenging for good. So if you are interested in this great natural power source of nature, inform yourself and go ahead. I must recognize merit in this article because of the appointment of the term “EGO DEATH” in which I have been envolved several times without gave it a name. Thanks. It is exactly as it is described here. (I recomend a little Bill Hicks introduction as well before leaving the rational world to enter these spirit realms) Good luck.
Oh. If you use psychiatric drugs or there is something wrong with you psycologically speaking, DO NOT TRY THIS PLEASE. Is an important advise omitted in the article. Check also erowid.org and shroomery.com.
mushroooooomss…. its been almost 3years since i last tripped. magic only comes around dc in the winter. its november now and the time has come to embark on another journey.
3years ago:
i pick up the phone and all i hear is “i found em!!” “what are you talking about?” i said. “shrooms!! theyre here, i found em!!”. he says with excitement pouring out of his mouth. “got a place?”(the environment is key) “one of my friends folks are out of town, we can party there” “im down lets do it.”
an hour later three of my close friends pull up in an old mitsubishi eclipse pumping bob marley and sizzla. a 20 minute drive out of the city we come to a small rundown neighborhood. we pull up to a complex and our contact comes out the building and walks up to the window, chit chats for a minute takes the money and drops off 4/8s.
now im not sure if you ate shrooms before, but let me tell you this, they taste nasty as hell. knowing this, we decided to stop at mcdonalds and grab some 99cent double cheese burgers. we immediately lift up the buns, add the topping and pile them in our mouths. every time i do something like this, which isnt very often anymore, but when i do, i always anticipate the trip, my heart will pick up a beat, my palms will start sweating, i just get anxious.
so now we’re 20minutes out for the pick up and another 30min further out to the friends house. a huge empty house in the boondocks of VA.
theres 4 of us tripping and the owner of the house. within minutes im staring at the carpet watching the colors blend together and roll like waves. ” are you guys seeing this? look at the carpet, its breathing!” pointing at the floor. my friends bust out laughing.
the next thing i know we’re watching “the big lebowski” the movie is trippy enough sober, but while on shrooms. shieeet.
the bowling balls and pins were floating out of the tv dissolving into thin air.
watching the woman swinging back and forth on the wires as she painted was intense let me tell you. this goes on for i dont know how long and then the door bell rings…. about 10 people i dont know walk in the room. it was like a bolt of electricity ran through my body, a zap, all at once my mood just flipped. i started feeling really scared, not knowing who these people were, what theyre background was, or what they were even doing here. i pulled my knees close up to my chest as i sat on the couch clinching myself tight feeling completely uncomfortable. i couldnt take it anymore, i got up and went to the kitchen, grabbed a glass of milk and went outside for a smoke.
as soon as i got outside and away from the unknowns i started feeling warm inside again. i remember taking a piss behind a tree and becoming one with planet earth. lol.(ever since then, i will pee outside any chance i get)
after the smoke i walked inside to the living room again to find all the unknowns are gone.
now after all this had happened, feeling uncomfortable with the “unknowns”. one of the house owners friends( a rich white rasta with dreds) walked in the room and asked ” we need beer, is there anyone here that is 21?” all eyes fell on me as i raised my hand. “i am…” i could hear the words echo through my head. i felt like frodo baggins from lord of the rings about to embark on a grand adventure. so two other wanna be rastas and i hop into the back of this kids decked out, indigo neon lit, lexus. im sitting in the back flying down the dark hilly roads watching the blue lights in his car bounce to the music at 80miles an hour. just taking everything as it comes.
we finally get to the grocery store and they hand me a wad of cash. “what do you want?” i asked “get what you can” he said. “ill do my best” i replied..lol.. walking down the isles with the cash wadded up together in both hands trying to find the beer was a trip inside of its self. after finding the beer and not thinking far enough ahead to grab a cart. i put as many cases underneath my arms as i could fit and make my way up to the check out counter. thinking it would be easier to go through the self check out line and not deal with anybody i make my move. even thinking i could do this on my own was not a good idea. i couldnt figure out how to turn on the machine or scan any items, insert the money or even in what order i should do them in. every time i touched something the machine would beep. it wouldnt stop beeping. frustrated and overwhelmed i began to think i was attracting too much attention so i headed for the customer service booth and without a word i hold up the wadded cash in both hands and push it towards the rep. “this is the last time im doing this” he muttered. after the transaction, feeling completely paranoid, as if everyone is starring at me i make a dash for the door. “GO, GO, GO!!” i yelled as i flew into the car. i can only imagine now what everyone must have been thinking. lol
we arrive back at the house to find a party of kids waiting for the beer.
i knew i couldnt handle that, so i rounded up my friends and headed for the car. we sat in his car for hours pondering the meaning of life, watching mercedes benzs, and beamers full of rich kids come to the house.
as the night goes on and the effects start to wear off, we decide to head back to arlington and that i should drive. once we safely get back in town, my friend pulls out a spliff hoping that it would bring back some of the effects. so we find a quite neighborhood to park and spark the joint. a few minutes go by and we see another vehicle with its head lights off in the review mirror pull up and park a few cars back. keeping our eyes on the parked car, we watch to see if anyone gets out. nothing. the car didnt move, no one got out, it just sat with its lights off. by now, all of our senses are heightened and the pot began to kick in. i turn on the car and start to drive away only to find the car behind us turns on his lights and starts to follow. i drove faster. he drove faster. i turned. he turned.
who is this? whats happening? i thought, paranoid out of my brains. i head for the “rat traps”. a neighborhood in arlington well known for its winding, maze like roads. speeding through the rat traps i finally loose him, turn off the car and pull the keys out of the ignition and just sit. a few minutes pass and we see the car fly by. immediately i turn the car on, and head back the opposite way and make my way home. i pull up to my house and hop out of the car feeling safer than ive ever felt in my life. i say goodnight to my friends, creep back in my house and climb in bed. i havent slept that good in ages. like a baby. a trip i will never forget.
if you do decide to shroom, here are some tips that might come in handy.
choose your fellow trippers wisely - people you trust, people you know.
atmosphere is everything - if you feel uncomfortable, down, depressed, go somewhere you know, somewhere safe.
prepare for your trip - 2-3days before your trip, listen to calm music, try to stay in a state of zen, happiness. if something serious or bad happens a few days before, do not go on a journey.
milk - if your trip gets too intense, drink a glass of milk and youll feel better in minutes
vomit - dont be scared if you throw up, some people do every trip, its normal
BE SAFE AND ENJOY
Ich hab echt Hunger bekommen :)!
PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS…
THERE IS A REASON WHY PEOPLE REFER TO THEM AS FLESH OF THE GODS.
YOU ARE LUCKY IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THEM, USE THEM TO KNOW WHY.
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, WILL THE USA PLEASE MAKE THEM LEGAL…WHY ARE THEY ILLEGAL, THEY ARE GOOD FOR YOU…REALLY HONESTLY, MAGIC MUSHROOMS ARE TRULY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GOOD FOR YOU….BELIEVE WHATEVER YOU WISH, BUT THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH…LEGALIZE THEM, DEMAND THEY BE MADE LEGAL.
I really love your blog!!
Can anybody tell me what