Psilocybin Mushrooms: Healing Trauma and Expanding Consciousness
Psilocybin mushrooms, more commonly known as magic mushrooms, have always been one of the more popular psychedelics out there, providing a fun and forgiving type of trip. I have great memories from my younger years of exploring different levels of perception with my friends. After years of prohibition, this fantastic fungus is making a comeback, not just as a recreational drug, but also in the arena of healing.
I’m a retired combat veteran, having spent most of my service in Special Operations. My last few years in the army, and the couple of years after getting out were particularly difficult. I had been diagnosed with extreme Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), multiple Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), and a list of other mental and physical ailments. The standard treatments of therapy and prescription drugs just weren’t helping. The pharmacy on my bathroom shelf was doing more harm than good. Something needed to shift if I was going to find a way out of the deep despair that had become my life. I began to research neuroplasticity and other things, such as meditation and yoga, to see if I could somehow change what I had been told were permanent diagnoses.
It was around that time that a friend told me about new studies being conducted with psychedelics and their ability to help with trauma. Could this be what I needed to pull me out of the darkness? Where I lived at the time, these drugs were, and continue to be illegal for personal use. I’m not one to actively seek to break the law, but I have always had a higher tolerance for risk than most people. The way I saw it, it was my life on the line. My familiarity with psychedelics from my younger years made for an easy decision. I took the initiative and sourced some psilocybin mushrooms.
So, what is psilocybin and how can it help with trauma? Let’s dive into some of the more technical aspects.
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms, the most common type being psilocybe cubensis. When ingested, psilocybin is converted by the body into psilocin, which interacts with serotonin receptors in the brain, particularly the 5-HT2A receptors. This interaction leads to changes in neural activity, resulting in transformed perception, cognition, and emotional experiences.
The rising popularity of this mushroom has gained attention for its potential in aiding the healing process for trauma-related conditions, such as PTSD. Here’s how it may help:
Altered Perception and Emotional Processing: Psilocybin’s effects on brain function can lead to an altered state of consciousness, often characterized by enhanced introspection and increased emotional openness. This allows individuals to revisit and process traumatic memories and emotions in a unique way, promoting a deeper understanding and integration of their experiences. It can facilitate the release of emotional burdens associated with trauma.
Depression and Anxiety: Clinical trials have demonstrated that psilocybin alleviates symptoms of depression and anxiety, leading to improved mood and increased emotional well-being. This unique mechanism of psilocybin allows for a transformative experience that can promote self-reflection, enhance emotional processing, and facilitate long-lasting positive changes.
Healing Trauma: Individuals who have experienced significant trauma often struggle with PTSD and related issues. Personal accounts of veterans who have turned to psychedelics, including macro doses for deep healing and microdoses for daily life, highlight the frequent success of psilocybin in addressing trauma-related symptoms. These substances have been reported to aid in processing distressing memories, reducing hyperarousal, and facilitating profound healing experiences.
Neuroplasticity and Brain Connectivity: Studies using neuroimaging techniques have shown that psilocybin can induce changes in brain connectivity and neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reform and reorganize damaged synaptic connections. This rewiring of neural networks can allow for new insights and perspectives on traumatic experiences, leading to improved emotional regulation and resilience.
Heightened Emotional and Spiritual Connection: Psilocybin can enhance emotional and spiritual experiences, often described as a sense of interconnectedness and unity with oneself, others, and the larger world. This heightened state of consciousness can provide a profound sense of meaning, purpose, and existential understanding. For individuals struggling with trauma, this expanded perspective can offer a sense of healing, acceptance, and connectedness to something larger than themselves.
Facilitated Psychotherapy: Psilocybin-assisted therapy typically involves the administration of a moderate to high dose of psilocybin in a controlled setting, accompanied by trained professionals or experienced guides. It allows individuals to explore and process traumatic memories, emotions, and underlying psychological patterns in a safe and supported manner. The therapeutic setting, along with skilled guidance, helps individuals navigate challenging experiences and integrate insights gained from the psychedelic experience into their daily lives.
Enhanced Mindfulness and Self-Awareness: Psilocybin experiences often involve a heightened sense of mindfulness and self-awareness. Individuals may become more attuned to their thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. This increased self-awareness can lead to the identification of maladaptive patterns and beliefs, enabling individuals to work towards healing and personal growth.
From a research standpoint, these results are groundbreaking. Science is slowly lifting the stigma that many of us grew up with, and proving that magic mushrooms are, in fact, good for you. So how did all this help me?
In my experience, PTSD and other mental conditions don’t only stem from one or several actual events. While it is true that specific situations do stand out among the myriad of others as more traumatic, like being blown up or dealing with the death of a friend, for me it was more of a state of being created as a result of the Special Operations lifestyle. In order to be accepted as a valuable team member, you have to condition yourself to the level of danger that comes with the job as just another day at the office. You have to program your autonomic nervous system, psychologically and mentally, to always be in fight or flight. That became my resting state. You have to become a killer, a hunter, a destroyer of things. In the beginning, you can get away with only turning it on when you go to work, but eventually that’s who you are. Over the years, this generates a taxing and traumatizing state to be in. To overcome this, you have to rewire your system. You have to reinvent yourself. Einstein once said, “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” So if you want to heal your mind, you have to change your mind. And it just so happens that that’s what psychedelics do best.
So what’s the process? When I began this journey, I was essentially on my own. There wasn’t a network of fellow broken soldiers wanting to be psychonauts. So I took it upon myself to learn. The internet helped with research, and then it was trial and error. I figured out a balance between larger doses for deeper healing, and microdoses for daily medication. Important considerations before taking any kind of psychedelic are the creation of positive intentions, and having a comfortable set and setting. Set refers to mindset, your state of mind. Fear and negativity will almost always end up with a difficult experience. Setting is the specific place and surrounding environment where the ceremony or trip will take place. This includes a safe space, free from interruptions. Introspective meditation while surrendering to the process of the trip helps me navigate through the journey.
Larger doses are a journey, hence the name “trip”. But these journeys can end up being a lot of work, especially if there is deep trauma to be sifted through. The experience can be so profound at times, a period of reflection and integration is needed. A few days or a few weeks between some of the more enlightening experiences are essential. Allowing this downtime is just as much a part of the healing as the main trip.
For the times between those deeper journeys, I developed a day-to-day protocol. I learned how to make microdoses. I found that a 1:4 ratio of psilocybin with Lions Mane worked really well for me. After grinding the dried mix down to a fine powder and putting it in capsules, I would end up with about 100 milligrams of psilocybin, and 400 milligrams of Lions Mane in each dose. Lions Mane is a superfood when it comes to cognitive repair, so it pairs well with psilocybin. They both help generate new neural pathways in a natural way. For me, the best microdose protocol was to dose on Monday and Tuesday, off Wednesday, on Thursday and Friday, then off on the weekends. The body develops a tolerance to psilocybin quite quickly, so having “off” days helps reset that tolerance. There are other protocols out there, like three days on and two days off, or five days on and two days off. I’ve found, however, these can be hard to keep track of. With my way, the days always remain the same.
What are my days like when I microdose? I find it gives me that slight nudge in the right direction. I want to go to the gym instead of feeling like I have to. I’m more aware of my thoughts and don’t let the negative ones dominate. My interaction with other people, especially strangers, becomes more genuine and less scripted, like I actually enjoy their company. I find it easier to want to do things like meditation and yoga. Quite often I’ll wonder why I’m having such a good day, and then I’ll have to remind myself, “Oh yeah, I microdosed today.”
By incorporating both macrodoses for profound healing and microdoses for daily life, I was able to wean myself off all the prescription drugs while experiencing substantial improvements in my mental and spiritual well-being. I gained a deeper insight into the adage “Your thoughts create your reality”. My physical ailments became less dominant as my mind became more at ease. Justification came through my family, with my sister telling people, “I’ve finally got my brother back.” My daughter gave her blessing by saying I was way more “chill” to be around these days.
As more research emerges, public perceptions are gradually changing. Scientists, therapists, and celebrities have openly shared their experiences with psychedelics, contributing to the normalization and destigmatization of their use. This cultural shift creates a more accepting environment for individuals seeking alternative treatments.
Psychedelics, including psilocybin, could eventually become widely accepted and integrated into medical practice. Clinical trials have demonstrated their potential as effective therapeutic tools. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) breakthrough designation granted to psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression highlights the potential for its future approval as a prescription treatment.
The growing interest in psilocybin as a modality for mental health conditions and as a tool for personal growth has enhanced our understanding of consciousness and healing. From its curative properties in addressing depression, anxiety, and trauma to its capacity for promoting overall well-being through microdosing and deeper more introspective doses, psilocybin holds great promise.
There are groups out there that can help. In the veterans community there is a fantastic organization called The Heroic Hearts Project. They have been at the tip of the spear, leading the way in this emerging psychedelic renaissance. Founded by a veteran, Jesse Gould, who found healing through psychedelic plant medicines, the non-profit clearly sets goals to help other veterans heal. Funds are raised to send these vets to Psilocybin and Ayahuasca retreats in Jamaica, Mexico, and Peru, where these medicines are legal.
For those out there who know those dark depths of despair, there is a way to break free. Outside the traditional remedies of Western medicine, psychedelics can offer that light at the end of the tunnel. A light filled with fractal patterns of love and healing that hold you in such a way that is, quite frankly, magical.