A Closer Look at Psilocybin
What is Psilocybin?
Psilocybin is a natural psychoactive substance present in more than 200 species of mushrooms. It can be found everywhere in the world growing naturally. Commonly referred to as “magic mushrooms” or “hallucinogenic mushrooms”, they cause a psychedelic (or “mind revealing”) experience for the consumer, including changes in mood, perception, behavior, and expand one’s understanding of past, present, and future experiences. Psilocybin has been used for millennia by indigenous tribes for spiritual and medicinal purposes and continues to be widely used today.
While psilocybin research and use was heavily curtailed in the west for many years, things have begun to turn around. In 2023, Ben lead a psilocybin retreat for David Culver of CNN as part of an episode of “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper” examining the benefits of psilocybin.
“As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself…The critical issue is allowing yourself to know what you know. That takes an enormous amount of courage.”
― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Benefits of Psilocybin
A growing number of medical and academic research studies have confirmed psilocybin’s many benefits, and it is slowly becoming a widespread means of facing challenging life circumstances ranging from transitions between stages of life to physical and mental conditions. The lists below provide many examples, but are by no means exhaustive.
Physical and Mental Conditions
Life Circumstances
- Anxiety
- Cancer
- Depression
- Long term illnesses
- OCD
- Physical Disabilities
- PTSD
- Substance Addiction
- Childhood Trauma
- Getting Married
- Relationships Ending
- Becoming a Parent
- Becoming a Leader
- Death and Grieving
- Retirement
- End of Life Planning
Described by many as a “life-changing” experience, Psilocybin helps improve one’s general state of mind and body. Known to bypass the restrictive circuit of the “default mode network” in the brain, psilocybin is thought to increase connectivity throughout the entire brain, repairing connections which have been previously shut down due to depression or disease. Several studies have shown the benefits of psilocybin in the functioning of the brain even after just a single dose.
Taking psilocybin under appropriate conditions:
- Allows you to explore different perspectives and process repressed emotions and trauma – gaining new outlooks.
- Develops new neural pathways and connections, resulting in healthier thoughts and behaviors
- Create a new, advanced default perspective
Addressing Concerns about Psilocybin Use
Psilocybin is a non-addictive, naturally occurring chemical compound. One of its primary medicinal applications is treating addiction.
Our team will work with you to ensure you receive a safe dose which is customized based on your needs and circumstances. We’ll take into account any prescription drug use or mental health conditions during this process.
We want to ensure that our clients have a safe, healing journey so please highlight any prescription drug use or mental health issues with us during our discovery call.
If you are interested in learning more about psilocybin dosing, check out this article published by Ben and Mike.
Psilocybin is Not a Miracle Drug
Psilocybin will not suddenly heal years of trauma on its own. Nor is a specific experience guaranteed. Healing requires time, knowledge, and intentional effort.
Together, we’ll design a therapeutic alliance, and I’ll support you in many ways before, during, and after your journey. However, it will be up to you to commit to the journey, to open yourself up to the experience, and to carry forward the insights you gained into the rest of your life moving forward.
Remember: You are responsible for your own healing. Psilocybin provides a lot of insight and assistance in your journey to recovery however it will not do the work for you, this remains your responsibility.