Member-only story
Are “Magic Mushrooms” as Magical As The Name Suggests?
What science and personal experience have to say about them.
Until very recently, I had no interest in the class of drugs known as psychedelics. In my mind, the people who used these drugs were clueless, aimless, and lost. Just the thought of taking one of these drugs made me fearful of becoming one of those people.
I stopped feeling this way after reading How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan. In this fantastic book, Pollan describes the scientific and political history of these drugs and what recent studies have taught us about how they affect the brain. What especially caught my attention were the personal stories of experiences on psychedelics. People often report them to be some of the most meaningful and profound of their lives, even decades later!
Now, considering their immense impact on consciousness, no one would blame you for thinking they have significant negative impacts. The truth, however, is that these drugs are surprisingly benign. Standard psychedelics, like psilocybin (mushrooms), LSD (acid), DMT, and mescaline, are not toxic or addictive and have no known lethal dose. That being said, there is a clear risk of injury while under their potent, mind-altering influence.
