Vee’s Magic Mushroom/Psilocybin Microdosing Experience Series 3

I am back at it with my psilocybin mushroom microdosing experience . I needed to fill in a few educational gaps but now- fully ready to move on to this piece. This one is focused on the second microdose journey with the infused chocolate that I discussed in:Vee’s Magic Mushroom/ Psilocybin Microdosing Experience Series- 2. Brace yourself, this one wasn’t as pleasant for me as the last.

My Second Time Microdosing with Magic Mushrooms

Set and Setting

I consumed the same magic mushroom infused chocolate bar– the same 250mg dose. It was still spring, but the sun wasn’t out that day which impacted my SAD (seasonal affective disorder), I wasn’t alone this time, and I didn’t plan to consume. Remember me discussing the importance of set and setting when going on a magic mushroom journey? Well, this journey is how I learned of their importance. 

My Gut

Having SAD is tough, any form of depression is. When my condition is triggered/flared, sadly, food is one of my comforts. I had been consuming a pretty processed vegan diet because I was eating out. I mean, who the fuck wants to cook when there are clouds all over. They were outside and in my head, so cooking wasn’t happening. And though eating out doesn’t have to be unhealthy, my food choices under clouds aren’t the best.

And yes, I know that raw fruits and vegetables are electrifying but you know, some days, you just need a vegan BLT in between vegan waffles, with a strawberry lemonade, and a vegan donut for desert. I digress. The point is, because my gut wasn’t welcoming because it was loaded with not so nice things and well, psilocybin mushrooms don’t always respond well to that. 

The Journey

My mistake was consuming while knowingly being in the SAD web. I also knew better because I knew about set and setting. I consumed to find happy and to not have to go outside in the clouds and cold to find it. I was in an AirBnB that of course- didn’t allow smoking inside so Cannabis couldn’t help. Cannabis edibles and oils are my night-time remedy and with being sad, I didn’t want to be heavy from a potent high, so I chose magic mushrooms. 

Just like the first time, I felt that click which indicated the onset of my journey. Unlike the time before, it wasn’t pleasant. Because I wasn’t alone and that meant it wasn’t quiet, I became irritated. Instead of the playful energies, I got low and unpleasant energies. I know now it’s because my energy was shifting to a low place because irritation was the highlight of my journey. In that moment, I was a little nervous but not too much because even then, I knew that mushrooms wouldn’t hurt me.

The mushrooms, always trying to heal, tried to purge the low out of me and so my gut was in pain. I knew the mushrooms were trying to help but the pain irritated me further. That created a new level of irritation because I was irritated about being irritated with the journey. 

There were clouds outside, clouds in my head, pain in my gut, and the pretty energies would not come see me because of the irritation throughout. I grabbed my phone and worked hard to see through the low energy to play music. It didn’t help.

This lasted about 2 hours and I was so happy for an end. 

End of Trip Reflection 

I realized that I should’ve just consumed the cannabis edibles. I should’ve consumed a large dose for bed! But I’m also glad that I was in a safe place and space during a not so great journey experience. 

This experience was the lesson of lessons in set and setting for me. This journey, like the last, made me love cannabis even more because I was reminded that cannabis purged me, but was more gentle. 

Reflection Journey

I reflected on my journey for weeks after. I tried to make sense of the experience beyond the factors mentioned above. I came up empty but the lesson was full. 

SET and SETTING are CRUCIAL!

I thought about my first experience and how different it was from this one. The huge difference- my mindset= set and what was going on around me= setting. Not a lot of life reflection happened, not like the first time. What I focused on throughout was how I felt while actively on the trip. 

In Closing

I’ll leave you with insight from the psychedelics guide that was published a few weeks ago, regarding research of psychedelics for depression:

• In a 2017 study of psilocybin and depression, researchers at Imperial College London gave psilocybin therapy to 20 patients with treatment-resistant depression, who reported benefits as long as five weeks after treatment. The study found that psilocybin decreased activity in the amygdala, which processes emotions like fear and anxiety. 

• A 2019 survey of more than 1,000 people from across the world who microdosed on LSD found that repeated microdoses were followed by “improvements in negative moods, especially depression” as well as increased positive moods and energy levels.

And from the U.S National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, on the topic of psychedelic studies:

• “Psychedelics are not regarded to elicit violence and dangerous behavior leading to suicide or accidental death under the influence of psychedelics is regarded as extremely rare. LSD and psilocybin are consistently ranked in expert assessments as causing less harm to both individual users and society than alcohol, tobacco, and most other common recreational drugs”.

Written by: Veronica Castillo

Sponsored by:

• Herb of Life Cultivation, LLC
• Korasana (with partner Zero Point Extractions)
• Peacock/ Wunderkind CBD
• The Botanical Joint
• Portland Ashwagandha Farm 
• Blunt Babe 

Thank you all for supporting the mission of this blog by taking care of the Writers! With your support, we are able to educate, inform, connect, and break stigmas. Cannabis builds community, and we are grateful to you all for being a part of ours! 

Please visit our sponsors! Collectively, they compensate the Writers for their contributions to this blog.