Yo Yo! Welcome back to Have a Good Trip!
In this episode we’ll be discussing the Mushrooms Journey, a history of psychedelic medicine and it’s uprising in today’s age,
as well as the neuroscience behind mushrooms and exactly what happens in your brain and body when you take a dose of psilocybin mushrooms.
This is important to understand because the context of what is actually happening will help you to navigate
all your experiences with more ease and surrender,
as well as help you to avoid having a bad trip, which I will go into more depth on in a later episode.
Psychedelic medicine is on the rise globally.
Numerous states in the USA & Canada have decriminalized plants such as psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, Huachuma cactus, LSD and DMT.
Australia has reclassified psilocybin & MDMA as a medicine, and there are many other countries that have decriminalized or re-classified these substances.
As the medicine I serve to others is psilocybin mushrooms, I’ll be speaking about mushrooms in this mini series, but much of what I discuss still applies to other psychedelics.
These extraordinary fungi have played a significant role in various cultures throughout history, shaping human spirituality, healing practices, and artistic expression.
Indigenous Use:
The use of psilocybin mushrooms dates back thousands of years. Indigenous peoples in regions such as Mesoamerica,
Central America, and South America have a long history of utilizing these mushrooms in their rituals and ceremonies.
The Aztecs, dating back to the 1400’s, referred to psilocybin-containing mushrooms as “teonanácatl,” which translates to “flesh of the gods.”
They believed that consuming these mushrooms allowed them to communicate with deities, gain spiritual insights, and navigate the spirit world.
Mayan Traditions:
The Mayans, dating as far back as 2000 BC, also used psilocybin mushrooms in their ceremonies.
They saw these mushrooms as a way to connect with their gods and tell the future.
This was a big part of their beliefs and how they saw the world.
Even though we know a lot about Mesoamerica because of the writings and books they left behind, it’s likely that people in other parts of the world also used psychedelic mushrooms way before this time.
These early mushroom rituals show how much people valued the connection between humans and these special mushrooms.
The ceremonies and traditions connected to these mushrooms were a big part of how these ancient cultures saw the world and what they believed in.
It tells us that psilocybin mushrooms had a deep spiritual and cultural meaning in the history of humanity.
Western Rediscovery:
While indigenous cultures have maintained their traditions, the Western world largely remained unaware of the existence and significance of psilocybin mushrooms until the mid-20th century.
Counterculture Movement:
In the 1960s, psilocybin mushrooms were a big symbol of the counterculture movement.
People like Timothy Leary made them famous,
explaining that they could make you more aware and question the way society works. During this time, many people started trying out psychedelics,
including psilocybin, and sparked a cultural revolution,
before the US Government and CIA started a “War on Drugs” and made these substances illegal,
spreading propaganda that they were very addictive and dangerous.
Modern Resurgence:
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in psilocybin mushrooms,
both for therapeutic and personal growth purposes.
Scientific research into their potential therapeutic applications has gained momentum, with promising results in treating mental health conditions.
As already mentioned, some states in the USA have even decriminalised or legalised psilocybin-containing fungi.
Leaders across the world in many fields and industries are now recognising these psilocybin mushrooms for the powerful ally that it is,
and Western Medicine is starting to utilise mushrooms to clinically treat conditions such as PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, and alcohol & drug addiction.
As we explore more about psilocybin mushrooms,
it’s necessary to understand how important they’ve been throughout history.
Different cultures around the world have held these mushrooms in high regard,
been scared of them, and also celebrated them.
They’ve played a big role in shaping how humans connect with spirituality and explore the world.
They’ve left a lasting mark on the story of human experiences.
In fact, some say that they are the cause of the modern human.
The Stoned Ape Theory proposes that the consumption of psilocybin mushrooms was the cause of the evolution from Homo Erectus to Homosapien some one hundred thousand years ago.
Now we’re going to dive deep into the fascinating world of psilocybin mushrooms from a scientific perspective.
We’ll explore the physiological and neurological effects of these mushrooms,
shedding light on why they have such a profound impact on our consciousness.
The Chemistry of Psilocybin:
At the heart of psilocybin mushrooms lies a potent compound called psilocybin.
This compound is a naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid found in various species of mushrooms,
primarily those belonging to the Psilocybe genus.
Psilocybin, when ingested, is converted by your body into psilocin,
which is responsible for the mind-altering effects we associate with psychedelic experiences.
So the mushrooms are the medicine, and your body is the key.
Neurological Effects:
When you consume psilocybin,
it has a direct impact on the brain’s neurotransmitter systems,
particularly the serotonin system.
Serotonin is often referred to as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter and plays a crucial role in regulating mood, emotion, and cognition.
Psilocin, the metabolite of psilocybin,
binds to serotonin receptors, specifically the 5-HT2A receptor.
This binding results in altered patterns of serotonin transmission, leading to the characteristic effects of psychedelic experiences.
The brain experiences an increase in neural activity,
sometimes up to a hundred times more than usual.
This surge in activity allows different parts of the brain to communicate more freely, breaking down the barriers between our conscious and subconscious minds.
Neuroplasticity:
One of the most intriguing aspects of psilocybin’s effects on the brain is its role in promoting neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself,
forming new neural connections throughout life.
During a psychedelic trip,
your brain becomes exceptionally receptive to creating new pathways.
This phenomenon can explain why people often report profound insights,
creativity bursts, and heightened problem-solving abilities during and after their journeys.
The Default Mode Network (DMN):
To understand the significance of this neural rewiring,
we need to discuss the Default Mode Network.
The Default Mode Network is a network of interconnected brain regions responsible for our sense of self, our autobiographical memory,
and our inner thoughts.
It’s essentially the part of your brain that constructs your identity and maintains your habitual thought patterns.
Your habits, beliefs, patterns & paradigms all live in the Default Mode Network.
Every single behaviour that your brain determines occurs often enough,
is stored here as a default.
The brain is always trying to conserve energy,
and so in order to conserve energy so you can operate and function in the world,
the brain creates default neural connections defining your personality,
and usual behaviour patterns.
During a psilocybin trip,
the Default Mode Network is temporarily disintegrated or suppressed.
This is why you may experience a profound sense of ego dissolution or feel like you’re witnessing your thoughts from a detached perspective.
With the Default Mode Network quieted,
other parts of your brain can communicate more freely, leading to expanded consciousness and a broader perspective.
Put simply, while tripping,
you experience yourself and the world without all of your conditioning and defaults.
This is why a trip can feel overwhelming at times and why it can also take people into some “dark places”.
The medicine is simply stripping away everything you think you know, and revealing what is actually True.
The Three Ancient Needs that are usually stored in the Default Mode Network
We are hardwired to ensure our survival.
It’s our biology.
Our brain is not designed to make us happy.
It’s designed to keep us alive.
And that means avoiding threats, and anything that we program as fear, and engaging in pleasure.
3 ancient survival needs that we have as humans is the need for safety, approval, and to feel in control.
Safety has us on the look out for threats and organising our lives so that we avoid real physical threats.
Approval ensures that we aren’t cast out of the tribe and left to fend for our own in the wilderness (which would likely end in death).
Feeling in control helps us to be more powerful in the tribal hierarchy and therefore survive longer.
These needs come from ancient tribal times, where the weakest and most disliked humans were cast out and left to fend on their own.
Today, if you’re someone listening to this podcast on an iphone, you’re unlikely to have to actually worry about being cast out of a tribe and that meaning that you will die.
The part of your brain that is your survival brain is called the amygdala.
This part of the brain is scanning for threats all the time and will fire off your fight / flight / freeze / fawn response when it detects a threat.
The problem as I’ve highlighted already is that all of our fears trigger a survival response.
So even in situations where your survival is not at threat, it can feel (consciously or unconsciously) that you can going to die.
And so if you’re someone who experiences anxiety you may feel so much intensity in overwhelming social situations.
Underneath it all, your brain and body is telling you that you’re going to die, which is not the case.
The truth of these three ancient needs is that:
Beyond situations where your physical safety is actually in danger, safety is an illusion.
You have created conditions in your mind in order to feel safe, and unless these conditions are met then you don’t feel safe…
…to express yourself,
safe to wear whatever clothes you want,
safe to dance in public,
the way you hoard your money and never spend a cent just in case: so that you feel “safe”…
Maybe you don’t feel safe to quit your job and pursue the career you truly desire…
Let’s look at approval:
Other people might not approve of you.
But that doesn’t mean death today in most places in the world.
Someone else not approving of you now means nothing other than the meaning you give it and the impact you let it have on you.
If you are cast out of a friendship group today,
or not approved of by others,
it means that you might feel alone,
and maybe some difficult emotions,
but it’s also very likely that with the right frame of mind you will get through it and grow from the experience and find friends who are better aligned for you.
And control is a complete illusion.
It’s the constant conscious and unconscious manipulation of events,
People and circumstances,
in order to meet another need or attempt to manufacture the life you think you want or need.
But you have no control.
You just create an illusion that you do,
and probably become so unbearable to others through the attempt to reign control over them and you push away everyone that you love.
You can only control the way you respond to everything. That is it. You probably can’t even control your thoughts. More on that later.
A lot of your behaviours come from meeting one of these three ancient needs.
So if you’re afraid of losing your family’s approval based on the fact that you love someone from a different ethnic or religious background
then you may have created a habit of hiding things from your family and anyone connected with them.
And so in this set of behaviours of secrecy,
you end up blocking off a part of yourself to your family anyway,
and then feel more disconnected from them anyway,
and so in an attempt to avoid losing approval you block love.
This is usually how these unconscious survival patterns manifest.
We attempt to avoid the thing we are afraid of,
and end up blocking what we truly desire: Love. Aliveness. Connection.
The pathways for these behaviours are stored in your Default Mode Network,
so when you trip,
you may experience yourself without your coping mechanisms present.
And usually, in the letting go of the the behaviours you are just left with the thing driving them.
Fear.
And you’ll get the opportunity to feel the fear, or resist it.
Usually on the other side of feeling the fear is love.
Trust. And a lot of relief.
Remember that you do not have control.
Even when you think you’re in control,
all you’ve created is an illusion for yourself.
So in summary, be open and available to any experience during your trip.
Let go of your expectations.
This is freedom in itself. 🙂
As we continue our exploration of psilocybin mushrooms,
remember that the science behind these experiences is continually evolving,
and it’s only one part of the experience.
In the next episode I’ll be sharing all about cultivating the best Mindset, Setting, Intention & Dosage for your trip.
