Mushroom Therapy

Healing with Psilocybin

Greetings once again, Fellow Trip Hikers and the Trippy-curious!

I hope this message reaches you and expands your mind and consciousness. There is healing to be done and I have information on how to achieve it. “The Trip Hiker’s Guide to the Psychedelic Galaxy” taught you how to have a good trip. This address will help you to understand one mode of transportation that can be a recurring agent of wellness and change for the mind…that mode is psilocybin mushroom.

Psilocybin mushrooms are a fungus known as psychedelics that when ingested promote positive neurological activity. This activity has been proven to cause lasting changes in the brain’s ability to repair itself, learn and grow, even after significant trauma.

Psychedelic therapy studies on mental health and substance abuse disruptions have been conducted to discover the efficacy of such treatments. Institutions such as the National Institute of Health (NIH) have several recently published articles providing scientific backing for said studies. These same studies provide some evidence that beats out traditional western psychiatric medication standards being the most beneficial when compared to psychedelics. From disorders on a grand scale to even the small disruptions psilocybin mushrooms, and other psychedelics, can help improve brain function in a very effective way.

There are several parts to psilocybin that make up the whole of the experience. Follow the flow to understand how psilocybin can be therapeutically beneficial for the brain:

The Healing Science of Psilocybin

What is psilocybin (and what is psilocin!)?

Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic substance that occurs organically, including in over 200 species of mushrooms. One of the most well known mushrooms is psilocybe cubensis, colloquially known as “gold caps” or “golden teachers”, amongst other names. The “golden” comes from the cap color of the fungus, while the “teacher” part refers to the subsequent spiritual and mental insights often recalled after a psychedelic “trip”.

Psilocybin is a tryptamine “triptamine” alkaloid molecule (derived from the amino acid tryptophan), and belongs to the indoleamine family of neurotransmitters. The indoleamine molecules are similar in structure and function; examples include serotonin and melatonin. The regulation or dysregulation of these biochemicals is what determines things like mood and behavior.

Random cool fact: Indoleamines are believed to be produced in the pineal gland.

In Kemetic science and spirituality, the pineal gland is known to be a central location for elevated thought and enlightenment!

Psilocin is a derivative of psilocybin and the true reactive agent that produces the healing changes in the brain. Organic mechanisms in the body utilize and synthesize substances according to what the body needs. When the body ingests psilocybin mushrooms, psilocybin changes into psilocin by way of a chemical process called dephosphorylation. This means that the phosphate group attached to psilocybin is removed through chemical mechanisms.

Reconsidering the social profile of Psilocybin

The brain is the operator of the body, sending messages throughout an entire system in a matter of less than a second. Although it is possible to survive outside of a homeostatic rhythm, it is not ideal.

Every moment considered is a moment that can be spent applying better solutions for the body and brain. The two minutes it takes for an oxygen-deficient brain to permanently alter a life are just as vital as the time it takes psilocybin to interact with the brain and leave its lasting impression. Disruptions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD (all affected by dysregulation of serotonin production in the body, amongst other chemical and regional dysfunctions) have been studied under psilocybin therapy. The effects are almost always reported positively.

The natural profile of this healing agent suggests that other holistic methods can be applied to further support the brain-changing uptick of psilocybin. Psilocybin, slid in between music therapy, meditation, healing in nature are the “hippy” methods from which the collective has been playfully, but intentionally, stirred away. We could argue about why maybe even argue against labproduced medications. but that would not be helpful. It’s not about discouraging traditional medication methods, things work differently for everyone; the information about psilocybin is more about advocacy!

While medications are effective in the management of symptoms of neurological disruptions for some, what the term therapy truly calls for is the deeper healing of these disruptions. Not everyone will want to experience psychedelic healing, but those that can benefit from it should know about their options. Accessibility starts with information. True the documented scientific reviews of psilocybin aren’t as extensive as its history of it would suggest, but the evidence for the case is not altogether absent.

If we can rely on ancient texts to account for the wars of history and teach us how humans communicated effectively before technology, we can also count on those same texts to teach us how humans have been thriving and healing mentally.

Psilocybin has shown up in many texts as an entheogen—a method by which the mushroom is consumed to induce an elevated religious or spiritual experience—to get closer to god. In their version of god, many people find peace, happiness and healing. The drawings and accounts of these entheogenic experiences line up with the ideology behind some modern therapy methods today, such as narcotics anonymous, which encourages attendees to find faith as part of its healing principles. Psychedelics have been cited as healing agents for alcohol disorders as well. The likelihood of these methods crossing is not uncanny but seems more destined in the future as the minds of the people expand beyond what we have already been accustomed to in this age.

Resting the case- Psilocybin as a viable option

Psilocybin therapy makes a full circle in the world of healing, naturally, biologically and spiritually. Its methodology is positive and easy to establish in a controlled environment. As the collective advances, it is important to remember that elevation does not have to be invasive or drastic. There is nothing new under the sun. It’s time to take it back to nature and allow what has already existed to become functional and in synchrony with human healing and evolution.