The Controversial Healer, Psilocybin
Plant medicine is an endless area of study with thousands of medicinal plants, herbs, trees, lichens, and fungi that have been used dating back to Sumerian times for countless ailments of the body, mind and spirit. Herbalists, Shamans, Oracles, Elders, Priests and Priestesses and Medicine People have been the holders of this wisdom for centuries. In our modern world we have lost touch with so much ancestor wisdom and most of us don’t practice herbal principles for healing at all. The average American doesn’t have any basis in plant healing and has a far removed day to day life from the plant world. This was by design ladies and gentleman. When you remove a connection to the Earth away from a generation of people the result are people that have no basis to be grounded, they are seeking answers from Big Pharma, Frankenfood, cheap entertainment and instant gratification. Gone are the old ways that were centered around healing the body over management of symptoms. Medicine People were demonized and plant medicine was regarded as ‘snake oil’ the same is true of the sacred plant medicines; Grandfather, Grandmother and Mushroom Medicine (among others).
To understand Psilocybin in the US we have to start with a man named Robert Gordan Wasson, Wasson worked for JP Morgan Chase before his attention turned to Mushroom Medicine. Wasson was fascinated by the cultural attitudes towards mushrooms between Russia and the United States and wrote a book on the subject. Through his research he went on many expeditions to Mexico to study the religious use of sacred mushroom medicine by the native peoples there. Curandera Maria Sabina allowed Wasson to participate in a ceremony with the understanding that he was to keep the practice in confidence, instead, Wasson published everything regarding his time in Mexico at great expense to Sabina and her town.
In May 1957 Life Magazine published the article entitled “Seeking the Magic Mushroom” which encouraged the exploration of mushroom medicine to an audience of nearly 12 million. This publication marked one of the first times that the Western public was introduced to the concept of using psychedelics not as recreational drugs, but as tools for spiritual enlightenment and personal transformation. Wasson said he only intended to expand awareness around the sacred practice of magic mushrooms and wanted to expand its healing reach, however the exposure greatly impacted the traditions of Mazatec Rituals and ostracized Maria from her community. Wasson went on to collect samples of the sacred mushroom from Mexico and bring it back to the US to analyze its chemical compounds which later contributed to several University led research studies and exploration. The research in the 1950’s and 1960’s showed incredibly promising results for the treatment of dozens of illnesses and ailments including depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol dependance, terminal illness, PTSD, ADD and ADHD, OCD, eating disorders and much more. But then something happened… the research and funding behind psilocybin was abruptly halted, “It's the worst censorship of research in history,” says David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist at Imperial College London.
The 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances, classed psilocybin in the U.S. as a Schedule I substance—defined as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” This was also due to the fact that the 1970’s counterculture embraced mushroom medicine with open arms alarming the Nixon administration to the point of banning the substance all together.
Further research into this topic paints a pretty clear picture as to WHY this seemingly MAGIC plant was demonized before it had the opportunity to be shown on the world stage; The answer? Mushrooms can’t be patented, they can’t be sold as pharma at a 1000% markup. They are naturally occurring plant medicine that provides answers for those who seek it out. This was a threat to the growing conglomerate of the American health care system. Can you imagine what would happen if million’s of people realized they didn’t need SSRI’S? If millions of people experienced a higher level of gratitude, patience and understanding? If millions of American’s suddenly walked around focused on love, growth and development?? The fabric of the country would have changed overnight, and this scared the CIA, FBI and shareholders across the healthcare industry. Follow the money and the truth almost always reveals itself.
The solution was to stifle the call of mushroom medicine, choke its impact, demonize it as a hard drug and make it illegal with steep consequences if you were found to hold it it your possession, but tides have begun to change yet again. The call of mushroom medicine has come back to the center stage and with states beginning to decriminalize its use I believe it will not be long before mushroom medicine is front and center for healing. Psilocybin changes the brain's connectivity patterns: reducing connections within the usual networks while increasing links between less connected regions. Just this year a study showed that treatment involving psilocybin led to sustained network alterations, which seemed to correlate with reduced depression symptoms. Two organizations are beginning final rounds of trials for psilocybin's use for depression, which could lead to the substance's first approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration… This could change the game for how we treat depression, PTSD and anxiety for millions of Americans.
The key is education. Mushroom medicine demands respect and proper facilitation. There are still medicine people who are deeply connected to this healer and who facilitate experiences to those who seek them out. Full on ceremonies with mushroom medicine are usually at a pretty significant dose and if you are new to the space of psychotropic medicine I highly recommend that you do this with a qualified guide. However, most of my clients and friends are very interested in using this healer for micro-dosing. Micro-dosing is exactly what it sounds like, a MICRO dose of mushroom medicine. This dose does not cause psychotropic effects, but instead gives the user a sense of balance, calm, focus and stabilization of emotions. I encourage combining Psilocybin with Lion’s Mane for added benefit.
There are two schools of thought regarding Micro-dosing protocols
The Fadiman Method
This method was developed by renowned psychologist Dr. James Fadiman, which is focused around a structed schedule for microdosing.
Dosage: Take 1 capsule per 125 of body weight every 3 days maintaining a consistent pattern
Day 1 Administer the Micro-dose in the morning, allow for a full day of observation and integration
Day 2 Observe residual effects and reflect of any insights, journal and meditate
Day 3 Take a break from micro-dosing and let the system relax.
Repeat
The Stamets Protocol
Created by the incredible mycologist and visionary Paul Stamets, this protocol offers a different approach
Dosage: Take 1 capsule per 125 of body weight everyday for 4 days to develop a consistent rhythm. Follow with 3 days off and reflect and integrate the experience.
Days 1-4 Administer the Micro-dose in the morning, allow for a full day of observation and integration
Days 5-7 Reflect on the experience, integrate, journal and meditate on the shifts you experience.
Either approach is a safe and effective way to experience the healing powers of Mushroom Medicine and I encourage you to do your own due diligence regarding micro-dosing methods.
Mushroom Medicine creates profound shifts for those who are interested in bettering their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states and it is a plant healer that has been called upon for centuries to assist anyone looking for answers who is also willing to make changes to facilitate new heights in their lives. You can’t open new doors with old sets of keys. If you are on a healing journey, or you would like to discuss this healer further, send me an email and let’s chat.
As always, be well and Live in Good Medicine
-A
