Magic Mushrooms Blog

January 1, 2021

5 Must-Read Magic Mushroom & Psychedelic Books

Psychedelic study refers to the process of equipping yourself with the knowledge on an array of experiences, including changes of perception such as synaesthesia, hallucinations, altered consciousness, and changes in thought patterns, trance states, mystical states, and any other mind alterations.

Magic Mushroom research and study has become popular over the years, and the best way to get the most relevant knowledge in this field will require excellent resource materials. Timothy Leary is the icon behind advocating using drugs to treat psychological issues rising from such patients. The information from the psychedelic books shed some light on how psychedelic drugs are used to heal depression. Simultaneously, it depicts how these tactics, if not used carefully executed, can be harmful, leading to addictions and behavioural change.

Here are some of the must-read books to look out for when familiarizing yourself with magic mushrooms and psychedelics:

1. How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics by Michael Pollan

How to Change Your Mind is a No. 1 New York Times best-seller. Michael Pollan was initially interested in knowing how these substances could treat certain psychological diseases, but in his research, he discovered how it could even improve the lives of healthy people. He shares the journey he travels in the subconscious trance states to unlock the diversities the brain can reach. In his work, he clarifies the world-known myths that have been passed over for centuries. Pollan illuminates it all based on science, socio-cultural effects, and history.

 

2. Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion by Michelle Janikian

In a world filled with misinformation surrounding psychedelic drugs, it can be hard to give a clear disparity of fact from fiction. In the book, Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion, Janikian focuses on shedding some light on mushrooms with their effects. She gives a unique and easy guide on how to venture into the appropriate use of these natural substances. She gives vivid descriptions of the trips one is likely to have, which give an out of body experience into multidimensional universes. The trances one unlocks when enjoying the high is unimaginable. Exploration of how various doses can boost your mood, brain functionality, imagination, and much more. The author aims at curbing myths and misconceptions associated with the experience it gives.

 

3. The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner, and Richard Alpert

This book, The Psychedelic Experience, shares texts that aids in bringing the reader into a world of spiritual consciousness by combining psychedelic drugs and meditation techniques used in Tibet. It draws its roots from the ancient manuscript, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, focusing on the psychedelic point of view. It paints the picture of ego death due to high doses of psychedelic drugs such as LSD and mescaline, which led to the total loss of identity and utter transcendence. The authors of this book conducted immense initial research on LSD at Harvard, and many psychonauts consider this book as the doorway to the knowledge of such experience.

 

4. Consciousness Medicine by Françoise Bourzat with Kristina Hunter

Consciousness Medicine sheds light on the importance of balance regarding psychedelic drugs and traditional healing rituals for psychotherapy. In modern-day experiences with these substances, there has been a tendency to separate the drugs and the shamanic techniques used in the olden days to provide healing and transformation for those who need it. Bourzat uses her vast experience in counselling to share the detailed model for the preparation, journey, and integration of the healing rituals. The purpose is to intentionally execute and explore the various states of consciousness in mind with the aid of these substances.

 

5. The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley

The Doors of Perception shares an in-depth voyage of when Aldous Huxley took a psychedelic substance, mescaline, obtained from peyote cactus. It draws the roadmap of how the effects of the drug were to his state of consciousness. The detailed journals shared by Huxley have broadened the way people share their experiences when medicated on these drugs. The poetic, philosophical, spiritual, and psychological manner he tells his story only makes the study into this field intriguing to explore. From the late 50s to date, the account has been vivid in the mind of most readers of this book.

 

About Magic Mushroom Dispensary Canada

To buy the top two books, click on Shop Book. We give Canadians access to premium psychedelic mushroom products that are safe to use and packaged discreetly for your privacy. Whether you’re experimenting with psychedelics or looking for a great trip, you can get high quality magic mushrooms from us. Sign up today and try out our unique assortment of magic mushroom products.

December 23, 2020

New Lower Pricing! Same Great Quality!

Magic Mushrooms Dispensary (MMD) offers the largest selection and the highest quality magic mushroom products in Canada. All of our products are sourced from reputable and reliable local growers and are tested by our team to ensure it meets our high standards.

Thanks to your continued support, we have been able to negotiate better volume pricing from our trusted farm network. We will be passing the savings directly to you, our amazing customers!

If you haven’t noticed already we have been rolling back prices lately and we will continue to do so as our costs go down. We firmly believe lower prices should not equal lower quality. We will continue to provide the same amazing quality and customer service at new lower prices.

Thanks again for supporting us and all the heartfelt reviews to help us become the #1 magic mushroom retailer in Canada.

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September 25, 2020

Is it Safe to Mix Antidepressants with Psilocybin Mushrooms?

Psilocybin is a highly effective chemical in treating depression is a pretty well-accepted fact around medical circles. Thanks to the positive results that clinical trials have yielded, Medical professionals are now embracing psychedelics as an alternative to treating depression and other mental health conditions.

The only problem is those who stand to gain most from this development are patients who are already on prescribed antidepressants. It’s a catch 22 situation because they can’t automatically switch to psilocybin – or other psychedelics, for that matter– without risking their mental health. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of information out there on how psychedelics affect people with a history of antidepressant use.

A lot of research still needs to be done to figure out how psychedelics interact with antidepressants, especially those that contain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs happen to be the most widely prescribed antidepressants, making up almost 80% of the antidepressant market.

Serotonin Receptors – where it all happens

One thing we know for sure is that both SSRIs in antidepressants and psilocybin in magic mushrooms have an effect on serotonin receptors in our brain. Serotonin is a “feel-good” hormone that’s produced in our brain, which is responsible for our overall sense of well-being. By attaching to these receptors psilocybin alters brain function and elevates our mood when we consume shrooms.

SSRIs, on the other hand, increase the levels of serotonin in the brain when they block this hormone from being absorbed into the neurons. This means that when SSRIs and psilocybin meet in the brain there’s a chance that SSRIs could blunt the effect of psilocybin, making it difficult to treat depression.

There’s a second school of thought that says taking psilocybin mushrooms while on an SSRI antidepressant can lead to overstimulation of your brain due to a temporary surge in levels of serotonin there – a condition known as serotonin syndrome. Some psilocybin treatment retreats do not accept visitors who are on SSRI treatment, or any other prescription medicine, because of how seriously they consider this risk to be.

It’s also not clear whether tapering off antidepressants can restore the full effects of a psilocybin trip on patients receiving magic mushroom therapeutic treatment. Experts such as Dr. Julie Holland, a New York-based psychopharmacologist, feel that past use of SSRIs could still hinder the effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted treatment even years after the patient has stopped taking antidepressants.

What about other antidepressants?

SNRIs

Like SSRIs, Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) also act by boosting serotonin, although they also increase the levels of noradrenaline- a stress hormone – in the brain. There’s a good chance that SNRIs can have an overlapping effect when combined with psilocybin. However, there haven’t been any formal reports showing negative effects of taking SNRI in combination with psilocybin.

The opposite sometimes appears to be the case, with SNRIs seemingly reducing the effects of psychedelics. Nonetheless, SNRIs shouldn’t be mixed with psilocybin until there’s enough research to prove such a combination is harmless.

MAOIs

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) is another category of antidepressants that’s sometimes used to treat anxiety disorders. They help boost the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, by preventing their breakdown. Considering that MAOIs alter the levels of serotonin in the brain, there’s a good chance that mixing them with psilocybin can result in negative effects like serotonin syndrome. It’s therefore best that the two are not mixed.

TCAs

TCAs are Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) or Tetracyclic Antidepressants (TeCAs), another class of antidepressants that are less commonly used in the Western world. That’s because they’ve been overtaken by SSRI and SNRIs – the third generation antidepressants.

Again, TCAs and TeCAs work pretty much the same as SNRIs, where they increase serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain. But they’re also much less selective as to which receptors they work on, which makes mixing them with psilocybin very dangerous because of the numerous side effects they cause. SSRIs have also been reported to cause fatalities due to their effects on the heart, which only makes the case for not mixing them with psychedelics stronger. Also, the fact that Lithium is commonly administered in combination with TCAs, it’s not advisable to mix TCA based antidepressants with psychedelics as it can result in heart attacks or fatal seizures associated with Lithium.

Tapering off antidepressants to take psychedelics

For patients to experience the benefits of psychedelics they may need to taper off antidepressants. However, tapering off antidepressants can be risky and patients shouldn’t try it before consulting a qualified doctor. Stopping your antidepressant medication at once can lead to severe side effects like insomnia, fatigue, dizziness, irritability and even physical effects like diarrhea and flu-like symptoms. It can also evoke suicidal feelings; the long and short of it is that it’s probably not worth doing even when you consider the positive effects of a psychedelic trip.

Conclusion

Although psilocybin has been proven to be highly effective in treating depression and other mental issues, it’s not advisable to take psilocybin if you’re already on antidepressants. If you decide to go off antidepressants you should be really careful about how you do it and be sure to consult a qualified doctor to advise you on how to go about it.

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August 12, 2020

10 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid When Tripping on Magic Mushrooms

Just because magic mushrooms have a long history of safe use where fatalities from overdoses are virtually unheard of, it doesn’t mean they can’t give you a bad experience. To enjoy and get the maximum benefits from psychedelics you must approach them with respect.

Here are 10 mistakes a lot of newbies (and sometimes even experienced shroomers) make you’ll want to avoid:

 

1.    Tripping in the Wrong Setting

The place where you choose to consume your magic mushrooms is just as important as the dosage itself. If you’re tripping in an uncontrolled environment without professional supervision then you must do everything in your power to ensure that all sources of discomfort, distraction, or commotion are eliminated. You’re also less likely to have a bad trip if you’re in a safe, familiar and comfortable place like your living room or bedroom. You might also find it helpful to adjust the lights and ensure the place isn’t too warm or too cold. Playing some soft background music can produce some positive vibes.

 

2.    Over-consuming, especially edibles

Deciding on how much shrooms you should you take and measuring the quantities, can be a tricky question.  Our favorite saying here at Magic Mushrooms Dispensary is it’s always better to err on the side of caution. If you’re unsure and inexperienced, start slowly with a microdose of, say, 0.5g and then refill once you reach the peak. 2 to 3 grams of dried mushrooms is considered a full trip dose, and you don’t want to do a full dose when it’s your first time because you may not be able to handle the mushroom’s potency. If you’re taking edibles like chocolate choconauts or gummies, you should be really careful. The effects take longer to kick in but are more intense than those of dried mushrooms, so you need to wait things out before popping another gummy into your mouth.

 

3.    Tripping With the Wrong Company

Who you trip with is an important part of your set and setting. The best people to share your magic mushroom experience with are those who understand what a psychedelic journey means. They should be able to empathize with you during your periods of elation, or during your lows, like when you purge. Being in the company of noisy people who make fun of you when you experience discomfort is not only a waste of good shrooms, it could turn your experience into something nasty you’ll forever want to forget.

 

4.    Taking Shrooms with Alcohol or Other Drugs

Psilocybin mushrooms are highly potent, mind-altering substances. When taken in combination with alcohol, caffeine, or other hallucinogens, there can only be one outcome – disaster. Taking alcohol before or during your psilocybin trip can result in nausea, paranoia, panic attacks and even episodes of violence. Other drugs, especially synthetics, can produce even worse outcomes like a trip to the emergency room. Such reckless actions are what gives a wonderful drug like psilocybin a bad name, and you probably don’t want to do that. If you want to intensify your trip, take your shrooms in small increments. Eventually you’ll get the high you desire. If you’re going to mix shrooms with weed, make sure your timing is perfect, otherwise it could also result in a long bad trip.

 

5.    Being in the Wrong Mind Frame

Before taking magic mushrooms, make sure you’re in the right state of mind. Being positive and relaxed, rather than anxious about the experience can determine whether you have a great trip or a bad one. Mushrooms have a way of amplifying your worst fears, meaning any dark thoughts before you take the shrooms are likely to play out in the form of a bad trip.  If you’re already annoyed or anxious about something, reschedule your trip until you’re calm enough to handle the shrooms. Most importantly, don’t take magic mushrooms if you’re scheduled for an important meeting or job interview.

 

6.    Excessive Stimulation

It’s no secret that our brains become hyper-connected when we trip on magic mushrooms. Studies have shown that psilocybin has a way of disrupting the communication networks in our brains and reconnecting different regions that usually don’t talk to each other. This is what causes us to go through changes of perception like illusions, loss of sense of time and synaesthesia – hearing images and feeling sounds. If you’re in an environment where there are loud noises and very bright colors – like a night club, or out in the streets – this may overstimulate your already hyper-sensitive brain causing you to have a meltdown.  The best thing is to stay in-doors in a calm, relaxed environment.

 

7.    Not Hydrating Enough

It can never be said enough. Tripping and drinking water go together like peas and carrots. That’s because tripping does come with some side effects like having a dry mouth. You can also experience cold sweats during your trip and you’ll need to replenish the water that your body loses. It’s also advisable to take sugar containing drinks as they can lessen the intensity of your mushroom trip.

 

8.    Not Setting Enough Time Aside for your Trip

When going on your first psychedelic trip, there’s no such thing as being over-prepared. One of the most important aspects of your planning is ensuring you put aside everything else and create enough time to savour your trip. After all, a psilocybin trip lasts anywhere between 4 to 6 hours, so you want to be sure there’s adequate time for the effects to wear off. Free up at least 8 hours of your time and, if possible, do it on a weekend when you don’t have to report to work the next day. Feeling under pressure because you don’t have enough time to enjoy the trip can trigger feelings of anxiety and paranoia which will only ruin your trip.

 

9.    Tripping Without a Specific Intent

There’s nothing wrong with tripping purely for recreational purposes, but a trip that’s full of introspection is usually so much better. As Leo Zeff, a pioneer in the use of psychedelic therapy, put it: the quality of a trip is not determined by your experience that day but by your subsequent growth in the following months. Having a specific purpose for tripping before the event means you stand a greater chance of experiencing long term positive psychological effects compared to tripping just for the sake of it.

 

10. Not Drawing Lessons from Bad Trips

Although no one really wants to go through a bad trip, sometimes they can prove to be very beneficial. Bad trips are simply a reflection of your worst fears and could be a way of telling you there’s an emotional issue you need to deal with in your life. A lot of people usually write off bad trips as something to forget, rather than look at them as an opportunity to correct or at least confront something that’s gone wrong in your life. By using the come down from a bad trip as a period for deep reflection, we can turn this time into a profound moment of revelation about ourselves and use the lessons learned to improve on the next trip.

 

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July 29, 2020

Using Magic Mushrooms for Self Improvement

There are all kinds of reasons why people use psychedelics. For some, it’s a path to self-discovery. For others, it’s a way to commune with nature. Still, for many others, it’s a way to kick back and socialize with friends.

Shrooms and psychedelics in general can be everything to everyone. They can be intoxicating, they can give you mind blowing visuals, or they can take you on a spiritual journey that’s completely transformational. It all depends on your attitude as the user.

One thing’s for sure, if you want an experience that goes beyond mere recreation, you need to approach magic mushrooms with a clear focus and the right preparation. Beyond the intoxication, geometric shapes and synesthesia lies a much bigger potential in magic mushrooms that you can miss out on if you don’t take them more seriously.

How can magic mushrooms transform you?

Magic mushrooms are catalysts that can initiate change in our personality. Research has shown that the effects of psilocybin mushrooms last more than 6 months after a trip on a substantial dose. They act as mirrors, showing you your other hidden side, and bring to the surface all your emotional battles and inadequacies for closer scrutiny.

Magic mushrooms take you through an emotional cathartic release, helping you get more in touch with your subconscious. In the process they dissolve your ego, enabling you to break the cycle of rigid thoughts and habits that hold you back in life.

Having the right attitude towards psychedelics means having a more open mind where you encourage deeper self-examination and purpose to come out of your spiritual trip a better person.

Tripping on shrooms with intent

Casual trippers usually miss out on the potential magic mushrooms and other psychedelics have of transforming lives. Whether by design or default, they often don’t prepare enough or integrate any lessons they pick up into their daily lives. By failing to do these two things, recreational users cannot enjoy the full potential of the trip.

Myron Stolaroff a researcher and author best known for his work in psychedelic psychotherapy says this about psychedelics, “Their true purpose is to enhance growth and interior development. Used only for pleasure, or abused, the Inner Self is thwarted, which leads to unpleasant experiences and depression.”

If you’ve never tried tripping with a specific intent from the outset, it’s something you need to consider. Like you do when preparing for a journey, have an itinerary of where you want to go, questions you want to explore during the trip. Think of it as a therapeutic session that should not be taken lightly, an honest appraisal about yourself.

If you’re tripping in a group setting, try and set aside some time where you’re by yourself. This will help you do some quiet introspection.

Ask yourself the more profound questions regarding your life, questions like:

• What keeps me from reaching my full potential?
• Does my behavior complement my goals and beliefs?
• What changes do I need to make my life better?

Take time to think about each question. Feel it and reflect deeply upon it. If you focus your mind on these things during the trip, you’ll come back from the experience having learned some extraordinary things about yourself.

How to use your trip for self-improvement

Leo Zeff, who pioneered the use of psychedelic therapy, put it best by saying the quality of a trip is not determined by your experience that day, but by your subsequent growth in the following months.

As long as we pay attention to any insights we get from our trip and commit to applying the lessons learned in our daily lives, then our psychedelic experiences can become events that catalysis change, helping us to reach the highest level of self-awareness. One of the best ways to measure the quality of your trip is to consider how much you’ve grown from it.

As you go through a number of psychedelic trips, each new insight you get from the experience can act as a kind of feedback where you deal with disturbing issues one at a time. Think of it as a to-do list where you keep eliminating issues that give you a bad trip.

Using bad trips to grow

No one wants to go through a bad trip. But, contrary to what many people think, bad trips can prove to be very beneficial.

Bad trips are simply a reflection of your worst fears. They tend to bubble to the surface whenever your subconscious is set free. Needless to say, the emotions we undergo during a bad trip usually come from unresolved negative experiences we’ve had in our lives.

When we keep ignoring these deep lying concerns, they manifest themselves in the form of deep paranoia and anxiety, an amplified version of the concern itself. When this concern presents itself in a bad trip, it gives us an opportunity to confront it and do something about it.

By using the come down from a bad trip as a period for deep reflection, we can turn this time into a profound moment of revelation about ourselves.

When we reflect this way after each trip, even the good ones, you’ll get pointers on the things you need to address in your life, and the kind of changes you need to undertake for a positive transformation. As you make these changes, your trips will also change for the better.

What magic mushrooms can’t do for you

There’s no doubt psilocybin mushrooms can be very effective in helping identify the issues behind destructive behavior and thought patterns. However, they cannot be used to self-medicate for mental problems that require professional counseling. If you suffer from psychological illness, you’re better off getting psilocybin therapy in the right clinical setting under the close supervision of a psychologist.

Shrooms are also not a one-size-fits-all therapeutic remedy for a broad range of behavioral issues. The changes you undergo from psychedelic trips are progressive, and you have to manage your expectations of any positive personality change.

Conclusion

Once you’ve experienced the benefits of tripping with intent, make sure you share what you’ve gone through with your friends. Let them know that it’s fine to use psychedelics for recreation, but it’s much more fulfilling when you trip with the intention of self-improvement. Who knows, you might change their lives for the better!

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We provide Canadians access to high quality psychedelic mushroom products in a discreet and reliable manner. Sign up today and try out our unique assortment of magic mushrooms and microdose mushroom capsules.