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Psilocybin Mushrooms
Effects
by Erowid
DURATION #
Caution :   Reactions and experiences may vary dramatically from person to person. [see below]
Mushrooms Duration
Oral
Total Duration
4 - 7 hrs
Onset
15 - 60 mins
Coming Up
15 - 30 mins
Plateau
2 - 4 hrs
Coming Down
1 - 3 hrs
 
 
After Effects
0 - 6 hrs
Hangover / Day After
- - -
  DURATION CHART
EFFECTS LIST #
Please see Description below.

POSITIVE
  • mood lift, euphoria
  • increased giggling and laughing
  • creative, philosophical or deep thinking : ideas flow more easily
  • boring tasks or entertainment can become more interesting or funny
  • sensation of insight
  • life-changing spiritual experience
  • intense feelings of wonder
  • paradoxical feeling of a normalcy and deep alteration of psyche
  • may interrupt cluster sequences in those suffering from cluster headaches [ Cluster Headache Treatment ]
  • perspective altering
NEUTRAL
  • feeling more emotionally sensitive
  • general change in consciousness (as with many psychoactives)
  • time perception alteration [ Wittmann 2006 ]
  • time seems to pass more slowly (minutes seem to take hours)
  • sensitivity to light; lights seem brighter
  • starring and rainbow patterns around pinpoint lights
  • increased detection of motion in peripheral vision
  • open and closed-eye visuals (common at medium or stronger dose)
  • sleepiness, lethargy
  • pupil dilation
  • sensation of energy or buzzing in the nevous system/peripheral limbs
  • memories come to life
NEGATIVE
  • intense feelings of fear
  • headache, usually as effects wear off, sometimes beginning the next day, lasting for up to 24 hours
  • nausea, gas, gastrointestinal discomfort, especially when mushrooms are eaten raw and/or dry
  • mild to severe anxiety
  • confusion
  • dizziness, vertigo
  • lightheadedness or fainting (in cases of lowered blood pressure)
  • can precipitate or exacerbate latent or existing mental disorders
  • working memory disruption (reduced ability to do tasks requiring current remembering and attention) [ Wittmann 2006 ]
DESCRIPTION #
Psilocybin-containing mushrooms produce unique mental states, which are greatly effected by dose and an individual's sensitivity to psilocybin. For some rare people 0.25 of a gram of Psilocybe cubensis (a very small amount) is enough to propel them into full visionary states, with open eye visuals, unpleasant stomach cramps or gas, and other high-dose effects. For others, the same amount would be barely (if at all) noticeable, possibly causing a slight cold feeling during the first hour and other "threshold" effects. Wise users gauge their individual reactions to all entheogens by testing their reaction by ingesting only a small dose the first time.

Some of the following effects may characterize the respective levels presented. Please note that the minimum dosage indicated for medium and high doses are extremely low and those who reach these states with less than 1.0 gram of P. cubensis are rare. However, you may be one of them, so be careful.

Threshold Effects: (from 0.25 grams - 0.75 grams P. cubensis)
Slight cold feeling, mild gas or nausea, feelings of nervousness, slight pupil dilation, mild visual changes including lights seeming brighter, lights having a "starry" look, and noticing movement at the periphery of vision, giddiness, feeling more emotionally sensitive, and other light effects related to a change in neurochemistry.

Medium Effects: (0.75 grams - 2.5 grams P. cubensis)
"Cold" feeling, gas and/or stomach discomfort, nausea, pupil dilation, open eye visual effects: lights exhibit auras, star-pattern effects, rainbowing around lighting, lights seem brighter and often "more beautiful", notice movement in periphery, sometimes increased ability to focus, sometimes reduced ability to focus, visual field "distracting", visual field "entertaining", closed eye visuals: normal closed eye "blobs" take on patterns, shapes, distinct forms, increased ability to visualize creatively, spontaneous detailed images, feelings of time dilation, feelings of "coming home again" (often more pronounced for those who have used mushrooms before), feelings of belonging and connection, increased emotional sensitivity, increased ability to focus on emotional problems or memories, chance of thoughts becoming "caught in a loop" / dwelling on a single thought or feeling (usually negative or painful), realizations about past feelings, realizations about how to live, gain a new perspective on current lifestyle and behaviors, feelings of connection with others, noticing things that are normally ignored or taken for granted, feelings of wonder, spirit, joy, sadness, despair, religious awakening, contentment and possibly latent psychological crises can come out.

High Dose Effects: (2.5 grams - 10 grams P. cubensis)
All of the Medium Effects, usually with a significantly more uncomfortable coming up, more pronounced nausea (rarely resulting in vomiting), sometimes significant mental discomfort associated with feelings of fear and oftentimes accompanying a "What have I done to myself?" or "How far am I going?" thought, the unpleasant coming up effects usually lessen with familiarity and more knowledge about the safety and character of mushroom effects. High Dose Effects are usually characterized by the closed eye visualizations being significantly more elaborate and enfolding, religious revelation, spiritual awakening, near-death experiences, loss of self, talking to seemingly external, autonomous entities, extreme emotional responses, repressed memories coming to life, latent psychological crises can come to the surface, an increase in artistic sense, and intense feelings of wonder, connection, joy, fear. High Dose Effects can also include extreme time dilation, with experiences of wall-clock minutes taking an experientially large amount of time, watching clocks or digital counters where the seconds seem to take minutes to count off. One of the most interesting effects is the feeling of awakening for the first time ever from a previous state of sleep, the feeling of liberation from what is now seen as a life-long state of misunderstanding. Paradoxically, it is this new awareness that feels normal and natural and the previous fog is seen to have been unreal all along. The bemushroomed seeker can be convinced that, once gained, this awareness is impossible to lose, but inexplicably by the next day it is just a memory.

CAUTION & DISCLAIMER #
Erowid's effects information is a summary of data gathered from users, research, and other resources. This information is intended to describe the range of effects people report experiencing. Effects may vary dramatically from one person to another or one experience to another based on a variety of factors such as body chemistry, age, gender, physical health, dose, form of material, etc.