Author: Denise Rue, MA, MFA, MSW

Over the past two decades scientists have turned their attention to the healing potential of psilocybin (magic mushrooms). The mention of shrooms elicits a variety of reactions in people, and teasing out facts from myth can be challenging. New Jersey legislators will most likely vote this fall on S2283/ A3852, the Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act. This bill would establish psilocybin service centers where adults meeting certain criteria would receive supported psilocybin services under the supervision of trained and licensed facilitators. What is it like to address mental health challenges using psilocybin? Let’s dive in!

First, Just What is Psilocybin?

Psilocybin is the naturally occurring compound in over 200 species of mushrooms. Once ingested, psilocybin converts to psilocin, which docks in certain serotonin receptors in the brain, altering perception, mood, and thought processes. The effects of psilocybin typically begin 30 to 60 minutes after consuming the mushrooms and can last between four to six hours.

Is Psilocybin Safe?

Yes. Research indicates that psilocybin is completely safe, non-toxic, and non-habit forming. It has been used as a healing medicine for thousands of years by many cultures. Dr. David Nutt studied a variety of drugs as to their harm to the user and to others, and judged psilocybin to have the lowest potential of harm of any drug studied.

Who Should Avoid Psilocybin?

Anyone with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or a first degree relative with those conditions
Use of lithium in the past thirty days
Seizure disorder

Can I Use Psilocybin if I’m Taking Psychiatric Medications?

Many SSRIs, SNRIs, benzodiazepines, and some other psychiatric medications will likely dampen the intense subjective effects characterizing psychedelic experience. Titration or discontinuation of your medication, 3-6 months prior to the psychedelic experience, under the direct supervision of a medical professional, is optimal.

This is Your Brain on Psilocybin

To largely simplify, psilocybin will quiet the part of the mind that is called the default mode network. This is where we hold our narrative sense of self. With this “monkey mind” subdued, parts of our brain that don’t usually connect can do so. This is what allows people to have novel insights, emotional breakthroughs, and mystical experiences.

The influence of psilocybin on the communication pathways of the human brain

What Does a Person Experience When Under the Influence of Psilocybin?

The effects of the mushroom are varied, but below are experiences commonly noted:

Yawning
Nausea/Purging
Heightened sensations & emotions
Increased bodily sensations, which may be felt as unusual or uncomfortable, such as shaking or twitching (traumatic release)
Drowsiness
Cascading geometric forms and colors
Alteration of felt time
Finding yourself in a different reality
Euphoria
Heightened connection with other people, nature, animals
Increased empathy and gratitude
Cognitive insights re. personal problems or relationships
Emotional breakthroughs
Mystical experiences

How is Psilocybin Different Than an Anti-Depressant or Talk Therapy?

Rapid Acting Effects: Unlike SSRIs, which are slow-acting antidepressants that can take weeks to months for any potential (and uncertain) benefit, psilocybin is a rapid acting antidepressant that can produce both an immediate and durable clinical reduction in symptoms.
Psilocybin addresses the “root cause” of mental health problems and allows the client to break through rigid patterns, often with deep compassion for their suffering. Many clients state that one session with psilocybin is like years of traditional therapy.
Psilocybin is often described as “rewiring the brain.” This “rewiring,” especially when paired with psychotherapy, can help produce durable changes in symptoms, behavior, and functioning which may occur via reductions in experiential avoidance and heightened psychological flexibility.
Transdiagnostic Treatment Potential: Psilocybin shows preliminary efficacy in treating major depression and anxiety, treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorders, and eating disorders.

But Don’t We Need More Research?

Psilocybin is the most studied psychedelic drug. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, there was a robust body of research conducted with psilocybin. This research resumed in the early 2000’s. The results of Phase 1, 2, and 3 trials have been extremely promising, so much so that the FDA has designated psilocybin a breakthrough therapy for treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder, indicating psilocybin may represent a significant improvement over existing therapies. Ongoing research continues and a variety of conditions are being studied:

Treatment-resistant depression
End-of-life distress
Alcohol abuse disorder
Tobacco addiction
Migraine headaches
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans
Anorexia nervosa
Binge-eating disorder
Cocaine use disorder
Post-treatment Lyme disease
Methamphetamine addiction
Type 2 bipolar disorder
Depression & anxiety in Parkinson’s disease
Phantom limb pain
Concussion headache
Fibromyalgia

Conclusion

There’s a reason that researchers, mental health providers, and the public are so hopeful about the healing potential of psilocybin. In our country, where one in four people identify as having a mental health condition and every eleven minutes someone commits suicide, we are running out of good options. Antidepressants work for some, but not nearly all, people. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of distress have spiked. We have a healing tool that has been used for millennia by indigenous peoples, and we have the research. Let’s get started using psilocybin in a safe and regulated way in the state of New Jersey. The time is now.

Denise Rue, MA, MFA, MSW is a psychotherapist and founder of the New Jersey Psychedelic Therapy Association. Denise has had the privilege of working with hundreds of clients with psilocybin, supervising over 1,500 sessions. Denise is also on the Board of Advisors for Psychedelic League.

Psilocybin 101