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Mushrooms, Mycology and Psychedelics > The Psychedelic Experience
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Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy
    #29649944 -

Hi. First time poster here.

I'm preparing to take mushrooms for the first time in the hope that they'll help with my treatment-resistant depression. I'm not currently on any meds whatsoever.

I've read often that psychedelics work best when combined with traditional psychotherapy - typically a couple of sessions with a therapist to prepare for the trip followed by a couple afterwards to debrief, reflect and process. Here in New Zealand, this type of psychedelic therapy is currently available through just one doctor and costs tens of thousands of dollars.

My questions are: What can I do to prepare MYSELF for my trip? What can I do MYSELF after my trip to make the most of my experience? Are there books I can read or any kind of tutorials I can follow? Also, I can't think of anyone I'd like to have as my trip sitter. Is there anything other than a human being that can fulfill this role, such as an audio recording?

I'd like to maximise my chances of getting benefits from my trip rather than simply take some mushrooms and hope for the best. I'm hoping this community can point me towards some useful resources.

Many thanks!

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: OShroomessay] * 3
    #29649953 -

first, welcome to the shroomery

second, i am not a doctor or qualified to give advice on this in any capacity

it's not a good idea to take a large quantity of shrooms in hopes of it being a magic bullet for depression. sometimes it can be of help, sometimes the experience can exacerbate problems.

speaking for myself, i found that shrooms were of great auxiliary value in my battle against ptsd, but i wouldn't have had that success without also having done emdr therapy. that's just one form of therapy tailored for one form of depression, though. everyone's got their own nuance.

tens of thousands of dollars for "psychedelic therapy" is ridiculous and sounds like some opportunist looking to take desperate people for a ride. seek the normal type of therapy for whatever it is you're suffering from, and do it in earnest, put your trust in the process, and at your own discretion and in your own private time you could try shrooms to help integrate things. start with low doses and work your way up to whatever feels comfortable and good.

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: OShroomessay]
    #29649960 -

should also add that you have the option of testing the waters with smaller doses before jumping in the deep end. your first time doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing big hurrah. if you're concerned about needing a sitter, this could help you get acclimated to the feeling of shrooms without being completely taken over by it.

there is plenty to be gained from lower doses and you will run a lower risk of being overwhelmed by the ineffable loss of control

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: Belome] * 3
    #29650084 -

A recipe for first time alone,

low dose, prepare the environment as a simple place of healing, clean, ccomfortable, maybe a few inspirational objects, flowers, fruit, soothing images and sounds, and be friendly and calming to yourself for 7 hours.

you can use drawing, or a movie or cartoon or music as a distraction activity  within your trip space.

avoid answering emails or messages or the phone if possible, and if you do respond, relax back into your gentleness.


--------------------
:brainfart: _ :finger:

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: redgreenvines]
    #29650128 -

I recommend you prearrange a playlist of music that you enjoy and is pleasant to listen to while you trip.

And it would be even better if you have a friend who can supervise you while you trip and they stay sober.

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: anarchyfan]
    #29650147 -

Start low and slow, Dude.

Why not work up in half gram increments. See how it goes.

If you do have mental health problems sometimes schrooms can help, sometimes it can make them worse. Please be careful


I remember a guy in a head shop in Amsterdam full of bravado ordering a couple of bags of schrooms/philosophers stones. He was saying he wanted to see god. The staff were advising him it wasn't a good idea.

I saw him a couple of hours later, his girlfriend was trying to control/baby sit him. Apparently he indeed did meet god and then he got chased around by green dragons. He wasn't in a good place while walking the streets of Amsterdam. I advised her to go to a quality smart shop and take him in and show him to them and try and get some benzo's to calm him down.

I always wonder how good their night would have been if they had only had a quarter of the schrooms, they would have been laughing and giggling and enjoying their night. I don't know who I felt the most sorry for, the guy or the girl baby sitting him.

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: Two bit]
    #29650476 -

You need to do some reading.

There is a lot of info out there on how to prepare for a trip and set an intention. Try https://www.tripsitters.org/journey.

Assuming you've done a few smaller doses so you understand what the experience is like, it's still a good idea to have a friend with you or, at least, close enough to come over if you need help. Chances are very good you won't. Remember two things: 1) nothing external is working on you and therefore you can't be harmed; 2) if you run from something frightening, it will follow you. Your opportunity is to face it and ask what it wants you to see.

I would select a good 6-8 hour playlist designed for psilocybin. There are a ton on Spotify. I like East Forest's Music for Mushrooms. https://open.spotify.com/album/2LFyfGcBrrsvF8tECUs5gK?si=vY3d3CoHRTKGaFNI0mR-FQ

Prepare your place. I clean and put everything away so I am not distracted. I also prepare a small altar close to me - candles, flowers, perhaps a picture - to feel some sense of reverence. You will need an eye mask, water, something to write on, and a comfortable sofa.

Finally, and most importantly, you will need an integrator to help you process. There are many online, and the cost is considerably less than what you indicated. A few hundred per hour.

Good luck.

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: Belome] * 1
    #29651457 -

Belome said:
first, welcome to the shroomery

second, i am not a doctor or qualified to give advice on this in any capacity

it's not a good idea to take a large quantity of shrooms in hopes of it being a magic bullet for depression. sometimes it can be of help, sometimes the experience can exacerbate problems.

speaking for myself, i found that shrooms were of great auxiliary value in my battle against ptsd, but i wouldn't have had that success without also having done emdr therapy. that's just one form of therapy tailored for one form of depression, though. everyone's got their own nuance.

tens of thousands of dollars for "psychedelic therapy" is ridiculous and sounds like some opportunist looking to take desperate people for a ride. seek the normal type of therapy for whatever it is you're suffering from, and do it in earnest, put your trust in the process, and at your own discretion and in your own private time you could try shrooms to help integrate things. start with low doses and work your way up to whatever feels comfortable and good.


Yes, the last paragraph here is what I did. Psychotherapy with some mushrooms use at home.

Trip sitters can be anyone. I wouldn't advice anything other than an human sitter, however you don't need a sitter if you don't feel like you need one.


--------------------

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: ellamush]
    #29651459 -

A piece of advice from my experienced dumb ass: no matter how much you wanna shower mid trip, don't do it lol.

It's a sensory nightmare


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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: ellamush]
    #29651462 -

hahaha,

anyway, paying a well meaning and informed person to be a tripsitter supports the gig economy, just saying.


--------------------
:brainfart: _ :finger:

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: redgreenvines]
    #29651466 -

Well fuck ain't that the truth.

I would love to be a trip sitter. I applied once to do it as a nurse capacity. It would have been fucking cool.


--------------------

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: ellamush] * 1
    #29651630 -

Welcome OShroomessay.

To maximize benefits I’d look toward multiple trips. Mushrooms dissolve boundaries (our existing beliefs). It takes time to work through the mind’s layers. Big changes, like tackling depression, will likely take repeated efforts.

Agreed. Go low and slow.

Personally, I go alone. It’s free. $10,000 — gulp.

Remember to surrender.


--------------------
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Shroomery “Clean spawn is easily the most critical component of the entire cultivation process.”
Drink the Water of Life and become Paul Muad’Dib.
Remember to surrender.

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: tenerife]
    #29654589 -

Just the kind of advice I was hoping for. Thank you so much!

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: Belome]
    #29654592 -

Great advice. Thanks! :heart:

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: AzureCultivator] * 1
    #29654595 -

'Remember to surrender'. Wise words - I shall heed them.

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: OShroomessay] * 1
    #29654778 -

I would prefer to go it alone as I am already working through my shit with a paid therapist in the real world.

All I can tell you is be prepared to accept what you are going to experience, be it good or bad. As others have said start slow with a lower dose and go up from there(give it time to kick in and don't assume you didn't take enough). You can always take more, but after you take it you are in for the ride. I did a recent one with 2grams of dried and it was wonderful, I just wish it had lasted longer than 3 hours.

Be good to yourself on the day you are going to trip. Do some exercise or something outside. Eat light meals and drink a lot of water. Don't eat right before if you have a sensitive stomach...you may barf if you do.

Prepare a space where you can be comfortable without any distraction as they can take away from the experience. I think meditation type music can enhance the experience. There are good playlists on Spotify

All I can say is good luck and I wish you a wonderful trip.


--------------------
I have gone down the mycology rabbit hole and would like to learn more.


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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: OShroomessay]
    #29655016 -

Learn from the best.
Figure it out.
Support is Support.
You do the rest.
Good luck. :mushroom2:


--------------------
Give me Liberty caps or give me Death caps.

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: The Blind Ass] * 1
    #29655621 -

Lots of good advice here.

Set your intentions before hand, but don't freak out trying to stick to to your agenda strictly, your subconscious will facilitate the session for you.

When explaining to friends how I approach this I say "I always take my shoes off when I go to someone else's house", meaning, treat this experience with respect and it's more likely to respect you.

Also, try to have no preconceptions of what it'll be like; whatever you think this is going to be, it ain't that, it's a totally unique experience. If you don't like how you're feeling and it's persistent, remember that even going to another room can help to reset.

Remember to surrender is great advice; You bought the plane ticket, accept you're going to be travelling now.

You can't un-take these things, so go easy and be aware that (for me at least) the amount you consume doesn't scale linearly i.e., bigger doses get logarithmically stronger, so be careful and don't overdo it. These things are like fire - a very useful tool that can either enlighten and warm your surroundings, or burn you badly if you over exposed yourself.

Also - your ego will fight like hell and as it gets (temporarily) diminished / erased, it will try to convince you that YOU'RE dying (you're not). Learning to smile and wave goodbye to my ego on heavier trips was one the best tricks I learnt. Don't worry though, if you start small, this won't be a consideration for you. Later, if / when you go bigger, you will need to consider this.

Trip-sitters? I've never used one, mainly out of necessity (bit of a loner) but I honestly think I prefer it like this anyway. I don't want someone in my presence if I'm crying and at my most vulnerable.

Good luck and god bless, you're doing a good thing for yourself, let us know how you get on.

Edited by Ligonnema (08/26/26 05:53 PM)

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: Ligonnema]
    #29655860 -

Ligonnema said:
Set your intentions before hand, but don't freak out trying to stick to to your agenda strictly, your subconscious will facilitate the session for you.


Though setting an intention is de rigueur when undertaking, say, a shamanic journey, I've not heard it being something one does with a psychedelic. Shrooms just do their thing, working with whatever is going on in one's mind, whether consciously or subconsciously.

I see setting an intention as an attempt to control a trip, or set up expectations, which historically has caused some rough times for me. Your later advice to have no preconceptions about how the experience will unfold is good, however.

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Re: Expensive psychedelic therapy vs Do-it-yourself psychedelic therapy [Re: Soothfast]
    #29655872 -

Soothfast said:
Ligonnema said:
Set your intentions before hand, but don't freak out trying to stick to to your agenda strictly, your subconscious will facilitate the session for you.


Though setting an intention is de rigueur when undertaking, say, a shamanic journey, I've not heard it being something one does with a psychedelic. Shrooms just do their thing, working with whatever is going on in one's mind, whether consciously or subconsciously.

I see setting an intention as an attempt to control a trip, or set up expectations, which historically has caused some rough times for me. Your later advice to have no preconceptions about how the experience will unfold is good, however.


Fair enough, perhaps I misused the phrase intention setting - I don't really meditate and may have got the lingo wrong?

In a literal sense, all I meant is have some idea of any big topics you want to explore before going in. I agree trying to control things is too heavy an approach, although on the flip, I've found that having no idea where you want to go can mean you just have a hedonistic experience, not a bad thing per se, just not as useful / constructive as it might be, really depends on what you want / need at that time.

My main reason for tripping has been to do work on big issues and perhaps this mindset has caused me to have a somewhat target driven approach; ultimately, I was trying to get across that balance is key, no goals / trying to stick to a strict, bulleted agenda (one extreme to the other) aren't the best for getting work done, in fact, somewhere in the middle has always worked great for me - a rough idea, then let go of it, and it's always works itself into the fabric of the trip at some point - typically the latter half for me.

I once tried the strict controlled approach and it just wasn't working, as soon as I let go, got where I needed to be; a useful learning for me on the travels.

Edited by Ligonnema (08/27/26 02:07 AM)

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