Magic mushrooms against depression

Psilocybin helps against depression, even those that are considered „untreatable“. That is the current state of research, but what exactly does that mean?

What we know:

Psilocybin promotes nerve growth and the processing of trauma.
It is one of the strongest psychedelics in the world, but the peoples who have been using it for thousands of years are of little interest to Western medicine.
Mushrooms in small quantities promote a better mood and enable gradual „reprogramming“ of the depressed brain through neuroplasticity.

Depression is at the forefront of reasons why people try microdosing. Magic mushrooms are said to help the brain not only to feel good in the short term but also to rewire itself in the long term, thus reducing depression. unlearn.

For people with depression, the Default mode network overactive, an area of the brain that is responsible for what we think when we are inactive. Depressed people are virtually prisoners in their own minds and in repetitive, negative thought loops.

Research has shown that the active ingredient from magic truffles or mushrooms makes this DMN network less active. This allows people to get out of their heads and into the here and now. And that is where true healing takes place.

Incidentally, the brain activity promoted by the mushroom is surprisingly similar to that produced by meditation.

The aim of meditation is to get rid of obsessive thought patterns that cause suffering. The same goal is achieved chemically through microdosing. (Just as if nature had not wanted people to remain depressed...)

Brain chemistry

Microdosing with magic truffles creates a better mood, more flow states and even Growth of new brain cells and synapses.

That's right, the brain can continue to grow into old age and even relearn deep psychological programs. For example, an atheist has a near-death experience and encounters God. This drastic experience not only affects his thoughts and feelings, but also physically affects his brain.

Psilocybin helps to bring about a similar reprogramming gently and consciously.

It docks onto the serotonin receptor 5HT2A. This receptor controls the release of BDNF (the body's own nerve growth factor) - a substance that allows new cells to develop.

Physical symptoms of depression, such as increased inflammation levels, are also positively influenced by microdosing.
Whether the inflammation is reduced first and the sensation improves as a result, or vice versa? That's not quite clear yet, but it's not that important - the important thing is that body and mind are inseparable and will be both positively influenced.

What do research and experience tell us?

Depression is one of the main reasons why magic mushrooms are on everyone's lips at the moment (Hehe.)

Since the 2000s, there have been several studies that have shown that nothing helps against depression as well as psilocybin.

In combination with talk therapy and a lot of preparation, pilocybin was administered to test subjects with treatment-resistant depression.

The result was groundbreaking.

Up to 6 months after the treatment, the majority of participants reported being completely free of depression. However, they also expressed an increased desire to repeat the experience.

Outside of studies, however, access to psilocybin-assisted therapy is difficult in many countries.

Where can I get psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression?

Magic mushrooms or their active ingredient are currently being used successfully in several countries to treat depression.

These include Canada, Australia and Switzerland.

The waiting lists are long, but the fact that more and more therapists are being licensed to use psilocybin gives us hope. Unfortunately, such treatment is still very expensive.

At the same time, however, the FDA, the US Food and Drug Administration, has placed psilocybin on the list of substances requiring more research in 2024 for the second year in a row. The main reason for this is its extreme effect against depression.

The future of mental health

And numerous studies with magic mushrooms were published in the 1960s. Although most of these do not meet today's academic standards, the results were quite clear.

Not only did most participants rate the experience as extremely positive for their mental health. Many also described it as one of the most incisive and important experiences of their lives.

It was also at this time that psilocybin microdocing first came onto the market.

It was sold under the name indocybin by the Sanders company, for which Albert Hofmann worked at the time. One tablet corresponded exactly to today's standard dose of one milligram.

This is the active ingredient content found in about 0.1 gram of mushrooms or one gram of fresh truffles.

It was therefore already clear at the time that microdosing has outstanding effects on well-being.

In 1971, psilocybin was then placed on the list of non-tradable substances by the United Nations. As a result, research came to a standstill and was largely forgotten.

But the very people who benefited from the magic mushroom experience in the 1960s were to become the stars of psychedelic research decades later.

Roland griffiths, for example. It was he who, in 2016 Study published according to the latest academic standards, which showed beyond doubt that magic mushrooms have enormous potential.

Test subjects not only lost their fear of death, but also got rid of depression and nicotine addiction in just one session. These are results that no other substance has ever achieved in humans.

Where does the term microdosing come from?

The term microdosing was coined by psychedelic researcher James Fadiman. He introduced the concept to the world in his book The psychedelic explorers guide.

Although Fadiman's substance was primarily LSD, the expectations people have of microdosing have transferred almost seamlessly to magic mushrooms, namely less stress, more focus.

With a few changes: while LSD focuses primarily on productivity and coding (which is why it is so popular in Silicon Valley), magic mushrooms focus primarily on emotional healing and building up the nervous system.

So how do you microdose against depression?

Slowly and carefully.

Yes, magic mushrooms have an immediate antidepressant effect, even in small amounts.

The big goal, however, is to finally defeat depression at its root, and that is a marathon, not a sprint.

Living with depression affects every area of your life. From relationships to where you live, lifestyle, habits, beliefs and body image, everything is affected.

Fortunately, it's easy to get started and, as microdosing takes very little time and money, it's also easy to keep going.

It helps enormously to understand the process of „reprogramming“ the brain even better.

Humans are creatures of habit and in order to save energy, the brain has automated many thought processes.

This can be life-saving („I slam on the brakes at red“), but also very limiting („whenever I think about my ex, I'm super stressed and get neck pain“).

By frequently repeating the same thought patterns, they become physically embedded in the structure of our brain. Extraordinary neural pathways become neural highways that are used a lot and have a significant impact on how we feel about life.

It is possible to reprogram such an entrenched structure, but it takes time. But hey! Time passes anyway and to remind you once again, no effective herb has yet been found to combat depression.

However, we can speed up the process by using our increased ability to learn through microdosing. For example, to consciously train new habits and belief patterns.

Things like journaling, talk therapy, dream analysis and consciously setting goals that are good for our health and self-esteem can help.

So you can use microdosing to start your healing journey more easily („get your ass up“ - like one) but also for long-term support.

Can I replace antidepressants with microdosing?

Yes, many people use psilocybin microdosing to successfully wean off their antidepressants. However, this is not recommended by most psychiatrists. Keep this in mind.

If you want to try it anyway, it seems to work best for most people:

Find your personal microdose. For people taking antidepressants, this can often be more than the standard dose, but make sure that you only increase the dose slowly over the course of the days.
Continue with your antidepressant until you find a dose of psilocybin mushrooms that you are comfortable with. (You should not feel depressed or high).
Slowly discontinue the antidepressants. Beware, suddenly stopping instead of slowly tapering off can have severe negative consequences for body and mind!
Gradually reduce the amount of microdosing (as your body recovers from the side effects of the antidepressants, it will become more sensitive again, so you will need less).

Sources

German article: Psilocybin against depression

https://www.zi-mannheim.de/institut/news-detail/mit-psilocybin-gegen-depression.html

Roland Griffith's (legendary) study

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5367557

about microdosing

https://thethirdwave.co/psychedelics/shrooms/#microdosing

Psilocybin for depression

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02872-9

„Reprogramming“ the depressed brain with magic mushrooms“

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2022/04/422606/psilocybin-rewires-brain-people-depression