Have wanted to try psilocybin and have taken a minuscule dose, but nothing even close to anything like a “vision quest” level. Don’t feel comfortable taking a “therapeutic” dose by myself, or even with my husband close by. But would really like to. Anyone know of places / ways to have a guided trip (without traveling to Jamaica or other formal “quest” locales)? Would love to hear peoples’ experiences, thoughts, recommendations . . .
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I believe psilocybin has been legalized in Colorado, so I’d search there, maybe the Denver area?
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I have a friend who went to a freelance guide and for her it was a horrific experience. She went into a state where “nothing is real” and it was utterly terrifying. I think the guide started her on a dose that was far too high for a beginner - my guesstimate is maybe 5g.
Granted, I nowadays am convinced that she was technically right - nothing IS actually real - but to experience that fully without prior experience was too much. Like throwing a non swimmer into the deep end of a pool.
Myself, I’ve experimented with several small amounts. The first two (maybe 1-1.5g each) were very emotional, deeply experiencing the loss of my father. I expected the third (~2g) to be similar, but instead dropped into what I later realized was a non-dual experience (I found that term later after googling “everything is my mind”). It was a very eye-opening experience that stuck with me for months and changed some ways I see the world, but I can’t say it helped “solve” deeper issues. I’m open to exploring further, but it’s hard to find time/space to do it right.
My advice, find a bona fide guide with credentials who is part of a team or organization, and start with a smaller dose to get the feel of the “territory” before going deeper. One doesn’t need to be blasted into outer space to have a transformative experience.
I’m in San Francisco, and the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) here has a program for training psychedelic therapists. They might not be able to explicitly point you to a therapist (even though possession/use is legal here, promotion is a grayer area), but likely can give you useful information or direct you to an organization closer to you.
An alternative to psychedelics is Holotropic Breathwork. It’s available in many locations, and can be somewhat psychedelic just from deep breathing. It’s a group experience which actually works better, with the synergy helping you stick with the work. You take turns with a sitter, and are very much in your own space during the session. I found it physically daunting (basically, aggressive hyperventilation for 20 minutes) but it definitely shifts one’s mind/spirit. I’ve tried this a couple times and even “saw God” which was something haha.
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Before I try anything new, it is always nice to see people who have tried it and experienced positive results. Trying psilocybin in a safe and legal environment has been on my bucket list for quite some time. Some of the famous who have tried psychedelics:
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Aldous Huxley – Used mescaline to dissolve the ego and access a “sacramental vision” of reality; documented these insights in The Doors of Perception, profoundly influencing modern philosophy of consciousness.
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Alan Watts – Philosopher who used LSD and mescaline to experientially understand Eastern philosophy and mystical states beyond intellectual abstraction.
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Allen Ginsberg – Beat poet who credited psychedelics with inspiring Howl and shaping his stream-of-consciousness literary style.
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Amanda Feilding – Advocate for psychedelic research; credits LSD with enhancing cognition and consciousness exploration.
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Anaïs Nin – Author who described psychedelic experiences as revealing the “secret of life,” profoundly influencing her creativity and sense of unity between mind and body.
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Ayelet Waldman – Author who documented LSD microdosing for mood stabilization, productivity, and emotional balance in A Really Good Day.
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Ben Sessa – Psychiatrist and researcher whose personal psychedelic experiences inspired his work in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
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Bill Gates – Acknowledged youthful LSD experimentation, though without detailed claims about long-term benefits.
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Bill Wilson – Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous; credited hallucinogenic experiences with catalyzing spiritual awakening and later advocated for psychedelic-assisted therapy in addiction recovery.
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Brendon Urie – Musician who used psychedelics to break creative blocks, revitalize songwriting, and launch a new artistic phase.
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Carrie Fisher – Actress and writer who credited LSD with aiding creativity and helping her navigate bipolar disorder.
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Cary Grant – Actor who underwent extensive LSD therapy in the 1950s, crediting it with major mental-health breakthroughs and emotional healing.
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Chelsea Handler – Described ayahuasca as resurfacing childhood memories and fostering compassion and emotional openness.
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Dennis McKenna – Ethnopharmacologist who credits ayahuasca and psilocybin with shaping his research into plant intelligence and psychedelic ethnobotany.
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Douglas Engelbart – Computer pioneer who used LSD and credited it with helping him conceptualize the computer mouse and graphical user interface.
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Francis Crick – Co-discoverer of DNA; some accounts (debated) suggest LSD aided his visualization of the double-helix structure.
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Gabor Maté – Physician and author who credits ayahuasca with helping him process childhood trauma and informing his compassionate approach to addiction.
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George Harrison – Musician who viewed LSD as a catalyst that opened the door to his lifelong spiritual practice.
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Graham Hancock – Author who claims ayahuasca revealed alternative dimensions of reality and reshaped his understanding of ancient civilizations.
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Harry Styles – Musician who used psilocybin during the creation of Fine Line to explore identity and creativity.
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James Fadiman – Psychologist whose psychedelic experiences shaped his work on consciousness and microdosing research.
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Josh White – Founder of Fireside Project; uses psychedelic microdosing for ongoing personal insight and integration.
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Kacey Musgraves – Musician who credited psychedelic therapy with deep emotional healing and creative renewal after divorce.
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Kary Mullis – Nobel Prize-winning chemist who credited LSD with enabling the conceptual breakthrough behind PCR technology.
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Ken Kesey – Author and Merry Pranksters leader who credited psychedelics with inspiring his prose and countercultural activism.
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Kevin Herbert – Early Cisco Systems employee who claimed LSD aided technical problem-solving and creative insight.
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Kristen Bell – Actress who reported psilocybin helped reshape body image and manage depression and anxiety.
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Laura Huxley – Author and musician who credited psychedelics with aiding grief processing and consciousness exploration.
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Matt Metzger – Marine Corps veteran who microdosed psilocybin for PTSD relief and improved well-being.
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Michael Pollan – Journalist and author who credited psilocybin with ego dissolution, reduced death anxiety, and a transformed worldview, documented in How to Change Your Mind.
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Mike Tyson – Boxer who credits psychedelics (including mushrooms and 5-MeO-DMT) with curing depression, reducing aggression, and saving his life.
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Miley Cyrus – Musician who described ayahuasca as emotionally healing and transformative following personal loss.
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Oliver Sacks – Neurologist who said LSD taught him what the mind is capable of, deepening empathy for patients’ perceptual distortions.
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Paul McCartney – Musician who said LSD “opened his eyes,” fostering creativity, compassion, and a sense of higher reality.
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Paul Simon – Musician whose song Spirit Voices was directly inspired by ayahuasca experiences in the Amazon.
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Paul Stamets – Mycologist who credits psilocybin mushrooms with curing a severe stutter and inspiring his life’s work.
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Prince Harry – Publicly credited ayahuasca and mushrooms with helping him process grief and trauma.
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Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) – Psychologist-turned-spiritual teacher who credited psychedelics with catalyzing his transformation and teachings in Be Here Now.
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Reggie Watts – Comedian and musician who credits LSD and mushrooms with expanding creativity, self-understanding, and philosophical inquiry.
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Rick Doblin – Founder of MAPS; credits LSD with inspiring his mission to legalize and research psychedelic therapy.
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Robin Carhart-Harris – Neuroscientist who both studies and personally experienced psilocybin, gaining insight into ego dissolution and brain networks.
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Roland Griffiths – Johns Hopkins researcher whose work in psychedelic science rekindled deep inquiry into meditation and inner experience.
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Sam Altman – Technology executive who described psychedelics as among the most transformative experiences of his life, fostering calm and perspective.
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Sam Harris – Neuroscientist and philosopher who describes psychedelic experiences as providing genuine spiritual insight without religious belief.
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Seth Rogen – Actor who described mushrooms as deeply introspective, leading to major life and career reassessments.
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Stanislav Grof – Psychiatrist who documented therapeutic benefits of guided LSD sessions for trauma, anxiety, and end-of-life distress.
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Sting – Musician who credits ayahuasca and peyote with ego dissolution, insights into mortality, and artistic maturation.
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Susan Blackmore – Psychologist who credits psychedelic experiences with transforming her academic understanding of consciousness.
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Susan Sarandon – Actress who said ayahuasca and mushrooms reframed her sense of self and place in the universe.
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Tao Lin – Author who credits psychedelics with catalyzing imagination, emotion, and access to the unconscious.
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Terence McKenna – Ethnobotanist who claimed psilocybin and DMT revealed fundamental structures of reality and language.
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Timothy Leary – Psychologist who promoted psychedelics as tools for psychological and spiritual transformation.
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Willie Nelson – Musician who credits psychedelic experiences with shaping his worldview and spirituality.
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Thank you for this information. Did not know that so many public-persona people have tried it-- and talked or written about it. Will post if/when I get there. Has long been a bucket list item.
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What type of visions or feelings are you looking to experience?
I have used psilocybin(mushrooms) around a dozen times in the last 9 years. I have used it solely to help my mind.
In my experience, l believe it has helped me consciously and unconsciously see things in a different way.
The first experiences, l did it just to feel it out. When l do it now l try to aim my mind at a feeling or troubles l am having. It seems to help. I used psilocybin with friends and by myself. I have not had the opportunity to be guided.
I always make sure l am in a safe environment with plenty of liquids. As long as l don’t do a “hero’s journey” l am under for 3 to 4 hours.
No two experiences have ever been the same. Sometimes l get caught up in the moment and get scared but the next moment it passes.
In my experience l have never seen creatures or heard voices that “weren’t” there instead l see things flex, “breath”, morph, and lines of connection.
Starting out low and slow is the way to go.
In my experience, the mushrooms are not pleasant tasting. I usually blend them into orange juice.
My favorite experience was on a nice day l went outside melted into the sidewalk and looked the clouds. Very enjoyable.
While l am under, it really changes my perception, everything seems long… Drinking a cold drink or tracing my ear seems to feel longer than it should but not in a bad way.
I do not find it remotely addictive. My goal was to go under 2 to 4 times a year but l have not come close.
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I had a bad experience in college. Fortunately, somebody knew somebody who gave me a dose of thorazine.
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Hi, I have some experience with it. Psychedelics like psyocibin can be thought of as “emotional amplifiers”. Its important to take them at a time and place where you feel comfortable. A positive experience can feel very grounding and leave you with a lasting antidepressant effect because of its ability to reset the default networks in the brain.
Doing mushrooms in nature can be very nice, or having space to go outside in a private environment. Having a trip sitter is important. Also taking a dose not too high or not too low for the first time is helpful (too low a dose can make you feel stuck between worlds, and not fully begin a tripping experience, which can just feel like you’re uncomfortable in your own skin).
Taking some ginger tea, or a few ginger gravol about an hour before can help with nausea. Nausea is very common and generally can expect to vomit about 30-40 mins into the experience. As much as that doesn’t sound pleasant, you usually feel very good afterwards as the experience begins, often with uncontrollable giggling.
If you’re a little worried about how you will react, it can be helpful to having what some people call a “trip stopper” on hand if you have access. A benzodiazepine will calm you down if you panic, but will not fully stop the experience. Trazodone or quetiapine can be used to almost fully reverse the effects if you’re having a very bad time. Having this on hand can often be enough to make you feel more confident about continuing without it. The difficult periods are part of the experience and will generally pass by changing your environment or moving to a new room, watching a nice video, going outside, etc.
Feel free to ask any questions.
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I took it in the late '60s, a time of turmoil in this country, especially on campuses. Whatever it was, the substance made me feel like the figure in Munch’s popular painting, ‘The Scream.’ I wasn’t screaming, but I got hung up on the nature of time and it filled me with dread: “The dark backward and abysm of time.”
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Hi Deborah, I’ve tried a few times and done a bit of research. My opinion:
- Small doses are useless. A full dose is likely 5g of a mushroom like “PE”, that’s what you want to have a “good trip” and activates the strengthening of certain neural pathways. (more on this in the paper and video).
- Do not do it alone, you need to be steered. Wherever you “spend your time” when on it, those neural pathways are strengthened. So you have to be super careful.
- Check out this paper https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)01305-4 and this “tiktok version” of the paper, https://youtu.be/lZ3_GUilpnk?si=OaD3K3oYder9dPVy
- If you chew the mushrooms, it takes 30min - 1 hr for onset. During this time you might feel nauseous due to the chitin protein in the mushrooms irritating your GI tract. This nausea can be avoided if you grind up the mushroom and soak in lemon water for 20 min and then filtering and just drinking the water. This remove the stomach irritants and also converts the psilocybin to the active form of psilocin which gives you an immediate onset of <15 minutes.
- Always get full mushrooms, you never know what they put into the chocolates or anything that is ground up. A mushroom trip can last 4-5 hours and generally
no hangover. - I have tried this company in Holland, https://www.guidedtripping.com/ for a guided trip, I think it was a few hundred dollars for the trip (great experience, therapeutic). I’ve also tried with a loving partner (one of the best experiences of my life), an unhappy friend (terrible idea) and an anxious friend (stressful). COMPANY MATTERS.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Vic
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That is a great list! I’d like to add the name John C. Lilly, who created the isolation tank. I’d highly recommend reading about his work; it’s fascinating!
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My girlfriend and I (we are 60+) have taken mushrooms a dozen times. Gradually increasing the dose. When it finally kicked in it was a great experience - mostly of trees and planted - amazing patterns (however strange that might sound) - and our moods also seemed to improve for months after. We also seemed to experience a prolonged ekko of the beauty of especially nature for months.
Then we had a very unpleasant experience in a forrest where we met strangers when on psilocybin and didn’t feel safe - it was such an overwhelming storm of impressions. After long hesitation we tried two times more - each time with significantly lower doses - but with the same horrific result. I assume that the first bad trip had somehow settled in us and was therefore automatically repeated.
We still really would like to experience the good trips again - also because of the long term effects, but now we hesitate.
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Thank you for sharing this. It helps a great deal to know about both the good and the bad.
Good grief, telling someone new to psychedelics to do 5g of “PE” (penis envy variety of cubensis - a very strong variety), is very reckless advice.
I have to disagree completely and say that moderate to medium level psychedelic doses can be and are still very beneficial.
There is no rush, and with any substance starting low and working your way up is always the best option. You can always take more, but never less if you ingest too much.
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I had a similar interest - but was really concerned about sourcing as well as dosing. I did the rabbit hole research and decided to grow my own, and like a good compulsive researcher, I also dried, crushed and prepared them into capsules. So… that solved the sourcing problem.
Then began to research the dosing issue and found some very helpful information. The most helpful was the graphic on this page.
I was not interested in the “heroic” experience but did want to try a significant dose. I am not interested in “losing” my mind, just enhancing it - so a modest dose was the more desirable experience for me and with these tools I can control it in that way.
So now I have caps available and can titrate the dosing to my preference, hypothetically, of course! 
It is a really great site btw. Very beneficial.
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I’ve gone in a forest with a friend who is experienced in picking wild mushrooms and we picked the right mushrooms, and then we took them on a rural property around sunset. It was quite a high dose and was what I would describe as a mystical experience.
It was really cool having the experience come up as the sun went down. Night vision is already a little strange but on this substance it is even stranger. We saw and experienced many cool things. I didn’t feel any fear at all on this which is nice, I know some people can “freak out”.
I look back fondly on it, it was really fun and felt really good. Even the next day I didn’t feel at all hung over. Nor did I ever feel any form of addictive burning desire to repeat it, even though I am open to doing this I just haven’t found the right time and place.
It’s interesting that all of this information on positive effects of these phytochemicals is coming out now.
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Oregon has certified centers that are complete with the before and after care as well as the guides during the journey. It is legal and state certified in Oregon.
You might also consider reading Michael Pollan’s book How to Change Your Mind to get an idea of what it is like before taking it up. I highly recommend going to a center like those in Oregon where everything is taken care of and you know it is legal and the medicine is what it claims to be.
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