magic mushrooms

The Benefits of Psilocybin Mushrooms: A New Frontier in Mental Health and Personal Growth

Posted on by in Lifestyle, Self-Help and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

Psilocybin mushrooms, often referred to as “magic mushrooms,” have been used for centuries in spiritual and healing rituals by indigenous cultures around the world. Today, modern science is catching up with ancient wisdom, exploring the therapeutic and psychological benefits of psilocybin, the primary psychoactive compound found in these fungi. With research accelerating and legal frameworks beginning to shift, psilocybin mushrooms are becoming a focal point in conversations around mental health, addiction treatment, and personal development.

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1. Mental Health Breakthroughs

One of the most promising areas of psilocybin research lies in its ability to treat mental health conditions that are often resistant to traditional therapies.

• Depression: Clinical trials conducted by institutions like Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London have shown that psilocybin-assisted therapy can produce rapid and sustained reductions in depressive symptoms, often after just one or two sessions.

• Anxiety: Particularly in individuals facing life-threatening diagnoses such as cancer, psilocybin has helped reduce existential anxiety and increase acceptance and emotional resilience.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): While more research is needed, early findings suggest that psilocybin can help patients process traumatic experiences more constructively by temporarily disrupting ingrained thought patterns and allowing new perspectives to emerge.

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2. Addiction Treatment

Psilocybin has shown significant potential in treating various forms of addiction, including alcohol dependence and smoking.

• In clinical settings, patients report a newfound sense of clarity and motivation following psilocybin experiences, often citing a sense of being “reset” or realigned with their core values.

• A study from Johns Hopkins University found that 80% of participants in a smoking cessation trial were still abstinent six months after treatment with psilocybin-assisted therapy—a far higher success rate than traditional methods.

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3. Cognitive and Emotional Flexibility

Psilocybin alters activity in the brain’s default mode network (DMN), which is linked to self-referential thinking and rumination. Reducing activity in this area can help users break out of repetitive, negative thought patterns.

• Users often describe experiences of ego dissolution, where the boundaries between self and world temporarily dissolve, leading to increased feelings of connection and empathy.

• These insights can result in improved emotional regulation, greater creativity, and a shift in life priorities—benefits that extend well beyond the duration of the psychedelic experience itself.

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4. Spiritual and Existential Insights

Many people who take psilocybin report deeply meaningful spiritual experiences, even when the context is clinical rather than religious.

• These experiences often lead to lasting changes in values, attitudes, and behaviors, including greater appreciation for life, improved relationships, and increased openness.

• A landmark study published in Psychopharmacology found that over 60% of participants rated their psilocybin session as one of the five most meaningful experiences of their lives.

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5. Low Risk of Harm and Dependency

Unlike many pharmaceutical drugs or substances of abuse, psilocybin has a very low potential for addiction and physical harm.

• It is not considered physically addictive, and the body quickly builds tolerance, making frequent recreational use unlikely.

• When used responsibly in a supportive setting, the risks of adverse psychological effects can be significantly mitigated.

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Looking Ahead: Cautious Optimism

Despite their benefits, psilocybin mushrooms are not a panacea. They are powerful psychoactive substances that can cause distressing experiences, particularly in unsupervised or unprepared contexts. However, with growing support for medicalization, decriminalization, and regulated therapeutic use, the future of psilocybin as a tool for healing and transformation is bright.

As more clinical trials are conducted and public perceptions shift, psilocybin may well become a central part of how we address some of the most persistent challenges in mental health and human well-being.

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https://www.amazon.com/Psychedelic-Trip-Journal-Psil-Silva/dp/B08FP7SQMS

Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Psilocybin remains illegal in many jurisdictions and should only be used where legal and under appropriate guidance.

Fight For Your Mental Freedom

Posted on by in Book Reviews!, Dream, Lifestyle, Philosophy and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

“If the words ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ don’t include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn’t worth the hemp it was written on.”

— Terence McKenna

Experimenting with your consciousness is not for everyone, and it’s sometime seen as taboo, but it should always remain open to experiment with. Clearly. Even if it brings clouds & smoke your way at times, it can also bring clarity and love.

I don’t encourage anyone to experiment with their consciousness. I encourage people to do what works for them.

I, though, once or twice a year, use a high dosage of a psychedelic, and it takes me to often heavenly and sometimes hellish places … it’s worth it to me every time, since I rarely do it, and since the experience is so alien & cosmic & beautiful, for me at least.

The integrations before during & after are important, but sometimes the purpose is about the experience itself; nothing more & nothing less. There & then. Here & now.

It’s not for everyone, but if you’re interested in the psychedelic experience, here is a guide containing preparations & activities before during & after your experience.

Trip well 🙂

Integration

Posted on by in Dream, Lifestyle, Motivation, Philosophy, Self-Help, Success and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

The definition of integration, from Oxford dictionary is “the action or process of integrating.” & Integrate is defined as “combine (one thing) with another so that they become whole.”

The process of integration can take time, but it’s always happening. 

Within these CoachT posts I bring to you what inspires me – ideas, people, places, experiences, and dreams. 

One experience that highly influenced my life was my first experience with psilocybin mushrooms. You can read about my first psilocybin trip here.

I’ve also been involved as an activist towards legalizing plant medicines, because I know their healing qualities firsthand. 

I’ve created a pen name, Psil Silva, where I share my experiences & add my two cents into life, in regards to the area of natural plant medicines like psilocybin mushrooms.

My name, your name, these aren’t as important as what is beyond our names – the peace beyond understanding.

& this is why it’s hard for many to understand – because it’s literally beyond understanding. 

It’s an experience. 

Anyway, I hope to integrate my websites, books, & ideas, to share the best of what I learn, with you.

It may be useful & it may not, so, as Bruce Lee says “absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is essentially your own.” 

It’s all related, all connected, and one of the short books I wrote that you may like best is titled The 7 Psychedelic Meditations.

Check it out here on Amazon & please leave a review. 

Let me know what you think! 🙂

Intro to Timothy Leary

Posted on by in Lifestyle, Successful People and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Born — October 22, 1920, Springfield, MA

Growing Up

—Only child in Irish Catholic home.

—Tim’s Father, also named Timothy, was a dentist, and left the family when Tim was 14. 

—Graduated from a high school in Massachusetts.

—1938-1940 Became a cadet in U.S. Military at West Point, but was a trouble maker. He was shunned and silenced from fellow cadets. This led to court appearances where Timothy then resigned and honorably discharged from the Army.

—He had gone to numerous jails throughout his whole life(first time in 1965), with the above case he said the military trial was “the only fair trial I’ve had in a court of law.”

—1950 received doctorate in psychology from University of California Berkeley, becoming an assistant professor until 1955. During this time he developed a psychotherapy model (egalitarian model) for psychotherapist and patients. 

—1959 Lecturer at Harvard University.

—1960 Leary tried psilocybin mushrooms for the first time, commenting afterwards:

“I learned more about psychology in the five hours after taking these mushrooms than the preceding 15 years of studying and doing research in psychology.”

—In the following years he linked up with Richert Alpert – commonly known as Ram Dass, who was also a Harvard lecturer, studying and analyzing psilocybin’s effect on the brain. He concluded that psychedelics, under the guidance of psychologists/guides, in the right dose and good setting, could benefit people in ways that normal therapy couldn’t.

—1970 received a 10-year prison sentence. He had designed a psychological test for prisoners in the previous years, and he was given the test. That same year he answered all the right questions to put him in the most low-security prison possible, where he ended up escaping.

—He joined the Black Panther Party in Algeria after his escape – before one of the leaders of the Party attempted to hold him and his wife hostage. Tim and his wife left to Switzerland.

—Richard Nixon labeled Leary as “The most dangerous man in America”

—1973 After more traveling to escape getting caught, he was arrested and faced 95 years in prison, but ended up with a 15 year sentence, in Folson Prison, California, where his cell was beside Charles Manson’s cell. They couldn’t see each other but they conversed.

—Leary became an FBI informant to shorten his prison sentence, where he was released in 1976.

—Leary continued lecturing, debating, and writing the rest of his life.

Leary had an adventurous life to say the least, this is just a short outline of some of it. 

—Multiple songs have been written about or for Leary, including John Lennon writing “Come Together” for Leary during Leary’s political pursuit.

—The Moody Blues wrote the song “Legend of a Mind” with the main lyrics being “Timothy Leary’s dead..No he’s on the outside looking in.” …Leary was still alive at this time.

Written Books

—The Psychedelic Experience

—Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out

—High Priest

—Your Brain Is God

He wrote many others that can be found online. 

Here’s a documentary from BBC on YouTube about Timothy Leary’s life, titled “The Man Who Turned On America”

Died — May 31, 1996, Beverly, CA

“Think for yourself and question authority.”

“Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out.”

“Grow with the flow.”

“Any reality is an opinion-we make up our own reality.”

“I am 100 percent in favor of the intelligent use of drugs, and 1,000 percent against the thoughtless use of them, whether caffeine or LSD. And drugs are not central to my life.”

“If you want to change the way people respond to you, change the way you respond to people.”

Here is a related post about questioning your assumptions.

What’s your favorite Leary moment?