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Psilocybin Effects

DaCoda J Halstead
University of Maryland Global Campus
Debby Meyer, Ed. D.
WRTG 112
November 17, 2021
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Experimental Effects of Psilocybin

Psilocybin usually is a hallucinogenic chemical found in specific mushrooms that grow in

Mexico, the United States of America, Europe, and South America. These mushrooms that

contain Psilocybin are known as magic mushrooms. In the human body, Psilocybin works by

stimulating serotonin receptors in the prefrontal cortex. That part of the human brain mainly

affects mood cognition, an individual's perception. The hallucinogens in the psilocybin work in

other brain parts used to regulate arousal and anxiety responses. The chemical in Psilocybin does

not always contribute to active visual or auditory hallucinations. Still, it twists the way people

who use it as a drug view things and objects surrounding them. The effects of Psilocybin are

determined by the quantity of the drug a person uses, their previous experiences, and their

expectations on how the rug will function. According to research, the effects of Psilocybin

typically occur thirty minutes after the person ingests it, and the hallucinations last for as long as

four hours to six hours. But in some people, the effects are said to change the sensory perception

also their thinking patterns which can last for several days. As discussed below, the consumption

of psilocybin chemicals has both benefits and risks to the human body in different ways.

Psilocybin contains medical benefits, according to researchers. That is because the

chemical found in these magic mushrooms treat an extensive collection of psychiatric and

behavioral disorders. The research has experimented but has yet to receive approval. The study

shows that Psilocybin can help deal with depression (Goldberg elsw3 et al., 2021). The magic

mushroom traditionally provided spiritual and cultural bedrocks for majority civilizations, and it

was referred to as divine mushroom. Today, a neuroscientist has discovered that the magic

mushroom contains chemicals that interact with serotonin receptors in the human brain, resulting

in consciousness-altering effects. According to recent researchers, they have demonstrated that

the magic mushroom effects can treat depression. The chemical has shown that it can deal with

primary symptoms of depression and can outdo the commonly prescribed medicine of

impression (Madsen et al., 2021. An experiment was done where almost sixty patients with

moderate to severe depression were treated with Psilocybin and serotonin reuptake inhibitor

escitalopram. Patients treated using Psilocybin showed a quick improvement compared to the

patients who received escitalopram. There was no difference in their impacts on the patients.

Latter, the researcher realized that the difference reduced with time till there was no significant

difference statistically. Still in the treatment of depression, Psilocybin is said to help in therapy

sessions.

Psilocybin increases frankness and other beneficial shifts in personality. Human beings

have inborn love, and they are ready to be open, connect with others, grow and learn since they

are sentient beings. In the course of the human being's life, they get to suffer, resulting in them

shutting their own. At times, people are heartbroken, hiding their openness in future relationships

(Madsen et al., 20210). Due to negative life experiences, people shut down in ways that prevent

their lives from experiencing new opportunities. In such a case, Psilocybin can be used to help in

increasing openness. Research done in 2011 found a significant increase in openness due to the

high consumption of psilocybin sessions. Human openness is a psychological word used to

describe a person's attitude towards the latest experiences associated with imagination, creativity,

and aesthetic appreciation. During the session of Psilocybin, openness in the individuals who

participated in the research increased and remained higher for over one year.

Psilocybin has been shown to help in addictive behavior like smoking cessation. When an

individual is struggling with unhealthy behaviors, Psilocybin can assist in dealing with them. The

magic mushroom is shown to treat addiction from drugs like nicotine and cocaine. In 2008,
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Amanda Feilding of the Beckley foundation researched with collaboration with John Hopkins

University, and they discovered that Psilocybin helps in psychotherapy sessions to overcome

nicotine addiction. The Heffer research institute supported the research since they also found that

Psilocybin treats substance abuse. Psilocybin deactivates cravings by targeting the serotonin 2A

receptors located at the outer part of the brain. With functional magnetic resonance imaging, the

research team realized that stimulation of these receptors by psychedelics reduces instead of

increasing some activities in the brain, especially activities in the brain default mode network

(Madsen et al., 2021). During illness like depression or addiction, it is the default mode of the

human brain that gets affected since it is overworked with negative thoughts or cravings. Since

the default mode network is overworked, people break free, hence instructing the neural patterns.

But when Psilocybin is used, it helps the brain to become flexible but with the help of

psychological therapy. That is because the human brain, while under the influence of

psychedelics it's less sensitive to opposing ideas. Psilocybin has also been discovered to reduce

the processing of destructive emotions, making it favorable for treating depression.

Psilocybin is also found to dissolve the ego and increase human creativity. That is

possible since Psilocybin frees the human consciousness of the world experience from being

associated with a specific ego, which can be revealed to be an illusory construct (Odland et al.,

2021). The research done in 2017 discovered that the human ego, which is temporary, is

beneficial in the correct context. The life-changing experiences at times enable people to feel

profoundly connected and alive, and they also help boost creativity.

On the other hand, despite magic mushroom having advantages to the human body, it is

also associated with some serious risks. The risk associated with Psilocybin is mainly

psychological but not physical. The physical threat is rare and the ones found are different from
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one individual to the other. When Psilocybin is ingested, it turns to psilocin. (Odland et al.,

2021). The chemical stimulates serotonin receptors in the human brain resulting in intense

hallucinations, euphoria, plus other variations in the human opinion of their space plus time;

according to the research done by Insider, magic mushrooms, when consumed, resulting in

physical sickness to human beings. The physical condition associated with the consumption of

the magic mushroom is also called a "bad trip." Bad trips include unfriendly physical signs of

sickness like biliousness, anxieties, nausea, plus headaches. The individual similarly experiences

destructive psychological impacts, which have fear, nervousness, or panic.

Emotional effects are highly reported after the consumption of Psilocybin. People

experience distracting hallucinations which last for several days. In normal circumstances, when

the brain is altering the effects of Psilocybin found in the mushroom, standard stay in the min for

about six hours to eight. It depends on the consumed amount, the process of preparation, and

individual metabolism. The effects of the drug are usually intense in the first three to four hours

after consumption (Odland et al., 2021). However, the results of Psilocybin might last for long

due to the ability of the chemical to alter time perception. The way a person feels after taking

Psilocybin opens on their moo before consuming the magic mushrooms, their mental state, the

ingested dose, the person's environment, and who they are with during the intake. When a person

is in a gloomy mood before they take the psilocybin mushrooms, it may cause intensifying and

unpleasant feelings that a person already has, resulting in a "bad trip." People dealing with

psychological problems should be careful while taking the magic mushroom because of how

Psilocybin functions with the human brain. The magic mushrooms cause undesirable

consequences to the human brain, significantly when the brain is compromised.

The brain chemistry can be altered by the interface of psilocin and serotonin receptors in

the front part of the cortex, which can bring problems like panic, bipolar, or anxiety. According

to research, individuals without early mental challenges may experience high levels of panic

attacks after consuming the magic mushrooms (Vargas et al., 2020). When the chemical gets

into the body system, the individual is automatically exposed to severe anxiety, panic attacks like

dizziness. The majority of rugs sold as magic mushrooms are generally fake. Since magic

mushroom is illegal in some countries, it is not simple to understand what is being sold in a batch

of mushrooms. Therefore when one purchases magic mushrooms, is under a high risk of buying

other illegal drugs that carry the actual risk of overdose or worse body reactions.

A person's mind can completely be changed by consuming mushrooms. According to

new research conducted under controlled environments, the intake of magic mushrooms induces

psychosis in the human brain. Psilocybin can activate psychosis due to the use of psychedelic

drugs. Psychosis is similar to schizophrenia, and people who come from families that experience

schizophrenia is at high risk of experiencing psychotic episodes (Vargas et al., 2020). Individuals

who are at increased risk of experiencing the severe side effects of Psilocybin are the ones who

have taken the drug in large amounts. High intake of the magic mushroom and frequent result in

permanent damage to the human brain. After the brain is damaged, a person can experience

hallucinations and flashbacks several years after the intake of the magic mushroom. The

condition is rare but is proven to occur in individuals who have consumed psychotic's drugs

(Vargas et al., 2020). The disorder results in people experiencing flashbacks of their previous life

experiences due to hallucinogens even if they stopped taking the drug. The condition can make a

person distressed since they experience frightening hallucinations. After developing this

problem, one is open to other mental illnesses, and there is no treatment for the disorder.
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The magic mushroom makes it less sensitive to other drugs when exposed to the body

system. When a person takes in magic mushrooms frequently, they become resistant to other

mind-altering recreational substances (Smigielski et al., 223). People might grow a cross-

tolerance due to the continuous intake of mushrooms, which means their tolerance will be higher

than usual for the same substances like marijuana. Since it is not simple to understand

unregulated substances like marijuana, one coming up with cross-tolerance can expose them to a

high risk of accidentally taking a lot of the other psychoactive drug to its full effect.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms can damage an individual decision, possibly hitting them at

risk. The charmed mushroom users typically experience fantasies and intellect of changed

realism brought by fungi (Smigielski et al., 223). The world's perception is altered, and it

contributes highly to people taking rare risks or naively placing their lives in unsafe situations.

Magic mushrooms can also raise individuals' damage by harming their verdict, confusion, and

motor coordination loss.

Magic mushroom does not contain chemicals like nicotine or heroin, which contribute to

addiction like other drugs. Despite the magic mushroom lucking possible to disturb a person's

life, using often causes to abandon or disregard other leisure pursuits and errands (Smigielski et

al., 223). Some signs of addiction include people spending much time thinking about themselves,

omitting work to go and become high, or abusing charmed mushrooms on an everyday basis.

Psilocybin is typically regarded as safe despite bad experiences that can occur since they

leave no scare. Psilocybin is not safe for young children, and it is involved with other risks like

other drugs. Therefore it is aprons human beings to be responsible for what they take as drugs.

Psilocybin has a mixed understanding of how it behaves in the human body. Different researches

on Psilocybin found additional facts concerning its reactions in human beings. Some researchers
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state that the rug is beneficial to humans since it can deal with depression, improve creativity and

increase openness.

On the other hand, some researchers believe that Psilocybin is very risky to humans. That

is because the magic mushroom can cause damage to the human brain, contribute to addiction.

Therefore, since the magic mushroom is not entirely justified on whether it is beneficial or

harmful to the human body, it is wise for individuals to avoid its consumption to remain on the

safe side. Human beings should only use the prescribed medicine by their doctors to avoid

getting into trouble.

References

Can Magic Mushrooms Unlock Depression? | Rosalind Watts | TEDxOxford [Video].

(2017,February 28). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kfGaVAXeMY

Goldberg, S. B., Pace, B. T., Nicholas, C. R., Raison, C. L., & Hutson, P. R. (2020).

The experimental effects of Psilocybin on symptoms of anxiety and depression: A

meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 284.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112749

Madsen, M. K., Stenbæk, D. S., Arvidsson, A., Armand, S., Marstrand-Joergensen, M. R.,

Johansen, S. S., Linnet, K., Ozenne, B., Knudsen, G. M., & Fisher, P. M.(2021).

Psilocybin-induced changes in brain network integrity and segregation correlate with plasma

psilocin level and psychedelic experience.

https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.03.429325

Odland, A. U., Kristensen, J. L., & Andreasen, J. T. (2021). Investigating the role of 5-

HT2A and 5-HT2C receptor activation in the effects of Psilocybin, DOI, and

citalopram on marble-burying in mice. Behavioral Brain Research, 401, 113093.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113093

Smigielski, L., Kometer, M., Scheidegger, M., Stress, C., Preller, K. H., Koenig, T., &

Vollenweider, F. X. (2020). P300‐mediated modulations in self–other processing under

psychedelic Psilocybin are related to connectedness and changed meaning: A window

into the self–other overlap. Human brain mapping, 41(17), 4982-4996.

Vargas, A. S., Luís, Â., Barroso, M., Gallardo, E., & Pereira, L. (2020). Psilocybin as a New

Approach to Treat Depression and Anxiety in the Context of Life-Threatening

Diseases—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical

Trials. Biomedicines, 8(9), 331.