
Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens - benbreen
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/what-its-like-to-trip-on-the-most-potent-magic-mushroom/561860/?single_page=true
======
orthecreedence
Just want to mention for people interested in mushrooms or hallucinogens/drugs
in general, check out Erowid:
[https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms.shtml](https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms.shtml)

This has always been my go-to for objective information on drugs and
experiences people have while using them.

~~~
exelius
That site is as old as the Internet... I remember reading it when I was a kid
looking to learn about drugs.

I’m in my mid 30s now. Looks like it hasn’t changed a lot since the 90s.

~~~
joejerryronnie
Just like Craigslist, they got it right the first time.

------
kacy
I recently just finished Michael Pollan's (author of this article) new book
about psychedelics, and I absolutely recommend it. I've always been somewhat
skeptical about the science, but the book eloquently explains the history and
its exciting future.

"How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us
About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence" by
Michael Pollan

------
TY
Apparently, Paul Stamets of "Star Trek Discovery" is named after Paul Stamets
in this article:

[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-
stamets-...](http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-stamets-star-
trek-mushroom-expert-mycology-1.4454204)

~~~
vidarh
The real Paul Stamets was interviewed on one of the episodes of After Trek as
well.

------
benbreen
Submission note: the title is admittedly sort of click bait-y, but the content
is not. I've been making my way through the book from which this is excerpted
(Michael Pollan's _How to Change Your Mind_ ) and have been really enjoying
it.

Previous discussion of the book here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17087961](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17087961)

~~~
kyleblarson
The recent Joe Rogan interview w Pollan is also quite interesting.
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tz4CrWE_P0g](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tz4CrWE_P0g)

~~~
FrantaH
Yaeh, it made me subscribe to audible and listen it for free:
[https://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/How-to-Change-
Your-M...](https://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/How-to-Change-Your-Mind-
Audiobook/B07B1J873J) I enjoyed the book, but the claim that quantum physics
might suggest that matter can have mind (because of wave particle duality)
kind of killed it for me. Also, I don't find opinions of proponents of
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trepanning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trepanning)
very relevant. But it's a nice overview of history of psychedelics and
introduced me to some fascinating figures, e.g.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Matthew_Hubbard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Matthew_Hubbard)

N.b. Pollan presents his subjective experience. If you liked it, you will love
reports on [https://www.erowid.org/](https://www.erowid.org/) and there's a
lot of information on
[https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page](https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page)
if you decide for firsthand experience.

~~~
xab9
Erowid is I think is nearly as old as the internet, it's good to see that it's
still around.

------
wafflesraccoon
Genuine question for people that have taken mushrooms, would you recommend it?

~~~
QualityReboot
Yes, but one thing that I think is often missed is that you want to have 1-2mg
of Xanax (or equivalent) laying around just in case things go wrong.

A lot of people into the hippie side of psychedelic culture don't like
pharmaceuticals because they're unnatural or whatever, but in practice,
there's a chance that your psychedelics are going to trigger hours and hours
of rolling panic attacks that feel like you're dying, to the point where you
may convince yourself that you've certainly died, or perhaps that you've never
been alive.

You're considering ingesting some very weird chemicals. Have Xanax on hand
just in case, so you can essentially put yourself down. If you have to take
it, you'll still be tripping but you simply won't care, you'll not remember
much, and you'll have turned one of the possible worst PTSD-triggering
experiences of your life into a "meh, that sucked" experience.

That said, you might have a great trip that opens your mind and changes your
perspective on life. I'd say it's 100% worth it if you're in the right
set/setting, but not worth the risk of having a terrible time without an
benzodiazepine escape hatch, because things can get seriously uncomfortably
weird.

~~~
akvadrako
You don't need Xanax and that might just make your trip a lot weirder.

You can kill a mushroom high quickly with lots of caffeine and sugar - say one
red bull.

~~~
OhHeyItsE
Urban legend. Not true at all. Nothing can kill a trip except time. Not even
Xanax - it will just help you relax and kill the panic and anxiety.

The caffeine part is particularly bad advice, as a stimulant is the last thing
you want to ingest when you are already highly agitated.

~~~
convolvatron
enough lorazepam and you're done

------
tptacek
Question: if one of the potential side effects of this particular mushroom is
muscle paralysis, is going for a 30 minute walk after ingesting them a great
idea?

~~~
lakechfoma
Depends on where you're walking and who you are with, and of course dose but
that can be hard to control. In the right setting, it can be a great idea.

I would argue that such an effect is seen more at high doses and rarely at
that. If your setting is a nice woodsie stroll then you can probably safely
lay on the ground and watch the leaves until the moment passes. What's
interesting is you'll suddenly realize your ability to move and have striking
appreciation and respect for that, and that can stay with you forever. You'll
also have just spent 20 minutes with the bugs and watching the trees and have
strong feelings about all of that. All sorts of thoughts and perspectives
you've built up over decades of life shattered. It's a great idea to see where
the experience leads you.

That said, if you are dosing high enough that you expect wild effects in
general, you probably shouldn't be in a setting where temporary paralysis is
going to be an issue. Yeah it would be an issue to have to lay down on a
sidewalk in a populated area, but so would heavy visuals and associated
strange thought processes and perspectives in that setting. You don't want to
talk to a stranger on high doses, and definitely not the police or an EMT.

edit: At doses that could cause paralysis, there will likely be debilitating
sensory perception and cognitive processes in general, like synesthesia and
your vision turning into a recursive zoom tunnel of over saturated hues, not
understanding or abiding by some social constructs and speaking in metaphors
that make a lot of sense to you and no one else.

~~~
tptacek
Are you talking about psilocybin mushrooms in general, or the particular
species of mushroom discussed in the article? In the article, the mycologist
who identified the species and picked mushrooms with Pollan told him not to
consume them on their camping trip because paralysis was not unlikely at
normal doses.

I'm not asking the general question of whether taking walks while on mushrooms
is a good idea. I'm sure it is!

~~~
lakechfoma
Ah sorry I kind of skimmed the article realizing I listened to him about this
book on Fresh Air and assumed that statement was more general since it's
possible with psilocybin (and I guess psychedelic trips in general).

RTFA and you know what making an assumption and all that...

------
ada1981
I always liked McKennas theory that the mushrooms arrived from outer space via
spores.

~~~
Synaesthesia
It’s somewhat plausible considering their unique biology - radically different
to plants and animals. His book on mushroom cultivation is a classic. But
honestly later he had some crackpot theories.

~~~
ada1981
I first encounters McKenna’s work when was 17, hiking though the woods on LSD
in Erie, PA.

A young hippy materialized out from behind a tree and told me he had spent
time on McKennas farm in Hawaii. He recommended I read True Hallucinations &
The Archaic Revival.

A day later I walked out of my local coffee shop and saw the same kid sitting
on the street, which reminded me to get the book.

Some twenty years later, I was just interviewed on a podcast after Dennis
McKenna about my experiences with psychedelics.

[https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-48-anthony-
adams/](https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-48-anthony-adams/)

~~~
andai
That synchronicity is wonderful, and for me, characteristic of the psychedelic
experience.

Also, I am commenting so my future self listens to your podcast!

~~~
ada1981
Let me know what you think!

I just got invited to speak at the “Working With Psychedelics” workshop in NYC
this month.

[https://www.eventbrite.com/e/working-with-psychedelics-
tools...](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/working-with-psychedelics-tools-for-
growth-creativity-and-vision-tickets-46617898389)

If you are in town, it would be fun to meet you!

------
ozten
It's great to see a new subject from this author.

I've read several of his books, which just seemed like re-writes of the same
topic in more concise formats each time.

Omnivore's Dilemma (450 pages) -> In Defense of Food (256 pages) -> Food Rules
(140 pages)

------
freeloop10
> “Plants and mushrooms have intelligence, and they want us to take care of
> the environment, and so they communicate that to us in a way we can
> understand.” Why us? “We humans are the most populous bipedal organisms
> walking around, so some plants and fungi are especially interested in
> enlisting our support. I think they have a consciousness and are constantly
> trying to direct our evolution by speaking out to us biochemically. We just
> need to be better listeners.”

That statement just killed my enthusiasm to ever try mushrooms. If using them
results in this sort of thinking process, I think that I would be better off
steering clear.

~~~
Nav_Panel
> If using them results in this sort of thinking process, I think that I would
> be better off steering clear.

This is a normal sort of thinking process, psychedelic or not. Let's look at
this sentence:

> _...so some plants and fungi are especially interested in enlisting our
> support. I think they have a consciousness..._

Pollan is exploring a metaphor. The metaphor in question is "plants as
people": plants are "interested" parties, plants "have a consciousness." He's
using the metaphor to better understand how plants work. Anthropomorphization
is a major feature of how humans understand their environments.

You'll note we use similar mental constructs with software, if you look
closely at the language... Metaphor is the root of all abstract understanding.

------
Synaesthesia
Interesting, I’ve also experienced the temporary paralysis mentioned here on
shrooms, feeling unable to move for almost 2 hours.

------
tasty_freeze
On Amazon, Pollan's "How to Change Your Mind" is $16.80 in hardcover form, and
$27.00 in paperback.

Is this some attempt at gaming bestsellers lists or something?

~~~
Luc
That's because it's the Large Print edition paperback. Those usually are
around $30.

------
spodek
I guess the "mostly plants" part of "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants"
was to leave room for fungi.

------
tw1010
I have such a hard time reading articles that I know are marketing a book. I
just feel like I'm reading an ad the whole time. I'm not sure what authors can
do about it though.

~~~
tptacek
It's not an "article marketing a book"; it's an excerpt from the book. They're
giving you part of the book for free, like a song played on the radio.

