Magic Mushrooms
(photo by Matthew Schwartz on Unsplash)
When I was in my twenties, I did magic mushrooms several times. The first time was a wonderful experience. My boyfriend and I drove up to one of the local ski hills during the “shoulder season” and roamed around in the snow, giggling and communing with nature. Every sensation felt enhanced and more beautiful. I could feel the fresh, bracing air on my skin and face and hear the delightful crunching of snow under my feet. I felt highly in tune with my natural surroundings.
The next two times were what I would call “bad trips”. I got really paranoid at a party and had to grab onto a trusted friend and have him take me outside to a quiet bench to calm down. It felt like I was trapped inside my own fears for way too long. The same thing happened on Halloween up in Whistler ski village. It probably didn’t help that was drinking alcohol and smoking pot as well. I almost passed out in the bathroom of a club and my girlfriend, who was sharing the same bad trip, went home with me and we got into bed together and cried.
Now, I am seeing a resurgence of mushroom use under the guise of a mental health intervention. I have a friend who has been microdosing for a couple of years to combat his depression and he swears by it. He orders them online and has decided which product he likes and which dose works for him. I’m not sure know how long it took him to find the right “fit”, but he is still a fully functioning employee in the tech sector.
My friends who work in mental health tell me that Health Canada has not yet approved magic mushrooms for treatment, but that this is “in the works”. Right now, there are government sanctioned trials of Ketamine for depression, which must be prescribed by a doctor and supervised by a nurse. A friend of mine is currently part of these trials and the drug is helping him.
No matter how you feel about recreational drug use, it is clear that the medical profession is now embracing some of these street drugs in the clinical setting. It makes sense to me that these drugs could be useful in low doses, as long as they are not too addictive.
How do you feel about medical drug use? Do you know anyone who has benefitted from it? Please share a comment below.
