Ain’t No Mushroom Strong Enough: The Myth of the Miracle Cure

As I embark on year 2 of facilitating psilocybin therapy in Oregon, I’ve noticed an unsettling trend that seems to pop up everywhere, from rambling reddit posts to keynote speeches about the promise of psilocybin therapy. Yeah, I’m sure you’ve heard it too— there’s a lot of people out there mega-phoning the myth that magic mushrooms are a quick-fix, miracle cure. 

As a facilitator and evangelist for psilocybin therapy, I would love, love love to ride shotgun on that bandwagon. Instead, I’m going to have to state emphatically and unambiguously that psilocybin therapy is not a silver bullet therapy—it’s miraculous, magical, profound and transformative, but without rigorous effort and critical thought, the medicine might not have a lasting effect at all.

The Screen Call Conundrum

One of the reasons why I’m always writing new content is that I see a pretty big gap between public perception of this therapy and what we actually do here in Oregon. And given its flower-powered history and its stigma as a schedule 1 substance, it makes sense that a lot of folks might be peddling myths without even knowing it. 

Last year, I spent more time on screening calls than in the actual administration room. Potential clients were taken aback that our preparation was to be rigorous and required both openness and accountability—one person was under the impression that facilitators are EMTs that sit outside the room and cross their fingers that you’re having a good trip. Other folks hadn’t even heard of the concept of integration and couldn’t fathom why that would be necessary if the therapy actually worked.

With such a new therapy, it’s natural that misconceptions abound. As you folks know from the rest of my articles, psilocybin therapy is a holistic course of treatment that requires disciplined preparation and integration. It’s not eating mushrooms without forethought and intention because we’ve heard they can cure anxiety. 

Of Ramblings and Reddit

But it’s not just the screening calls where I encounter people who label mushrooms as a miracle cure. Nearly every day, I stumble across a post online where someone vents their frustration about their mushroom experience. You’ll read sentiments like, “I thought it was supposed to cure my depression, but I feel worse.” But you’ll also notice through their details that this person was holding out for a miracle and didn’t make the sacrifice that psilocybin therapy asks of us. More often than not, you won’t find the fingerprints of deep prep work or the residue of critical inward deliberation that is so key to harnessing the magic in the mushrooms.

I hear it in real life too, and again it’s really nobody’s fault. We are so used to popping pills to blunt our afflictions that it’s hard to think of medicine as anything but a quick fix. 

Don’t Forget the Snake Oil

And finally, there’s another force out there perpetuating these myths and exploiting the fact that magic mushrooms are suddenly in vogue again. You’ll see online stores, vape shops and even dispensaries, selling what shady manufactures dub a proprietary blend of mushrooms. By throwing them on the rack beside the e-cartridges and swisher sweets, it’s easy for us to conflate these products together. If mushrooms are here, why not treat them like any other drug and just gobble them up and hope for the best?

I’ve talked to prospective clients who didn’t see value of psilocybin therapy if they can just get the mushrooms at their neighborhood smoke shop. The obvious thing is here that the proprietary blend is dangerous. How do you prepare a set and setting for a strange brew of synthetic and organic material that isn’t even articulated on the package? But what concerns me most is public perception.

These knock-off mushrooms in their neon baggies not only distort the discourse on legalization, but they’ll inevitably discourage folks who could really benefit from actual psilocybin therapy.

The Spontaneous Trip

Before you return to your regularly scheduled program, I do want to clarify a few things. You don’t necessarily need comprehensive preparation to have a magical experience. Many of us started using mushrooms recreationally and because our journeys were so profound, we started to peel the onion back and understand the potential of the medicine. You can also completely forego integration and still have an experience resonate in your mind forever. 

The key distinction for me is intention. Most people are drawn to this therapy because they have a condition which makes life incredibly painful and prevents them from stepping into themselves. They want to change and change is hard without a road map. Change is hard without all the facts sprawled out on the chalkboard of our minds. Change is hard without a stable network of allies who can help you shed those old destructive habits and help you step into the gorgeous, enchanting light.