Can Psilocybin Help Ease Depression?

Everybody goes through the “ups and downs” of life, but we shouldn’t confuse these ups and downs with more serious mood disorders such as clinical and major depression. Symptoms of depression are very real and shouldn’t be ignored, affecting not only our mind but our body as well. The Canadian Mental Health Association states that Major Depression affects approximately 5.4% of the Canadian population, and for those who experience the plaguing symptoms of depression know how hard it is to navigate through life. A lack of motivation paired with the constant feelings of fatigue and mental distress can lead to a very difficult day ahead. Psilocybin mushrooms have become an increasingly popular form of alternative medicine, proving to have a positive effect on those who experience symptoms of depression when used in micro-doses. Let’s take a look at how Psilocybin mushrooms may be able to help ease your stubborn depression!

Effects of Psilocybin Mushrooms on the Brain and Body

The effects of psilocybin vary from person to person which (if you’re familiar with the Healing Co Blogs) we’ve talked about! Our Guide to Psilocybin discusses how to correctly dose your psilocybin, along with general benefits associated with microdosing. Correctly dosing Psilocybin is the key to a successful microdose, so it’s very important for those who are thinking about starting their microdosing journey to take the time to chose the perfect dose of Psilocybin for them! For those who’ve indulged in psilocybin before, you know that the general effect they have on the brain is hallucinations. Hallucinations come from taking an increased dose of psilocybin in the 500mg+ range, but aren’t apparent in smaller doses. These microdoses allow us to feel more long term effects of psilocybin, without impairing our day to days. Effects of microdosing psilocybin are quite uplifting, increasing creativity along with motivation. The world may seem a little brighter, with colours being more vibrant around you. A study led by Bernhard Hommel at the Leiden University in the Netherlands showed that microdosing psilocybin provided an increased performance on convergent and divergent thinking. Convergent thinking contributes to the ability for us to focus on concepts in order to find a single solution. Divergent thinking requires mental flexibility, and both thinking methods contribute to our brains creativity! In addition to this, brain activity has shown to increase in the areas that control imagination, reflection, and introspection.

How Psilocybin Helps Ease Depression

Now that we’ve been able to talk about the general effects of psilocybin, let’s look at how it directly works as an antidepressant. In a small study conducted by John Hopkins Medicine researchers on adults with major depression, psilocybin was shown to produce rapid and large reductions in depressive episodes with most of the study candidates improving over a four week period. The actual magnitude of the effects showed to be greater than that of prescription anti-depressants. Because medication pertaining to depression may take weeks or even months to start working, psilocybin showed to have an immediate relief. For this reason people have been starting to use psilocybin as a form of alternative medicine to their antidepressants.

In terms of effects, we’ve talked about how psilocybin will work to increase creativity along with motivation and mental clarity. This works tremendously in favour of easing depression due to the uplifting and mind clearing properties. Individuals find they’re able to focus a lot more during their day to day, allowing them to get more done and feel better about their overall work completion. In addition to this, creativity has been said to help ease symptoms of depression as writing and artwork are common forms of releasing negative thoughts, as well as aid in the processing of past trauma. Typically when you create something whether it be a painting or a journal entry, your brain will enter its “creative flow”. This creative flow changes the way our brains function, releasing a large amount of serotonin and dopamine. These two chemicals contribute to our brain’s sense of happiness, pleasure, and satisfaction, thus affecting the way we feel in a positive way.

At the Imperial College of London, researchers state that psilocybin has shown to reconnect patients with depression to their emotions. Oftentimes, antidepressants relieve symptoms of depression by overall dulling your emotions. This will reduce low mood frequencies, but also dull positive moods as well. For this reason individuals are finding that antidepressants leave them feeling rather “flat” or “dull” even though their reduced mood has been relieved. Psilocybin allows us to alleviate the dull mood feeling by filling the brain with positive chemicals, thus allowing for us to feel positive feedback in our brain. For this reason psilocybin is able to affect the areas of our brain that aid in the increasing of our mood, without making us feel sluggish or dull.

Mushroom Products to Check Out –

Can Psilocybin Help Ease Depression?

Mystic Golden Caps is a great psilocybin mushroom line that we have at the Healing Co. Additionally, we also have a one stop guide to consuming dried psilocybin for those that enjoy the wonders of taking Psilocybin Mushrooms in their raw form!

Mystic Shroom Gummies: Mystic gummies are a great place to start if you’re new to the wonders of microdosing. These building block shaped gummies are made to be dosed into eight perfect squares, with each square providing you with a great starting dose for a microdose. Coming in an array of delicious flavours, mystic gummies allow you to microdose easily and discreetly.

Mystic Hot Apple Cider Mix and Mystic Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate: Winter is just around the corner and keeping warm is something we’re all going to be thinking about. This Hot Apple Cider Mix and Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Mix allows you to enjoy your microdose, while keeping warm this season! The Cider mix comes in a 200 mg and 500 mg option, perfect for those looking to keep warm while indulging in their microdose. The Hot Chocolate Mix comes in a 2 serving bag containing 2000 mg, intended for those who are more experienced with psilocybin. This hot chocolate is great to share with friends and add a little bit of fun to a cold evening.

Mystic Healthy Mushroom Medley Capsules: For those who don’t particularly like the taste of dried mushrooms and would like a quick and easy way to microdose, these capsules are right for you! These capsules are a great way to microdose, as you can take these with your morning vitamins for a brighter day ahead. Each capsule contains 200 mg of psilocybin, a perfectly suitable microdose!

Mystic Indulgence Bar: This premium milk and dark chocolate bar is perfect for those looking to microdose or have a recreational trip. Containing a total of 3000mg of psilocybin, each bar breaks into 15 equal pieces which is a 200mg microdose. Mystic Indulgence bars are a great way to ease the sweet tooth, while benefiting from the effects of microdosing.

More Information

We at the Healing Co Team always encourage you to reach out with any questions or comments you may have about the information you’ve just read! Send us your inquiries at [email protected] and we’ll be there to happily assist you.