Magic mushrooms have been getting a lot of attention in the medical and psychology fields as a possible therapeutic.
But what about the other psychedelics out there? How do they stack up to magic mushrooms and psilocybin from a therapeutic standpoint?
In this post, we’ll take a look at magic mushrooms compared to two other potentially therapeutic substances, LSD and DMT.
Let’s begin:
Magic Mushrooms vs. LSD for Therapy – Completely Different Experiences & Potential Outcomes
LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, is a psychedelic chemical compound. The use of LSD as a therapeutic aid has, much like magic mushrooms and psilocybin, only recently been reinvigorated.
Similarly to magic mushrooms and other psychedelics, LSD was outlawed (and still is) in nearly all western countries in the 1960s. Prior to that period, researchers were considering its value as a possible psychedelic therapy aid. At the time, researchers believed that LSD showed promise in treating addiction, particularly alcoholism. Interestingly, new research about psilocybin shows similar results.
Magic Mushrooms seem to be getting more attention these days, but in time we may see more focus on LSD as a possible psychedelic therapy aid as well. The primary difference in how the psychedelic experience feels compared to psilocybin is that LSD produces a much more “cerebral” experience, with potentially stronger hallucinations and emotional fluctuations. Magic mushrooms can often produce a more relaxed, “full body” experience in many therapy patients.
Research on Magic Mushrooms for Therapy Outweighs Research on Therapeutic Applications of DMT
DMT, or N-Dimethyltryptamine, is actually quite similar to psilocybin in its molecular structure; however, other than also being a psychedelic compound which is considered entheogenic, that’s more or less where the similarities end.
DMT offers psychedelic therapy patients a substantially more exaggerated experience; that is to say, the “trip” is far more intense. It’s also a much shorter experience. Depending on dosage, a magic mushroom experience may last several hours; DMT experiences can last perhaps half an hour.
Magic mushroom trips are longer, more relaxed, and may not result in total ego death depending on the dosage. DMT experiences are intense, short, and, according to patients, almost always result in ego death. Similarly to magic mushrooms, DMT often results in feelings of oneness and enhanced sensations of empathy.
DMT research as a psychedelic therapy treatment is limited but, like LSD, is now being considered by larger numbers of the research community (no doubt thanks in large part to the pioneering efforts of psilocybin advocates).
Microscopist Interested in Learning More About Magic Mushroom Spores? Here’s How to Get Started
Interested in learning more about magic mushroom spores? They’re legal in most states when used for research purposes only, such as microscopy. Take a look at our collection of authentic, legal magic mushroom spores. To learn more about the amateur microscopy hobby, please get yourself a free copy of our eBook below.