Psychedelics 101: from mushrooms to molecules

The Psychedelic Spectrum: A Map of Molecules, Plants, and Portals

Psychedelics aren’t a monolith. They’re a spectrum, a map of molecules, plants, and portals, each unlocking different dimensions of perception, healing, and insight. From ancient cacti and sacred fungi to lab-born compounds that split open the psyche, these substances are more than tools. They are teachers.

The Classic Psychedelics: Serotonergic Compounds

These substances primarily activate the 5-HT2A serotonin receptors, altering mood, cognition, and sensory experience.

1. Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms)

• Found in over 200 mushroom species
• Induces visual distortions, emotional release, and ego dissolution
• Used in Indigenous rituals for millennia and now studied for depression and PTSD

2. LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)

• Discovered by Albert Hofmann in 1938
• Known for eight to twelve hour journeys, fractals, time loops, and expanded cognition
• A cornerstone of counterculture, now resurging in psychotherapeutic research

3. DMT and Ayahuasca

• DMT is found in plants, animals, and the human body
• Smoked DMT lasts five to fifteen minutes and brings rapid entry into hyperspace
• Ayahuasca, a DMT-containing Amazonian brew, provides extended journeys of two to six hours
• Used for healing, divination, and ancestral reconnection by Indigenous cultures

4. Mescaline (Peyote and San Pedro)

• Found in sacred cacti like Peyote and San Pedro
• Gentle, heart-opening, visionary with emotional clarity and nature connection
• Used ceremonially for thousands of years

Empathogens: Psychedelics That Open the Heart

Unlike the classics, these substances work through serotonin and dopamine to enhance empathy, bonding, and emotional insight.

5. MDMA (Ecstasy, Molly)

• Technically an entactogen, not a classic psychedelic
• Promotes emotional openness, trust, and connection
• Used in MAPS trials for PTSD with significant success
• Supports relational healing, couples therapy, and trauma release

Dissociatives: The Break from Reality

These psychedelics produce a sense of detachment from the body, self, or external world.

6. Ketamine

• Originally an anesthetic, now a breakthrough treatment for depression and suicidality
• Induces out-of-body states, ego loosening, and emotional reset
• Widely used in clinical ketamine therapy

7. Salvia divinorum

• A potent dissociative herb from the Mazatec people of Mexico
• Smoked for short, disorienting, and surreal visions
• Not euphoric, often challenging, bizarre, and deeply symbolic

Other Notable Compounds

• 2C-B: Synthetic psychedelic with visual and empathic effects, sometimes called “psychedelic ecstasy”
• Ibogaine: Derived from African Tabernanthe iboga root, used for addiction treatment and soul retrieval
• 5-MeO-DMT: Found in toad venom and plants, known as the “God Molecule” for inducing nondual, ego-erasing states

Choosing Your Medicine

Every compound is a different teacher. Here is a quick guide to help you align your intention with the medicine:

Psilocybin (4–6 hours)
Insight, emotional release, unity. Often used for depression and spiritual growth.
LSD (8–12 hours)
Visuals, time distortion, cognitive expansion. Supports creativity, therapy, and consciousness exploration.
DMT (5–15 minutes)
Intense visions, entity contact, hyperspace journeys. Best for mystical experiences.
Ayahuasca (2–6 hours)
Deep healing, purging, ancestral reconnection. Used for trauma processing and spiritual clearing.
Mescaline (8–12 hours)
Heart-opening, nature communion, emotional clarity. Used in ceremonial and grounding contexts.
MDMA (3–6 hours)
Empathy, openness, connection. Powerful for PTSD therapy and relationship healing.
Ketamine (45 minutes – 1 hour)
Detachment, emotional reset, reflection. Used for depression, suicidality, and breaking patterns.
Salvia (5–10 minutes)
Surreal, dissociative, nonlinear visions. Supports vision work and shamanic symbolism.

Reminder

✨ There is no “best psychedelic.” Only the right one for your question, intention, and stage of growth.

🔍 Real Talk

These are not party tricks. They are portals. Psychedelics can expand you, but they can also dismantle you. Set, setting, dosage, and integration determine whether the journey becomes medicine or mayhem. Respect the compound. Know the source. Know yourself.

Final Thoughts

There is no “best psychedelic.” Only the right one for the moment, the question, the stage your soul is in.
This map is not just about chemicals. It is about choosing the key that fits your door.
Where you go is up to you. What you bring back, that is the work.

📚 Resources

• MAPS – Psychedelic Research and Trials

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