Psychedelic Journey: A Detailed Experience with Truffles


Table of Contents


  • Introduction
  • Setting the Scene
  • Initial Effects
  • Increasing Intensity
    • Musical Influence
    • Hallucinations and Body Sensations
  • Exploration of Thoughts
  • Distinctive Phases of the Trip
    • Vibrational Soundscapes
    • Fantasy Exploration
  • Conclusion


Introduction


Last Saturday, I ventured into the realm of psychedelics for the first time, taking a dose of 15 grams of medium-strength psychedelic truffles. Although I had no prior experience with psychedelics, my past encounters with MDMA—albeit non-recreational—instilled in me a sense of courage to explore this new experience.


Setting the Scene


I prepared for this journey with careful consideration of my setting. I chose my comfortable two-person bed, adorned with cushions, where I had a few engaging activities within reach, including watercolor painting and a guitar. For auditory stimulation, I set up a laptop connected to in-ear headphones, curating a playlist that included a Mongolian throat singing performance, which I felt was perfectly suited for the occasion. To remind myself to stay present, I hung a piece of paper on the wall with the phrase "Observe, Calmly."


Initial Effects


Approximately 45 minutes after consuming the truffles, I began to notice the initial effects. My focus was drawn to the Mongolian performance, but I soon became aware of a mesmerizing pattern on the wall. I attempted to analyze the alterations happening within my mind; the walls around me seemed to breathe, and I found the hallucinations intensified at a pace slower than I had anticipated. Despite these visual shifts, I felt capable of maintaining logical thought and planning.


Increasing Intensity


Musical Influence


As the intensity of the hallucinations grew, I began to contemplate how the truffles were influencing not just my visual perception but my entire sensory experience. I felt tactile hallucinations spreading across my body, accompanied by a delightful distortion of the music playing in my ears. It became clear that the visual effects were not merely surface-level; deeper cognitive layers appeared to be engaged, revealing complex shapes projected onto the wall. By keeping my gaze steady, I could induce more visual hallucinations, while remaining still heightened the tactile sensations.


Initially, I grappled with feelings of boredom as the effects took time to unfold. I questioned whether the experience would be meaningful or a mere waste of time. However, as the trip escalated, I found joy in the Mongolian throat singing. The music transformed my perception, turning the earlier breathing sensation of the room into a subtle distortion.


Hallucinations and Body Sensations


During the peak of this phase, roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes in, I vividly remembered thinking, "Okay, now I am clearly tripping." I contemplated the potential for recommending this experience to a friend, pondering the motivations behind someone choosing to use psychedelics and the practical applications of such a journey. Although I felt reasonably okay, I was also grappling with nausea and a lingering stomach ache, which led me to frequently place my hand on my belly for comfort.


One of the most profound aspects of this trip was the tactile hallucinations. As I reached a medium to high level of intensity, it felt as if hundreds of hands were gently massaging my entire body, from my ears to my toes. To further explore how I could utilize this experience for self-reflection, I attempted to confront personal problems, but I found it challenging to concentrate long enough to identify specific issues in my life. This led me to speculate whether the truffles affected a cognitive framework similar to how visual hallucinations impacted shape recognition.


I vividly imagined a chain of small cognitive components, where if each component experienced a 10% alteration, the likelihood of an unchanged impulse traveling through the entire chain approached zero.


Distinctive Phases of the Trip


Vibrational Soundscapes


As the experience deepened, a new phase emerged. The low, resonating emotional qualities of the Mongolian singing, combined with powerful visual and tactile hallucinations, transported me to a surreal dimension akin to falling through a wormhole as depicted in the film Contact. The sound transformed into a thundering vibration, while my visual perception became a dynamic lightshow. One particularly memorable moment was when a full-body touch hallucination enveloped me completely, allowing me to experience the sensation of melting into the bed beneath me. I was exhilarated, thinking, "Finally! The hallucination is now 'a complete arm' instead of just 'a tingle.'"


I also reflected on how easily one could dismiss these sensations as mere figments of imagination. To test this idea, I intentionally imagined myself riding a horse across the vast Mongolian steppe, heading into a life-and-death battle. In this vivid visualization, I felt as if I were surrounded by a colossal Mongolian tribe, chanting and screaming to ward off evil spirits in a dreamlike realm. Although I recognized this was a fabrication of my mind, I was amazed by the excitement and realism I could conjure within this altered state.


Fantasy Exploration


During this phase, the interplay of hallucinations and my imaginative faculties flourished. The boundaries between my internal fantasies and external perceptions blurred, creating a rich tapestry of sensations and thoughts that felt both profound and transformative.


Conclusion


My initial experience with psychedelic truffles was a multifaceted journey, characterized by evolving sensations and reflections. The combination of auditory and visual stimuli, along with the depth of the hallucinations, provided me with an opportunity to explore my mind and emotions in a way I had never encountered before. It challenged my perceptions and invited me to consider the ways in which psychedelics could be integrated into personal growth and exploration.