Effects of Magic Mushrooms Retreats Will Last Longer Than the Trend
“It seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Aubrey Lang, 26, tells me over the phone. In January 2020, the farmer (and soon to be lawyer) attended Rise Wellness Retreat -- a psilocybin microdose retreat in Jamaica -- which, unbeknownst to him at the time, would have a positive, long-term impact on his romantic relationship.
Interest in psilocybin—a naturally occurring compound in "magic mushrooms" or psychedelic mushrooms that was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in the late 1950s—is starting to seep into mainstream dialogue, with major publications like Forbes and The New York Times reporting on its potential benefits; an uptick in clinical trials with promising results; venture capitalists looking to invest in the next big thing; even Gwyneth Paltrow’s new Netflix show, The Goop Lab, dedicating its first episode, “The Healing Trip” to exploring the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs. “Retreats, to me, represent a groundbreaking milestone shift in the global consciousness towards the use of mushrooms as therapy,” says Lang. “It really opened my eyes to a whole other dimension of therapeutic application.”
The effects of psilocybin include euphoria, perception changes, an altered sense of time, and spiritual experiences. When combined with psychotherapy, one recent study supports claims that it can effectively treat depression and anxiety years after taking the drug. In the 1960s, psilocybin research boomed with more than 1,000 studies published on its effects, and then abruptly halted when recreational use got out of hand a decade later. Psilocybin and other psychedelics were classified as Schedule 1 (the same drug status as heroin), and it’s been a slow increase in acceptance since the late 1990s. As more studies explore the use of psychedelics for mental health and medical purposes, we’re now experiencing something called “the shroom boom,” (first reported in 2018) with plenty of new investment opportunities on the horizon for the projected $50 billion “mushroom market.”
But Lang wasn’t thinking about any of that while sitting by the ocean just steps from the villa where he had recently ingested a macro-dose of magic mushrooms. (Where a microdose is considered a “glow” in that you will feel something that is barely perceptible and alights your senses, a macro-dose (or larger) are 1+ grams of dried mushrooms which may cause a psychedelic experience, disorientation, profound introspection, and intense emotional experiences).
“It made everything new again and it broke me out of the set ways of looking and labeling everything in my life by shining a new light on it,” says Lang. “With the support of the whole Rise team, it was a great opportunity to reflect on myself and life.”
For Jacqueline Chambers, founder of fashion and travel blog TGIF, she deliberately went on the trip without any expectations and was surprised by what she found. “I was like, ‘will we be tripping balls all day?’ But no, we dug deep into the seeds that society has planted in us, most of them not based on truth, and checked in with ourselves and each other to uncover our own truths,” she says. “I went with my friend to have fun but I got so much more out of it. I had my dog since I was 17 and just had to put her down, and went through another shitty breakup. I didn't realize that pain was still there, but when it came up, I was able to set it down and be free.”
The retreat had a ‘choose your own adventure’ itinerary that balanced group activities, classes (yoga, aquatics, meditation, and Natural Movement), educational workshops, therapeutic shiatsu treatments, trail hiking, art-making, and leisure time.
“Being in such a beautiful place like Jamaica, you felt connected with the world again, and through that, you learned how to be of service to others,” she says.
For Lang, his love life shifted because of those same realizations—and an earthquake.
“It was our last day in Jamaica,” he says, “and I remember the pool suddenly looked like a wave pool.”
News spread around the world that a magnitude 7.7 earthquake had struck off the coast of Jamaica, and was felt as far away as Miami. The Washington Post and CNN reported that it was one of the strongest earthquakes on record in the Caribbean. Jamaica, however, doesn’t usually suffer from natural disasters and there was no damage done to the island. But at the time and from the outside, the situation looked much worse than it was.
“I messaged my girlfriend telling her that I was OK, but then my phone died so I didn’t respond to her for hours,” he says. “She felt a deep sense of panic at the idea of losing me, and when she went to read a book to distract herself, the chapter was titled, ‘Death.’”
When we talk about the experiences that change us, specifically through psychedelics, rarely do we hear about the impact it has on the lives that orbit our own. For Lang and his girlfriend, it was the realization that, had he not attended Rise Wellness Retreat, their love for one another might not have shifted into focus.
“We used to let little things like minor disagreements ruin our day, or the week or month. It would build into this negative downward spiral, but now we're building in an upward spiral,” he says. “It took us having to face losing each other in order for us to really appreciate one another.”
And that, he says, speaks to the entirety of the psychedelic experience. To surrender and let go, to “zoom out” from your life and worries, can offer a new and important perspective that is not always available in our daily lives.
“When I take a psychedelic, I have to let go of my preconceived conceptions of who I am. It’s this idea that you have to lose yourself to find yourself. To me, that means living from a trusting place, being comfortable with the unknown, being present and in the moment, not needing to analyze and conceptualize everything, and trusting that everything will be okay. That’s where peace comes from.”
When Chambers returned home, familiarity bred some habitual (and expected) contempt. “If only I could be at a beach in Jamaica all day,” she laughs over the phone. “But bad stuff would still happen there, so it’s not about constantly changing your scenery, it’s about changing yourself.”
She says the trip inspired her to do more research into spiritual and natural healing, and that having a follow-up with Robin Banister, Rise’s on-site therapist and facilitator, really helped the experiences from the retreat stick with her, even when daily stresses started to creep in. “The Rise team works with everyone from veterans who have had to carry bodies with bullets flying around, to people with serious trauma, to me, someone who had to put their dog down,” she says. “People should know it’s a safe place for all types of healing. It’s structured, organized, and well thought out. There isn’t a single detail you will have to worry about.”