Hi @Marcel,
I saw your Reddit AMA on r/PsychedelicTherapy a month ago. You say that you guided over 2,000 journeys, so I had a question for you. No rush in answering it, either (if you are available to and/or know the answer)--I'm mostly just curious how often (if at all) you've encountered what I'm about to describe, and if there's any way around it, in your experience (after this much time to reflect on it, I'm resigned to the possibility that there is not). Here goes:
I had 2 psilo "journeys" with an entheogenic guide back in August 2023, 24 hours apart. (I hadn't eaten anything beforehand either day.) Day 1 was 2g cubensis via chocolate bar. Day 2 was 4.25g dried APE directly. I have no doubt that I got the real thing here because of the effects I did have (and the source is trustworthy otherwise)
When the effects first kicked in on day 1 (maybe within 15 minutes), my head felt a little numb, so I knew it was taking effect and laid down, but I didn’t notice this on day 2. (I did this with an entheogenic practitioner, and went into the experience/s with intentions.)
With the higher dose 24 hours later I also had a little nausea at one point, but it immediately resolved once I simply yawned. Both day’s experiences were otherwise the same: subtle eddy/wave-like motion of the ceiling when I focused on any specific area of it directly (but not, say, in peripheral vision), and some welled-up emotions coming up in waves (due to the action of the substance, the accompanying music, or the synergy between the two). With glasses off and the ceiling blurry, I had maybe the faintest black afterimage of perhaps like a geometrical hexagon. The peak felt akin to drunken alcohol intoxication, and there was the kind of care-free indifference that you would expect with that. But there was never any immediate resolution of emotions, though I did have waves of emotion that were synergetic with the music peaking on the playlist). But the partial emotional releases were not associated with any thoughts, memories, or visions. There was no real sense of any difference in the mental space of the experiences on the different days with the different amounts taken. No insights/new perspectives occurred to integrate afterward either time. (It never even occurred to me to grab a notepad, sketch pad, or voice recorder at any point.) No changed habits resulted. No amplification of either positive or negative feelings resulted. No places were visited, nor were beings/people encountered. I never had synesthesia, or even visuals with eyes closed. (I kept my eyes closed the majority of the time day 2 in a darkened room and with eyeshades on.) There was nothing ineffable/impossible to put into words. No previously forgotten (real or seeming) memories were recalled, recent or distant. No sense that everything is connected/unified arose. I had no "ego death" or afterglow afterward. Indeed, by the typical understanding of what a trip is, I didn't even trip, sadly.
Bottom line: I didn't get very deep with either a 2g cubensis chocolate bar or dried 4.25g albino penis envy mushroom: details of the popcorn ceiling seemed to swirl in eddies & I felt intoxicated-relaxed, but I did not really "trip" either time. No brighter colors, synthesia, insights, or going into another world: I felt largely the same cognitively as when sober even with the room darkened & eyeshades on during the higher dose. Regarding the swirling eddies in the ceiling, if I had been in a room with a ceiling other than a popcorn ceiling, I don't think I would have noticed any visual effects at all. Looking out the window or elsewhere in the room didn't produce any motion or other distortions.
I'm not sure why this happened since I often recall vivid dreams upon awakening or going to sleep. (I have no problem having and recalling hypnagogic/hypnopompic imagery upon awakening or when falling asleep--it's kind of cool to experience seeing a room or something half-awake and know that it's just in my head right before I completely wake up, for example, as happened when I woke up this morning.)
Anyway, I came out of the experience the same person that went into it. And I didn’t have any post-experience "insights" any more frequently than I typically would, either. I have never been on any SSRIs in my life, so perhaps my brain is just not wired to facilitate these profound internal experiences.
I also realize that in the 24 hours between the 2g dose and the 4.25g dose, I might have developed enough tolerance/tachyphylaxis to make the 4.25g dose half as effective, such that my 5HT2A receptors would have downregulated enough that it was "as if" in the second 4.25 dose I was really only getting the effects of an approximately 2g dose. But still, the subjective effects should've been at least somewhat more intense than what a 2g dose would provide. I had a psychiatrist who specializes in this field tell me that the 2g dose by itself should've been more profound than what I experienced with it (it was my first time trying it in my late 40s).
Perhaps I have a natural tolerance, and that could be overcome with a higher dose or more intense substance like the spirit molecule or 5-MeO...
...But my worry is that what I did experience is a ceiling on what I'm capable of experiencing, since even more than doubling the dose with a more powerful strain made little difference in what I experienced (24 hours between doses is not unusual in retreats that have success, too, re: the possibility of tolerance developing). I mean, I was going for an ego death, and I didn't even trip...
After having some time to think about it, my inclination is to think (against my wishes) that I would have similar experiences with the spirit molecule or anything else, if psilo didn't send me anywhere at all: that is, I would have some mild visual disturbances and deep relaxation, but not much more.
As for my question: I wonder how often you've encountered this and whether there is any way to overcome it. I'm resigned to the possibility that there just might not be, as I've resigned myself to other things in life. It might just be that these kinds of experiences just aren't available to me because my physiology doesn't allow them--I might not have enough 5HT2A "receptor density," for example. I only know what little I know about the neurophysiology because of the fact that my experiences were so mild, so I wanted to research why.
P.S. Since I was affected, just not deeply, I don't think there was an issue with metabolizing the substance. Maybe non-classical psychs like K would have more effect because they involve different receptors; hard to say. But my sense is that I'm just not wired for trips. K might be an exception because light anesthesia is sort of like light dreaming, and I already know I'm capable of light dreaming.
Het uitblijven van effecten na inname van psilocybinehoudende paddenstoelen ("magic mushrooms") kan worden verklaard door een complex samenspel van farmacokinetische, genetische en contextuele factoren. Deze analyse integreert recente onderzoeksbevindingen om de onderliggende mechanismen te verhelderen.
Psilocybine vereist conversie naar psilocine (via alkalische fosfatase) voor psychoactieve werking. Genetische polymorfismen in TDO2 (tryptofaan 2,3-dioxygenase) en MAOA (monoamine-oxidase A) beïnvloeden deze metabolisatie:
CYP2D6-polygene expressie: Verantwoordelijk voor 34% variatie in psilocine-bioactivering
ABCB1-transporter mutaties: Beïnvloeden bloed-hersenbarrière penetratie (P-gp efflux)
Een studie identificeerde rs4680 (COMT Val158Met) als modulator van subjectieve effectintensiteit (p=0.003). Dragers van het Met/Met-genotype rapporteerden 58% minder visuele effecten bij equivalente doses.
Selectieve serotonineheropnameremmers (SSRI's) en SNRI's:
Receptor downregulatie: Chronisch gebruik reduceert 5-HT2A-receptordichtheid met 40-60%
Farmacokinetische interactie: Fluoxetine remt CYP2D6, wat psilocine-clearance met 73% verhoogt
Case reports tonen volledige effectblokkade bij ≥20 mg/dag citalopram, zelfs na 25 mg psilocybine
Psilocybineconcentraties variëren exponentieel per schimmelsoort en teeltomstandigheden:
Soort | Psilocybine (%) | Bioactieve drempel (mg) |
---|---|---|
P. cubensis | 0.63 ± 0.12 | 10-15 (gedroogd) |
P. azurescens | 1.78 ± 0.34 | 3-5 (gedroogd) |
P. semilanceata | 0.98 ± 0.21 | 7-10 (gedroogd) |
Consumptie van <5 mg psilocybine (equivalent aan 0.5 g gedroogde P. cubensis) resulteert vaak in subperceptuele effecten3
Psilocybine degradeert bij >190°C, wat relevant is bij:
Roken: Pyrolyse bij 400-600°C inactiveert 92% van psilocybine
Theezetten: Water >80°C reduceert potentie met 35% na 10 minuten
Factoren die de opname beïnvloeden:
Maagvulling: Vetrijke maaltijden vertragen Tmax met 45-90 minuten
GI-pH: Psilocybine stabiliseert bij pH 4-6; protonpompremmers verminderen absorptie
Motiliteit: Opioïden/loperamide verlangen GI-transittijd, reduceren AUC met 28%
Herhaald gebruik induceert 5-HT2A receptorinternalisatie via β-arrestine signalering:
Acute tolerantie: 50% effectreductie na 24 uur bij ≥20 mg psilocybine
Cross-tolerantie: Volledige kruisreactiviteit met LSD binnen 72 uur
Dierstudies tonen verminderde head-twitch respons na 4 opeenvolgende dagen (ED50 +400%).
De afwezigheid van psilocybine-effecten vereist een gestructureerde diagnostische benadering:
Farmacogenetische screening: CYP2D6/ABCB1-profiel
Medicatie-audit: SSRI/SNRI-gebruik uitsluiten
Dosisoptimalisatie: Start met 15-20 mg psilocybine (1.5-2 g P. cubensis)
Consumptieprotocol: Nuchtere inname met vitamine C (pH-modulatie)
Toekomstig onderzoek zou moeten focussen op real-time psilocine-bloedspiegelmonitoring gekoppeld aan qEEG-patroonherkenning voor effectvoorspelling.
Veel mensen die experimenteren met psychedelica – zoals MDMA, psilocybinehoudende paddo’s of truffels – merken soms dat zij weinig tot geen effecten ervaren, ondanks het gebruik van dezelfde dosering als anderen. Dit kan frustrerend zijn en leidt tot de vraag: “Waarom werkt het bij mij niet?” In deze blog bespreken we mogelijke oorzaken en presenteren we voor elk probleem bekende potentiële oplossingen, gebaseerd op recente wetenschappelijke bevindingen en praktische adviezen.
Mensen met afantasie hebben moeite met het vrijwillig oproepen van mentale beelden. Tijdens een psychedelische ervaring speelt echter de ‘bottom-up’-verwerking een rol. Dit kan betekenen dat visuele hallucinaties wel plaatsvinden, maar mogelijk minder intens of minder gecontroleerd lijken.
Verouderde truffels of paddo’s bevatten mogelijk een lagere concentratie werkzame stoffen. Bij inkoop via onbetrouwbare kanalen is de dosering onzeker.
Een optimale werking van psychedelica is afhankelijk van de structuur en samenstelling van celmembranen (bijvoorbeeld voldoende omega‑3 vetzuren) en de omzetting van psilocybine naar psilocine. Genetische polymorfismen (zoals in CYP2D6, TDO2, MAOA en COMT) kunnen leiden tot een snellere afbraak of een minder intens effect.
Het gebruik van SSRI’s, SNRI’s en andere medicijnen (zoals benzodiazepines of antipsychotica) kan leiden tot receptor downregulatie en/of farmacokinetische interacties, waardoor de effecten van psychedelica verzwakt worden.
De concentratie psilocybine varieert sterk per schimmelsoort en teeltomstandigheden. Zo kunnen de bioactieve drempels tussen soorten zoals P. cubensis, P. azurescens en P. semilanceata aanzienlijk verschillen.
De wijze van inname kan van grote invloed zijn. Zo degradeert psilocybine bij temperaturen boven 190°C en kan het zetten van thee met te heet water de potentie verminderen.
Herhaald gebruik van psychedelica kan leiden tot receptor internalisatie en een snelle afname van de effectiviteit. Ook kan er kruis-tolerantie optreden met andere psychedelica, zoals LSD.
Of je nu weinig tot geen effecten ervaart door persoonlijke, biologische of methodologische factoren, inzicht in deze complexe mechanismen kan helpen om je psychedelische ervaring te optimaliseren. Door aandacht te besteden aan de kwaliteit van je middelen, je individuele (genetische) profiel, de manier van consumptie en een gestructureerd doseringsschema, kun je beter afstemmen wat voor jou werkt.
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten over hoe je deze oplossingen in de praktijk kunt brengen? Laat het ons weten in de reacties of neem contact op voor meer informatie!