A psychedelic experience occurs when a person spends time under the influence of a psychedelic drug and experiences mental, physical, emotional, and/or spiritual effects as a result. Psychedelic experiences are most often associated with the use of the most common psychedelic drugs, including magic mushrooms, LSD, and more recently ayahuasca; however, a large number of plant and even animal substances exist which are known to also induce psychedelic effects and lead to psychedelic experiences.
Psychedelic experiences are often enhanced by the use of ritual, including dance, song, prayer, and other holistic medicinal practices. Psychedelic experiences are often described by those who have them as insightful, profound, revelatory, or life-changing.
Psychedelic experiences may or may not begin shortly after a specific entheogenic drug is taken. The psychedelic drug psilocybin found in magic mushrooms, for example, is most often absorbed through the digestive system as the body breaks down and assimilates the mushroom tissue. As such, the effects of psilocybin may not be felt for 60 minutes or longer. A hot water extraction of psilocybin may cut this amount of time in half; whole or macerated mushroom tissue is steeped in hot water to make a so-called ‘mushroom tea’, which is then drank, and this may quicken the process. The higher absorption rate and simpler digestive process for the body to metabolize the tea reduces the amount of time from ingestion to the beginning of psychedelic sensations.
Other psychedelic plant medicines, on the other hand, can be inhaled by combustion of plant matter and the effects are much faster, as the active chemicals are absorbed through the lungs rather than the digestive system. This is the case with the popular herbs of the cannabis genus of flowering plants.
In the case of ayahuasca, the psychedelic experience normally begins within 30 to 60 minutes of drinking the ayahuasca brew and, depending on the strength of the brew and the individual taking it, may last from a few to several hours.
Individual psychedelic experiences vary for each individual and for the specific experience. The plant medicine taken, the quantity and quality of that medicine, the individual’s personal state of mental, emotional and spiritual being at the time the experience occurs, and – importantly – the environment in which the experience take place (alone or with others, on a supervised retreat with professionals or elsewhere unsupervised, and so on) can all contribute to shaping the nature of the psychedelic experience as it happens. Similarly, preparatory and conclusional activities before and after the actively psychedelic experience occurs can also influence the psychedelic experience.
