Doses & Timing
People get hurt by not knowing, not by knowing. This is informational dosage awareness — not a recommendation. Potency varies enormously. Start low.
Critical: Potency varies enormously by species, batch, and individual mushroom. Psilocybe cyanescens can be 2–3x as potent as Psilocybe cubensis. Powdered and chocolate-bar products are notoriously inconsistent.
Sub-perceptual. Possible subtle mood or cognitive shift. Should feel like a good day, not a trip.
Duration: Subtle effects 4–6 hours
Mild perceptual changes: colors brighten, patterns subtly move. Still generally functional and sociable.
Duration: 3–5 hours
Full psychedelic experience. Significant visuals, emotional intensity, altered thought. A sitter is recommended.
Duration: 4–6 hours
Intense, immersive experience. Ego softening likely. Deep emotional and symbolic content. Sitter strongly recommended.
Duration: 5–7 hours
Overwhelming for most. Ego dissolution common. Physical reality may feel completely dissolved. Not for beginners.
Duration: 6–8+ hours
Critical: Blotter paper dosing is unreliable. A tab sold as "250 µg" is frequently 80–120 µg. Start with one tab from a new source, even if you have experience.
Sub-perceptual. Possible enhanced mood, focus, or creativity. No visual distortion. Fully functional.
Duration: Subtle effects 8–10 hours
Mild alteration. Enhanced colors, slight pattern movement, elevated mood. Good introduction for the cautious.
Duration: 6–10 hours
Full psychedelic experience. Clear visuals, significant thought alteration, time distortion. Sitter recommended for first-timers.
Duration: 8–12 hours
Intense experience. Strong visuals, ego softening, profound emotional content. External reality heavily altered.
Duration: 10–14 hours
Overwhelming for most users. Near-total dissolution of ordinary reality. Experienced sitter absolutely essential.
Duration: 12–16+ hours
Critical: Frequently adulterated with methamphetamine, cathinones, or PMA/PMMA. Reagent testing is essential. Never redose more than once, at half the initial dose, within 90 minutes.
Mild stimulation, light mood lift, subtle tactile enhancement. Below the full empathogenic threshold.
Duration: 3–5 hours
Clear euphoria, increased sociability, heightened sensory appreciation. Manageable for most.
Duration: 3–5 hours
Full empathogenic effect. Strong feelings of connection, emotional openness, physical euphoria. Typical therapeutic range.
Duration: 4–6 hours
Intense and potentially overwhelming. Neurotoxicity risk rises significantly above 125 mg, especially with redosing.
Duration: 5–8 hours
Critical: Vaporized DMT is not "gentle" because it is brief. A breakthrough can be more existentially overwhelming than a 6-hour psilocybin journey. Oral DMT (ayahuasca) requires an MAOI — dangerous interactions with medications and certain foods.
Color enhancement, mild visual distortion, shifting geometric patterns. Body feels light. Fully aware of surroundings.
Duration: 5–10 minutes
Strong immersive visuals. Sense of entering another space. Ego remains mostly intact but reality feels radically altered.
Duration: 10–20 minutes
Complete dissolution of ordinary reality. Ego death common. Interaction with seemingly autonomous entities reported. Overwhelming for most first-timers.
Duration: 15–30 min peak; 30–60 min residual
Critical: Cactus potency varies enormously by species, growing conditions, and preparation. Dosing by "buttons" or dried weight is highly approximate. Peyote is endangered; consider sustainable alternatives like San Pedro.
Mild stimulation, color enhancement, subtle mood lift. Some users feel little at this range. Duration is still significant.
Duration: 8–12 hours
Clear psychedelic effects with a gentle, warm character. Visuals are organic and flowing. Good for nature and conversation.
Duration: 10–14 hours
Full immersive experience. Strong visual and emotional effects. The long duration becomes a factor — plan your entire day.
Duration: 12–16 hours
Intense, long-lasting visionary state. Nausea and body load can be significant. Demands physical and mental stamina. Not for beginners.
Duration: 14–18+ hours
Critical: Steep dose-response curve. The difference between 15 mg and 25 mg can be extreme. Frequently mis-sold or substituted with dangerous compounds like NBOMes. Reagent testing is critical.
Subtle color enhancement, light mood lift, mild tactile sensitivity. Below a full psychedelic threshold.
Duration: 2–4 hours
Clear psychedelic effects with a sociable, tactile quality. Enhanced colors and patterns. Good for cautious first-timers.
Duration: 3–5 hours
Full experience with strong visuals and pronounced body euphoria. The steep curve means 20 mg feels very different from 15 mg.
Duration: 4–6 hours
Intense and potentially overwhelming. Body load, vasoconstriction, and GI distress increase. Anxiety and confusion are common.
Duration: 5–8+ hours
Timing & Spacing
Your brain needs time to recover. Tolerance isn't just about "needing more" — it's about depleting the very systems that make the experience meaningful.
Classical Psychedelics
Tolerance to psilocybin and LSD rises sharply after a single dose and takes about two weeks to return to baseline. Using again within a week yields dramatically diminished effects and wastes the medicine.
Cross-tolerance applies: LSD tolerance affects psilocybin and vice versa.
MDMA
MDMA depletes serotonin stores and stresses your cardiovascular system. The 3-month rule exists for a reason: your brain needs time to replenish serotonin and your heart needs recovery time.
Redosing the same weekend is especially neurotoxic. Don't.
Why spacing matters
Receptor downregulation
Repeated stimulation of 5-HT2A receptors causes the brain to reduce their sensitivity. More frequent use = less effect + more side effects.
Integration needs time
The insights are worthless if you don't live with them. Back-to-back experiences produce shallow novelty instead of lasting change.
MDMA's serotonin clock
Serotonin synthesis is slow. Rolling twice in a month leaves you depleted, anxious, and cognitively foggy — sometimes for months.
Cross-tolerance is real
Psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, and DMT all work primarily through 5-HT2A. Tolerance to one is tolerance to all.