Psilocybin and Creativity: Small Doses, Big Ideas
- Mary Nielsen
- Mar 13
- 5 min read
If you’re an artist, no doubt you’ve probably heard the age-old line that psychedelics can open a new door to the creative world.
Artists across all mediums, from John Lennon to John Cage, have credited psilocybin as a natural tool that helped encourage creativity.
But psilocybin can spark new ideas in all types of creative minds, even if you don’t consider yourself much of the artsy type. Each of us has a well of creativity to tap into — sometimes it just takes a little help to access it.
Keep reading to learn how you can harness the creative powers of psilocybin to power your next big idea.
Table of Contents
Understanding Psilocybin: The Science, History, and Impact
Also known as magic mushrooms, psilocybin is often misunderstood. Its psychedelic effects have the potential to change a person’s sense of reality, leading them to see, hear, and feel things or to experience reality differently.
Psilocybin is a Schedule I Psychedelic drug, as classified by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. This Schedule I classification means they currently have no federally approved medicinal use and a high abuse potential.
In 2020, Oregon voters approved Measure 109, which allowed for the manufacture and controlled, therapeutic use of psilocybin at licensed facilities for those over 21 years old.
Oregon Psychedelic Solutions provides a safe and therapeutic setting for clients to use psilocybin under the professional supervision of a licensed facilitator. Our psilocybin services can increase your sense of openness and creativity and help you find an improved sense of well-being. Book your discovery call today.
Where Psilocybin Comes From
Psilocybin is derived from certain types of mushrooms that can be found on nearly every continent. Generally, psilocybin-containing species are dark-spored, gilled mushrooms that grow in meadows and woods in subtropical and tropical areas, usually in soils rich in plant debris.
The availability of psilocybin mushrooms from wild and cultivated sources has made them one of the most widely used psychedelic drugs. The mushrooms are typically consumed dried or powdered.
Historical and Cultural Uses
Psilocybin has a long history of use. Magic mushrooms are reported to be depicted in cave paintings in North Africa circa 9000 B.C.
Indigenous people in Central America considered the mushrooms gifts from the gods and used them for healing and sacred spiritual rituals as far back as 3000 B.C.
Studies have emerged exploring its potential to help treat conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, pain, and neurodegenerative disorders.
People are becoming more curious about how psilocybin can affect their way of thinking and living. Today, there is a new surge of interest in psilocybin, and many take psilocybin for different reasons.
According to a 2021 survey, 7% reported using psilocybin in the past year. Those surveyed cited reasons for use including to:
Have a meaningful or spiritual experience
Improve their general health and well-being; and
Self-treat a medical disorder such as depression or anxiety
How Psilocybin Affects the Brain
When a person takes psilocybin, their body metabolizes it into psilocin. Psilocin attaches to and activates receptors for serotonin, primarily the serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A (5HT2a) receptor. Researchers believe this action is responsible for one’s subjective experience when they take the mushrooms.
Psilocin activity at the 5HT2a receptor affects how the brain works and how different brain regions communicate with each other. Some regions increase in activity and connectedness while others decrease.
These altered patterns of brain activity contribute to a person’s profound change in consciousness and most common side effects like unusual associations between ideas and stimuli, altered sensory perception, and expanded self-awareness.
Enhancing Divergent Thinking
Studies suggest that psilocybin can temporarily disrupt communication between regions of the brain known to be most active when we self-reflect.
One region of the brain particularly disrupted by psilocin activity is the default mode network (DMN). Decreased activity in the DMN can reduce a person’s focus on self or internal judgment of thoughts and ideas, which may lead to a greater feeling of openness and creativity. This shift in self-consciousness can reduce rumination, creating room for more creative thinking.
Psychedelics Plus Science and Arts
Many believe psilocybin can unlock new ways of thinking, enabling creative breakthroughs in art and scientific discovery.
Scientifically speaking, creativity consists of multiple components, including:
Flexible divergent thinking, which is responsible for your out-of-the-box ideas
Rigid convergent thinking, which is responsible for constructive, problem-solving ideas
Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin can enhance flexible divergent creativity, making it effective in treating anxiety disorders and depression, which have been known to impair creativity.
However, a study found that while psilocybin use increased occurrences of spontaneous creative insights, there was a decrease in deliberate, task-based creativity or rigid convergent thinking.
Can Psilocybin Increase Creativity?
According to many studies, anecdotal evidence, and historical examples, it’s suggested that psilocybin can increase creativity. Based on the scientific evidence of psilocin activity on different regions of the brain, the effect can result in reduced rumination, criticism, and judgment, which can often get in the way of creativity.
Using Psilocybin for Creative Exploration
Psilocybin has been shown to produce a controllable altered state of consciousness marked by an enhanced ability for introspection and increased empathy.
Studies have also introduced new findings on microdosing, the practice of taking a fractional dose, to increase brain function and creativity. In several studies, microdoses of psilocybin were found to encourage more creativity, while macrodoses tended to impair cognitive performance and creativity in comparison. The time-based variation of psilocybin macrodosing showed impaired effects on cognition and creativity early on but withdrew over time, and some positive effects emerged afterward.
Though it has been widely used in research without significant reports of severe adverse events, it’s imperative to note that not everyone may respond positively. Potential side effects can include:
Nausea
Vomiting
Muscle weakness
Lack of coordination
Hallucinations
Inability to discern fantasy from reality
Panic or psychotic-like episodes
Abuse of psilocybin mushrooms could also lead to poisoning if poisonous mushrooms are incorrectly identified as psilocybin-containing mushrooms.
Best practices for safe use and to get the most of your opportunity for creative exploration suggest limiting use to only while under the care of a licensed professional, who is there to:
Discuss your intentions
Develop a treatment plan
Determine the appropriate dosage to achieve the desired results
Guide you through the process
Provide a safe environment for your journey; and
Help you process the results of your experience
Unlock Your Creative Potential at Oregon Psychedelic Solutions
Whether you’re stuck in a creative rut or are simply looking for a new point of view, Oregon Psychedelic Solutions can help.
Our licensed facilitators are trained and experienced in providing the best care to foster your creative psilocybin journey. Educated in safety protocols, side effects, and integration practices, we take pride in our holistic approach to understanding how to get the most out of your experience.
At Oregon Psychedelic Solutions, our small and dedicated team of facilitators brings unique expertise and a genuine commitment to every session.
Contact us today to book your discovery call and unlock your creative potential.
The content in this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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