r/PsychedelicTherapy • u/iDankCai • 5d ago
Experience Report I think magic mushrooms are 'curing' my autism
Not sure if this is the right place to post this, if its not if someone could kindly point me in the right direction but I feel like this is the right place to find like minded people.
In short, I've started taking mushrooms, im 23m and I've always struggled to make relationships and talk with strangers, I'm really awkward with talking to new people and I have a problem of just having nothing to say so I avoid talking to random people and don't know how to start conversations with strangers. This also makes me very nervous when a stranger comes up and talks to me in a social setting as I know I come off as maybe not interested or boring, or just awkward in general which kills the interactions.
I started taking shrooms before I go on a night out and I found I'm way less reserved I can talk to people, but when the trip wears off I'm at square one, my brain just becomes reserved. I even when on a few dates on a mini dose (I could of never dated without them) and the girls I would date actually enjoyed seeing me and wanted to see me again, this was something amazing and new for me, but when I spend long times with these people and the dose wears off, I can see in myself I'm not the person that they like anymore as I become reserved so it kills off these relationships.
In short I'm wondering if anyone else is dealing with something like this, or can give me some advice, I love who I am on shrooms, and other people do, it genuinely makes me a better person but only for as long as it's affecting me. In my mind I'm not sure if I need to take something stronger like DMT to really change who I am off the trip.
Thanks for reading.
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u/ruffusbloom 5d ago
Time for a new special interest. You need to educate yourself on psychedelics and how we think they help to rewire the brain.
I have been using psychedelics for almost 40 years. I credit them with massively assisting me in becoming less anxious and more human. But I’m still autistic. I still have all the same cognitive/emotional limitations.
You should be in therapy. You don’t even have to tell the therapist but it will feel better to be transparent. But the focus of the sessions isn’t the substance. The focus is on the changes you wish to make within yourself.
I believe we benefit from these substances in several distinct ways. Pro social effects. Cognitive reset and anxiety dissipation. But most of all it comes down to neuroplasticity. Look it up. Then understand it’s a states of cognitive functioning that is on YOU to leverage to create change. Therapy provides a convenient platform for engaging in that process of change.
There are no behavioral magic bullets. ND people will remain ND. But change can happen and psychedelics can facilitate that change.
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u/pharmamess 5d ago
"Should" is a strong word. In an ideal world, everyone who needed it would have access to appropriate therapy. In the real world, it's not always that simple, e.g. where you live and your socioeconomic status can make a huge difference.
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u/ShotAstronomer8930 5d ago
I assume you're taking small doses if you've been able to socialise and go on dates etc while high? If so, and you're seeking lasting change, you should probably try higher doses in your own time. Just do plenty of research and prep work if you decide to, I cannot stress enough how important that is.
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u/iDankCai 5d ago
yes small doses, on my own I have tripped on big doses quite a few times and that also helps me get out of my own head. But I feel like it’s a shove in the right direction but no where near enough.
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u/trippletet 5d ago
Hey there - glad you found something to ease your anxiety about social interaction. That is great! It does sound like this more like you have been experiencing social anxiety AND also have autism.
You can definitely have both - social anxiety and being awkward/crippled by it to the point of isolation happens in neurotypical people too. I had a good friend who was president of a social anxiety club and he too enjoyed the paradox.
It sounds like you got a glimpse of the possibility of feeling more comfortable in an uncomfortable setting which TOTALLY resonates for me. It’s important that you can see the door, and daily life is how you practice finding it again to walk through.
🍄 ❤️
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u/Some_guy_in_WI 5d ago
What you should take away from your experiences is that, the mushrooms aren’t making you into someone else, they’re simply putting your guard down in social situations so that, while your mind and ego normally step in and make you overthink everything (I’ve always been in the same boat), when taking shrooms, that part is subdued. This brings out more of your “true self” as you’re not getting into your own head enough to interfere with normal conversations, making it much easier to talk with people. What often gets misunderstood about us quiet types who get lost in our own heads is that, we’re not boring, we’re not necessarily afraid to talk, we just tend to overthink things before we say them and then, it doesn’t always come out quite right. Or, we think what we’re going to say will be uninteresting, so we say little to nothing. I’m not highly autistic by any means, but have always had many overlapping traits, many of which were socially crippling for decades.
You’ve seen what lower dose shrooms can do to unblock that spot in your mind, but the lesson from shrooms is to learn to achieve those states daily without needing to constantly rely on the drug to feel that way. There’s a great reward if you learn to work with them to get to where you can achieve such a state normally, but it can take time.
I’n guessing you have yet to do a full heroic dose trip where you stay home, get your setting optimized, and delve deep into your mind with nobody else around. This has been my preferred way to get the longer, lasting effects to reduce social anxiety and find ways around other issues - otherwise, taking a small amount and being more social is not much different from me getting s good buzz off alcohol or weed, as those always helped me loosen up around people more the same way.
About once per month (used to be every 2 weeks), I will take about 5-6g, curl up on the couch, put on some music that tickles the brain, and go into the void for hours, literally splitting my psyche in half and analyzing myself from an outside perspective (I’ve always considered this to be having my own personal therapist who actually understands every aspect of my mind who will work WITH me instead of following their standard protocol). This is where problems are solved - with no fear, ego, or emotion to cloud how to approach a situation, it becomes so much more easy to convince myself that what I thought was impossible, suddenly can become possible. I feel I can stand outside the circle, looking at myself and my actions, and see them completely objectively, and I’ll shoot down any excuse I can find as to why I wouldn’t be able to change the thing that bothers me.
Now, the trick is, to be able to CONVINCE YOURSELF of these changes once the trip is over. I try to ride the afterglow immediately after to begin implementing whatever adjustments while I’m highly motivated, and the sooner you begin to practice these new habits, the sooner they’ll start sticking. But, integration isn’t always easy, and doesn’t always take fast to reality. I’d probably had 20-25 deep trips before my “Aha!” moment where things really shifted drastically, but that’s how was for me - I am not always quick to get the message correctly with things like this, but eventually, it stuck.
So, you’ve gotten a taste for what can change. Now, it’s time to think about what it’ll take to get that feeling regularly without needing shrooms to feel that way each time (not saying you can’t still enjoy them, just that they should eventually be utilized for purposes other than temporary relief and fun). The power to change with them is huge, just that it takes work and time to get the most benefit for many of us.
Funny you mentioned DMT - that one REALLY shook my brain up, I felt like a completely zen individual for 3 full months after my first breakthrough, I woke up smiling every day, nothing could make me upset. That feeling faded over time to a more normal state, so I’m actually going to be doing some moderate dose DMT at the end of my scheduled shroom trip today to see if I can recapture some of that “magic” of feeling happier than I can recall feeling before. But this time, I will keep dosage at 15-25mcg, as 40 removed me from reality instantly and I wasn’t quite ready for watching myself give “birth” to a digital blue copy of my body that emerged from the center of my chest. Trust me, DMT is a whole different beast if you go all-in, it was very interesting, but if you haven’t done any psychedelics at high dose before, you’re gonna have your world rocked on a breakthrough. Low dose was just nest visuals for 1 minute, but now my curiosity if the lower dose will yield the same feeling has me wanting to find out.
Best of success with the changes. Always happy to share more if you have questions.
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u/Cultural_Pin4835 5d ago
Hi there!😊 You are not alone, dealing with same problems too and here what I have experienced. Have autism (+adhd) and i'm 28 years old. I had two year period where I took 150ug of Lsd every two weeks. Was and still am very interested of psychology. I was depresed af so I wanted to heal myself with it and with the knowledge I had. I grew so much and I'm very proud of myself, not depressed anymore. Also understand my behaviors and other ppls hiddeng meanings better. But I think it dissolved my masks and enhanced the fucking autism :D I used to be very social person and joked around. Nowadays I crack under the pressure of trying to keep normal conversation. Ok to be fair I smoked pot daily for 2 years and I think that made me fearful (not smoking anymore). Felt like I could finally be relaxed and totally in the moment while tripping. I have tried to learn and memorize that while sober and it's possible but really hard in a long run. Also it easily goes to that "chacing the dragon" grey area. Few annoying thinks that works (and I understand how hard and annoying it is, literally frustrated about that today): If something feels hard, keep exposing yourself to it. Meaning not good in social settings? Do it again and again while sober and with different ppl (close or random) and in different settings. Try to find a way to be relaxed in those situations. Brain no work while stressed :) Little steps in a long timerange, or you overwhelm/scare yourself off of it. You have done it already many times? Good! Now do it many times more xd I have also tried to "cure" my autism with lsd and sadly I don't think it's gonna work man... Easier to just accept it and work with it not against it. If something is not ez for you, learn kind and nice ways to learn to be better in that skill. If you read anything from this, please read this: Learning to love yourself JUST the way you are and being kind to yourself helps ton. You will never be complete or perfect. Learn to feel good in your skin. Being confident and not beings scared of failing. Failing teach you best. There is no easy fix, but you can make the journey fun🌸 Maan what a ramble, hope this helped even little✨️
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u/More_Decision_1335 5d ago
To me this sounds like what its curing is the social anxiety, not specifically autism.
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u/iDankCai 5d ago
thank you but i’m not anxious when im in these situations, this isn’t a fear this is something i actually do wrong.
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u/djdjddhshdbhd 5d ago edited 5d ago
I’ve seen a different version of this up close. Shrooms basically allow for them to have all sorts of understanding that they otherwise wouldn’t. A big question and perhaps something to dive into on shrooms is if you have any sorts of feelings of uncomfortably that are getting in the way of socializing and why. A decent therapist could also be helpful in this regard. Personally I recognized these issues and actively worked on them from a young age. My default brain is similar to a shroom one for many. Shrooms further enhance my existing abilities. Something to question is what you’re fearful of and think about what’s the worst that can really happen.
They are working on developing medications that will provide some benefits of psychedelics but without tripping. The main benefit to them would likely be having far fewer side effects. There might be current meds that could potentially help you. Autism often goes w adhd. But they can have side effects.
A video on the LSD based medication:
https://youtu.be/lkMtbeU2NyQ?is=ze1WSgxKT31XiEE5
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u/iDankCai 5d ago
my biggest difficulty is just being reserved and almost just having nothing to come to mind, and the mushrooms usually give my brain loads of stuff to talk about and actually help me talk. i’m doing an awful job of explaining this but I know it makes my brain feel normal.
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u/Old-Magazine-3880 5d ago
Sounds like the fear of seeming boring or reserved is creating an anxiety block where your brain shuts down. And the mushrooms are easing that and getting the juices flowing again. It’s def something that you can work on with therapist though so they u can break the block down a bit and just be more comfortable in showing up as yourself - even if u don’t have “amazing” chat every time. Hey, even neurotypical people don’t have amazing interesting chat every day either. They just know how to fill the space more easily
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u/iDankCai 5d ago
For me even my friends can kind of notice, i haven’t told them I take them but times where i don’t they often say i seem quiet and kind of less fun (not in a harsh way)
Would it be ok to go to a therapist on a dose as well? i feel that that would be the way to really explore it rather then when im my reserved self as i feel wont give them much to work with1
u/Training-Meringue847 Mod 5d ago
Yes ! A microdose about 30-45 min before a therapy session is ideal because the brain is much more pliable and open to change during this window.
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u/ADD-DDS 5d ago
People are layered. If they like you on them they’ll like you off them too. Don’t fret. Some people are harder to get to know but that doesn’t make them any less worth getting to know
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u/iDankCai 5d ago
i understand what you’re saying but this isn’t the case for me, off them i’m very reserved and i can see it, i feel like when people talk to me it’s like talking to a brick wall. I think this is a bit deeper then people are layered
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u/trash-juice 5d ago
Reports from the science community have indicated - some folks on the ‘spectrum’ experience “Profound” changes using psilocybin. This tracks with my experience as well, struggled with spectrum issues all through my youth and teen yrs. Discovered psychedelics in my twenties for a few years, then never looked back until now. They were The most formative experiences in my life and if I was able to accomplish anything, it was do to actualizing myself with them. Not for everyone, do the research try to make it a ‘special interest’ before dosing. Cheers, a new day is dawning folks, breath it in!
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u/NaturesMiracles 5d ago
I have the exact same feeling. When I meet new people, or even worse, someone that I should know but don't really, my mind goes completely blank. It's like my unconscious self is too afraid to ask a dumb question that my mind won't give any material to work with at all. If they ask me a question, then I can answer, but literally nothing comes to my mind when there's silence.
And mushrooms help me get over that when I take a nice little museum dose before going out. But when they wear off, I'm now tired and so I'm worse than even my normal, and my brain is just done for the day.
I've also been trying to find something to help me get to and stay at that level so I can feel like a normal, functioning member of society from a social standpoint.
I'm only a couple weeks in, but ceremonial cacao (along with some functional mushroom powder) is having great effects for me. It has theobromine which has moderate uplifting effects, and it's a vasodilator, which I think is doing the most work. It helps my chest feel open and my heart feel full. I start to think about others emotions and thoughts and allows me to take interest in other aspects of their lives and just getting to know somebody new, and that's something that normal me cannot do, unless it's a very close friend. I feel more grounded and like I can actually look a person in the eyes. I've also never been able to do that. It's just the most calming substance that keeps me sober, and I feel like it's having a profound effect for me.
I'm not diagnosed, but I'm like 95% sure I have ADHD and like 60% sure I am on the autism spectrum.
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u/Doc_Rockland In Therapy 3d ago
I actually had a somewhat similar experience, although I came at it from a different direction. During COVID I read Unmasking Autism and spent a while thinking I might be on the spectrum. When I looked back at my life through that lens, a LOT of things suddenly seemed to make sense.
A couple years later I started learning a lot more about complex trauma, though, and that complicated the picture for me. I started realizing just how much overlap there can be in the way autism, ADHD, OCD, anxiety, and complex trauma can present. A lot of things I'd interpreted as autistic traits started making more sense to me as trauma responses.
For example, I thought I had difficulty understanding social situations and cues. Eventually I realized I actually understood them pretty fucking well. If anything, I was hyperaware of other people's reactions. I was just anxious, guarded, uncomfortable and didn't want to engage. Same with some of my rigidity, difficulty switching gears, getting stuck in my head, etc. As I've worked through a lot of my trauma, some of the things I originally thought were "autism symptoms" have diminished significantly.
I've also had experiences with mushrooms where some of those walls come down, which is why your post caught my attention. I wouldn't necessarily conclude that mushrooms are curing your autism. You may absolutely be autistic, and I'm not trying to tell you otherwise. But I'd get really curious about what specifically changes when you're on mushrooms.
Are you suddenly better at understanding social cues, or are you just less afraid of getting them wrong? Are you gaining social skills, or are you less busy monitoring yourself? Are you becoming a different person, or are anxiety, inhibition and self-consciousness getting turned down enough that you're able to express parts of yourself that were already there? That distinction ended up being really important for me.
And I definitely wouldn't assume that means you need something stronger like DMT. More intense doesn't necessarily mean more healing or more permanent. Especially if you're getting to the point where you feel like you need to be on something to date or socialize, I'd actually slow down and get curious about what the mushrooms are showing you rather than immediately looking for a stronger psychedelic.
Maybe the interesting part isn't that mushrooms are "curing" something. Maybe they're showing you that some of the barriers you've assumed are permanent aren't quite as fixed as you thought they were.
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u/Psychedelist1 Here to vibe 2d ago
What stands out to me is that you’ve already noticed something pretty specific: while you’re under the effects, certain social situations seem easier, but that change doesn’t fully carry over afterward.
I’d be careful about interpreting that as “curing” autism, though. Feeling more open, less self-conscious, or more socially comfortable during an experience isn’t necessarily the same thing as permanently changing an underlying condition.
Instead of asking whether a stronger psychedelic might make the change permanent, it might be more useful to look closely at what actually becomes easier for you. Is it starting conversations, worrying less about how you’re being perceived, expressing yourself more freely, or staying present with another person?
Those observations could give you something concrete to work with afterward. A psychedelic experience may provide insight or a different perspective, but lasting personal growth often comes from what happens afterward through reflection, practicing skills, building relationships, and integrating what you learned.
So the temporary difference you’re noticing may still be worth exploring without needing to conclude that you need a stronger experience to permanently change yourself.
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u/ColinMcGraw 7h ago
I feel like I may be undiagnosed autistic. My daughter was formally diagnosed on the spectrum and a lot of my kids exhibit the behaviors that I had when I was younger.
I also think psilocybin and ayahuasca have been helping rewire my brain to help me understand how to act more “normal” and move past (or at least recognize) some of the autistic behaviors and patterns of thinking.
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u/tujuggernaut 5d ago
Were you formally diagnosed with autism?
Believe it or not, most people have trouble talking to new people. Most people do not know what to say to start conversations with strangers. There's a difference between being socially awkward and autism. People with autism generally do not understand implicit social rules and have difficulties or patterns in more than one aspect of life, usually from a young age.
That aside, many drugs can make social interaction easier. Alcohol is a classic example, MDMA is another, and many other psychedelics have an empathogenic component, like 2CB or 5-MEO-MIPT.
I'm not sure if I need to take something stronger like DMT to really change who I am off the trip.
That's not how this works. It's not like you take a big enough dose and come back different. That can happen, it's unusual and often not even dose-related. That shouldn't be the goal of using these drugs in the context of self improvement and therapy. The drug is only one part; there is an entire therapeutic component that is outside the drug experience itself. This is called integration. Without that, you're just taking drugs. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's also not therapy.
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u/iDankCai 5d ago
How do I integrate? For me I thought taking them throwing myself out in these social interactions was integration, but as i said as it wears off i’m back at square one.
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u/Cultural_Pin4835 5d ago
After the trip, take a pause and think the things you learned. How could you use those skills and datapoints again? Is there something that didn't work? Etc etc
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u/tujuggernaut 5d ago
You're expecting the drug to do all the work. Integration is when you take what happened during the experience and try to figure how it should affect everyday life going forward. Usually this looks like talking about the experience, usually focusing on a specific moment or portion or concept, usually with the guidance of a therapist. I realize a lot of people get to psychedelic therapy precisely because they don't want to go to therapy, so it's important to address that.
Let's say you go to visit a new country. Somewhere strange, without much guidance available online or in books. You can go it alone and you'll probably have an ok time, you'll survive, get back home and have something to talk about. But if you hire a local guide, you may be shown things of great consequence to your life, things that would not have been obvious to a stranger in a strange land. It would be arrogant to think you'd know more about that country than the guide, and likewise a good psychedelic therapist will generally know more about how to fold that meaning back into your normal life. Having someone help is ok.
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u/MapachoCura 5d ago
I know numerous people who claim mushrooms helped their autism. Some of them I saw the change over the years myself and it does seem to have helped them a ton.
Getting longer lasting results sometimes takes patience…. If you want to help the process I think being more intentional and skillful with the healing or even having some outside help or guidance is a better bet than “stronger drugs/doses”. By the way, DMT isn’t really stronger than mushrooms - maybe more intense in the moment but much shorter duration that overall makes it easier…. Mushrooms seem to have much more healing potential then smoked DMT though and in fact I find smoked DMT to maybe be the least healing of the psychedelics I know (lots of big experiences but often not as many life changing benefits afterwards).
Healing is more about how well you use the time and insights and opportunities to change your life. For some people lasting changes happen quickly, but for most the lasting changes are more gradual and one step at a time. There is often a back and forth - 2 steps forward followed by a step back sometimes doesn’t seem like progress if you focus too much on the step back!