Hi Anoo,

I wonder partly whether psilocybin/mushrooms might be better for you than LSD with regard to psychedelic treatments (or at least as a way to ease yourself back into psychedelics for future growth). I personally have struggled with varying forms of OCD since I was about 10 years old – for most of my teenage years it was classic OCD with physical compulsions (touching specific things, hand washing obsessively, counting to certain numbers before I could perform certain actions); now I am in my mid 20s and the physical compulsions have greatly diminished as I’ve understood more about this illness and realised that if I feed the compulsions they grow more and more present.

More recently I’ve started to struggle with Pure – O which has been really traumatising at times, though again, when I realised that this was just another side to an illness I already had, I was more able to cope immediately as I know that these thoughts are not me or some evil side to myself I didn’t know about – but rather what I like to call ‘an evil brain virus.’ It’s not you.

I’ve tried psychedelics a few times and I’ve found they can both help and be unhelpful. The first time I took LSD was in totally the wrong setting (basically a party) and the appearance of OCD related stuff took me by surprise and it became quite scary. I think in particular the way LSD makes you go into thought loops can be terrifying if you aren’t prepared for it and if you already have intrusive thoughts. With that said – if you go into a psychedelic experience in a safe environment, having accepted the risks and with the goal of taking the ‘evil brain virus’ head on, I suspect it can help. I’ve found a small to medium dose of mushrooms (between about 1.5 and 2.5g dried) has helped to calm me down and because psilocybin tend to give me a more earthy feeling, and one of being connected, I think it’s allowed me to look back on myself and develop a certain acceptance and view my own mind more clearly. LSD can maybe be useful too if you’re using it right, but if you’re concerned about starting to trip again, that would be my advice.

If you’re really struggling though, definitely get professional help as well as self-medicating. Take care of yourself!!

Hi Clare,
I also live in Sonoma County and I just got diagnosed with OCD. I was prescribed medication but I am looking into this alternative. I hope your son has found something helpful! I’m sure there are resources in the area.

Interested in psychedelics for OCD

Hi Clare,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing about your son. Unfortunately, due to the legality of many classic psychedelics, there aren’t any legal psilocybin and LSD treatment facilities in the U.S. as of now.

Have you looked into ketamine therapy? There has been great success in legally using ketamine to treat anxiety, depression, OCD, etc. You can read more about the therapeutic use of ketamine in our guide here. I would encourage you to look online for ketamine treatment centers in your area and see if you can find one that might specialize in OCD cases.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at brittany@thethirdwave.co and I will do my best to help in any way I can.

– Britt at Third Wave

Ye that makes sense