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Shrooms, also known as magic mushrooms, are wild or cultivated mushrooms that contain psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychoactive and hallucinogenic compound. Some research suggests this substance may help relieve symptoms of some mental health conditions. However, shrooms are illegal in most places and carry risks that people should recognize.

Psilocybin is considered one of the most well-known psychedelics, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Psilocybin is classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning that it has a high potential for misuse and has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.

What to Know About Shrooms

Although certain cultures have been known to use the hallucinogenic properties of some mushrooms for centuries, psilocybin was first isolated in 1958 by Dr. Albert Hofmann, who also discovered lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

Magic mushrooms are often prepared by drying and are eaten by being mixed into food or drinks. Although, some people eat freshly picked psilocybe mushrooms.

Also Known As: Magic mushrooms are also known as shrooms, mushies, blue meanies, golden tops, liberty caps, philosopher’s stones, liberties, amani, and agaric.

Drug Class: Psilocybin is classified as a hallucinogen.

Common Side Effects: Shrooms are known to cause unwanted side effects such as nausea, yawning, feeling drowsy, nervousness, paranoia, panic, hallucinations, and psychosis.

What Do Shrooms Do?

Magic mushrooms are hallucinogenic drugs, meaning they can cause you to see, hear, and feel sensations that seem real but are not. The effects of shrooms, however, are highly variable and believed to be influenced by environmental factors.

A number of factors influence the effects of magic mushrooms, including dosage, age, weight, personality, emotional state, environment, and history of mental illness.

While psilocybe mushrooms are often sought out for a peaceful high, shrooms have been reported to induce anxiety, frightening hallucinations, paranoia, and confusion in some. Hospital admissions related to the use of magic mushrooms are often connected to what is known colloquially as a “bad trip.”

What the Experts Say

Magic mushrooms have been used for thousands of years for both spiritual and medicinal uses among indigenous people of America and Europe.

Shrooms have a long history of being associated with spiritual experiences and self-discovery. Many believe that naturally occurring drugs like magic mushrooms, marijuana, and mescaline are sacred herbs that enable people to attain superior spiritual states. Others take magic mushrooms to experience a sense of euphoria, connection, and a distorted sense of time.

The psilocybin found in shrooms is converted to psilocin in the body and is believed to influence serotonin in the brain, leading to altered and unusual perceptions.

Potential Benefits of Shrooms

While some people take magic mushrooms solely for their psychoactive effects, researchers have also explored psilocybin’s potential therapeutic benefits.

Medical Use

Can shrooms help with medical conditions? Some say yes. In 2018, researchers from Johns Hopkins University recommended reclassification of psilocybin from Schedule I to Schedule IV in order to allow for medical use.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins found that psilocybin was an effective treatment for depression and nicotine and alcohol addictions, as well as other substance use disorders. Studies have also shown that magic mushrooms were effective for relieving the emotional distress of people with life-threatening cancer diagnoses.

The Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins is also researching how psychedelics affect a variety of conditions such as:

Microdosing

Shrooms are also sometimes utilized in a practice known as microdosing. Microdosing involves taking very small amounts of a drug to test its benefits while minimizing unwanted side effects.

One study found that people who self-medicated with small dosages of psilocybin were able to relieve cluster headaches while avoiding any psychoactive effects of the drug.

It should be noted that researchers tend to advise against self-medicating with psilocybin for a few important reasons:

• Outside of a clinical setting, it may be harder to manage your anxiety and other unpleasant or unexpected experiences while under the influence (potentially leading to a bad trip)
• You may take too high of a dosage
• It’s hard to know the purity of the drug if you’re purchasing it from an unregulated source

Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy

Some psychedelic agents are currently being investigated for their benefits when used in combination with psychotherapy. Psilocybin is one that is being considered as a psychedelic therapeutic for both addiction and anxiety associated with terminal illness.

This therapy may work, in part, through its effects on certain personality traits. One small-scale study involving subjects with treatment-resistant depression found that, after engaging in psilocybin therapy, their neuroticism scores decreased while their scores in extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness increased.

Additional research is ongoing. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted breakthrough-therapy status to psilocybin-assisted therapy. This designation aims to improve the research process and hasten the development of drugs that show great promise in treating serious illnesses.

Risks of Psilocybin Shrooms

All hallucinogens carry the risk of triggering mental and emotional problems and causing accidents while under the influence. Among adolescents, shrooms are frequently taken in combination with alcohol and other drugs, increasing the psychological and physical risks.

Consuming shrooms can result in a mild trip, with feelings of relaxation or drowsiness, to a frightening experience marked by hallucinations, delusions, and panic. In some cases, magic mushrooms have even been known to cause seizures.

Physical Effects and Risks

Physical effects of psilocybin mushrooms include:

• Dilated pupils
• Drowsiness
• Headaches
• Increased heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature
• Lack of coordination
• Muscle weakness
• Nausea
• Yawning

It’s also common for magic mushroom products to be contaminated. One older study of 886 samples alleged to be psilocybin mushrooms were analyzed by Pharm Chem Street Drug Laboratory. Only 252 (28%) were actually hallucinogenic, while 275 (31%) were regular store-bought mushrooms laced with LSD or phencyclidine (PCP) and 328 (37%) contained no drug at all.

Mental Effects and Risks

Mental effects of shrooms are:

• Distorted sense of time, place, and reality
• Euphoria
• Hallucinations (visual or auditory)
• Having introspective (spiritual) experiences
• Nervousness
• Panic reactions
• Paranoia
• Psychosis

Self-reports suggest that bad trips, medical emergencies, and long-term adverse outcomes can occur, particularly at high doses or when combined with other substances.

Long-Term Effects of Shrooms

More research is needed on magic mushrooms’ long-term, lasting side effects. But it has been reported that people can experience long-term changes in personality and flashbacks long after taking mushrooms.

Signs of Shroom Use

If your loved one is using shrooms, they may be nauseous or appear nervous or paranoid. In the case of drug use, it’s always important to pay attention to any changes in sleep and eating patterns, as well as shifts in mood, personality, and social activities.

There are rare but potential long-term effects of hallucinogens, including disorganized thinking, mood changes, paranoia, and perceptual disturbances.

Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) occurs when a person experiences hallucinations or visual disturbances long after using a hallucinogenic drug. These are also known as “flashbacks” and can be mistaken for neurologic conditions.

You may notice that your loved one is experiencing other effects of the hallucinogen, which may include:

• Amnesia
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Difficulty breathing
• Hallucinations
• Inability to move
• Increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and/or body temperature
• Loss of coordination
• Mood swings
• Numbness
• Panic
• Psychotic symptoms
• Seizures
• Speech difficulties
• Suicidal thoughts or attempts

If the mushrooms were contaminated or mixed with other drugs, they may show signs of poisoning, including tachycardia (heart beating too fast), hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperthermia (body tissue becomes too hot), nausea, or vomiting.

Magic Mushroom Tolerance, Dependence, and Withdrawal

Like most drugs, the more you use shrooms, the more tolerance you develop. Tolerance also develops quickly with regular use, meaning that with regular use, a person will need more of the drug to achieve the same effect.

Developing a tolerance can be especially risky with shrooms because consuming a large amount can result in overdose symptoms which, while not fatal, can include:

• Agitation
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Muscle weakness
• Panic or paranoia
• Psychosis
• Seizures

How Long Does Psilocybin Stay in Your System?

The short-term effects of magic mushrooms typically wear off in 6 to 12 hours. But people can experience long-term changes in personality and flashbacks long after taking the drug.

The typical urine drug screening for employment does not test for psilocybin, but there are specific tests that can be ordered to test for it. Like many other drugs, shrooms can be found in hair follicles for up to 90 days.

Addiction

Psilocybin is not generally considered addictive nor does it tend to lead to compulsive use. Plus, people can build a tolerance to psilocybin fairly quickly, making it hard to have any effect after several days of repeated use.

Withdrawal

While people rarely report physical symptoms of withdrawal when they stop using the drug, some experience psychological effects, which may include depression.

How to Get Help for Magic Mushroom Misuse

If you suspect a loved one is experimenting with or regularly using shrooms in problematic ways, consider having a firm yet loving conversation with them about the risks of psychedelics—especially when combined with alcohol or other drugs. At this time, it’s also important to emphasize that you are there to help and support them.

If you have been misusing shrooms, treatments are available that can help. Talk to your doctor or mental health professional about the best strategies for you. 

Psychotherapy is often recommended and may include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational enhancement therapy (MET). CBT focuses on helping people change thought and behavior patterns that contribute to substance use, while MET works to improve people’s motivation to change. Support groups and lifestyle changes can also be essential in long-term recovery. 

Psychological theories are fact-based ideas that describe a phenomenon of human behavior. These theories are based on a hypothesis, which is backed by evidence. Thus, the two key components of a psychological theory are:

1. It must describe a behavior.
2. It must make predictions about future behaviors.

The term “theory” is used with surprising frequency in everyday language. It is often used to mean a guess, hunch, or supposition. You may even hear people dismiss certain information because it is “only a theory.”

As new evidence surfaces and more research is done, a theory may be refined, modified, or even rejected if it does not fit with the latest scientific findings. The overall strength of a scientific theory hinges on its ability to explain diverse phenomena.

5 Major Psychological Theories

Some of the best-known psychological theories stem from the perspectives of various branches within psychology. Each represents a different way of thinking about the human mind and behavior. This doesn’t mean that any particular theory is “right” or better than the others. It just means that various approaches exist to understanding, explaining, and predicting how people think and act.

Behavioral Theories

Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. This approach doesn’t consider internal mental processes at all. Instead, it focuses on how interactions with the environment, including associations, rewards, and punishments, can be used to teach and shape behavior.

Advocated by famous psychologists such as John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner, behavioral theories dominated psychology during the early half of the twentieth century.

Cognitive Theories

Cognitive theories of psychology are focused on internal states, such as motivation, problem-solving, decision-making, thinking, and attention. Such theories strive to explain different mental processes, including how the mind processes information and how our thoughts lead to certain emotions and behaviors.

According to cognitive psychological theories, our thoughts are important in perceiving and responding to the world around us. Some theories take an information processing approach, suggesting that the human mind works like a computer in terms of how information is processed, stored, retrieved, and used.

Other theories suggest that people form mental frameworks, or schemas, to help organize and interpret information. How we interpret new information is then influenced by our existing schemas.

Humanistic Theories

Humanistic psychology theories began to grow in popularity during the 1950s. Some of the major humanist theorists included Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.

While earlier theories often focused on abnormal behavior and psychological problems, humanist theories about behavior instead emphasized the basic goodness of human beings. These theories emphasize free will and the inherent drive that all people have to grow and reach their full potential.

Key humanistic theories include Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Roger’s concept of unconditional positive regard, and the importance of self-actualization.

Psychodynamic Theories

Psychodynamic theories examine the unconscious concepts that shape our emotions, attitudes, and personalities. Psychodynamic approaches seek to understand the root causes of unconscious behavior.

The unconscious represents all of the thoughts, urgest, emotions, and memories that lie outside of our conscious awareness. According to psychodynamic theorists, the unconscious continues to affect behavior even though we are unaware of it.

These theories are strongly linked with Sigmund Freud and his followers. The psychodynamic approach is seen in many Freudian concepts—for instance, that our adult behaviors have their roots in our childhood experiences and that the personality is made up of three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego.

Biological Theories

Biological theories in psychology attribute human emotion and behavior to biological causes. For instance, in the nature versus nurture debate on human behavior, the biological perspective would side with nature.

Someone examining a psychological issue from a biological lens might investigate whether there are bodily injuries causing a specific type of behavior or whether the behavior was inherited.

Different Types of Psychological Theories

There are many psychology theories, but most can be categorized as one of four key types.

Developmental Theories

Theories of development provide a framework for thinking about human growth, development, and learning. If you have ever wondered about what motivates human thought and behavior, understanding these theories can provide useful insight into individuals and society.

Developmental theories provide a set of guiding principles and concepts that describe and explain human development. Some developmental theories focus on the formation of a particular quality, such as Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. Other developmental theories focus on growth that happens throughout the lifespan, such as Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development.

Grand Theories

Grand theories are those comprehensive ideas often proposed by major thinkers such as Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, and Jean Piaget. Grand theories of development include psychoanalytic theory, learning theory, and cognitive theory.

These theories seek to explain much of human behavior, but are often considered outdated and incomplete in the face of modern research. Psychologists and researchers often use grand theories as a basis for exploration, but consider smaller theories and recent research as well.

Mini-Theories

Mini-theories describe a small, very particular aspect of development. A mini-theory might explain relatively narrow behaviors, such as how self-esteem is formed or early childhood socialization. These theories are often rooted in the ideas established by grand theories, but they do not seek to describe and explain the whole of human behavior and growth.

Emergent Theories

Emergent theories are those that have been created relatively recently. They are often formed by systematically combining various mini-theories. These theories draw on research and ideas from different disciplines but are not yet as broad or far-reaching as grand theories. The sociocultural theory proposed by Lev Vygotsky is a good example of an emergent theory of development.

The Purpose of Psychological Theories

You may find yourself questioning how necessary it is to learn about different psychology theories, especially those that are considered inaccurate or outdated.

However, theories provide valuable information about the history of psychology and the progression of thought on a particular topic. They also allow a deeper understanding of current theories. Each one helps contribute to our knowledge of the human mind and behavior.

Studying scientific theories can improve your understanding of how scientific explanations for behavior and other phenomena in the natural world are formed, investigated, and accepted by the scientific community.

While debates continues to rage over hot topics, it is worthwhile to study science and the psychological theories that have emerged from such research, even when what is often revealed might come as a harsh or inconvenient truth.

As Carl Sagan once wrote, “It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.”

3 Examples of Psychological Theories

These are a few examples of psychological theories that have maintained relevance, even today.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is commonly represented by a pyramid, with five different types of human needs listed. From bottom to top, these needs are:

• Physiological: Food, water, shelter
• Safety needs: Security, resources
• Belongingness and love: Intimate relationships
• Esteem needs: Feeling accomplished
• Self-actualization: Living your full potential creatively and spiritually

According to Maslow, these needs represent what humans require to feel fulfilled and lead productive lives. However, one must satisfy these needs from the bottom up, according to Maslow.

For instance, the most basic and most immediate needs are physiological. Once those are met, you can focus on subsequent needs like relationships and self-esteem.

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development focuses on how children learn and evolve in their understanding of the world around them. According to his theory, there are four stages children go through during cognitive development:

• Sensorimotor stage: This stage lasts from birth to age two. Infants and toddlers learn about the world around them through reflexes, their five senses, and motor responses.
• Preoperational stage: This stage occurs from two to seven years old. Kids start to learn how to think symbolically, but they struggle to understand the perspectives of others.
• Concrete operational stage: This stage lasts from seven to 11 years old. Kids begin to think logically and are capable of reasoning from specific information to form a general principle.
• Formal operational stage: This stage starts at age 12 and continues from there. This is when we begin to think in abstract terms, such as contemplating moral, philosophical, and political issues.

Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

Still widely discussed today is Freud’s famous psychoanalytic theory. In his theory, Freud proposed that a human personality is made up of the id, the ego, and the superego.

The id, according to Freud, is a primal component of personality. It is unconscious and desires pleasure and immediate gratification. For instance, an infant crying because they’re hungry is an example of the id at work. In order to get their needs met, they respond to hunger by crying.

For instance, as an adult, you know that crying doesn’t get you the same type of attention and care that it did as an infant. So the ego manages the id’s primal impulses while making sure your responses are appropriate for the time and place.

The superego is made up of what we internalize to be right and wrong based on what we’ve been taught (our conscience is part of the superego). The superego works to make our behavior acceptable and it urges the ego to make decisions based on what’s idealistic (not realistic).

Our dreams can feel incredibly real, which can be wonderful when you dream of something pleasant but just as terrible when you have a nightmare. If you have ever dreamed about getting shot, you might be wondering what it means.

There are a variety of emotions you potentially experienced from this dream, such as fright and anxiety, and it’s a troublesome dream that can leave you in a heightened, uncomfortable state for awhile after waking.

Dreams about being killed or killing are more common than you may assume, and they don’t necessarily mean that there is violence in your actual waking life. They can be disturbing regardless, though, and science is still in the process of attempting to fully understand why nightmares ever occur at all.

Let’s look at why you may have dreamt about being shot, and how you can deal with it.

Symbolism of Being Shot in Dreams

There are two main reasons why you might experience being shot in your dream. “When dreams involve being shot, particularly if the imagery is vivid or recurring, it could point to past trauma or unresolved experiences,” says Dr. Sanam Hafeez, Neuropsychologist Director of Comprehend the Mind. She notes that ”

Even if you weren’t shot in the past, you may have experienced a trauma where you felt unsafe or in danger. “In the case of being shot in a dream, it’s possible that the event itself mirrors a past incident where you felt deeply threatened or endangered,” explains Hafeez.

She says that “the act of being shot can symbolize not just physical harm but also emotional or psychological wounds inflicted by past events,” and that “these dreams might resurface during times of stress or when something triggers memories associated with the trauma.”

Common Themes

Because this is a dream that may people have, there are some common threads that run through it.

Fear

Fear is a consistent theme in these dreams, as is a sense of anxiousness or worry. “This theme can signify underlying worries or anxieties that you’re grappling with in your waking life, such as concerns about safety, security, or the future,” says Hafeez.

You may also feel like you’re lacking personal power, which could be happening within the context of being anxious and scared, or entirely on its own.

Trauma

Having unresolved trauma can both cause these dreams and make for central themes that run through them every time. Hafeez says that’s because “this theme may manifest as recurring dreams or flashbacks to traumatic events, serving as a subconscious attempt to process and make sense of these experiences.”

Vulnerability

Lastly, being shot in a dream may be centered around you feeling vulnerable or exposed, or possibly both at once. “Being shot in a dream can symbolize feelings of vulnerability or exposure,” explains Hafeez.

She says “this theme may arise from situations in life where you feel emotionally or psychologically exposed, whether it’s due to personal insecurities, social pressures, or other external factors.”

Psychological and Emotional Interpretations

Most people have experienced traumatic events in their past, though some of us have more traumatic histories than others. Even if you think you have fully processed your past trauma, if you are having recurring dreams about getting shot, there may be more work to do.

It’s normal for this dream to be highly upsetting, even after you awaken. “The imagery of being shot can trigger feelings of terror and panic, even long after waking from the dream,” says Hafeez, who notes that you might also experience anxiety from it well after waking up, too.

You may also be left feeling sad because of this dream. “Dreams of being shot can evoke feelings of sadness or grief, especially if the dream is linked to past trauma or unresolved emotional wounds,” Hafeez explains.

Can You Always Interpret a Dream?

Why you are having this dream may not be completely clear to you, and in turn, it may cause further confusion as you grapple both with the dream itself and the reasons surrounding its occurrence. “Dreams can sometimes be disorienting, and the surreal nature of being shot in a dream may leave the dreamer feeling confused or perplexed about its meaning or significance,” says Hafeez.

If this dream is a one-off situation, it may not be worth thinking too long about it. On the other hand, if you having this dream repeatedly, it is worth looking into why. Perhaps you have unresolved trauma you need to deal with, or are in a situation professionally or personally where you’re feeling vulnerable or exposed.

Making sure you care for your emotional wellness in both of these instances can keep you from continuing to have this dream over and over.

Coping Strategies

The most important thing after having a bad dream, whether it is about getting shot or anything else, is to do whatever you can to return yourself to a relaxed state. “When coping with disturbing dreams, such as those involving being shot, prioritize self-care and emotional well-being,” suggests Hafeez.

Working on your sleep hygiene can also be beneficial to reducing nightmares of all kinds. “It’s also important to maintain a consistent sleep schedule and to create a calming bedtime routine,” says Hafeez. She adds that good hygiene can promote restful sleep.

If you’re unsure about where to begin with sleep hygiene or how to enhance yours, don’t worry: It’s pretty straightforward. Tasks like avoiding screens for an hour or two before bed, engaging in relaxing activities like taking a bath or reading a book late in the evening, and going to bed at the same time every night are all core elements of proper sleep hygiene.

It can help you get rid of nightmares, and it’s great for your overall emotional and physical wellness, too.

Seeking Professional Help

As much as you might want to be able to deal with this dream alone, you may come to a point where a professional can assist you better than you can handle it alone. How to know when you’ve hit that point? “Seeking help for disturbing dreams is warranted when they begin to significantly disrupt your daily life, causing distress, anxiety, or impairment in functioning,” says Hafeez.

She says that “iIf disturbing dreams persistently recur, interfere with your ability to sleep well, or evoke intense emotional responses that linger throughout the day, it may be beneficial to consult a mental health professional.”

Any type of therapy can potentially be beneficial, but someone trained specifically in this arena is ideal for best results. “Therapists trained in dream analysis or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you explore the underlying causes of the dreams, develop coping strategies, and address any unresolved issues contributing to their occurrence,” Hafeez recommends.