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Psilocybin Therapy: Understanding How to Use Nature's Psychedelics for Mental Health
Discover a new path to self-discovery and healing with this timely exploration of the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin mushrooms.
In Psilocybin Therapy, Dr. JJ Pursell explores the next frontier in mental the therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms and related psychedelics. Readers will learn about the chemical makeup of mushrooms and what makes them powerful, the history of the fungi, the thought leaders in the movement, and the impact of psilocybin on the brain. Additional chapters explore how to use psilocybin with a facilitator, how psychedelics can help users work through deep psychological issues, what microdosing means, and how to assess potential risks. Pursell weaves her personal experience with psilocybin as both a user and a facilitator throughout the text. The result is a relatable, accessible, and helpful guide for those seeking a new form of self-discovery and healing.
In Psilocybin Therapy, Dr. JJ Pursell explores the next frontier in mental the therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms and related psychedelics. Readers will learn about the chemical makeup of mushrooms and what makes them powerful, the history of the fungi, the thought leaders in the movement, and the impact of psilocybin on the brain. Additional chapters explore how to use psilocybin with a facilitator, how psychedelics can help users work through deep psychological issues, what microdosing means, and how to assess potential risks. Pursell weaves her personal experience with psilocybin as both a user and a facilitator throughout the text. The result is a relatable, accessible, and helpful guide for those seeking a new form of self-discovery and healing.
- GenresNonfiction
239 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 16, 2024
28 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 26, 2024
I think I've seen all the documentaries on Netflix and Prime about mushrooms (psychedelic and not) but this was my first bookish foray into the forest, so to speak. The documentaries have always left me wanting more information so I was thrilled to have my NetGalley wish for this book granted by the publisher and be given the opportunity to read it ahead of publication.
I 100% plan to buy a physical copy for myself as soon as it's published later this year.
I was born in 1979 on that cusp between Generation X and the Millennials that makes it feel like I straddle both but rightfully belong to neither. I mention this because cuspers were the first children to go through the DARE program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) at school, introduced in 1989. My class was part of the program's pilot test in our state and as someone with a natural predilection for order and following established rules, I took the information to heart and avoided problematic substances for almost my entire teenage existence--almost, because I have to admit that around 14 or 15 I relit a cigarette butt my mom had discarded in the yard. I took maybe 2 puffs but otherwise just held it until it burned out and relished in the feeling of rebellion (and a very sore throat).
In college I also tried alcohol before I turned 21 and liked the experience enough to continue to carefully hide my decision from legal authorities until my 21st birthday. And yet...
I didn't touch a cigarette again until I was over 18 and nicotine became a legal substance that was available to me. I rarely chose to use it because I don't care for the taste or smell, but I grew up with a parent who smoked in an era where restaurants had a smoking section and there was no such thing as a smoke-free bar. In fact, I often smoked a cigarette in a bar because it made me less sensitive to the bad smell.
And more pointedly, I continued to abstain from anything more than alcohol because although it was not legal for someone my age to partake, I justified my use because it was not an inherently illegal substance for people who were over the legal drinking age. I viewed underage drinking in the same light as driving over the speed limit--everyone does it, some worse than others, some dangerously, but if done carefully--most aren't caught and don't experience consequences.
Fast forward 10, 15 years and I found myself working in the financial services industry during a time when cannabis was (is) still classified as a Schedule I narcotic at the US federal level but more and more states were legalizing it for therapeutic and medical use and some for recreational use as well. As a non-user with a deeply ingrained understanding that marijuana was a "gateway" drug to the truly dangerous substances, it felt like a joke that I'd begun to spend so much of my work day reading cannabis studies from seemingly trustworthy sources. It probably wouldn't be a surprise to anyone else that has even a basic understanding of marijuana to believe that my personal opinion about "gateway" drugs changed as a result of what I'd been reading.
Because of that experience, I've had an open mind about the properties of psychedelic mushrooms.
This book offered exactly the sort of information that someone in my position needed to start thinking about it and to make my own informed opinions.
I'd continue to be wary of any substance that wasn't regulated or if I hadn't seen for myself how it was processed and prepared, but it certainly seems like there will be big changes in the future for psychedelic mushrooms as medicine and I'm here for it.
I 100% plan to buy a physical copy for myself as soon as it's published later this year.
I was born in 1979 on that cusp between Generation X and the Millennials that makes it feel like I straddle both but rightfully belong to neither. I mention this because cuspers were the first children to go through the DARE program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) at school, introduced in 1989. My class was part of the program's pilot test in our state and as someone with a natural predilection for order and following established rules, I took the information to heart and avoided problematic substances for almost my entire teenage existence--almost, because I have to admit that around 14 or 15 I relit a cigarette butt my mom had discarded in the yard. I took maybe 2 puffs but otherwise just held it until it burned out and relished in the feeling of rebellion (and a very sore throat).
In college I also tried alcohol before I turned 21 and liked the experience enough to continue to carefully hide my decision from legal authorities until my 21st birthday. And yet...
I didn't touch a cigarette again until I was over 18 and nicotine became a legal substance that was available to me. I rarely chose to use it because I don't care for the taste or smell, but I grew up with a parent who smoked in an era where restaurants had a smoking section and there was no such thing as a smoke-free bar. In fact, I often smoked a cigarette in a bar because it made me less sensitive to the bad smell.
And more pointedly, I continued to abstain from anything more than alcohol because although it was not legal for someone my age to partake, I justified my use because it was not an inherently illegal substance for people who were over the legal drinking age. I viewed underage drinking in the same light as driving over the speed limit--everyone does it, some worse than others, some dangerously, but if done carefully--most aren't caught and don't experience consequences.
Fast forward 10, 15 years and I found myself working in the financial services industry during a time when cannabis was (is) still classified as a Schedule I narcotic at the US federal level but more and more states were legalizing it for therapeutic and medical use and some for recreational use as well. As a non-user with a deeply ingrained understanding that marijuana was a "gateway" drug to the truly dangerous substances, it felt like a joke that I'd begun to spend so much of my work day reading cannabis studies from seemingly trustworthy sources. It probably wouldn't be a surprise to anyone else that has even a basic understanding of marijuana to believe that my personal opinion about "gateway" drugs changed as a result of what I'd been reading.
Because of that experience, I've had an open mind about the properties of psychedelic mushrooms.
This book offered exactly the sort of information that someone in my position needed to start thinking about it and to make my own informed opinions.
I'd continue to be wary of any substance that wasn't regulated or if I hadn't seen for myself how it was processed and prepared, but it certainly seems like there will be big changes in the future for psychedelic mushrooms as medicine and I'm here for it.
October 25, 2024
I found her choices on when to provide the right level of detail or just move on to be great for someone new to this area.
June 26, 2024
5/5
Beautifully accessible.
I used to be fiercely straight edge as a child and well into my young adult years. It started to change when I was in my early-mid 20s, I started being more open and accepting, although still not trying anything other than alcohol.
I appreciate Dr. JJ Pursell's desire to decolonize the topic of psilocybin and uplift the work and knowledge that has been gained culturally over history. She does focus on American science, tests, and studies, but she does highlight that our views and fear of psychedelics and drugs is very Western and political. She chooses to speak on only what she knows and works with, which is, understandably, Western literature.
This book is very accessible. It's not written in an academic way that is dense and will be slower to absorb. It's very casual, like talking to your science teacher or doctor.
She's not advocating for everyone to start tripping out. She's advocating for the legalisation so people can have other avenues for help, because sometimes pharmaceuticals don't help as they should or have harmful side effects that make a whole new set of problems. Choice is important, and blocking choices because of fear and politics is stupid.
There's a lot of information in here. She goes over microdosing, safety, medical and physical risks, and ethics among others. She includes resources for retreats, psychedelic music, therapy, and support groups. There's a small section on other psychedelics. A glossary, bibliography, and index. This is a labour of love, and it wasn't slapped together with little thought or findings.
She even references Peter Wohlleben, whom I love because of his book: The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us if We Let Them. This book will happily sit right beside his.
I hope you give this book a try. It's not trying to brainwash you or coax you into bad things. It's only trying to show the benefits of something that has been wrongfully demonized. I may never seek out and use it, but I won't shame people who do and I wouldn't get offended if my doctor suggested it. Form your own opinions, but give it a read with an open mind.
It's been a really interesting learning experience! It's interesting to see views and literature change around taboo things. I love it.
June 2024
Beautifully accessible.
I used to be fiercely straight edge as a child and well into my young adult years. It started to change when I was in my early-mid 20s, I started being more open and accepting, although still not trying anything other than alcohol.
I appreciate Dr. JJ Pursell's desire to decolonize the topic of psilocybin and uplift the work and knowledge that has been gained culturally over history. She does focus on American science, tests, and studies, but she does highlight that our views and fear of psychedelics and drugs is very Western and political. She chooses to speak on only what she knows and works with, which is, understandably, Western literature.
This book is very accessible. It's not written in an academic way that is dense and will be slower to absorb. It's very casual, like talking to your science teacher or doctor.
She's not advocating for everyone to start tripping out. She's advocating for the legalisation so people can have other avenues for help, because sometimes pharmaceuticals don't help as they should or have harmful side effects that make a whole new set of problems. Choice is important, and blocking choices because of fear and politics is stupid.
There's a lot of information in here. She goes over microdosing, safety, medical and physical risks, and ethics among others. She includes resources for retreats, psychedelic music, therapy, and support groups. There's a small section on other psychedelics. A glossary, bibliography, and index. This is a labour of love, and it wasn't slapped together with little thought or findings.
She even references Peter Wohlleben, whom I love because of his book: The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us if We Let Them. This book will happily sit right beside his.
I hope you give this book a try. It's not trying to brainwash you or coax you into bad things. It's only trying to show the benefits of something that has been wrongfully demonized. I may never seek out and use it, but I won't shame people who do and I wouldn't get offended if my doctor suggested it. Form your own opinions, but give it a read with an open mind.
It's been a really interesting learning experience! It's interesting to see views and literature change around taboo things. I love it.
June 2024
April 16, 2025
Accessible, informative, and inclusive. Highly ethically-oriented and centers what I consider “good” research. I am looking forward to reading more from the author, and checking out some of their recommendations.
October 23, 2024
It is a great introduction for the beginners, both to those who decide to try shrooms for real and those who want to do a good job of tripsitting.
I was reading this book mostly for the latter, but still I think the biggest insight for me was about facing your inner demons and approaching them rather than avoiding them.
The bibliography section has some gems, too. I can definitely recommend reading the free "Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety" paper, if you want to become a better tripsitter.
I was reading this book mostly for the latter, but still I think the biggest insight for me was about facing your inner demons and approaching them rather than avoiding them.
The bibliography section has some gems, too. I can definitely recommend reading the free "Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety" paper, if you want to become a better tripsitter.
November 5, 2025
Really great insights. I found this book very interesting and helpful. I’ll be looking to buy my own copy as this was from the library.
November 7, 2025
nothing groundbreaking lol
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews