So it is psilocybin that affects the senses. During a trip, you may notice effects in only one of the senses, but also in several at once. It may also be that different mushroom strains affect certain senses more strongly than others. The dose can also have an influence (generally speaking, the higher the dose, the more intense the effects). You can try for yourself what works best for you and what gives the most pleasant, special or magical experience.

The effects of psilocybin on your vision

Most people are convinced that magic mushrooms cause hallucinations. However, this is not entirely correct. What you see during a trip is a representation of what can be seen in the real world. Psilocybin only changes the way you perceive this real world. So it’s your brain playing a trick.

What happens is that you perceive colors much brighter, you can see beautiful patterns on plain surfaces, and you can perceive geometric patterns both with your eyes open, and closed. Sometimes these visual hallucinations can be quite intense, leaving you unsure of what is real and what is not. But again, no worries: the effects will recede on their own. For this reason, it is wise to make sure that a trip sitter is always present and that you have a Tripstopper in your home.

Psilocybin and the 5 senses: influence on hearing

Psilocybin also affects your hearing. Whatever you hear, whether ordinary everyday sounds, music or sounds of nature, during a trip your hearing is usually amplified. Again, it does not actually amplify your hearing; there is no direct effect on your ears. What happens is that magic mushrooms affect how your brain processes sounds.

Because of this effect on hearing, people who go tripping often pay close attention to their playlist. Therefore, music has a lot of influence on our emotions, it can trigger memories and affect your mood. Similarly, during your trip you may hear details in the music that you never noticed before, such as bass lines, rhythms or suddenly the meaning of a lyric comes through clearly. Those are magical moments!

Fragrances (both delicious than not so delicious)

It’s a little less common, but magic mushrooms can also affect your sense of smell. Usually you will be able to smell better: scents are richer, more powerful and stand out more. Of course, it depends on what scents you smell, whether you should really be happy with this. The smell of cut grass, coffee, baked bread or an apple pie are naturally delicious and will be able to give you a euphoric feeling. But sweat odor or a perfume that is too strong can really come in too hard and even induce a feeling of nausea.

Touch

One of the other 5 senses that psilocybin can affect is the sense of touch. Also, what you touch can come in more powerfully. Because of psilocybin, you get a closer relationship with your body. While tripping, you may become totally absorbed in feeling different textures (your pet’s nice soft fur, for example, or the ribbed fabric of a pillow).

Not much research has been done on the effects of psilocybin to the sense of touch. But a study (from 2021) found that psilocybin can cause “mismatch negativity” to occur less often. This process can cause you to feel more connected or more detached toward your body. Being connected to your body is important for survival, but also for a good self-image. Therefore, psilocybin can potentially be used in treatment of disorders, where there is deteriorated body awareness.

The influence of psilocybin on taste

It is also possible to have taste hallucinations. When you are tripping, you may suddenly experience a taste sensation, such as sweetness or a taste of melted sugar. However, you can also taste less pleasant flavors, such as metal. The effect on your taste is likewise noticeable when you eat or drink something, with everything tasting more intense. This can be pleasant, making you want more of it or the opposite.