My Psilocybin Journey

I started experiencing debilitating migraine disease at ten years old. My episodes are intense shooting pain, nausea, inability to speak, blurred vision, and light sensitivity. I explored 30+ pharmaceutical options and found no relief with them. After 18 years, a ‘normal’ life felt lost. In 2017, things took a turn for the better when I came across the National Geographic documentary on cluster headaches and psilocybin.

While I don’t primarily have cluster headaches, I was still very open to trying psilocybin. I knew cannabis helped me to a point and wanted to find another tool. My neurologist supported my idea of trying psilocybin when I mentioned it to him. He had always been open to my past cannabis use. To my surprise, he was already researching psilocybin and migraines. It was after consistent micro-dosing that I finally ended a 26-month long adventure of daily, intractable migraines.

Psilocybin gifted me fewer attacks, manageable photophobia, less anxiety, and a brighter outlook on life. While I am still navigating this natural medicine, the journey has been fascinating. I never thought psychedelics would help my migraines, but I’m grateful for my path of treatment. That brought a new understanding. Traditional pharmaceutical medicines such as synthetic triptans and SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) never worked for me. They are supposed to slow down overactive pain nerves. It sparked my interest in psilocybin science and research.

A 1960’s study showed psilocybin binds to the serotonin (5-HT2A) receptors and works with our serotogenic system. Research heavily slowed down by the 1970s when the War on Drugs started. By the time research started again, there was a strong negative stigma that followed. I am grateful for researchers and doctors exploring natural medicine science as we continue to learn more about the benefits and usage. As this develops, we will learn more about strains, dosing, potency, and more.

Until then…. Happy Dosing.

Xo, Hope Marian

Hope Marian is a natural medicine educator, writer, business strategist, and migraine advocate. She can be reached at hope@hopemarian.com