Psilocybin Mushrooms

[Agua del Cielo]

What do you mean by control mechanisms?

We have countless "control mechanisms" which have the function to prevent certain emotions and perceiptions reach our consciousness and have them "locked" in the unconsciousness.
The basic function is to preserve our current "integrity", the way we perceive ourselves normally.
This "normal state" would be threatened when every perceiption would be conscious. For example, all our deep pain would be suddenly present, all our fears and so on, nobody would survive this.
Also, everything we suppressed because we felt guilt, were ashamed or such, imagine that all arising at once.
Experiencing "pleasant states" can also be threatening, for example realizing that we do not exist the way we believe and instead experiencing a true connectedness or even oneness can be a serious threatto the identity.

It greatly varies, what a certain human is capable of facing at a certain point in time.
What can be pleasant to one can be threatening to another!

So, the basic reasons are fear, pain, guilt, shame, but also too much love, loss of identity and so on.

The mechanisms are also many..
The first layer is mostly intellectual control. This keeps you entangled in thought and prevents you from accessing deeper states as well as from deeper pain.

Being unfocussed often is the next layer, it is hard then to concentrate on a certain topic, thoughts and impulses change and wander all the time. The focus then lies on "not focussing on exactly this" , but you experience it as many seemingly unconnected things arising.
For example, you re currently busy (on an inner level) with issues concerning your father. If you had this kind of control, a whole lot of stuff could arise, that ultimately has not a real deep meaning atthe moment, it would change all the time. The working of the defense mechanism would be to prevent you from focussing on that ery special issue and provide many distracting experiences instead.

Many more, more unconscious mechanisms exist. For example tightening your back or neck. This has an effect on your more subtle bodies, blocking energy there.
So, energy wont flow anymore, this energy could be anything from higher self experiences to deep pain.
Btw, thats one of the principles Hatha Yoga is built around, as well as all the "bandas" in yoga.
The first is meant to loosen your muscles again, so energy will be freed that was blocked, the latter purposely tightens muscles to build up energy.

To really understand these mechanisms, one has to experience the "unblocked" state at least once. That means, when you have experienced a pain so deep you think you ll die, you understand why you blocked it.
Some goes for more positive stuff, you have to experience love to a high degree in order to understand this will at least temporarily dissolve your identity, in order to "believe" that this can be a serious threat, otherwise you would never believe this!

Now, the "consciousness" of the mushroom or rather its very effect, it is hard to tell, what is my experience, meaning, what is my "personal part" and which is the mushrooms part. So i am a little cautious here.
My current understanding is, mushrooms have the potential of loosening or even deactivating control mechanisms and enforcing your perceiption. I would say this is all, apart from that it seems to be completely neutral, in so far as not offering any additional help or energy, similar to lsd which is like a perceiption microscope and nothing else.

You will be, however, muchmore open for other helping entities, since you also do not block them out anymore.
But it is a good idea to call upon them in your intention!

I would note, that its also a matter of dosage, ithas to be really high if you want to go "deep", otherwise your defense might still be too strong.
I once experienced a group journey with five people, all on a high dosage of lsd, and noone getting into an altered state at all, nothing happened. After some time we realized, someone must be blocking. Eventually we found out who, we were able to dissolve the blockage of that person and then, boom, all of a sudden the effectof the substance was there! That was quite a lesson in how extremely powerful control can be.

Another crucuial background is, which part you possibly adress on your journey.
Lets say you want to adress a blockage that developed when you were one year old. If the journey is successful, you will end up in a one-year-old state. So you have to ask yourself, if the setting is good for that.
Will you feel safe in that state? Is your surrounding save enough to enter a helpless state? Is there a potential of "random people" coming by (outdoors for example)? Who is with you? Is he or she understanding enough to realize whatshappening? Is he or she able to hold you like a little child? Is he or she ready and willing to face deep pain when it arises in you?
If the setting is not right and you dont have the inner trust, you will block these experiences, but there couldbe a huge conflict, the substance deactivating your control, that baby state arising, while at the same time you try to control and suppress more since you cannot allow this to arise (because you dont feel safe), in that case there is a very high potential for psychosis!!

So, i believe its crucial to understand the why and how of control in order to understand the importance of the setting and take good care of it. If these mechanisms are not being understood, the setting might be "weak" since you dont place importance on it.
You can be lucky and still have a nice trip, it can be inbetween and nothing much happens due to control or it could be a desaster.

Another aspect of control is:
Lets take an ideal case:

You have a safe surrounding, you will not be disturbed, you can cry, scream, whatever may arise.
There is nothing you would perceive as unstable or unsafe.
You have an experienced "sitter", someone you can really rely to, someone who understands the states youre in, someone that would not not try to block your pain (because he has the same pain and is not ready to face it), but will hold you and care for you.
Someone that can be the help needed in a helpless state.
This will on a subconscious level give you a lot of trust and will enable you to let go of control.
Plus, there will be someone to hold "awareness" or "consciousness" when you enter deeply unconscious states.

In that case it is much easier to let go of your control. If these criteria are not being met, you will hold on to control!

@minyatur and nightowl
as for the release of energy, sorry to say it so directly, but this simply is not true!
When you are trying to dissolve a blockage, entering that very state where it originates is probably the most powerful method i ever came across.
In that very state you experience thevery emotion that created the blockage. In consciously experiencing this (at the very root!) you release the biggest obstacle, plus, with an experienced sitter you make a new more positive experience at the most crucial spot.
This is an incredible release and you put a new experience at the very spot you had the blocking experiences. One session successfully done in this manner will be much more effective than years of conventional therapy!
And most of them i witnessed and experienced indoor, so i really highly and completely disagree here!

I agree it is very good to do this outdoors, but it is not easy to find a real safe undisturbed place. Even the potential of someone coming by will prevent you from accessing these states.

@NightOwl
Going outside later in the trip might be good, but is not always possible.
I have seen many people in baby states,being maybe a year old,not able to moveat all and being in a totally destroyed state.
You just cannot take someone outside in such a state!


edit to add on that:
If you take into account those factors, you can apply them not only to all substances you might use and maybe have a more beneficial experience, you will also be able to do such work without the aid of substances by other means.
What i mean is, when you understand control mechanisms and care for a good setting, you can help people enter these states even without drugs!

When youre not in such experiences, i agree its very beneficial to go outside!