Episode 148: Amanita Dreamer: Anxiety and the Amanita Mushroom

“Part of what psychedelics do is they decondition you from cultural values. This is what makes it such a political hot potato. Since all culture is a kind of con game, the most dangerous candy you can hand out is one which causes people to start questioning the rules of the game.” - Terence McKenna

General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) affects 6.8 million adults or 3.1% of the U.S. population, yet only 43.2% are receiving treatment for it and many of those go on to have long term side effects from various medications that interrupt their normal daily patterns taking a cumulative toll on their lives.

Anxiety can range from disabling to mild- and everything in between, but one thing it has in common is that it can impact anyone from all walks of life. In other words, anxiety does not discriminate, and everyone is in full agreement when it comes to it having a negative impact on our quality of life.

This was the experience for my next guest who got to the point of preparing herself for what she felt was the inevitable. She just wanted to feel better- even if it resulting in not being here anymore, which led to a remarkable discovery which seemed to reveal itself in the 11th hour- presenting itself as the antidote to her chronic and debilitating anxiety.

The Amanita Muscaria Mushroom has long been considered the plant medicine of choice for those who are looking to find relief from the daily toll anxiety takes on their lives and to experience the “universal ONE”, and the many perspectives it’s psycho-active compounds can induce.

According to Koryak folklore, the Amanita muscaria mushroom was a “sacred gift” and cultures all over the world have it’s properties for a variety of reasons- With its bright, beautiful appearance and unusual mind-altering properties it’s been threaded through folklore and storytelling for thousands of years. It’s known in ancient oral traditions and also in modern tales,

When in Wonderland, Alice eats a mushroom that makes her change in size —though we never get much physical description of it, it’s possible it was inspired by the magical Amanita muscaria. Then of course there is the video game Mario Brothers- Mario eats the red mushroom he turns into his “super form”

The Smurfs too live in a red mushroom, and it is always seen as a companion to the fairies and in countless other references made in art and literature. For this reason the Amanita Muscaria is the most iconic and well-known mushroom in the world. It’s been used as decoration, inspiration, and more. With its shining red top speckled with white spots - it’s one of the most recognizable images in the world.

Despite being given a bad rap as a distinctly poisonous and toxic plant, the truth is that she is an enigma whose likeness and psychoactive properties have transcended generations and cultures. The Amanita muscaria is more than just a mushroom, it’s a part of our heritage - and a rich and fascinating story of humanity and our relationship to healing and the natural world. I’m honored to have had this conversation! Thank you Amanita Dreamer for your courageous work in the world!

Amanita Dreamer discusses her use of Benzodiazepines to treat her anxiety and the long term side effects that developed Listen to Amanita’s sad and beautiful story about how the mushroom found her in her darkest hour. How Amanita followed her intuition and listened for the correct and safe way to prepare them. Amita shares her research and scientific background to understand the natural components of the Amanita Mascara mushroom Learn how she uses the mushroom in different doses How this mushroom has existed for thousands of years and was used She discusses the importance of sharing the information with others and how she has been shadow banned on several sites. She has created a membership to share information for those who want to go beyond all her free content Amanita speculates that so