(Very) High Doses of Truffles

And why I don't recommend them

Written in March 2025

I keep hearing from people who've had an experience with a (very) high doses of truffles. There seem to be quite a few retreats and other truffle providers that start with 30, 45 grams or more by default - regardless of whether the traveler has experience with psychedelics. This worries me. Such high doses carry unnecessary risks, especially for beginners.

Getting value for money

Many providers seem to work with high dosages to guarantee participants an unforgettable, super impressive experience. I suspect this is partly due to the sky-high expectations people come in with these days. Thanks to growing media coverage of psychedelics - think about shows like How to Change Your Mind - a lot of participants expect nothing less than a deep, mystical experience.

In introductory calls, I frequently hear, “I want an experience like the one on tv.” My honest answer to that, is you cannot force such an experience. And that higher dosages are not necessarily the best way to get there. Truffles work differently in everyone: some people only need 15 grams for a life-changing experience. A double dose wouldn't necessarily make that better — on the contrary, it might make the journey too intense, reducing the benefits of the experience and increasing the risk of a challenging outcome.

I prefer to start cautiously and opt for additional dosing if necessary. In my experience, that's perfectly do-able. My dosages are substantial, but responsible. I don't believe in “the more intense, the better."

Too abstract to bring back

When it comes to psychedelics, I tend to work from the philosophy: less is more. This is partly a matter of style, but mostly a matter of experience. During my time working in psychedelic first aid at festivals, I have seen up close what too high a dosage can do.

While a festival setting is obviously different from a carefully prepared and supervised session, I have a hard time with the assumption that an intense, overwhelming journey is more valuable than a more subtle experience. Yes, difficult experiences have the potential to be healing and insightful - if properly guided. However, venturing that far out can also become such an abstract or alienating experience that a person is unable to do anything with it.

What I regularly hear from people who have experienced such a high-dose truffle session: “my journey was incredibly deep, very far out, but I could hardly bring anything back from it.” In such cases it mostly remains an impressive story, without any practical insights for everyday life. That's a shame, too, isn't it?

Trust the medicine

Some providers operate from the principle of “trust the medicine” - the idea that the truffles, as a kind of omniscient entity, provide exactly the experience a person needs. This idea is partly adopted from indigenous traditions where psychedelics are deeply embedded in culture and society. But for inexperienced travelers in a Western context, I find this a problematic approach. While I respect clients who embark on their journey with this view in mind, I do not believe that this should be an excuse to let go of responsibility as a guide. My starting point is always that people should be able to trust me as the guide and the one who determines the dosage.

Break on through to the other side?

Another assumption I have my reservations about: you have to break through something - through your ego, your fear, your resistance - to achieve true transformation. A death-rebirth experience is sometimes regarded as the psychedelic holy grail: a mystical breakthrough you must pursue. And yes, it's beautiful when someone has such a profound experience, or goes through a symbolic rebirth in their journey. I wish that for everyone who consciously or unconsciously seeks it. But such an experience can never be guaranteed - nor should you want to promise it as a provider. Most psychedelic journeys are less spectacular than what you see on TV, and that's totally okay. Believe me, even subtle, gentle experiences can be surprisingly profound.

I understand the idea behind “breaking through” and can imagine situations where it would be useful. But it's a harsh, almost aggressive approach. Personally, I prefer a more gentle stance. I'd rather kindly invite psychological defense mechanisms to step aside, rather than trying to blow them away with a psychedelic bazooka.

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