The hippie flip, or act of ingesting both MDMA and psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms) at the same time is a common drug combination used both ceremoniously and recreationally to elicit a heightened experience of positive effects from both substances.
Hippie flipping is not a new trend, people have been experimenting with this combination of substances for over 30 years. The idea is to have an experience that you wouldn’t get by taking these substances separately, which depending on the set and setting, can bring about really profound realizations.
If you’re considering working with this combination of substances, it’s important to understand the risks and learn how to practice safely to protect you physiologically and psychologically. In this article, I’ll explain the concept of hippie flipping, why it is highly desirable in therapeutic settings and my anecdotal experience with these two substances.
What is Hippie Flipping?
To reiterate, hippie flipping is when you take MDMA in powder or crystal form and psilocybin mushrooms, which come in many different strains, in the same timeframe.
Immediately this begs to ask the question of how much does the strain of psilocybin affect the experience, of which there is no clear answer since the research isn’t there yet.
This polydrug use can be practiced in several different methods and doesn’t necessarily mean you take both drugs at the same time. We will discuss timing a bit further into this article, but just to high level understand, taking them at the same time will allow them to peak at the same time. Some people would prefer to take them at different times, typically mushrooms first, MDMA second when the effects from the mushrooms start to appear and so the come down is more pleasant. How these are sequenced can drastically change the intensity of the experience and therefore the outcome.
Because there are many factors at play beyond timing, such as purity of MDMA, strain of psilocybin, environment, biology and physiology, the experience is going to vary drastically from person to person (DoubleBlind).
Therapeutic Benefits of Hippie Flipping
Let me be clear that the practice of combining multiple mind-altering substances such as MDMA and psilocybin is not currently supported therapeutically in any outward facing clinical trials, but there is reason to believe that the combination of these two substances can be highly profound and enriching.
MDMA on its own is currently being clinically tested in assisting psychotherapy for its effects of reducing anxiety, increasing relaxation, improving overall mood, increasing bond between therapist and patient, and allowing the patient to tap into a safe and supportive state in which real healing can occur. Researchers are seeing breakthrough results in patients struggling with PTSD because of its nature to open them up and build safety to work through their trauma. Patients who have participated in MDMA studies also report long-term benefits such as improved sleep, coping strategies, emotional regulation, cognitive insights, accuracy in perceiving the mental states of others and improved self-knowledge (NCBI).
Psilocybin has been used in religious ceremonies for thousands of years and is a classic hallucinogen. The results from the clinical trials have shown significant reductions in depression and anxiety. It has applications in several psychological disorders from addiction to end-of-life care. Upon ingestion, it is metabolized to produce psilocin which activates serotonin 5-HT2a receptors which affects neuronal activity that influences cognitive function and perception (ASM). The most fascinating effect of psilocybin on the brain is its ability to help someone rewire their neural pathways to support more positive thoughts, insights and perspectives. This increased neuroplasticity combined with the profound experience one has during their treatment can produce real, long-lasting change in individuals struggling with cognitive imbalances.
The combination of these two substances thus can lead to a very unique experience. Psilocybin tends to bring about new insights, thoughts, and an openness that is usually not felt in normal day-to-day life. People often have mystical experiences and challenging moments during a psilocybin journey that they might feel scared to surrender to and explore. Depending on the dose, set and setting, this can come in varying intensities.
MDMA brings more euphoric, positive, and intensified sensory feelings to the surface. MDMA is specifically used to strengthen relationships in therapeutic settings so when taken alongside psilocybin it can invite more openness to address the challenging parts that come up as a result of psilocybin’s effects on the brain.
The best way to describe it is psilocybin on its own can often feel like a sucker punch you’re not prepared for. Challenging moments may feel extremely abrupt, difficult, and impossible to face. When combined with MDMA, it softens the intensity and opens the heart to want to explore it with a different perspective. Things might appear much less challenging when psilocybin is combined with MDMA than with psilocybin alone.
This unique opportunity can allow for more ease and willingness to explore throughout the journey. This phenomonenon is important therapeutically because often the challenging moments have the most impactful insights associated with them, so feeling more open to do so is a massive advantage. Having a more empathetic perspective on what challenges us allows us to accept it as part of us and want to understand it more versus just shutting it off and shoving it down. Post-session integration combined with this opportunity can lead to very powerful life changes, especially in the increased neuroplasticity stage following treatment.
Timing and Hippie Flipping
The sequencing, or timing of consuming MDMA and psilocybin has a direct impact on the intensity and duration of the experience.
There are several ways you can practice comfortably: taking both psilocybin and MDMA simultaneously, taking psilocybin first to delay the MDMA, or taking both simultaneously and then re-upping MDMA throughout. In each option, you’ll want to re-up the MDMA at least once to continue flipping through the duration of the mushrooms. The reason for this is that a typical psilocybin trip can last up to 6 hours, while MDMA lasts typically 2-3 hours.
Synchronized flipping
When you take both psilocybin and MDMA simultaneously, you’ll experience your peak experience of each at around the same time. Depending on the person, this can be intense and not so pleasant. The other downfall of this method is that the MDMA has a much shorter life-span, so it will run out before the psilocybin does, which for some can be uncomfortable. You have the option to re-up the MDMA at the one-hour mark, but the psilocybin will still outlast the MDMA.
Mushrooms first, delaying MDMA
To combat MDMA running out first and to settle into the experience more gently, you can take your mushroom dose first, then about an hour in, take the MDMA. At about 2-3 hours you’ll take the MDMA again. This method allows the MDMA to outlast the psilocybin, which for some people is a much more enjoyable experience.
Re-upping MDMA
Similar to the first option, you’ll take both doses at the same time. At the one-hour mark you’ll re-up on MDMA and then at the 3-4 hour marks you’ll re-up on MDMA again. Similar to the delayed MDMA option, this will allow the MDMA to outlast the psilocybin, which is more enjoyable for most people.
For more information and dosing, check out this chart on HealingMaps.
What does a hippie flip feel like?
Using multiple mind-altering substances such as MDMA and psilocybin is going to bring you into a powerful state of mind that will likely not be devoid of some challenges.
Written accounts of people’s experiences hippie flipping across the internet certainly contain common themes: intense emotional experiences, euphoria and social bonding, highly elevated senses, and strong visual effects.
I can only speak on behalf of my personal experience taking MDMA and psilocybin both separately and together. Please note: I practiced this polydrug combination in responsible ceremony under the care of a trusted facilitator.
My experiences with these substances separately has made me understand why the combination of them can be so powerful.
My MDMA experiences, although recreational, elicited euphoric and “love for life” feelings within me. I felt as if I truly had no bounds in how I could give and receive love to myself and others. Everything was more enhanced, the music, connection, my thoughts, the energy in the room. All of these things were very intentional and made me feel the most love for my life I have ever felt in a singular moment. It was euphoric, magical, and much larger than I could have expressed in words.
My psilocybin experiences also mirror what the research has shown. Upon taking psilocybin and peaking, I started recognizing new thoughts and observations I had never had before. Suddenly I was a part of everything and everything was alive. The world was taking breaths and I was taking breaths with it. This more mystical experience brought me to places I had never been before, questioning my daily actions, exploring my connection with God, and past pain and trauma I was holding onto and going to such great lengths to hide from. My psilocybin experiences are almost never complete without some challenge. Those moments can be terrifying, when facing something that truly scares me and deciding if I want to explore it or ignore it. The surrender feels pivotal to what I get out of it, but in those moments that can often feel pretty impossible to overcome.
My practice with hippie flipping was incredibly physical and profound. I did the MDMA delay method, first taking psilocybin and waiting for the effects to start to simmer before taking MDMA. I also re-upped the psilocybin at around hour 2 to ramp my experience up rather than hit the peak and come down harder, in other words, I spaced out my psilocybin dosage rather than taking it all at once.
Initially, I only experienced the somatic effects of both of the substances combining. My body was physically shaking and vibrating in ways I couldn’t control and I kept receiving the message that I should stop trying to control my physical experience and surrender. There aren’t many words I can give for this part of the journey other than it felt like I was releasing in ways that words wouldn’t have been able to account for.
Once I overcame this part of the experience, it felt as if these big things kept approaching that I had to surrender to. I had no choice. They also were masked in parts of myself and my life experiences that I felt really called to run to, things that were comforting to me. I imagine that’s a result of the MDMA making me want to feel that connection to my past and showing me lessons within those experiences in ways that felt more inviting.
There were peaks and valleys of the entire experience. Moments I felt just extreme sadness that I had to express physically and emotionally followed by periods where I felt so happy and joyful and bursting at the seams with love and light.
It felt like the combination of the two substances were in a dance of what I would call the human experience: the pain and the joy, the dark and the light. I could clearly see that one could not exist without the other.
I loved the physical expression that this combination allowed me to have. I was not forced to go through this whole experience in my mind, even though I was blindfolded and lying down. I felt like there was safety in movement and somatic expression that I haven’t found in any of my other medicine journeys. It also felt like I was more open to the hard parts than I have been in the past, I felt almost no resistance when they came up, I just allowed them to flow and before I knew it they were over and I was back in the joy.
Though the experience was entirely personal, there was still an immense feeling of love and connection I felt with the people who were around me. It was like I could feel the ever present feeling of love in the room and it felt safe, comforting, and more encouraging to continue to express. After the height of the experience when the eye masks came off, the connection continued to flow in such ways that we all couldn’t help but acknowledge it and show our gratitude for each other.
The entire experience was even more magical because it was in the presence of a sound healer, curating the journey for a small group of individuals. There was a beautiful connection I felt to the sound, at points I actually became part of the sound and it moved me both emotionally and physically in ways that were so instinctual.
My experience coming down off MDMA is usually incredibly challenging, but with psilocybin still present it felt much more mellow and manageable. I was still shrooming long after the MDMA wore off which felt like I was floating above my body in calmer waters. I would categorize the entire last piece of the experience as blissful.
Practice Safe Flipping
Much like any other psychedelic experience, it’s highly encouraged that if you’re seeking to practice hippie flipping that you are aware of potential medication interactions, especially MAOIs. Please consider your personal health risks and any other familial history of mental illnesses. Because MDMA has a high potential for additives, it’s important you test your MDMA before use and avoid mixing sources together.
When doing this independently of a trained facilitator, be sure to tell someone what and how much you’re taking and also when you’ll be embarking on the journey. Having an ally is a good way to practice safely if you’re trying to trip on your own, though this is still highly discouraged. Use your resources to educate yourself throughout the process to know what to expect as you embark on this unique psychedelic experience.
If you’re looking for more guidance and resources regarding the safe use of psychedelics and mind-altering substances, the non-profit, DanceSafe, has a plethora of information for your consumption.
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