Psilocybin is known to help with neuroplasticity, the way that your brain connects and reconnects neurons, and can even increase communications between different parts of the brain. It has traditionally been used for its psychedelic effects and, more recently, for more therapeutic reasons.

But how can psychedelic mushrooms, or all mushrooms for that matter, help you with your creativity?

First of all, a cross-cultural study between academics in the Netherlands, Spain, and the USA investigated Ayahuasca, a psychotropic plant tea commonly used in South America. It significantly increased the amount of divergent thinking, the type of thinking where you find a more creative solution to a problem without following just one defined solution.

Then, a study by German scientists in 2018 into the effect of microdosing psychedelics on creativity noted that taking small doses of psychedelic mushrooms improved performance in both convergent thinking – the type of thinking where you find one defined solution to a problem – and divergent thinking. They also tested whether it could improve a person’s fluid thinking ability – the capacity to reason and solve problems – but it did not show any improvement. This caused the researchers to deduce that microdosing psychedelics is more selective than simply boosting brain function as a whole, but instead focuses on the part of the brain that affects creativity.

Although they called for more research into the topic, the scientists concluded that this might be related to the ability of psychedelics to improve this neuroplasticity in the brain, allowing connections to form faster and, therefore, problems to be solved more easily.

Over and above microdosing, artists have been using psychedelics to help with their art, whether it’s visual art, music, or writing, for decades. There are far too many artists to list here; however, Artsy does have an article with examples of artists from all fields, all over the world, and their experiences with psychedelics.

Whereas psychedelics have been found to have a similar benefit to meditation, using the two of them in conjunction can similarly help beat your creative block and open up your mind for more creative endeavors. 

But what if you don’t want to take psychedelic mushrooms? Well, many scientists say that simply taking time in the great outdoors can help you with your creativity. No matter what you want to turn your mind to, getting some fresh air can help boost your creativity and brainpower to achieve it. Why not try some of the hundreds of mushroom walks around the country? Check your local news or Facebook groups for tours guided by local mycologists.