I Thought My Life Was Great, Then I Took Mushrooms in Mexico

Chris Eubanks
5 min readSep 30, 2022
I took this photo at the Cabañas La Cumbre guesthouse in San Jose del Pacifico.

From an objective standpoint, I had a great life before I took mushrooms in Mexico. I was a newly minted digital nomad and high on life. The Mexican food, people, expat circles, and lifestyle had me in a trance. Even though I only had one architecture client (my previous boss), I was financing my adventures through crypto trading. It felt like the entire world was at my fingertips. Yet deep down, I knew I was missing something. I was unfulfilled and my life was lacking purpose.

The First Trip (Colors)

I took my first sip of mushroom tea in a cafe in the village of San Jose del Pacifico in Mexico. At 8,000 ft (2,440 m) above sea level, mushrooms are sold here openly in the cafes and guest houses. As the fabric of reality was dissolving, this young couple asked me if I was open to chatting with them. I welcomed them, but said I had taken my mushroom tea already, and they recalibrated the conversation accordingly. The usual pleasantries, “where are you from, where are you traveling to, what do you do for work?” is very uncomfortable while tripping, and they seemed to read my mind.

They told me they were psychedelic healers, and invited me to their hotel room to sing songs. Since travel is all about chance encounters, I took them up on their offer. I was blown away by how much effort they had put into set and setting for their hotel room. They had actually packed candles, comfortable rugs, a mushroom lamp, and a guitar. They asked me about my intention for the trip. I said I want to find a way to raise people’s collective self-worth, because many do not believe that life can be great.

We sung songs that they had composed themselves, and the lyrics read my mind exactly. Every thought, the following lyrics repeated that same thought, as though the lyrics could see into the future. It was almost like this had all been planned. Was I meant to cross paths with these healers? Then it hit me what I was neglecting in my own life.

I Bought in to all the Fake Hustler Culture

In the love aura of the glowing candlelight, I saw neglect. I rarely called my friends to check in on them. I always thought that working 60 hours a week would buy me freedom to be more present…

Chris Eubanks

Language learner. Rapidly learning the Finnish language. Follow me for specific knowledge that can't be found anywhere else on the Internet.