Mushroom are not a ‘heavy’ drug but they are not without some degree of risk. When it comes to mushrooms if they have gone bad (dark brown, black, moldy), DO NOT eat them. Moldy or bad mushrooms may contain poisons and harmful bacteria, that could make you very ill.
Mushrooms contain psilocin and psilocybin. These compounds are psychedelics. They will cause an effect similar to a "trip" on LSD. Loss of reality may be experienced and severe anxiety and paranoia can occur. You may experience a bad trip. The most important rule to prevent a voyage into hell is: START WITH A LOW DOSE.
If someone has psychological problems mushroom can add to the problem. Mushrooms like other psychedelics may bring psychological problems to the surface. Now the risks are not great, they are minimal but mushroom in the mind of someone with psychological problems can aggravate them
The things I would say that are of most importance is to be sure that you have real true psilocybin mushrooms and not some of the crap that some people sell/take that are other kinds of mushrooms. Next I would say be sure they are good so you do not get sick. Next like with any psychedelic drug do not take them if you are scared or if you are in a bad mood. You have to be relaxed and you have to be ready for what might seem like a really fast takeoff and a loss of control. People will get ‘pushed back in their seats’ by a rapid takeoff and feel like things are getting out of hand, that things are happening to fast and they will try to control things and you just cannot do that. If you try you will then feel more of a loss of control and panic can set in as a result.
You have to be ready will and able to calmly deal with whatever comes and if not do not do any psychedelic drugs of any kind. I attribute my never having had a bad trip in my life, and that is after doing various kinds of LSD and ‘shroom many times, to my going into every experience with an attitude of this if going to be GREAT, this will be a FUN ADVENTURE and WHATEVER HAPPENS WILL BE COOL!
Your brain will be partially taken over by the active psychedelic drugs but your brain will still shape and form and direct your trip and if you have things pointed in the wrong direction you will not at all like where you end up at. I have had to deal with friends who were having a bad trip, while I was tripping at the same time, and it is not fun or pretty to see and it has to be terrible to experience so do everything you can to avoid such an experience by training yourself to go into each experience like it is going to be better than your birthday, Christmas and drilling the drunken prom queen of your rival high school on the fifty yard line of their football field all wrapped up into one.
If you can do that you will have the time of your life.