There are no two ways around it. Being a mom is hard. The physical, mental, and emotional demands of motherhood can leave us drained. Motherhood stress and daily life struggle can sometimes leave us working to be more present for our children. A mom from Colorado says she found a way to help balance it all.
Tracey Tee is sharing her experience with microdosing magic mushrooms, which she says helps her to be a more "present" parent. Tee founded Moms on Mushrooms, a community of mothers who believe in the benefits of microdosing psychedelics and their ability to help them be the best mothers they can be. Her approach has a lot of people talking, and some are concerned.
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Tee tried psychedelics for the first time in her mid-40s.
The mother of one told Good Morning America that she first tried magic mushrooms on a camping trip with a group of moms when she was 44 years old. She said it was "the most beautiful, confirming, and joyful experience." That day changed her.
"I guess, relief might be one word that everyone could, like, universally understand," Tee told the morning show. "Like, your mood might change to a place where you feel more stable and more in a place of stasis."
Tee knew that microdosing was her new passion.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines microdosing as "regularly taking these drugs in very small amounts, typically one-tenth to one-twentieth of a typical non-clinical dose."
Even though users say benefits include reducing depression and anxiety, experts aren't sure.
"There are some very small studies that suggest that there may be some improvement in mood," Dr. Stephanie Widmer told ABC News. "There may be, from a psychiatric standpoint, some benefits to microdosing and cycling psychedelics, but it really needs to continue to be further studied."
Tee wants to destigmatize psychedelics.
Although psychedelics are illegal in all 50 states, Colorado and Oregon have fully decriminalized their use, according to Good Morning America. Tee told the morning show that she wants to dispel the myths about mushrooms and help people understand why they are helping her and other moms be the best they can be.
"I get really frustrated when people say to me, 'Oh, well, like, mushrooms are, you know, 'mommy's new little helper,'" Tee said. "That is not what microdosing is. Microdosing is mommy is present and aware and showing up, maybe for the first time ever."
Tee is equally devoted to making sure a person is the right fit for psychedelics.
Tee uses social media to share her love of psychedelics and offers moms a safe place to discover what she calls "psychedelic medicine." She offers an eight-week course to help moms learn more about what she says are the benefits of microdosing and to see if it is a fit for their lives.
"M.O.M. was created to support other moms like me … because this healing path is just different when you're a mother. After I started working with this beautiful fungi, my life changed forever and I felt called to share the experience with as many women as I can, from my unique perspective," she explained in an Instagram post.
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The mom of one has been a fixture in the mommyverse for years.
In 2012, Tee and her best friend, Shayna Ferm, created the Pump and Dump Show, a nationally touring comedy show that began in Denver. The pair founded a social media brand, Band of Mothers Media, and a podcast and used their platform to help moms get through the "throws" of parenthood.
On her website, Tee tells her story and explains that when Band of Mothers Media went away in 2021, she knew she needed to change her focus.
"Stick with moms, but this time come together in smaller groups, start talking, and start healing," her website reads. "And so here I am. The mycelial network has worked it's way into, around and through my hearts, guiding me to extend this network around moms. With all the respect I can muster, I accept the offer to work with Its medicine as the foundation of this new work with mothers.
"The old ways, paradigms and narratives that have permeated our culture are crumbling away and there is a palpable rise in Divine Feminine energy waiting for us to co-create a new and more sustainable way of life," the website continues. "I see mothers at the forefront of creating this burgeoning New Earth."
