Join us as we explore the story of what would lead a super-faithful and believing Mormon mother of three to try psychedelic mushrooms (psilocybin) for the first time...and what happened next. Episode Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/mormon-mom-tries-mushrooms-stephanie-brinkerhoff/ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction, Disclaimers & Intentions 00:06:00 Pioneer heritage, parents & childhood 00:21:15 Dating/not dating in high school in Utah 00:24:30 Plans for education, career, and motherhood 00:29:00 Mormon Expectations & Milestones 00:34:00 Beauty school & marriage 00:43:00 Having kids before wanting them, followed by anxiety and depression 00:51:45 Hair career explodes on Pinterest (5 million) 00:53:00 Wedding hair, famous, destination weddings 00:57:00 Praying to HF to take her anxiety and depression away. 01:04:15 Stephanie hits rock bottom before getting SSRIs and therapy 01:19:00 Why mushrooms? 01:31:00 Stephanie’s first mushroom trip 01:39:00 Changing feelings about Mormonism after mushrooms 01:48:00 “Truth revealed” by the mushrooms: she didn’t love her husband and the Church wasn’t teaching real love. 02:00:00 What she realized was harmful about Mormon beliefs after mushrooms 02:15:00 Spirituality 02:27:20 Prophets, ordinances, rituals, scriptures & connection to mythology 02:34:50 Morality, gender, LGBTQ views 02:47:00 Additional psychedelic experiences 03:17:00 Do people in Stephanie's life see real changes? 03:19:00 How is her anxiety and depression now? 03:26:45 Are active, faithful Mormons doing psychedelics? 03:31:00 John’s critiques of psychedelics 03:41:45 Reflecting on her childhood now. 03:50:45 Mormonism painting life as sad, dark, evil & fatalistic. 03:52:00 Mormonism as a parasite. They’re not giving you anything that you don’t have within. 04:01:45 Why she’s telling this story on the Internet 04:03:45 Spirituality practices now. Meditation. Reading. Journaling. Body connection. Nature. ---------------- ABOUT US: Mormon Stories Podcast is the longest-running and most successful podcast in Mormonism - hosted by Dr. John Dehlin. At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We also occasionally interview scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1) Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology, 2) Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis, and 3) Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions. Mormon Stories Podcast is a product of the Open Stories Foundation - a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting Mormons in religious transition. Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Our Platforms: Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 #MormonStories