Podbit · Smosh Reads Reddit Stories
They took mushrooms together, saw visions, and then decided the Catholic woman in the group had brought the devil into their home. Crystals? Devil's work. Sage? Devil's temptation. Psychedelic fungi? Totally fine. The hypocrisy is stunning.
Where this was said
At 1:00:30 · chapter starts 58:07
Shayne reads from r/TrueOffMyChest: a lapsed-Catholic woman whose close-knit, fundamentalist-adjacent friend group convinced themselves she was demonically possessed after seeing 'the face of the devil' in a photo from a group mushroom trip. The friend 'Sarah' had apparently been building this case for over a year, discussing it with her husband and the broader group behind OP's back. When Sarah finally confronts her, recommending an exorcism and warning her about crystals and sage as 'devil's temptation,' OP realizes the entire group has turned against her. She cuts them all off without explanation — blocking on social media, leaving group chats, ignoring reconnection attempts. Shayne, Amanda, and Angela are fascinated by the theological logic: fundamentalist Christians doing psychedelic mushrooms is fine, but healing crystals (which are minerals, Shayne points out) are demonic? Angela draws a parallel to controlling Catholic upbringing dynamics: 'We'll welcome you with open arms — once you admit you're evil.' The hosts ultimately agree that OP had no choice but to leave, as the group had created an unsafe and intolerant environment for someone who had done nothing wrong.
OP's best friend Sarah claimed she had been sensing a demonic entity attached to OP for over a year — and had been discussing it with her husband for that entire time — before finally confronting OP.
A 30-year-old lapsed-Catholic woman's entire close-knit friend group — including level-headed members — came to believe she was demonically possessed after a shared mushroom trip, based on a photo one friend claimed showed the devil's face.
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