I have never partaken in any, but I have sat as the sober sitter for others and taking notes (we're all sorta nerdy so that seemed like the thing to do in college).
I've also heard #1 several times. I've also seen people break that rule. Their demeanor changes as something dramatic is hallucinated—the mirrors definitely caused immediate reactions in the people tripping, but that demeanor change was quickly replaced by other hallucinations, interests in the room, etc. The overwhelming consensus was very positive with respect to the whole trips every time I've seen it.
Well, that's mostly with LSD -- though mushrooms can have a similar effect.
You see your reflection -- obviously. The problem (potential problem, it can also be totally fine), is that because of the visual tricks the drug plays on your, you can see it swirling, melting, bending, etc.
The other aspect is that, seeing your face can trigger self-reflection, and you can start having bad thoughts about you, how you're older, ugly, seeing aspects on your character thay you don't like, thinking shit you've done in the past, etc.
If you're not that kind of miserable person in normal life (or with hidden but known to you pains) you'll be just fine looking in the mirror.
As an aside, no you won't suddenly see a monster, snake or such BS -- you'll see what you see + visual effects like twirling, shine, kaleidoscopic lights, etc.
I've heard this advice myself; and have disregarded it. It's possible to see oneself age, to be disgusted with one's own face, to see someone else's face looking back at you, or be faced with other unpleasant sights or thoughts.
In retrospect, this kind of pat, simplistic advice has the ring of either inexperience or lack of self-knowledge. A person who is in touch with himself and his own subconscious will not avoid looking in the mirror (either literally or figuratively).
One of the most important things one can learn on psychedelics is how to deal with unpleasant aspects of yourself, others, and the world around you. One often learns much more from "bad" trips than good ones.
If one goes in to these experiences with a sincere determination to learn from whatever one may encounter, to use one's time constructively, and with a great deal of honesty and humility, then half the battle is won. Then looking in the mirror can be seen as an opportunity for self-discovery, not as a potential unpleasantness to be feared or avoided.
A gurning, jaw-grinding space cadet. Mad, staring eyes, the waxy, ashen skin of somebody who's been awake for 18 hours, teeth and lips stained tarry black from smoking dirty spliffs filled with cheap pipe tobacco and filthy tarry hashish.
Depends how much you take. Mild LSD experience your face bends/warps or you look incredibly dirty and covered in filth (you probably are lol), medium LSD experience you might not see any reflection and think you're invisible, large LSD experience your reflection may be a monster with bugs coming out of it's face, or a cyclops, or somebody who's dead that talks to you and continues to scream at you as you walk out of the room. I never had that experience but other people I knew did, I don't believe in bad trips it's only how you interpret them. Nothing on heavy doses of LSD ever freaked me out the whole experience was always awesome especially the flying/falling sensation you get. No matter how stoned I got I always knew in the back of my mind this is just hallucinations so enjoy it.
This could have been potential effects of LSD and not shrooms, but they wanted to avoid having a "bad trip". Fear was that you see yourself in the mirror in a way you didn't want to see yourself. Seeing certain negative aspects that may show itself as physical changes, etc.
I saw two people looking back at me. The faces spliced diagonally across the face. Both were me, but there were two distinct people. One eye each. It was a challenging experience.
me too. I've never actually taken shrooms with other people (yet). only by myself. I've done them multiple times, but the last time, I didn't measure the dose, and I took, easily what would be a VERY intense trip for someone (maybe 5g) and I was highly agitated and couldn't continue my meditation. I had to move around get into nature, etc. but then I had this great idea to go look in a mirror. when I looked into the mirror, I totally fell in love with myself, and felt so much calmness and security, I literally must have been there like a half hour.
I just kept staring at my eyes. they kept getting more and more blue, and more and more deep, and some sort of strange peace came about me and my body all over. I knew myself. from that experience on, my whole way of thinking changed and I decided to stop doing stupid shit. since then (been a few months now), I've only been able to focus on getting what I wanted out of life -- for myself and everyone around me too (no matter how awful they might be). I like to say encouraging and uplifting things, only rarely do I see the world in sadness. I can quickly get out of sadness now too. it's all perspective after you've seen without filters
I highly recommend shrooms. prepare though. be mentally ready for a mind expanding experience. if you do meditation, do it in a dark room, and try to get as deep as possible before the effects kick in. and then later come out if you want, but always remember you're still you, just you without a lot of those extra filters (that you yourself have constructed!).
1 - don't look at a the mirror
2 - cars are for real
3 - you can't fly