That said, I've heard many stories of people experiencing life changing epiphanies from mushroom trips as described in the article, and I am intrigued by articles like this and the science behind it. Perhaps my environment, or the specific mushrooms I tried made it worse. Also, having tried them once and come out the other end fine may make future experiences less uncomfortable - a large part of what made it difficult was a concern that my mental state would be permanently affected by the experience, and this was not the case. Still, it makes me less inclined to try them again until I'm in a better mental state.
For what it's worth, these were the variety of "magic truffles" which are legal and readily obtainable from high street stores in Amsterdam, but as far as I'm aware the active ingredient is the same psilocybin as other forms of magic mushrooms. I wasn't on any medication at the time, though I have heard of certain anti-depressants and other medication either having a negative effect, or negating the effects of mushrooms entirely.