A woman who passed away after drinking tea laced with magic mushrooms had been dabbling with the psychedelic fungi for years before she is believed to have died of ‘wood-lover paralysis’.
New details on the tragic death of personal trainer Rachael Dixon can now be revealed after the findings of a coronial investigation were made public.
Ms Dixon, 52, collapsed hours after ingesting the toxic drink during a retreat hosted by self-proclaimed healer Deanne Mathews at Soulbarn in Clunes, near Ballarat, on April 13 last year.
In delivering her findings, Coroner Audrey Jamieson stated that although she could not be certain the drink killed Ms Dixon, she believed it likely contributed to her death via a rare condition related to the mushrooms.
Australian Psychedelic Society Doctor Simon Beck told the coroner he believed Ms Dixon’s cause of death appeared consistent with symptoms linked to wood-lover paralysis toxidrome.
Studies into the condition found those affected can start to become weak anywhere between 10 minutes to 18 hours after consuming the mushrooms.
The weakness usually affects the limbs, and manifests at times in an inability to stand or walk, difficulty swallowing, or breathing difficulties.
In some cases, the weakness came in ‘waves’, the study found.
Rachael Dixon had a taste for magic mushrooms and it may have cost her her life
Self-proclaimed healer Deanne Mathews and Rachael Dixon had known each other for years
The court heard Ms Dixon had been ‘very excited to go to the retreat’, with her son telling the court she told him ‘she thought this was going to be her big breakthrough moment’.
Ms Dixon had struggled with her mental health for years, but had been reluctant to use prescribed medications to deal with it, the court heard.
‘Rachael attributed her mental ill health to unresolved childhood trauma,’ the coroner stated.
‘There is no evidence that Rachael attended a medical practitioner, had received a diagnosis or was prescribed medication to manage the same. Indeed, (her son) recalled that Rachael was averse to pharmaceutical and recreational drugs.’
Instead, Ms Dixon medicated herself with alcohol before turning to magic mushrooms.
‘Even though Rachael was against drugs, (her son) believes that she saw ‘magic mushrooms’ as ‘a natural thing’. In the years leading up to her death, Rachael experimented increasingly with magic mushrooms,’ Coroner Jamieson stated.
The court heard Ms Dixon met Ms Mathews to ‘learn Reiki and to heal’ about eight years before her death.
In a booklet, Ms Dixon wrote that her primary goal was ‘no binge drinking alcohol and food’.
Rachael Dixon in happier times
Soulbarn in Clunes had been rented out to self-proclaimed healer Deanne Mathews
The court heard she perceived psilocybin – the active compound in magic mushrooms – as a ‘means to address and resolve her childhood trauma’.
‘Evidence indicates that Deanne coached and guided Rachael through microdosing, including on one occasion, instructing her to consume more psilocybin during a microdosing session,’ the coroner stated.
On the day of the fatal ‘healing session’ the court heard Mathews sourced the magic mushrooms for the group and ground them into a powder.
Participants began the ritual by ingesting blue lotus, to help ‘relax the body in preparation for the journey’, the court heard.
They consumed rice with a ‘small sprinkle’ of mushroom and performed a round of breath work before consuming the mushroom tea.
A second cup of tea was consumed about 90 minutes later.
The court heard Ms Dixon was no stranger to the sessions and had attended one with Mathews at Soulbarn every three months in the last 18 months of her life.
According to Mathews, Ms Dixon had consumed the mushrooms on each occasion ‘without any problem’.
Deanne Mathews had known Ms Dixon for about eight years
Deanne Mathews held the deadly session in Clunes
But Ms Dixon’s son told the court he recalled differently.
‘According to him, Rachael told him about her most recent experience at Soulbarn: she said she had a bad experience, went to a dark place, and didn’t feel great afterwards. Rachael believed this was because “they had upped her dose of psilocybin”,’ the coroner stated.
But Ms Dixon mostly believed that the mushrooms were helping her with her problems.
‘I think they were definitely helping her, she seemed to be getting better,’ her son told the court.
‘I knew she was getting better because she would stop drinking as much, she would always tell me how relaxed and how much better she felt within herself and about life.’
At the commencement of the deadly session, a fellow participant noticed that ‘Rachael was on a high, she was welcoming others and giving them hugs’.
She repeated her intention of: ‘I’m meeting myself, I’m going home’, the court heard.
At about 6.15pm, she consumed her first serve of mushroom tea, and at 7.45pm, consumed the second from a small bowl with a spoon.
Soulbarn in Clunes where the retreat took place
At about 11.30pm, participants noticed Ms Dixon was under the effect of the tea.
The court heard Ms Dixon called out to Mathews and ‘was crying’.
‘Deanne comforted her and noticed she remained ‘under the effect of the mushroom’,’ the coroner stated.
‘Deanne attempted to lift Rachael to her feet however, she could not walk. Another participant tried to assist Deanne, however, Rachael fell – “it was a decent fall” from approximately 50 centimetres height.’
The court heard Mathews formed the belief that Ms Dixon simply ‘needed some fresh air’ and so moved her to the kitchen and opened the back door to let in ‘fresh cold air’.
‘There is little evidence from other participants regarding the events of the evening – noting that they were under the influence of psychedelics at the time,’ the coroner found.
‘One participant recalls that at approximately 11.20pm, she heard Rachael say “help”.’
While paramedics were called at 11.53pm, the court heard Mathews made no mention of magic mushrooms being consumed.
‘I was holding a ceremony and I don’t think someone, she’s not responding,’ she told the emergency operator.
When asked ‘do you know what happened to her?’, Mathews replied ‘I don’t know, she was just saying she couldn’t breathe’, the court heard.
‘Deanne was “not too sure” if Rachael was breathing and was instructed to commence cardiopulmonary resuscitation,’ the coroner stated.
At about 12.45am, paramedics declared Ms Dixon deceased.
A police search of Ms Dixon’s home later found a small container with vegetative substance – believed to be mushrooms.
A booklet supplied by Mathews, titled The Deep Self 28 Day Microdosing Experience, was found next to it.
Forensic experts told the coroner there was no post-mortem evidence of any injuries which may have caused or contributed to Ms Dixon’s death.
On November 18 last year Victoria Police arrested Matthews in relation to trafficking in a drug of dependence.
She was formally interviewed and released pending summons to appear at court.
On March 13 she appeared before the Bacchus Marsh Magistrates’ Court where she was found guilty. She received a fine of $3,000 but was not convicted.
In concluding her findings, Coroner Jamieson noted expert observations that interest in and the use of magic mushrooms were on the rise here and internationally, driven in part by developments such as Australia legalising the prescription of psilocybin to treat certain conditions in 2023.
‘This raises a concerning possibility that Victorian coroners will encounter more deaths in a setting of magic mushroom use in future. Indeed, this may already be occurring,’ she stated.
‘People have used magic mushrooms for a broad range of reasons for (at least) decades in Australia, despite any laws prohibiting this, and I am not so naïve as to believe I could propose any interventions that would change this reality.’
While the coroner made no formal recommendations, she warned people to be aware of the possible dangers around consuming magic mushrooms.
‘I have concluded that at present the most appropriate intervention to consider is user education,’ the coroner stated.
‘People who use magic mushrooms and/or (as in the retreat Rachael attended) facilitate others’ use of magic mushrooms should be aware that, even if rare, harms including deaths have been associated with magic mushroom consumption, and if possible, they should put measures in place to recognise and respond to these harms if they occur.’
