The drug allowed to me introspect and access my mind in a way which was previously blocked. From the perspective it unlocked, it was easy to see the harm I was doing to myself and others. It changed my life.
With all the upsides, it is however still necessary to warn of the dangers of taking mushrooms without knowing what to expect or taking care for set and setting. If you are thinking about taking psychedelics I can recommend the book "The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys", though you should better be taking a guided trip with someone who has the experience and who you trust.
I've had one high-dose psychedelic session in each of the last three years and while the experiences themselves were sometimes difficult, the positive changes are hard to overstate. They seem mild at first, but the unshakable sense of self-worth, of purpose, and of belonging in the universe have become such strong foundations for all the positivity that I build above them that at this point I don't know how much of my beautiful life to attribute to my luck in getting into psychedelics in the first place.*
* ...in the right way, of course. The drugs themselves are a neutral technology like any other, and must be used in the right way in order to be helpful rather than harmful or merely novel.
I'd prob try looking for a counselor/therapist that has tried psychedelics and has helped others. You can probably search for them by looking for healing centers or retreats, specifically in the PNW.
If you can afford it, these 5-MeO retreats are probably a slam dunk, although 5-MeO is not for the faint of heart. Check out the psychedelic toad - hamilton's pharmacopeia for more on that.
All you really need, though, is a high-dose mushroom session with eyeshades and music, supervised by someone's that's done it before whom you trust. Their sense of attention and compassion are more important than extensive experience using them. They're just there to hold the space. Again, see James Fadiman's book for the how-to.
You can grind up mushrooms and steep them like a tea, or just eat them as-is. It's nothing like using drugs, more like consuming a food that has an odd effect then just goes away once it's passed through.
Also, start small, it's useful for acclimating to the whole experience. And you might find what you're looking for without even taking a full psychedelic dose. Microdosing shrooms is still quite active, much like drinking a cup of coffee is.
Traditionally you would do an acid/base organic extraction. But for most purposes, you can STB (straight to base) with a bit of lye (i.e. canning supply) and an organic solvent like naphtha.
Obtaining powered plant material is easy, usually available on eBay or else independent sites.
5-Aco-DMT is an analog to psilocin, and is believed to be a prodrug (converted into target by your body), but I think precursor is a misnomer in this case.