"Microdosing psychedelics helped me lift a veil of hopelessness that gave me a chance to create new neuropathways and disrupt the catastrophizing looping that occurs with OCD."
That's a quote from a real person who received amazing relief from her OCD by microdosing.
When people talk about life-changing experiences from psychedelics and plant medicines, they are usually discussing macrodosing -- taking a fairly large quantity of a psychoactive substance in order to have that unique psychedelic experience of seeing images and shapes and colors, as well as journeys to other places, and a pathway to healing past traumas.
But macrodosing is not the only way to use these medicines. In fact, there is a growing body of (mostly anecdotal) evidence that shows the many benefits of microdosing -- consuming very small amounts of the medicine. With microdosing, you can get many of the "brain" benefits of the medicine without getting the "psychedelic" experience.
What are some of these psychedelic medicines? Psilocybin, Ayahuasca/DMT, LSD, mescaline, MDMA, and Ibogaine. In terms of microdosing, most people do so with psilocybin or LSD (mainly due to availability).
People are microdosing psychedelics to help deal with anxiety and depression -- while others are doing so for an increase in productivity, to enhance perception, to sharpen focus, deepen levels of creativity, to foster spiritual growth. Most of the success stories with microdosing are self-reported and anecdotal, but more quantitative research is being conducted.
The idea behind microdosing is to encourage an increased state of perception and calm, rather than going into a hallucinating state. Thus, microdosing is taking a minuscule dose of the medicine... so small (typically about a tenth of the full dose) that you will not have any hallucinations of even feel high.
Do you take daily vitamins or supplements for your health? Think of microdosing as a daily supplement for your spiritual and mental health, but also one that you don't take every day -- as most people typically microdose in flights.
As always, before attempting anything new, such as microdosing, do your due diligence and research and consult with trusted professionals before diving into the experience.
Anecdotal reports say some of the benefits people receive from microdosing include:
The most common method is 1 day on and two days off (the Fadiman Protocol), with the idea that the first day you are at the full dose, the second at half (as the dose wears off), and the third is a break -- before you start the regimen again. You could also try 4-5 days on, then 2-4 days off.
Another option recommended is one week on, then the next week off. Or, the Work Week Method of five days on, two days off.
Whichever method you choose, most experts suggest sticking with it for about a month before making any changes to the dose or scheduling.
It also makes sense to start keeping a journal when you start microdosing, making note of feelings, concentration, creativity, etc.
Refer back to your journal and your experiences and in future months consider changing your dosage and/or timing.
As you move forward with your microdosing journey, you may eventually taper off completely, take a prolonged break, or simply microdose during specific times, as needed.
One recent trend with microdosing is doing so in preparation for a full-on psychedelic journey. The idea is that you build trust with the medicine by microdosing it first; then, when the time feels right, you can schedule macrodose journey with confidence, knowing the medicine works well for you.
Finally, while microdosing has many benefits, please remember that these medicines are still mostly illegal and cause for arrest in large parts of the U.S. -- though that is slowly changing through the decimalization movement. The other issue is sourcing -- and, again, because these substances are illegal, the sourcing from underground suppliers carries a certain amount of risk unless you are completely sure of the reliability and purity of the medicine you are purchasing.
Find your medicine. Heal.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is an educator, author, and advocate, as well as founder and CEO of
EmpoweringSites.com,
a network of empowering and transformative Websites, including EmpoweringAdvice.com.
Dr. Hansen's latest book, Triumph Over Trauma, is available in paperback and ebook versions.
Dr. Hansen has been helping empower people to achieving success his entire adult life.
He is also founder of EnhanceMyVocabulary.com,
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com, and
EmpoweringRetreat.com.
He is a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds
of articles. Dr. Hansen is also an educator, teaching business
and marketing at the college level for more than 25 years. Learn more by visiting his personal Website,
RandallSHansen.com. You can also check out
Dr. Randall Hansen on LinkedIn.
