Microdosing involves consuming small, sub-psychedelic doses of substances like psilocybin mushrooms and LSD to subtly enhance daily life. This comprehensive guide covers the essentials of preparing microdoses, developing a personalized protocol, tracking and documenting experiences, and finding community support for a safe and meaningful journey.
Today, we delve into the increasingly popular practice of microdosing psychedelics. With over eight million people having tried psychedelics in the past year, and nearly 70% of them engaging in microdosing, it’s clear that this topic is resonating with many.
This article offers a detailed step-by-step guide, sharing best practices accumulated from years of helping individuals navigate intentional psychedelic experiences.
Readers will learn about the fundamentals of microdosing, including what it is, reasons for doing it, and the parameters to consider. We cover essential topics such as prepping microdoses, understanding cadence and timing, documenting and tracking progress, and the importance of ongoing support.
We will also discuss the broader implications of microdosing, emphasizing the importance of building a relationship with oneself and with psychedelics, and exploring how these practices can enhance mental health, personal growth, and performance.
This article is inspired by our insightful podcast episode hosted by Psychedelic Passage co-founder, Jimmy Nguyen, which you can listen to on all streaming platforms.
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Key Takeaways
- Importance of Documentation: Keeping detailed records of your microdosing routine, including dosage, timing, physical effects, and emotional states, is crucial for understanding and fine-tuning your regimen over time.
- Professional Support and Community: Seeking guidance from a microdose coach or joining supportive communities can aid in navigating the complexities of microdosing, offering expert advice, processing support, and communal accountability.
- Holistic Approach and Self-Improvement: Microdosing should be viewed as part of a broader journey of self-improvement and connection with oneself and others, emphasizing mindfulness, the art of attunement, and adopting indigenous wisdom on the relational dynamics of psychedelic use.
- Psychedelic Passage: Your Psychedelic Concierge — The easy, legal way to find trustworthy psilocybin guides, facilitators and psychedelic ‘coaching’ near you in the United States.
Psychedelics have been a subject of intrigue for decades, characterized by their potential to induce profound changes in consciousness.
Today, these substances are experiencing a renaissance in both scientific research and popular culture. Among the many approaches to using psychedelics, microdosing stands out as an increasingly popular method.
In fact, a recent poll indicated that over eight million people tried psychedelics last year, with nearly 70% of them engaging in microdosing.
With microdosing continuing to gain traction, we thought this comprehensive overview would be an important resource for anyone thinking about microdosing psychedelics for their therapeutic benefits.
Understanding Microdosing
Microdosing involves consuming small, sub-psychedelic doses of a psychedelic substance, typically around a 20th to a 50th of a standard dosage.
Unlike macrodoses, which provoke intense hallucinogenic experiences and profound shifts in consciousness, microdoses are intended to subtly enhance one’s daily life without producing noticeable psychoactive effects.
Microdosing has previously been described as “sub-perceptual”, which is inherently hard to pinpoint because to perceive something is to be aware of it, and how can we tell if microdosing has an effect if we aren’t aware of it?
We’ve now come to the understanding that microdosing should be described more like sub-psychedelic, a range of dosage that is a precursor to a psychedelic experience.
This means that in microdosing, you are engaging with a psychedelic at a pre-psychedelic dose, where you are still in a general state of sobriety.
Reasons for Microdosing
People turn to microdosing for a variety of reasons, including:
- Mental Health: Alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health conditions.
- Cognitive Enhancement: Improving focus, creativity, and productivity in professional and personal tasks.
- Emotional Wellbeing: Facilitating emotional processing, enhancing resilience, and fostering greater mindfulness.
- Personal Growth: Enabling deeper self-awareness and spiritual exploration.
Preparing and Consuming Microdoses
The first step to safe microdose preparation is a clean and sterile environment. You can wash your hands or use latex/nitrile gloves and use rubbing alcohol to clean any surfaces or tools you’re going to need for preparation.
A jewelers scale that measures in the thousands, or has at least 3 decimal points (0.000g), is going to ensure very accurate dosing. They are very sensitive tools and it’s important to calibrate your scale regularly.
Due to potency variance within a mushroom fruiting body, another key to reliable microdosing is using a homogenized blend. This means that you should grind entire, fully dried mushrooms and mix it well before making microdoses with it.
One piece of advice to note here is to avoid preparing/pre-grinding mushrooms too far in advance. We’ve learned in previous conversations with Dr. Felix Blei that grinding down the biomass makes it less stable, therefore losing potency faster than when stored in full. Weekly preparation is advised, but monthly preparation is also popular.
Substances and Dosages
The two most common substances used for microdosing are psilocybin mushrooms and LSD:
- Psilocybin Mushrooms: The appropriate dosage can range widely based on the potency of the strain and individual factors. Generally, a microdose is considered to be between 50 mg (0.05 g) and 800 mg (0.8 g) of dried mushroom.
- LSD: Typically taken in doses of around 5 to 20 micrograms (µg).
- Liquid form (drops or spray) is popular for microdosing
*It’s important to note that LSD is measured in micrograms (one milligram is equal to 1000 micrograms).
It is crucial to start with the lowest dose to gauge individual sensitivity, as factors such as personal biology and tolerance can significantly influence the effects.
Measuring and Testing
Luckily we live in a time where technology and psychedelics are coming together in the name of harm reduction. We no longer have to guess if a label is correct, or how strong a substance is.
Now we have at-home potency tests such as the Q-Test, developed by Miraculix, which can provide valuable information on the strength and purity of the substance.
Stacking: A Popular Method of Synergistic Consumption
Recently this method has gained traction as a more personalized and comprehensive approach to microdosing. Stacking is described as using other nootropics, whether it be other functional mushrooms or a different plant altogether, for its synergistic effect with psychedelic mushrooms.
Functional mushrooms such as lion’s mane, turkey tail, reishi, and chaga are just a few in the world of herbalism that can further tailor your microdose journey to your personalized needs and intentions.
Developing a Microdosing Protocol
A structured protocol helps maximize the benefits of microdosing while minimizing potential risks. Commonly followed schedules include:
- The Fadiman Protocol: One day on, two days off. For example, dosing on Monday, then taking Tuesday and Wednesday off.
- The Stamets Protocol: Microdosing for four days on, three days off.
The key to developing a schedule that works for you is having variability in your “on” and “off” days. These schedules allow your body to maintain a balanced response and avoid the development of tolerance.
“Off days” are equally important as the days you microdose because it gives the opportunity to reflect, notice changes, and act accordingly.
Daytime vs Nighttime Dosing
A popular school of thought has been to take a microdose in the morning to start your day, but anecdotally we’ve noticed that microdosing can make some people tired, resulting in a new wave of nighttime microdosing.
There’s another form of microdosing that has emerged which has been taking multiple doses throughout your dosing day. For example, one may take 100 milligrams in the morning and follow it up in a few hours with a 50 milligram dose.
Experiment!
Don’t be afraid to try different amounts and timing when establishing a protocol that works for you. Aside from individual differences, you may find that 100 milligrams of psilocybin in the morning works better for your intentions than 50 milligrams at night, or vice versa.
Documentation becomes ever so important when you first begin to microdose and are honing in on a schedule, dosage or substance that works for you.
Tracking and Documenting Experiences
Keeping detailed records of your microdosing routine and effects can be invaluable. We recommend first establishing the variables that are most important to you, e.g., emotional regulation and stress resilience, establish a baseline, and then track those variables over time.
“A trend requires at least two data points and then if you actually have more data points over time, you can really see the nuance of what’s actually happening. So I might say for example that one of the variabilities that I want to track is the ability to have more emotional regulation and stress resilience.
Well, there’s a lot of stuff that happens in life and my ability to cope emotionally or my ability to get back to a grounded centered state will probably vary depending on the day. But if I’m tracking this over time, then I actually get to see and discern whether a microdose is actually helping with that or not.”
As we see from Jimmy’s example, one reason documentation is so important with microdosing is because often the changes are incremental, happening over a long period of time, and may be difficult to pinpoint without a written record.
Another reason for documentation is that a healing journey is rarely linear, with one’s state of mind fluctuating due to various external factors. Recording daily data helps to reveal larger trends that may be difficult to identify on a day-to-day basis.
Documenting the following aspects can help in fine-tuning your regimen and help discern if a dosage is helping you move towards your intention:
- Dosage and Timing: Record the exact dosage taken and the time of day.
- Physical Effects: Note any physical sensations, energy levels, and bodily responses.
- Emotional and Mental States: Track mood, cognition, focus, and emotional changes.
- Interactions with Other Medications: Monitor any interactions with other substances you might be taking.
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The Importance of Support and Community
One of the most crucial aspects of microdosing psychedelics is the need for integration and accountability, even when dealing with the subtle, incremental effects of a microdose.
This is especially vital for individuals who are new to psychedelics or lack prior psychedelic experiences. Seeking professional support can be incredibly beneficial in navigating this complex process.
There are three primary reasons why professional support is recommended for those engaging in microdosing:
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- Expert Guidance: One common issue people face is uncertainty over what effects are normal. A well-versed microdose coach can help you discern what is typical, such as experiencing more vivid dreams, changes in sleep patterns, fluctuations in energy levels, or variations in appetite.
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- Processing Support: Microdosing, like all psychedelic use, is about bringing unconscious content into consciousness to navigate, heal, and grow. Whether it’s a psychedelic coach or a psychedelic-friendly therapist, having someone to process these experiences with can be incredibly grounding and insightful.
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- Community and Accountability: Being part of a supportive community not only provides a sense of being witnessed and supported but also fosters a communal aspect that is one of the core pillars of psychedelic work. Sharing your journey with others who are on similar paths can enhance your integration process and overall experience.
Engaging with a community, whether through forums, local meetups, or support groups, can provide additional guidance and shared experiences, but it’s so much more than what the community can do for you.
“One of the really important aspects of harnessing psychedelics is that this is not just about self-service. One of the keys here is really this notion of ‘how do I do my own self improvement so that I can return back and positively impact my world, those that I love, my community and those around me?’
Sure we can say, microdosing helps to alleviate X,Y or Z symptoms, but if I can boil it down, it comes down to the art of noticing, tuning into the art of attunement, the art of being present. And I think what is actually the most profound is having the ability to view things from a different and alternate perspective.”
When we look at the history of psychedelic use in indigenous cultures, we see this theme over and over again. In bettering ourselves, we are creating a positive impact on our community, and in the art of attunement, we can positively impact every aspect of our lives.
By understanding the substances, adhering to best practices, and maintaining a mindful and well-documented approach, you can journey through this practice with greater clarity and safety.
Remember, the power of microdosing lies not just in the substances themselves, but in the intentional relationship you cultivate with them and yourself.
Additional Resources
For those interested in diving deeper into the practice of microdosing, Psychedelic Passage offers a variety of resources:
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- Microdose Guide: A comprehensive 40-page digital guide exploring every aspect of microdosing.
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- Microdose Bundle: Includes digital assets and tools to enhance your microdosing experience.
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- Coaching Programs: One-on-one coaching sessions over several weeks to tailor the microdosing experience to your needs.
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- Microdose Cohorts: Group sessions led by a facilitator, designed to foster community and shared learning. *Coming Soon*
Microdosing: More Than A Daily Vitamin, Less Than A Psychedelic Trip
Whether you seek to alleviate mental health symptoms, or to simply curb your curiosity, explore every fascinating aspect of psychedelic healing and how it can change your everyday life.
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- You Are Not Alone Unless You Want To Be: Find like minded individuals who can support you during your healing journey, or get safety tips for tripping alone.
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- Dosage Decisions: Everyone’s healing journey looks different, explore whether microdosing or macrodosing is best for you.
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- Preparing Your Mind Along Side Dosing: Preparing your dose properly is important, but it’s imperative to also prepare your mind for the unconscious material that may pop up in your psychedelic experience.
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- Know Before You Go: Before the invention of at-home potency tests, it was near-impossible for the layman to know how strong any given sample was prior to ingestion.
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- Psychedelics & Modern Society: How do psychedelics fit into a capitalist society? Discover what our co-founder Nicholas has to say about it on the TripSitting Podcast.
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- Medicinal Mushroom That Don’t Make You Trip: Not all mushrooms are the trippy kind, but they still have benefits.
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Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
1. What is the difference between microdosing and macrodosing psychedelics?
Microdosing involves consuming small, sub-psychedelic doses of a psychedelic substance, typically around a 20th to a 50th of a standard dosage.
This is intended to subtly enhance one’s daily life without producing noticeable psychoactive effects. In contrast, macrodosing involves taking a full or large dose that provokes intense hallucinogenic experiences and profound shifts in consciousness.
While microdoses aim for incremental benefits in areas like mental health and productivity, macrodoses are often used for deep therapeutic or spiritual experiences.
2. How should I prepare a safe microdose of psilocybin mushrooms?
The first step to safe microdose preparation is ensuring a clean and sterile environment. This includes washing your hands, using latex/nitrile gloves, and cleaning surfaces and tools with rubbing alcohol.
Accurate dosing is crucial, so using a jeweler’s scale that measures in the thousands (at least 3 decimal points) is recommended. To maintain consistency, grind entire, fully dried mushrooms into a homogenized blend.
Avoid preparing too far in advance, as ground mushrooms lose potency more quickly. Weekly preparation is ideal, though monthly preparation is also a common practice.
3. Why is documenting my microdosing experience important and what should I track?
Documenting your microdosing experience is vital because the effects of microdosing are often subtle and cumulative, making it challenging to notice incremental changes without detailed records.
Important aspects to track include the exact dosage taken and timing, physical effects like energy levels and bodily responses, emotional and mental states, and any interactions with other medications.
This documentation helps fine-tune your regimen over time and provides a clearer picture of whether the microdosing is helping you move toward your intentions.
4. How can professional support and community enhance my microdosing journey?
Professional support can provide expert guidance on what effects are typical and help adjust dosages based on your unique responses. This is especially helpful for newcomers who may be uncertain about what to expect.
Professionals can also assist in processing the unconscious content that microdosing brings to the surface, aiding in healing and growth.
Engaging with a community offers additional support and accountability, fostering a sense of connection and shared learning. This communal aspect is a core pillar of psychedelic work and can significantly enhance your integration process and overall experience.
5. What are some popular protocols for microdosing, and how can I find the right one for me?
Two commonly followed microdosing protocols are the Fadiman Protocol (one day on, two days off) and the Stamets Protocol (four days on, three days off). These schedules include variability in “on” and “off” days to help avoid tolerance development and provide time for reflection.
Experimenting with different dosages and timings is encouraged to find what works best for your individual needs and intentions.
For instance, some people prefer morning doses, while others find nighttime doses more effective. Keeping detailed records can help you hone in on the ideal protocol that suits your lifestyle and goals.
References
One in four Americans say they’ve tried at least one psychedelic drug | YouGov. (n.d.).
Today.yougov.com.https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/43267-one-in-four-americans-have-tried-psychedelic-drugs
