I have seen such wonderful results regarding my micro-dosing experience and so much interest from my friends and contacts that I decided to focus this newsletter on that topicā¦ despite my initial hesitation in sharing my opinion at large on this controversial matter!! š
I actually just finished a novel on that topic [think Bridget Jones meets Eat, Pray, Love in Europe with a microdosing twist] and am exploring collaboration with literary agents and publishing houses. Intros are welcome!! More on that below.
Disclaimer: This article is for information and harm reduction purposes only. Note that psilocybin and LSD are deemed Schedule I substances under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and are illegal in most countries. The publisher and author of this article do not condone the purchase, possession, sale, or consumption of any illegal substances.
What is microdosing? What are the benefits?
Micro-dosers take ~5-10 percent of a full dose of a psychedelic, usually LSD or psilocybin mushrooms, as a way to get the mental health benefits of the drug without the hallucinogenic high.
āAt that level, taken several times a week, micro-dosers claim the drugs improve their mood, boost their creativity and give the world a brighter, shinier quality, like itās in high-definitionā. New York Times
Research has shown that psilocybin benefit patients with depression via neuroplasticity (developing new cellular connections).
Keep in mind that research into micro-dosing is still nascent, most of the scientific tests having been mainly focusing on āfull dosesā.
Who popularized psychedelics and micro-dosing?
First, psychedelics have a long history of use by Indigenous peoples of the Americas/Turtle Island, including the Mazatec, Huichol, Shipibo, and other nations as well as the pre-Columbian Maya, Olmec, Zapotec, and Aztec societies. However, these long-standing Indigenous health technologies have been subject to centuries of aggressive suppression, first through colonization and the Inquisition of the Americas and later by the US-led āwar on drugs. Nonetheless, psychedelics have reemerged as medicines with the potential to address mental illness and enhance well-being among largely non-Indigenous communities.
Silicon Valley has been at the forefront of the trend for quite some time now. Steve Jobs, who had been said to use psychedelics, tagged Bill Gates as āunimaginativeā and suggested that he should drop some LSD. Many in the tech community have been using micro-dosing not just to boost creativity but also to fight anxiety.
Psychedelics are becoming way more mainstream , and thus despite a very murky legal status, more on that below. We can now read articles on that topic from the WSJ [Silicon Valley and Wall Street Elites Pour Money Into Psychedelic Research], The Economist [Bosses want to feed psychedelics to their staff], FT [Advances in psychedelics could change investorsā minds] or even Harperās Bazaar [Mommies Who Mushroom].
If you want to read more on that topic, I recommend the great book āHow to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendenceā by Michael Pollan
Have a good trip on Netflix features countless A-list celebrities talking about their first time taking psychedelics [Less on micro-dosing more on full dose experiences].
Where is it legal to consume psilocybin mushrooms?
This is obviously the million dollar question as each country, state / province and even municipalities has a different approach. Hence, in North-America, the legal status for magic mushrooms varies widely.
In Canada, it is legal to purchase spores and pre-inoculated grow kits (as they donāt contain psilocybin). Picking mushrooms in nature is also permitted. However, the sale and purchase of psilocybin is not legal. Despite this official illegal status, in British-Columbia, physical and online stores are openly selling magic mushrooms, supporting the fact that the law is unenforced. Many psychedelic retreats using Ayahuasca (a plant-based psychedelic) are also held across Canada.
In the United-States, major cities such as Denver, Santa Cruz, and Oakland have decriminalized the use of psilocybin in recent years. A wide range of laws exist across the country, states and municipalities. You can find more details here.
Hopefully more clarity and flexibility will come in the near future regarding the legal status of psychedelics and psilocybin mushrooms.
Why did I try microdosing (psilocybin mushrooms)?
First, I never tried recreational drugs before micro-dosing. That has never been my thing and I never had any interest in doing so.
I decided to explore micro-dosing to see a shift, a leap in my own personal growth journey. For the last 12 years, I have spent hundreds of hours (and a lot of efforts and money!) working alone and with practitioners to release blocks, limitations and emotional traumas. I made great progress, however I really wanted to see a big leap.
I thought that my mindset was still extremely negative, very much in protective / fearful mode, and I really wanted to bring more joy and space into my life. I also felt quite stuck in my way of being, thinking, doingā¦
After doing extensive research I decided to give it a try - no guts, no glory!
Based on the multiple discussions I had on this topic, I am sure many of you will relate to some of the reasons I started this experience.
I really wanted to shift the way I was living my life from restriction to expansion.
What results did I see?
My results have been above and beyond my expectations. As mentioned, I was mainly looking for a change of mindset, from looking at the glass half-empty to the glass half-fullā¦letās say that I got way more than what I bargained for!
The best explanation of how micro-dosing has been working for me is through quotes from the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper:
āWhat was this drug? I couldnāt stay messy on it. [ā¦] I wasnāt high. I wasnāt wired. Just clear. I knew what I needed to do and how to do it.ā
āAll my fear? All my shyness? Gone!ā
āA tablet a day and what I could do with my day was limitless.ā
I started micro-dosing mid-May, since then many amazing shifts have happened for me:
Definitely a way more positive outlook and zest for life. Instead of thinking that āthings wonāt work outā or being afraid, I now just do what I want / have to do without second thoughts with positivity, clarity, focus and motivation. It has really āupshiftedā my life. While before I was expecting failure and was afraid of success [a very unpleasant place to be!], I now expect success and I am excited for it.
I wrote a 40K word novel in 10 days (and I am now looking for an agent / publishing houseš Introductions are welcome!!). I just did it without pressure, without thinking. I sat done and wrote, nothing else mattered, I could not not write. I have started books many times in the past without any success. Here I did not even try and it came together easily and fast. It is a novel, think Bridget Jones meets Eat, Pray, Love in Europe with a micro-dosing twist! Yes this is definitely inspired from my own experience.
I have always been very uncomfortable asking and receiving. My upbringing was focused on me being a giver [a people-pleaser really] and asking / receiving was frown upon big time. Obviously that is not a very expansive, nor practical, way of life! Now, I am comfortable with asking for help, pushing back when people are disrespectful, and with expressing myself without fear or after-thoughts. I have way better boundaries, something I have been struggling with my entire life.
My level of anxiety and stress has greatly diminished. I am now able to enjoy downtime without culpabilizing about all the outstanding things on my to-do list. I feel way more ease and I wake up excited about the new day versus already stressed about all the things I have to do. My perspective on what matters and what doesnāt has also shifted for the better, making me way less fearful, stressed and anxious.
I am also way more present in my daily life and it feels that my days have gotten longer. I can do way more things in a regular day. Probably the results of focus and motivation. I also feel way more creativity, new ideas come easily as well as inspired actions, resulting in doing less things - but the right things- more easily, faster and with better results.
My personal growth practice based on modalities such as hypnosis, meditation, visualization, tapping, has seen big results. It seems to me that I am way more suggestable, enabling me to shift my beliefs and release my limitations way faster and deeper.
Last but not least, I have been very relaxed on stage, in career interactions, and at networking events. I now enjoy them and approach these events without any pressure aiming only at having a great time and connecting.
In a nutshell, this has been a wonderful experience in many aspects of my life. I didnāt have much expectations when I started and can honestly say that it has been a game-changer for me. Will I continue to micro-dose in the long term, probably not, but the shift I was looking for definitely happened which is all I was looking for.
I will repeat again that I am absolutely not advocating anyone taking recreational drugs!! We all have different bodies, mental health and mindset. My results are linked with my own personal specificities. not two individuals are alike.
What is my regimen?
The first questions I have been getting after talking about my experience with micro-dosing are on my regimen.
I learnt about the potential dosage and frequency through this great article and by reading the websites of Room 920 and Shafaa, two of the shops operating in BC, Canada.
I tested different dosages & frequencies and I am also still constantly adjusting depending on my activities, sleep, mood.
I started with 0.3g every 3 day, then 0.15g every other day. Lately, I have been alternating 0.3g and 0.15g every other day, with a break during the weekend. So it will look something like that: Monday 0.3g / Wednesday 0.15g / Friday 0.3g.
I donāt really feel effects, such as being high (only the first couple of times), however I am careful not to drive just to be on the safe side.
I am very conservative with my dosage; psilocybin are not supposed to be addictive but I am more comfortable with small infrequent doses over a shorter period of time!
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and that it opened your mind one way or another on micro-dosing.š