Microdosing psychedelics is a practice made popular in Western culture by silicon valley tech entrepreneurs touting its ability to boost their creativity and productivity in highly competitive work environments. In this article we will discuss microdosing in popular practice, the diverse ways it can be helpful as part of a mindful integration practice tool as well some considerations when approaching microdosing.

What is microdosing?

Microdosing refers to taking sub-perceptual doses of a psychedelic to facilitate improved daily functioning. There is no “trip” to be experienced by the conscious mind as a traditional microdose is typically one tenth of a standard full dose: for reference, a standard dose that would introduce the full spectrum of effects of psilocybin mushrooms is considered to be anywhere from 2.0-3.5 grams, thus a typical a micro-dose can be anywhere 0.2-0.35 grams - or around a third of one gram. The exact amount depends on variables such as each individual’s tolerance, biochemistry, and also the potency of the substance. As a harm reduction rule of thumb with psychedelics, it is always in the user’s favor to start off with a reduced amount (read: the lower end of the spectrum) which may be adjusted accordingly in upcoming microdosing days.

Despite the sub-perceptual nature of the dose, similar to the mechanism of full dose journeys (though with much less intensity) microdosing makes unconscious content more available and accessible: psychic material such as thoughts, feelings, behaviors, memories and traumas we hold outside of conscious awareness may be made aware. As with any mind-altering substance, taking appropriate caution and utilizing deliberate intention are still very much appropriate and recommended.

Why not just take the full dose?

While taking a full dose of psilocybin mushrooms or LSD can be beneficial for some people and certain mental health conditions, microdosing can be a much better fit in some circumstances while also being just as effective - depending on the person, and their goals.

For example, psilocybin-containing mushrooms are typically microdosed to relieve anxiety, depression, increase empathy and facilitate heightened emotional connection and awareness. It is thought to mimic effects of some antidepressants, and can be used to alleviate some of the effects that are prevalent while tapering off this class of pharmaceuticals. Individuals who harbor a desire to live their life free of medication and for which abruptly discontinuing the use of pharmaceuticals due to severe withdrawal symptoms may not be an option, might benefit from the relief that microdosing practice can provide.

People who microdose LSD report elevated mood, higher energy for increased focus and productivity, sharpened cognition and thinking, increased ability to problem solve, increased creativity, improved relational skills, and also heightened spiritual awareness. Individuals who are looking to manage stress, relieve anxiety, gain clarity and emotional connection, improve performance and are seeking a life-management supplement not unsimilar to nootropics, may benefit from this practice. In some ways, microdosing is a biohacking technique that aids in streamlining the human experience and upleveling them day-to-day to live their best life.

One of the greatest fears people report when approaching psychedelics is that of losing control, which is akin to letting go of inhibitions as our awareness shifts from the typical Ego identity to other parts of ourselves, our personality and our psyche. This is a hallmark of psychedelic states, and for people with less experience, skill or certain psychological conditions, it can be intense, overwhelming and sometimes traumatic. The lack of Ego dissolution and overwhelm that can occur in full doses make microdosing much more approachable and user-friendly for daily functioning while being much less psychologically risky. When taken in the right dose, microdoses are unlikely to be overwhelming for most people.The Ego (conscious sense of separate, individual self) remaining intact means that shifts in perception of awareness and distortion of reality are more gentle and thus more manageable. There is no loss of judgment and the person can keep going about their day. This makes them a good choice for beginners because they can get some of the benefits of psychedelics without some of the typical challenges. It’s important to remember that even when effects are unfelt the substance is still very much at work in the body which might create some resistance in surrendering to the process, and this can cause some unexpected outcomes.

The Big Misconception with Microdosing

Many people approach the microdosing practice because they hear it is a safe and easy way to engage with psychedelics, and hope it can provide a panacea to their ailments. As with any psychoactive substance - this is not necessarily the case. Psychedelics in general and at any dose amplify energy and unconscious content like emotions and bring them to conscious awareness. This is quite the opposite effect from some pharmaceuticals which help people manage these conditions through numbing emotions and feeling. For individuals who are suffering from mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety and are taking antidepressants, the newfound awareness and sensitivity to feelings can be quite overwhelming, and potentially worsen the anxiety and can open the door to other conditions such as panic attacks.

Understanding the heightening of emotional sensitivity is part of the microdosing experience - and an aspect that is actually very much desired - invites preparation as a key component to effectively manage these potential symptoms. This can be a great opportunity to investigate the psychological wounds that are hindering us from living life fully in a compassionate way. Setting in place an integration practice and support system such as an integration community or professional as needed can help mitigate the microdosing experience and allow for a smoother healing process with potentially greater results:

Microdosing Through An Integration Practice & Mindfulness

Full-dose psychedelic journeys as well as microdosing can be viewed as an invitation for the participant to cultivate a relationship with a healing spirit. There is an opportunity to form intentions through the container of this relationship and ask for higher guidance, deepened insights and/or heightened mindfulness to internal and external processes. Increased emotional sensitivity and openness are common. Here are some strategies for microdising as an integration practice (for any period of time):

Setting intentions: Helps focus the experience and can serve as a reminder along the way as to the purpose and goals of the journey. It helps contextualize the experience, amplify awareness to changes and measure progress. To set intentions: think of a few feasible goals you would like to achieve through the microdosing experience - up to three at a time is plenty. Goals can be associated with:
-Feelings and emotions: ex. understand my anger, manage my anxiety
-Skills: ex. be a better listener, think critically, manage healthy diet
-Outcomes: ex. break through an artistic or professional block, increase energy.

Ceremony & Ritual: Ceremony practice is a shamanic method of handshaking with and merging our intentions under the guidance of Spirit. This forges a bond and a commitment to the experience. To set a ceremonial container you may choose to begin your practice by creating an altar with sacred and meaningful objects, calling in directions and guides, saying prayers, burning herbs, and meditating on the outcomes and what you would like to achieve through this practice. If microdosing in the morning, approach it as a sacred ritual: every day you may imagine that you have entered a daylong ceremonial engagement. Successful psychedelic integration is hinged on consistent habit and ritual that is done daily. While microdosing is not necessarily done on a daily basis, some psychoactives remain in the body for hours and days after the felt effects have dissipated, thus there can be an accumulative effect that takes place not just on the days that you choose to dose, but also on the days that you choose to not dose. You can still begin your “off” days with the same ceremony as an anchoring reminder to your mindfulness and intentional practice - the essence of integrating the psychedelic wisdom into every day.

Supportive practices: Can be helpful to manage the newfound awareness, insights and emotional sensitivity. The idea with microdosing is to “pulse” consciousness as opposed to being flooded by it. Padding the ritual with additional practices to increase mindfulness, psychological processing, physical comfort and resilience, and transmutation and release of excess energy can bring more depth, coherence, trust in oneself and the substance, and prolonged healing. Supportive practices can also help the insights come in clearer as well as take the edge off of some unexpected or overwhelming effects, should they happen.
Some great supplementary practices are:
-Keeping a clean diet
-Mindful breathing
-Keeping a daily journal
-Listing 5 things you noticed were different today, at the end of each day
-Gratitude and prayer
-Yoga of different kinds
-Drumming rhythmically or shaking a rattle
-Hot sauna or hot tub

Microdosing during an integration process post full-dose journeys is one method to remain deeply connected with the medicine spirit and psychedelic space. This can be the case prior to full-dose journeys in the preparation phase as well, however since there is a physical tolerance built up with certain substances like psilocybin and LSD, microdosing might dilute the potency of a subsequent fuller dose.

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What does microdosing look like in practice?

There are different protocols for both the measure of dose as well as the duration of the microdose period: the latter is primarily substance-dependent as the body/brain develop a tolerance to some psychedelics when taken repeatedly over time. Generally, a 2-week period of 1 day of active microdosing (taking the substance), and 2 days “off” (not taking the substance) is an appropriate timeframe to notice change (and if there are specific goals, then results). Breaking after 2-4 weeks provides an opportunity to assess the outcomes, if their goals have been met, what their current needs are, as well as to allow the body to return to natural homeostasis. Then, the person can decide if another “round” is in their best interest. Some people microdose regularly for 3 weeks out of each month, then take a week off until starting again and potentially with a different psychedelic.

Most psychedelic substances can be microdosed and each have their respectful benefits and risk considerations. When microdosed, plant medicines and substances such as ayahuasca, san pedro, iboga and CBD, can be beneficial for some people.The body does not seem to build a tolerance with these particular plants and they can generally be microdosed daily. Psilocybin containing mushrooms and LSD are current popular choices among Westerners:

Psilocybin Mushrooms

Microdosing is thought to work best taken in the morning on every third day on an empty stomach. So if today is Sunday and you take your microdose (“on” day), then Monday and Tuesday you don't take anything (“off”) and then Wednesday you take the next dose (“on”).. Complete two weeks of these consistent three day cycles. After two weeks, take a break and look at your experience and reflect. A great way to cultivate the mindfulness of your practice is to keep tabs on your experience and on your progress by meditating and keeping a daily journal of your experience. After this period of reflection, you can decide if continuing with another two week cycle feels appropriate for you.

Psilocybin mushrooms are typically taken orally. They are usually dry and can be measured into capsules, brewed into tea, added to a morning smoothie or put in chocolate. Pulverizing the dried mushrooms, weighing them with a milligram scale and putting them in capsules will increase the chance of having a more consistent experience because the different parts of the mushroom (which contain different concentrations of psilocybin) have been equally mixed together allowing for constant levels of psilocybin in each microdose. Whatever the chosen method, their typical onset is within 10 to 60 minutes. The total duration is two to six hours, and the after effects can last for up to eight hours

LSD

LSD is typically measured in micrograms. A microgram is 1,000,000th of a gram. One hundred micrograms is considered to be an average full dose of LSD. So one tenth of the full dose is ten micrograms (10μg). Microdosing LSD can be anywhere from 5-20 micrograms, depending on the individual’s stature and tolerance.

A commonly suggested way of achieving this very small amount accurately is to take a blotter paper with a standard full dose (100μg), and place it in a small cup or dropper bottle. Drip 20 drops of water onto the paper in the cub and let it soak for 24hrs. Once the 100μg of LSD has soaked evenly into the water, each of the 20 drops of water contains 5μg of LSD. Onset usually occurs 20 - 90min after ingestion, and the compound is directly active in the body for 6 - 15hrs.

Proceed with the three day microdosing cycles for two weeks just as you would with psilocybin, concluding with a break and reflection period before deciding if continuing with another two week cycle is appropriate.

Microdosing Tips

Give it time: With most therapeutic psychedelic treatment protocols, taking an approach with a long view of around six months is best. With microdosing, working in 1-month increments can be beneficial. Setting short and long term goals and committing to sufficient time to really get to know the medicine will allow for a naturally and organic process to integrate insights gained and adopt new habits, ultimately inducing healthy change in your life. At the end of the month constant reassessment of goals and intentions that were set in the beginning of the treatment is helpful. Keep measuring progress as you might be surprised at the magnitude of effects that resulted from shifts that feel quite small day to day.

Don’t mix substances: In line with the shamanic practice of plant diets, where the person engages with a single plant intimately to be able to hone in on their unique wisdom and medicinal properties, shamanic practices, you might want to refrain from combining any substances. So if you're going to microdose with psilocybin mushrooms, consider sticking with those for the duration of your protocol as opposed to taking mushrooms one day and then LSD the next day. Aside from the spiritual practice of paying respect to the plant teacher, the specific benefits of each substance will be stacked, focused and thus potentiated, ensuring the person is making the most out of their microdosing practice. Other substances include alcohol, caffeine consumption (the later can be done in moderation).

Get Support: While not necessary for many people, external support can make or break the psychedelic healing journey. An experienced and trusted peer, a validating psychedelic community and a professional support system such as an integration provider can be highly beneficial because unconscious aspects of the Self will come up to be processed. Outsiders are able to see things the person may not. Having a trained professional that is well-versed in psychedelic practice will help bring context and awareness, help process insights, identify and deroot blockages and trauma, and offer tools that can help translate insights into changed behavior and improved habits. This can help the person eliminate hardship and confusion while making more significant progress toward their goals more quickly.

How do you think microdosing can affect your life?

For support with harm-reducing education, individualized safety protocols, and a personalized integration and plan to optimize your life, book your private consultation session with Shiri here.

Thank you to Mike Sayers for his contributions to this article.

Microdosing In Psychedelic Integration: A Handguide