All you need to know about microdosing

Microdosing 101, inconclusive research, my experience (and why I quit), plus some tips to get started

From my interactions with readers, I can tell that microdosing psychedelics is on many people’s minds. It’s perhaps becoming even more popular than traditional high-dose journeys, for good reason: it’s a lot more accessible for most, and virtually risk-free. Microdosing is well on its way to becoming a mainstream “wellness” practice.

But is it really possible to get the benefits of psychedelics without the classical, intense, sometimes grueling, and arguably more risky psychedelic journey?

The lure is promising: improved mood, creativity, and focus with virtually no side effects. The research on microdosing, however, remains unclear. We yet have to prove those benefits in a placebo-controlled study (unlike high-dose journeys, which have been well documented to be beneficial for various ailments).

Read on to learn more about the basics of microdosing, some of the research, my experience (including why I quit), as well as some guidance for your own microdosing experiment.

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Microdosing: the what, the why, the how

What is microdosing?

Microdosing is a practice where you ingest a small, sub-perceptual dose of a psychedelic, most commonly LSD or psilocybin (magic mushrooms), on a regular basis. Sub-perceptual means you don’t perceive any of the hallucinogenic effects common with psychedelics. A properly dosed microdose should make you feel great, but if you didn’t know you took something, it could’ve just been a really good day.

Microdosing is a recent phenomenon, it was not a common practice during the 60/70s when psychedelics first trickled into (counter)culture. It was only popularized in the last decade by Stanford professor James Fadiman, who published a guidebook for psychedelic users that included detailed guidance on why and how to microdose.

Why do people microdose?

Self-reported benefits include enhanced well-being and happiness, increased creativity, increased feelings of connectedness, as well as increased focus, concentration, and energy. Some even say it helps with pain management. It might also help you quit substances such as alcohol or nicotine.

Who doesn’t want all of this? As alluded to earlier, no rigorous scientific study has been able to prove these benefits (yet).

How do you microdose?

A microdose is roughly 1/10th of a regular “trip dose”. For mushrooms, for example, this would be anywhere from 0.15-0.40 grams. There are different microdosing protocols, the most popular one is the “Fadiman protocol”: dose on day one, two days off, dose again on day 4. Most people microdose on an empty stomach in the morning. With psilocybin, you may pulverize the mushrooms and portion them into carefully weighed capsuled. With LSD, tinctures can be dosed more precisely, but some people even cut LSD paper tabs into 10 teeny tiny pieces (some people is me, I’ve done that).

Let’s Address the Elephant in the Room

While the hype surrounding microdosing is omnipresent, it’s critical to recognize that scientific research has not been able to prove the benefits yet. That’s not to say it doesn’t work, it just means we don’t have it in black on white yet. Scientifically, we still know quite little in terms of who and how microdosing may help.

Researchers at Imperial College London published findings last year from their self-blinding study on microdosing psychedelics. In summary, they were not able to observe a statistically significant difference in well-being between the microdosing and the placebo group. After 4 weeks of microdosing, people across the board did feel better, but the difference between those that had ingested LSD or psilocybin and those that had ingested a placebo was negligible. Researchers also weren’t able to measure any difference in cognitive processing and memory—which they were able to measure much more objectively than “wellbeing”.

Here are a few things to consider with these findings:

• While being the largest blinded study involving psychedelics to date, the size of the study was still “only” 190 people. If the same study were conducted with thousands, it would extrapolate into statistically significant differences, according to the researchers. (The question this brings up in my mind is, how common is it for scientists to argue statistical significance based on large sample size, especially with other psychiatric medications such as SSRIs?)

• The study population was made up exclusively of experienced users. This is important because it’s likely that most participants were excited and hopeful about this novel application of psychedelics, which might contribute to the strong placebo. Researchers argue that the same study in a psychedelics-naive population may yield different, aka statistically significant, results.

• Finally, this study was conducted in healthy individuals. In reality, most who feel drawn to microdosing (beyond perhaps the productivity-chasing Silicon Valley archetype), hope to alleviate symptoms of depression or anxiety. Studying the effects of microdosing in people with symptoms of mental disorders again might produce different results.

Another study published later in 2021, authored by thought leaders such as Paul Stamets and Francoise Bourzat argued that “adults who microdose psychedelics report lower levels of anxiety and depression”. This study was a self-selected survey of microdosers and non-microdosers, with over 4,000 participants in each cohort. That’s a much larger population, but it’s important to note this research was not blinded—meaning the result, in theory, could reflect a strong placebo.

More research is needed to make definitive statements about the efficacy of microdosing. Personally, I’d like to see a double-blinded study in a psychedelics-naive population with depression symptoms comparing microdosing to SSRIs (which I would feel very hopeful about).

My experience microdosing (& why I no longer do it)

My interest in microdosing peaked after reading “A Really Good Day” by Ayelet Waldman, a mom of four who goes on an experiment to microdose LSD for a month to manage her mood disorder. Ayelet embarked on this experiment to manage the symptoms of her Premenstrual Dysmorphic Disorder (PMDD), the very same condition that made my life hell for several years by inducing severe depressive episodes in the 1-2 weeks before menstruation every single month.

Sure enough, I conducted my own one-month microdosing experiment using psilocybin mushrooms. Overall, I personally felt a difference. Over this month, a few things happened:

• My mood was noticeably better

• I felt more random spurts of joy

• I felt more connected to my inner world and everything around me

• My urge to quit nicotine and alcohol intensified (which rose to the surface after my first Ayahuasca ceremonies a few months prior)

• I felt more creative and started several side projects

• My eating, however, which I hoped the microdosing would help me regulate, was not affected — I continued to have eating disorder behaviors

While it didn’t solve all my problems, microdosing did make me feel better.

After following the Stamets protocol (i.e. one day on, two days off), I proceeded to experiment with intuitive microdosing only in the weeks before my menstruation. I also later switched to LSD, which I found to be preferable due to its increased duration (12 hours vs. 6 hours for psilocybin).

After a few months, however, I had a daunting realization: microdosing mushrooms was not too different from taking the SSRIs that I was so against.

It was symptom management rather than root cause healing.

This might get people fired up. I want to emphasize that there are certain scenarios where microdosing is a super relevant option. For one, it’s perhaps as effective (if not more effective, the jury is still out) as SSRIs with virtually no side effects. Plus, there are situations in which managing acute symptoms is more important than diving into deep root cause healing.

I still want to be clear, though: you can get benefits from microdosing psychedelics, but you cannot get the same benefits you get from macrodosing psychedelics.

Once I realized that, after a period of microdosing, I was still periodically miserable without the psychedelics, I was yet again unsatisfied with the reality of relying on something outside of me for the rest of my life to make me feel well.

To cut a long story short, over the course of a year, I managed to uncover the root causes of my depression, which was (entirely) repressed sexual trauma that first came back during a 10-day silent meditation retreat. Once I integrated the experience with IFS therapy and healed it with Ayahuasca, the PMDD vanished.

Now, I no longer microdose because the depression is gone. I may still consider doing so on occasion to tap into more creativity, boost my mood, or simply for fun—but it’s a rare occasion. I don’t rely on it. 99% of the time, I now feel the way microdosing made me feel years ago. It’s my default, and that’s the product of my healing process and the relentless integration I’ve been devoted to for the last few years.

Tips for Embarking on Your Own Microdosing Experiment

If you feel called to give microdosing a try, there are very few reasons not to in my opinion. Here are some tips to consider should you be interested in exploring for yourself.

#1 Get clear on your intentions

If you’re looking for something to “permanently heal” your depression or anxiety, microdosing won’t be it. Microdosing can help you manage it, however. As with any psychedelic endeavor, it’s critical to reflect on what you want to get out of the experience before you embark on it. With microdosing specifically, doing this will help you evaluate whether the practice moves the needle for your specific purpose or not.

#2 Choose a protocol

Make a plan. The Stamets protocol is a great entry point for beginners, it seems to work well for many. You could also try any other variation, one day on one day off, or two days on, two days off—whatever calls to you. Make sure to have a sufficient number of non-dose days sprinkled in so you’re able to notice whether it makes a difference or not. Introducing some type of regularity will also help your mind adjust (plus facilitate the tracking of your experience). Intuitive microdosing is great once you’ve had some experience, but I’d definitely start with a more structured protocol when you’re a newbie.

#3 Set up a system to track how you feel

Since it’s still a debate whether microdosing actually works or not (from a modern science perspective, that is), it’s important for you to set up your own system that will help you evaluate whether it works for you. A quick check-in each day on your mood, focus, and creativity (plus anything else related to your intentions) suffices. You can always do more elaborative journaling, too.

#4 Develop practices to accompany your microdosing experiment

This one is CRITICAL! In an ideal world, you microdose to catalyze a more intentional, connected, and mindful lifestyle by developing habits (facilitated by the psychedelic) that you’ll be able to carry into your everyday life (without the psychedelic). Number one here is meditation (which will be easier and more fun when you’re microdosing), some type of embodiment (such as yoga or dance), plus anything creative you want to kickstart. The exact practices depend on your intentions. If you do this, you might be able to reap the benefits from those practices alone as time goes on and end up feeling differently even without the microdoses.

Your Journey

If you have experiences with microdosing, I’d love to hear how it has (or hasn’t) helped you and whether you noticed any shifts? Comment below to share whatever you feel comfortable (or shoot me an e-mail).

Dig Deeper

Here are some recommended resources if you want to learn more:

Ayelet Waldman’s book, “A Really Good Day”, which is part memoir of her 30-day LSD microdosing experiment, part study of the history of psychedelics.

James Fadiman’s “The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide”, which has a chapter on microdosing including detailed instructions and best practices.

This podcast with the researchers who conducted the recently published self-blinded study on microdosing.

The online community The Third Wave also has tons of great resources on microdosing including an elaborate FAQ here and a course here.