Beyond Psychonautics: Inside the World of Microdosing
Dec 23, 2017

Pauline Colon
Core Spirit member since Dec 24, 2020
Reading time 3 min.

Microdosing is an emerging trend among young professionals, particularly amongst the Silicon Valley set. If you are unfamiliar with this term, it means to take small amounts of psychedelics during the day in order to enhance focus, creativity, patience, and connection to others. The purpose is not to get high — a microdose is roughly one tenth of what would be considered a full dose — and the benefits certainly seem to greatly outweigh any potential side effects.

Many people are taking prescription drugs for the same purpose, but these come with a lengthy list of side effects and often leave users feeling groggy and tired. The potential for addiction here is high, too.

But these issues are virtually nonexistent with magic mushrooms or LSD, and both drugs are thought to increase your overall mood and problem solving skills, while also reducing anxiety.

According to WIRED, who covered this story, proponents of micro dosing, “including software engineers, biologists and mathematicians – say that it induces a ‘flow state’, aids lateral thinking and encourages more empathetic interpersonal relations.”

History Of Microdosing

Albert Hofmann synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1938 and took what is now considered the first intentional LSD trip in 1943. He regularly micro dosed during the last few decades of his life. Called the father of psychedelics, he lived to be 102 and found that consuming small amounts of LSD clarified his thinking, according to Dr. James Fadiman. Fadiman has been researching psychedelics since the 1960s and authored The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide, which recognizes that the practice of microdosing for those silicon Valley types is driven by the same impulse that leads otherwise healthy individuals to take prescription medications like Ritalin and Adderall — to gain a competitive advantage in business.

“What you get is the best parts of Adderall with none of the side effects. You function better physically and mentally. You find the office jerk bearable and you’re more compassionate about the flaws of others,” he says. “You feel you’ve had a pretty good day.”

Clinical Trials

Unfortunately, there have been few clinical trials on the effects of microdosing, with the majority of the evidence being anecdotal thus far. The topic has been gaining some traction over the past few years, however, and the microdosing forum on Reddit has grown considerably. Even the term “microdosing” itself has been searched far more often on Google in recent years.

David Nutt, Director of the Centre for Neuropyschopharmacalogy at Imperial College London, has carried out groundbreaking imaging studies of the brain while it is on LSD or magic mushrooms.

“These drugs change cortical functions, making them more fluid and less rigid. At least big doses do – that’s what our imaging studies tell us – and maybe low doses to a lesser extent,” he says. “This may help certain brain areas work in more flexible and expansive ways that might give better outcomes.”

Professor of pharmacology at Purdue University, Indiana, and psychedelic expert David Nichols also believes it’s “quite possible” that low doses of LSD could have a stimulant effect by activating dopamine pathways in the brain, according to WIRED.

Although no clinical studies on microdosing and its effects have been found, Fadiman has been conducting his own experiments and research by collecting anecdotal reports from volunteers who self-administer the psychedelic drugs. Fadiman does offer guidance to the participants on how often and how much to dose, and in return they are required to keep a journal of their experiences and observations. He’s been collecting this data since 2010.

“It helps me think more creatively and stay focused. I manage my stress with ease and am able to keep my perspective healthy in a way that I was unable to before.”

— Lily, startup publicist

Fadiman already has reports from 125 participants, with 80 more on the way. He also receives many requests each month for advice for people who are looking to try out microdosing safely.

“It is no longer a fad. It is being accepted as a very different way to more safely benefit from psychedelics without any ‘psychedelic effects’,” he told WIRED. In such low doses, psychedelics should be viewed more like natural antidepressants and cognitive enhancers.

“Except you take them far less often.”

This is yet another benefit to choosing this method for treatment of depression or other disorders over prescription pharmaceutical drugs. Any people who contact Fadiman are experimenting with psychedelics to treat depression or anxiety disorders following disappointing results and/or side effects with prescribed medications. Of course, there is still growing interest among those seeking a competitive edge. “People report enhanced pattern recognition. They can see more of the pieces of a problem they are trying to solve at once.”

Conclusion

While there certainly seem to be some amazing benefits to this technique, current recommendations advise users to microdose only a couple of times per week rather than every day. As there have been no clinical or long-term studies on this process, so no one really knows the long-term effects yet. Have you experimented with microdosing? What kind of benefits have you experienced? Please share with us in the comments section below!

ALANNA KETLER/Collective Evolution


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Microdosing
$189 USD
course
Microdosing & The Artist’s Way Course

Microdosing and The Artist's Way Course –
Recover Your Creativity and Step into a Juicy Life.
💚 Do you feel stuck in life?
💚 Is your creativity waning?
💚 Are you feeling disconnected from yourself and others?
💚 Are you feeling creatively/spiritually constipated?
💚 Do you want to refresh your creative mind/spirit?
💚 Are you ready to restore your flow state?

Microdosing and The Artists Way Course: In this eight week course, we will create a safe, supportive and sacred container to uplift, inspire and transform you. This course is for all artists, writers, creative types, psychonauts or anyone who feels blocked/stuck/disconnected in life. We will systematically go through the book The Artists Way, week by week and share our findings with each other. There will be other exercises outside of the book too things like, plant medicine meditations, timed writing exercises, guided writing meditations, and plenty of other juicy exercises to support and nurture you.

We will create an empowered community while working through blockages. Doing this work alone is very difficult to stick with it so it's better with a group of people. Although it can be done alone, there is something to be said about having accountability partners. Having a community of people who can lift you up when you don't feel like doing the work, keep you steady and on course can be unimaginably helpful!

The Artist’s Way is a beautiful book written by Julia Cameron that helps unblock your creative side while nurturing and reconnecting your spiritual side.

Microdosing is taking a psychedelic or plant medicine in very small quantities (1/10th -1/20th of the average dose) which is ALMOST subperceptual. Depending on which plant medicine/entheogen is used, it can ease anxiety (especially social anxiety), depression, addiction, mood disorders and migraines. Microdosing with plant medicines/entheogens is a unique way to increasing feelings of well-being by creating more flow states, focus, self-confidence, productivity, creativity and much more.

Microdosing is OPTIONAL. You do not have to microdose to take this course, you will get plenty of juiciness with or without the plant medicines.

This course takes place every Sunday evening 4pm - 6pm PST (7pm - 9:00pm EST) Starting July 11 - August 29, 2021 (8 weeks) and will be Online through zoom

Patricia Morrison
Microdosing
$197 USD
coaching session
MICRODOSING MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

ARE YOU READY TO TAKE YOUR LIFE TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

Why is microdosing has gone so mainstream? That’s because countless thousands of scientific reports point towards the multitude of microdosing benefits–everything from enhanced creativity, more mental agility, improved focus and productivity, even better sex, and a more positive outlook on life.

A FULLY INTEGRATED APPROACH TO MICRODOSING

As a psychedelic integration coach & biohacker, I take a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to microdosing, combining it within a large framework for transformation, to help you catalyze lasting, positive change.

Imagine microdosing as a tool for personal & spiritual development.
The tool itself is great, however, if you combine it with meditation, diet, cold exposure, exercise, journaling, and breathwork you will 10x your results.

Another way you can think about it is to consider microdosing as an update that your computer does. The computer will start to run faster, smoother and will also have new features. The same thing will happen with your body, mind, and spirit.

MICRODOSING: THE BRIDGE BETWEEN SCIENCE & SPIRITUALITY

Neuroplasticity
Peak Performance
Mental Health
Flow States
Creativity Research
Biohacking
Subconscious Reprogram
Bending Reality
A Deeper Connection to The Infinite
Intuition
Spirituality
Quantum Physics

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU COMBINE MICRODOSING & COACHING

-UPGRADE YOUR HABITS
-UPGRADE YOUR BELIEFS
-STRENGTHEN EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE
-UNLOCK CREATIVITY & FLOW STATES
-EASY ACCESS TO INTUITION & GUIDANCE

THE MICRODOSING COACHING PROCESS:

  1. PREPARATION:

Clarity is the #1 thing key to ensuring your psychedelic experience has an impact and meaning in your life.

We will evaluate every single area of your life and then we will choose one clear intention that we will hold during our journey together

  1. EXPERIENCE:

Once we have clarified your intention and set benchmarks, I will help you customize your own psychedelic protocol.

Included is how to balance between microdoses and higher doses, including when to combine with other modalities.

  1. INTEGRATION:

More than 80% of the efficacy from these medicines comes in integration. Once your experience is over, how do you embody this new way of being?

In this phase, we orient your newfound awareness towards love, creativity, wisdom, and an improvement in overall well-being.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE MICRODOSING MENTORSHIP

1.Learn how to microdose in an efficient and safe way.
2.Where to find the medicines.
3.How to choose the medicine that is most appropriate for you
.If you’re not sure how often to microdose or how much to consume, I can support you in creating a microdosing protocol that suits your individual needs and supports your underlying intentions.
5. 2 x 1:1 sessions
6.Bi-monthly live group coaching for 10 weeks.
7.Lifetime Access into a like-minded community of people just like you.
8.Slack support for 1 year.
9.Discounted access for our next Clarity Retreat.

Walter Masaracchio
Registered individuals enjoy all the possibilities of Core Spirit.