Microdosing Mushrooms: Research into Psychedelic Agents

As time ticks on, there are more helpful discoveries being made in regards to treatments for those dealing with mental ailments, especially the most common ones such as depression and anxiety.

These are problems that are hard for people to live with on a day by day basis, and can sadly even lead to suicide in many cases. Antidepressants can help, but for many patients they might not work as well as they do for others.

There has to be other ways for folks to find the treatment they need, right?

As it turns out, surprising results are being found with microdosing mushrooms compared to high doses, and other studies in the field of psychedelic substances combined with supervision and conversation with a psychopharmacologist.

Microdosing is likely a foreign concept to many folks who might not be the most familiar with psychedelic substances, so a bit more context should provide clarity.

What is Microdosing?

Microdosing is the act of taking a much smaller than normal amount of a psychedelic substance in an effort to glean some benefits from it. In normal, larger doses, people taking psychedelic substances such as magic mushrooms or LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), will usually experience altered headspaces, visual or auditory hallucinations, and a different way of looking at things including becoming very introspective.

It has become a bit of a craze among many workers who want to feel more productive, particularly in Silicon Valley and other parts of the United States.

Psychedelics are known to make folks feel euphoric, happier, calmer, and even more talkative at times. During psychedelic therapy sessions, a therapist aiding in a psilocybin depression study will administer a certain amount of psilocybin to the patient, who will then be able to talk through with the therapist about how they are feeling, and explore their thoughts together.

This can often lead to some deep realizations for psychiatry patients, and has successfully helped some people kick habits like abusing prescription pills or narcotics, drinking too much, or depending on tobacco. It has become quite the subject of study among researchers looking to learn more about how these substances have the potential to help certain kinds of patients, such as those with treatment-resistant depression.

Microdosing shrooms or a similar substance in tiny amounts allows one to enjoy some of these effects at a lighter level, giving them more control over their thoughts and headspace, while at the same time enjoying some of the effects they feel.

Microdosing can also come in handy as a tool to use to extend therapy sessions for mental health over a range of time, getting more sessions in and doing as much as possible to help the patient through positive psychotherapy.

The Effects of Microdosing

In a sense, microdosing psychedelic drugs allows a patient to feel some of the same effects as a normal dosage, without having to worry about going through a full blown trip (a full-dose experience), or experiencing some common side effects.

The right amount of doses of psilocybin will differ from person to person. Here are some of the effects most common during a session of microdosing mushrooms, microdosing LSD or other hallucinogens.

• Clarity

Microdosing has the ability to clear the microdosers mind, allowing them to focus on something that has been troubling them and analyze it, sometimes giving them new insight on something they might not have thought about previously.

• Euphoria

Psychedelics at larger doses can cause intense feelings of euphoria and relaxation, and light feelings of euphoria can often be felt during a microdose as well. Microdosing psychedelics such as magic mushrooms, LSD, 5-ht2a, MDMA, ayahuasca, and DMT, or even a microdose of cannabis has the potential to make one feel elated throughout a session or during their day.

• An increased sense of productivity

Many proponents of psychedelics who microdose hallucinogens regularly will exhibit feelings of mindfulness and increased productivity, like they could really get something done in their day, or even creativity, allowing them to focus more intently on finishing an artful endeavor.

• Perspective shifts

Folks going through a psychedelic experience will often feel a little introspective, which will allow them to see things at deeper levels or from different points of view. This can be helpful in analyzing depression symptoms and how they affect the life of the patient.

The effects of a microdose will vary depending on the patient, how tolerant they are to the hallucinogenic drug, and the dosage they are given. At the right dosage, a patient should note at least a few of these effects.

How Much of a Dose is Needed?

A successful microdose doesn’t require much of a psychedelic substance. When it comes to microdosing mushrooms, one will often take small doses, as little as half a gram for shrooms, and at least 50 micrograms for LSD, for a microdose. Sometimes it can be a little more, while sometimes it can be a little less, depending on the person. It can take a little experimenting with low doses to find the right microdose amount for a specific person.

When doing psychedelic therapy treatments, a therapist and patient should work together to decide on the right first microdose amount. If the patient doesn’t feel anything from the first dose, then they can always go up a little bit if needed.

Once a patient and therapist find the right microdose, they can administer the psilocybin mushrooms and let the session begin. Hopefully, the microdosing experience will help the patient think about their struggles with depression, past traumas, or anything else that they may be struggling with, and work with their therapist to come to terms with these issues and find appropriate ways to cope with them, bringing them to a positive state of mind and well-being.

Microdose – A Helpful Treatment

As time goes on, researchers in clinical trials keep finding new ways that psychedelic drugs at microdosed levels can quite possibly be an effective treatment when it comes to dealing with depression, PTSD, and a host of other mental conditions.

It is still something that is heavily regulated thanks to its place on the federal government’s Controlled Substances list, but one never knows. Over time, things could change and make these treatments more accessible to anyone who would like to try them.

With microdosing psilocybin mushrooms showing some potential in helping to treat patients, it will only continue to look like a bright path ahead. Researchers doing double-blind microdosing studies will continue their work in testing and documenting psilocybin and other psychedelics with patients together with great psychotherapists and oversight from the federal government.

With future research, patients will hopefully continue to see positive effects, and eventually, it may be common knowledge that some psychedelics don’t quite deserve the negative substance use stigma they currently get.