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Microdosing – Everything you want to know!

Psilocybin, an indole like substance derived from Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, has been clinically found to correlate positively with Neurogenesis, the growth of new neural networks.  Microdosing is the act of consuming sub-perceptual (almost unnoticeable) amounts of a psychedelic substance.

Psilocybin Molecule: C12H17N2O4P /3-(2-Dimethylaminoethyl)-1H-indol-4-yl/ dihydrogen phosphate

Many individuals who have integrated microdosing mushrooms into their weekly routine report higher levels of creativity, more energy, increased focus, and improved human relational skills, as well as reduced anxiety, stress, and even depression.

Elevated Healing carefully selects organically grown inputs for this product and combines a proprietary blend of strains to optimise the effects of this supplement.

Psilocybin is also proving effective at treating addiction. Researchers from Johns Hopkins found that 80% of smokers who took psilocybin as part of cognitive behavioral therapy were able to quit tobacco completely.

Mushrooms have also been found to have comparable or better results in treating cluster headaches than most conventional medications—many people have experienced extended periods of remission after treating their headaches with psychedelic substances.

With all these encouraging results on full doses of psilocybin, there’s reason to believe that microdosing mushrooms could bring about similarly positive life changes.

The history of microdosing

While the modern history of psychedelics reaches back to the 1950s, interest in microdosing saw a major revitalization with the publishing of psychologist and psychedelic advocate Dr. James Fadiman’s book, The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys in 2011, which explores microdosing as a subculture of psychedelic use. While a number of indigenous cultures—as well as modern professionals—have used microdosing to unlock a host of personal benefits, Fadiman’s book formally introduced the term “microdosing” into the mainstream.

Outside of the book, Fadiman’s ongoing research also serves as one of the few modern studies into the effects of microdosing —most current psychedelic research looks at the effects of larger doses on specific therapeutic outcomes.

Mycologist and psilocybin-enthusiast Paul Stamets has also had a hand in pushing microdosing into the mainstream. One of the most reputable, decorated, and self-practiced mycologists in the world, Stamets has dedicated his life to the study of medicinal and psychedelic fungi. His most recent patent application is for a nootropic stack (a combination of cognitive enhancers) that contains a microdose of psilocybin, lions mane, and niacin. He would like to see this supplement available as a vitamin, claiming that its efficacy in epigenetic neurogenesis has the potential to initiate “the next quantum leap in human consciousness.”

Now, tens of thousands of people around the globe are experimenting with taking small doses of psychedelics in the name of mental health, creativity, and inspiration.

Experience

How Do You Microdose With Psilocybin Mushrooms?

Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms is a fairly straightforward process.

Once you have acquired the medicine follow a month-long protocol to ensure you experience lasting benefits. We outline each one of these elements in more detail below.

What Microdosing Schedule Should I Follow?

For most people, morning is the best time because the beneficial effects will last throughout the day without interfering with sleep. It’s also helpful to take daily notes in a journal to observe the effects throughout this process and adjust accordingly—or just notice the positive changes.

Paul Stamets recommends taking a microdose every day for four days, then taking three days off to avoid building up a tolerance. He also suggests making psilocybin a central part of the stack, which also includes lions mane and niacin, to help with neuroplasticity and general well-being.

It’s also important to follow your usual routine while microdosing mushrooms. The purpose is to enhance your day-to-day existence by integrating microdoses into your routine, so don’t change what you normally do.

While it may seem like you would only feel the effects of the microdose on the days you actually take it, try to observe the effects on the days between doses, too. Many people perceive increased feelings of flow, creativity, and energy the day after they microdose in addition to the day of microdosing.

Can microdosing build up a tolerance to mushrooms?

The short answer is yes, microdosing mushrooms can affect your tolerance for psilocybin.

Psilocybin and lion’s mane both have the capacity to create new neurons and neural pathways, and also to repair existing neurological damage. Niacin works as a flushing agent and carries GABA across the blood-brain barrier, which helps with the distribution of the psilocybin molecules. All together, Stamets believes that “this unique combination of compounds can be incorporated into other therapies with such combinations providing unique advantages for medically significant advancements in repairing neurons, removing amyloid plaques, improving mental health, cognition, agility, and improving overall the ecology of consciousness.

Effects

What does science tell us about microdosing mushrooms?

While there has been some recent research on microdosing mushrooms, we know a lot more about what large doses of psychedelics do to the brain.

Much of what we understand about how psychedelics work involves serotonin, a chemical that is among the brain’s most important neurotransmitters. Serotonin affects nearly everything we do, from how we feel to how we process information. It keeps our brains ticking.

Psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin share a similar structure to serotonin and mimics the chemical’s effects. This is why these substances have comparable effects to a full dose when microdosed, at least in the most important aspects.

Because serotonin is so important to mood stabilization, common antidepressants (called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs) increase the levels of serotonin in the brain, which can make you feel happier.

Psychedelics work by mimicking serotonin. One of psilocybin’s main effects is to stimulate a serotonin receptor called “5-HT2A” located in the prefrontal cortex, which leads to two important results:

• The production of “Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor” (BDNF), a protein that is “like Miracle-Gro for your brain,” according to Waldman. BDNF stimulates growth, connections, and activity. [1]
• The increased transmission of “Glutamate,” a neurotransmitter responsible (in part) for important brain functions such as cognition, learning, and memory. [2]

Glutamate and BDNF work together in ways we’ve yet to fully understand, but it’s become clear that having more of each can lead to many of the benefits that microdosers are seeking. [3]

Psychedelics also cause parts of the brain that don’t usually communicate with one another to start talking, so the speak. These unique connections are formed by psychedelics’ ability to dampen the activity of an often over-used part of our brain called the “Default Mode Network” (DMN). [4] The DMN is responsible for many mental activities, including day-dreaming, self-reflection, and thinking about the past or the future. But research shows that a highly active DMN causes us to ruminate, over-analyze ourselves, and step out of the present moment to question the past and the future, all of which can make us unhappy. In fact, some studies suggest that depression is linked to an overactive DMN. [5] This helps explain why psychedelics could be used to combat depression and anxiety—as well as lead to insights and creative perspectives that may otherwise remain inaccessible.

Benefits and risks

There are many benefits to microdosing mushrooms. But, at the risk of oversimplifying, most people microdose for two main reasons:

1. To reduce the frequency and intensity of undesirable states caused by various forms of mental illness including:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• ADD/ADHD
• Mood disorders
• PTSD
• Addiction

2. To increase the frequency and intensity of desirable states/outcomes, including:

• Creativity
• Energy
• Flow states
• Productivity/focus
• Improved relationships/increased empathy
• Athletic coordination
• Leadership development

Desirable States

Many people microdose for personal development or purposes of self-optimization. Reports suggest that the practice can improve creativity, productivity, and energy. Countless people also microdose to help them solve work-related problems, create new concepts, or simply to reduce procrastination. Microdosing mushrooms can also help you by improving your social interaction skills, athletic performance, and spiritual awareness.

Here are a few testimonials from Elevated Healing survey respondents on how microdosing helped them reach desirable states:

“Since microdosing I have come out of my shell. I have become more confident around other people and have formed an intimate relationship with another person where I have had difficulty in the past.”

“Microdosing has been a very positive experience – it keeps me very present, focused, creative, and overall induces a deep sense of contentment! I found that taking it before going to my parents place made the family dynamic so much more enjoyable. It also has been great in terms of connecting with my partner.”

Risks

Microdosing mushrooms has proven to be a safe, non-threatening introduction to the benefits of psychedelics. Psilocybin has a long track record of safe use. Combine that small dose amounts, and microdosing appears to be safe.

As you can see in the graph below, psilocybin is one of the safest substances you can find, both biochemically and socially. It’s even safer than alcohol.

That said, psychedelics are powerful substances, and even microdoses have a risk potential. Emotional turbulence or anxiety is possible while microdosing, largely due to psychedelics’ “amplifying effect.” Psilocybin tends to amplify your current mood rather than act as a stimulant or numbing agent. For this reason, it is important to assess your mindset before consuming a microdose.

We also recommend discussing the risks with your practitioner if you suffer from psychosis, schizophrenia, or severe anxiety. When overdone, microdosing can lead to manic states, which could exacerbate underlying conditions.

Personal and proffesional development

Flow States

At some point in our lives, most of us have likely experienced “flow,” or the mental state in which a person is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, presence, involvement, and enjoyment in the process of an activity. This can be the surfer effortlessly riding a big wave, the salesman elegantly working the room, or the writer who looks up from the page to realize night has fallen.

Simply put, flow is one of the great experiences of being human. We have no clinical evidence to suggest that microdoses of psychedelics can induce flow states, but studies have shown that moderate doses cause brain waves to shift toward alpha oscillations, which is also seen in the transition to a flow state [6]. Additionally, higher levels of serotonin are found during flow states.

Unlike LSD, however, psilocybin appears to interact minimally and only indirectly with dopamine, another neurotransmitter associated with flow states. This interaction may be minimal in the microdose range. [7][8]

Perhaps most important, though, psychedelics’ ability to quiet the DMN creates an opportunity for our brains to make unique connections between areas that don’t usually communicate. [4] This is crucial to accessing flow states.

Since we know that moderate doses of psychedelics can induce similar effects to a flow state in the brain, it seems likely that a regular microdosing regimen could begin to shift our awareness in the direction of flow.

Microdosing and Leadership

Change and innovation are happening faster than ever these days, and leaders need to adapt quickly. Great leaders must come up with creative solutions to unexpected issues and problems, turning potential setbacks to their advantage. Staying at the forefront of any field requires mastering new technology and being open to novel ways of accomplishing tasks, taking both short and long term needs into account.

Microdosing helps to accelerate this developmental process for the next generation of leaders by facilitating enhanced creativity, mental flexibility, and honest self-reflection.

Microdosing also improve self-confidence, which enables you to be more in touch with your emotions and helps you better communicate.

Therapeutic use

Anecdotal evidence supports the notion that a regular microdosing regimen can help people struggling with depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADD/ADHD, mood disorders, and/or addiction (to name a few). Clinical research has shown that larger doses of psychedelics are effective at treating depression, anxiety, and addiction, but microdosing could be just as effective.

If you microdose while attending therapy, you may find that issues and topics that previously felt difficult to reach are suddenly accessible. You may also notice creative insight into yourself, your past, and your relationships that you didn’t before.

To date, qualitative and survey data have shown promising results for mental health improvements. For example, nearly half of those surveyed in a large, international survey who were previously prescribed medications reported that they stopped taking antidepressants after microdosing.

More rigorous double-blind, controlled clinical trials investigating how microdosing might affect mental health are underway, including the world’s first psilocybin microdosing trial.

You can see all clinical trials, both past and present, investigating the effects of psilocybin for the following ailments:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Bipolar disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Eating disorders
• Migraines
• Alcoholism
• Nicotine Dependence
• Opioid Use Disorder

Pharmacology

Psilocybin is the active psychedelic ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms. The threshold dose for feeling the effects from dried mushrooms is typically in the 0.2-0.5g range, though it varies for each individual person. A moderate dose in the 1-2.5g range, taken orally, typically produces effects that last from three to six hours. Psilocybin is about 100 times less potent than LSD and 10 times less potent than mescaline.

When you take psilocybin, your body metabolizes the substance into psilocin, both of which produce the psychedelic effects. Psilocybin and psilocin primarily interact with serotonin receptors in the brain and have an especially high affinity for the 5-HT (serotonin) 2A subtype receptors. In rodents, psilocybin has shown a strong interaction with receptors in hub regions of the brain that integrate sensory experiences. This could explain effects such as synesthesia—the experience of mixing sensory modalities, such as hearing colors or tasting sounds—and altered sensory experiences during mushroom trips.

References

[1] Ayelet Waldman (2016) “A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My life”
[2] Riedel, Platt & Micheau (2003) doi:10.1016/S0166-4328(02)00272-3
[3] Vollenweider & Kometer (2010) doi:10.1038/nrn2884
[4] Carhart-Harris et al. (2016) doi:10.1073/pnas.1518377113
[5] Sambataro et al. (2014) doi:10.1017/S0033291713002596
[6] Kometer et al. (2013) doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3007-12.2013
[7] Passie et al. (2002) doi:10.1080/1355621021000005937
[8] Sakashita et al. (2015) doi:10.1248/bpb.b14-00315