Hey Reader,
This week, a reader (hi Rich 👋) asked me my thoughts on microdosing shrooms. Any do's and don'ts. I shared my experience so far (almost two months in) and thought it might be helpful to others, so I am including it here.
But first, a disclaimer. I am definitely not an expert in psychedelics and this is an "at your own risk" kinda thing. I'm just sharing my experience as someone whose relatively new to psilocybin (see my original post on why I'm doing it). Take my advice with a grain of salt and consider other sources as well.
Here's my reply:
Hi Rich, I’m using 100mg psilocybin capsules and take them every three days. But the last two weeks I’ve done every four to five days, because I needed a break from it.
Your experience will be unique to you, but what I can tell you about mine is that it brings up my “stuff” (pain, repressed emotions, etc) and helps me feel more embodied (I have noticeable less tolerance or desire to analyze or think). It enhances my ability to FEEL and be present with my emotions to help aid me in real emotional processing work. I usually feel a strong aversion to screens after the 2 hour mark, and more interest in physical reality, touch, sensations, food, etc.
It also helps “cut through the bullshit” where it’s harder to resist lying to yourself about your issues. It also allows for greater capacity to love yourself. For me personally I have felt a stronger connection to biological life, myself included, and start feeling like it’s okay to be a body here on earth, like it makes sense. Normally, I feel kind of a desire to escape my body or hang out in the mind or on my computer in various mental spaces. But when I Microdose I feel like that shit doesnt matter as much as I think.
So since it brings up my issues to my conscious awareness, I am triggered a lot. On microdose day, feeling through my issues is easier. But on the following days, I feel extra sensitive to my triggers and can be anxious or emotional, but in building better habits to sit with the discomfort and cry it out or purge, do yoga, or be in nature. Instead of analyzing, ruminating, or acting out in ways where I could use or hurt others. I’m in my room a lot but it’s like it helps me adjust my priorities to “what really matters.” I wouldn’t say it is helping me work or make money though lol, it just makes me see how bullshit most of that is.
To sum up, it helps with my desire to see and be with reality. I’m pretty sensitive to it and it takes to me well, whereas my gf said it made her nauseous and didn’t get much out of a 100mg dose. She’s more of a larger trip kinda gal.
I'll also add that the point of microdosing is to be subtle and barely noticable. But I personally notice the effects and use them as kind of micro-trips. For context, most standard mushroom trip guides recommend a 1,000mg-4,000mg, but that's not what we're going for here. 100mg is pretty tiny and safe and you might not notice any effects if you're not paying attention.
You might notice subtle shifts in your perception or how you relate to your thoughts. Like you might better be able to surf the waves of a ruminating mind instead of getting tossed about. You might notice subtle but pleasant sensations of "aliveness" in your body that you didn't notice before. You might remember that you're a biological creature and not just a mind on a stick.
Oh, I forgot to add "do's and don'ts" to my response to Rich, so I'll add those here.
Dos:
- Educate yourself: Read up on the effects, potential benefits, and risks of psilocybin. Here's a simple microdosing guide or /r/microdosing.
- Order from a reputable source. I went with a site someone recommended and had a good experience with so I felt better ordering from them.
- Start small. 100mg is usually recommended. But do what works for you.
- A regular routine. Every three days is recommended.
- Take breaks if necessary. If it's too much for you or interfering with your life, feel free to stop and start again when you're ready.
- Keep a journal. Write about what comes up and keep track of the themes and insights you get.
- Be intentional. On microdose days, set aside time to be alone and present with yourself. Give yourself time to really feel and be with whatever comes up. Write about your experience in your journal.
- Practice your spirituality. Whatever it is for you, use this time to connect to your higher power or source of spiritual wisdom.
- Get real. Have the courage to face reality and drop the bullshit.
- Be considerate. Let other people know what you're doing so they know what's going on with you.
- Integrate other mindfulness practices like meditation or yoga. This should be a foundation before even starting.
- Get better at FEELING. It's not always about aha moments, but learning to develop the courage to sit with your uncomfortable emotions and be an empathetic witness to your own struggles.
Don'ts
- Don't expect miracles: (but don't count them out) Microdosing isn’t a cure-all or shortcut to enlightenment. It's a subtle, gentle aid that supplements your existing self-care practices.
- Don't be reckless. Pay attention to what you're doing and go into it with a sense of respect and reverence. Don’t microdose on days with critical responsibilities or when you need to be highly focused unless you know how it affects you.
- Don't follow trends or social pressures. This isn't a "you're missing out" kinda thing. If you feel called to try it, listen to your own body and intuition.
- Don't neglect legalities: Be aware of the legal status of psilocybin in your area. Understand the risks.
So maybe that was helpful to some of you. If you have any specific questions, I'm happy to answer them. I'm more of an "expert" in the self-care, self-love area rather than the actual substance or science of it.
What Else I've Been Up To:
🎻 Gaelic Storm at Dayton Celtic Fest: I ventured downtown to catch one of my favorite Irish bands. As someone with Irish-Scottish descent, I always get this warm, nostaligic feeling when I hear their music. There's something magical about the sounds of a fiddle, bagpipes, and tin whistle.
🏫 Community College visit: I followed up on my "going back to school for web design" post with an IRL visit to my local community college. I met with their design department head and we had a long chat about their program and what I'm looking for. It was a bit too basic for my needs and honestly, I was more intrigued by the idea of being a teacher than a student.
🎬 Joined Letterboxd: I'm surprised it took so long, but I finally joined and added over 1,000 films to my watched list. Check out my profile here.
💻 Slow progress on my website: I've been kinda down on myself for the lack of substantial progress on my website rebuild. Feeling overwhelmed at the amount of work I have in front of me after the initial adrenaline rush of starting it wore off. I have to remember it's a marathon, not a sprint. Realizing I'm going to struggle and have setbacks sometimes.
📉 Less time on YouTube: I've stayed away from YouTube content consumption this past week and had a desire to be more in the real world. Taking walks and being outside.
☕ Took a break from coffee for a few days: I ran out of coffee at home and was too "lazy" to get more, so I used that as an opportunity to reset my caffeine tolerance and face more discomfort. I've been hitting up Dunkin and Winan's a bit too much this month and needed a good break.
🎧 Finishing Audiobooks: I finished the audiobooks Black Pill and Unwanted. Black Pill was an enjoyable listen about the history of the Alt-Right from the perspective of a Vice journalist. I remember being fascinated by the Trump era culture wars and the shitstorm surrounding it so it was fun to revist that with some distance. Unwanted is a book about porn, lust, and shame. Surpringsly on point, despite the heavy Christian point of view. I wrote a review on Goodreads which you can read here.
Making hyper-specific, personalized audiobooks with AI: This is something I'm going to have to write a whole post about, but I was using Claude AI to write a personalized, non-fiction or fiction book based on content I wanted to learn more about. I gave it all the context and had it write chapter by chapter until I had a 10,000-15,000 word book. Then I'd use Speechify to listen to my story while I went on walks. Super cool.
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That's about all for this week. Hope you have a great weekend.
Talk soon ✌️
Jeff
The Official Newsletter of Jeff Finley
Designer, Author, Mystic
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