It feels surreal to be sitting down to offer some of my reflections about my experiences during the course of a year of microdosing, especially given that the practice of microdosing wasn’t really ever something I sought out intentionally to do in the first place. I had heard of the general concept of microdosing, and had experimented with psychedelics a fair share throughout the course of my life, but I wasn’t the kind of person who was scouring the internet for microdosing protocol recommendations or firsthand accounts of microdosing experience reports—the practice sort of came to me by accident.
In fact, if anyone had told me back in the summer of 2019 that by spring of the following year I would be microdosing magic mushrooms on a regular basis, I probably would have laughed. But a lot of things changed that year, as we all know, and among them was my willingness to experiment with new and alternative forms of medicinal healing. Among these new forms I began experimenting with was psychedelics, first in the form of lysergic acid diethyl amine (LSD), and then ending up with psilocybin, which I preferred dramatically to LSD for microdosing for reasons I’ll elaborate upon later in the article.
In the winter of late 2020, a friend of mine confided in me that she had been experimenting with microdosing LSD to aid her seasonal depression and that it had been working wonders. It had been years since I had taken any LSD myself, but I was struggling with the annual January case of seasonal misery I’ve dealt with just about every winter since I’ve been old enough to remember. I can’t say exactly why, but the seasons here in the northeast effect me dramatically, and so I was willing to try anything. Trusting my friend, I decided to undertake the experiment alongside her.
At first, it was great. I was taking roughly 10 micrograms (or 1/10th of a standard dose) or less on an almost-daily basis, taking a day or two off in between to give my tolerance a rest. For the first week or so, I really enjoyed it, and, similar to the psilocybin experiences I’ll talk about in a moment, I found an increased vigor during my exercise regimen and a definite boost to my creativity. I found myself waking up earlier and exercising in the morning, and definitely had more energy throughout my day. But not long into my macrodosing protocol, I began to notice some side-effects which I personally found less than desirable.
Eventually, I made the switch to magic mushrooms, and immediately had better results.
Following a rough guideline of the Stamets protocol in terms of the mushroom dosing schedule (a low dose of .15-0.4 grams for two or three days, followed by a day or two without taking any mushrooms), I immediately noticed several key benefits in certain areas of my life.
The most significant benefits I experienced concerned my general drive, energy, creativity, and mood. From day one, I noticed an increase in energy and productivity, particularly in terms of my fitness regimen (explained in greater detail in my article — concerning microdosing magic mushrooms as part of my pre-workout stack) and in terms of my creativity. I found myself creating more interesting musical pieces, drawings, and paintings. I felt overall in a more positive mood, and that my endurance was notably increased. I felt a stronger sense of presence in my day-to-day life, and was more eager to perform mundane tasks which otherwise might have seemed more arduous and tedious.
During much of the lockdowns and the year following them, I spent much of my time cleaning houses for clients, and found that my focus and energy was really improved by even a minuscule dose of the mushrooms, but without any of the negative side-effects produced by other harder stimulants. Accomplishing large, often tedious projects just seemed more manageable with the mushrooms working on my behalf, but I still found myself able to relax and unwind at night, and still getting in a great night’s sleep each night (unlike other stimulants, which might have left me sleepless). And there was no crash!
In terms of preparation, I found it easiest to simply grind the mushrooms up in a spice grinder and weigh out my daily dose that way. My ideal dose is around 0.15 grams, providing a gentle and sub-perceptual mood and energy boost. I experimented with capsule makers, which is another viable option, but ultimately it just seemed like unnecessary extra steps. In no time, I developed an intuitive rhythm to my microdosing regimen, taking a microdose for two or three days at a time, and then taking a day or two off to reset my tolerance and give the body and mind an opportunity for rest and integration.
The Yearlong Effects of Microdosing Magic Mushrooms
In the course of the year that I microdosed, my artistic productivity was astronomically improved, as was my athletic performance. I finished and released more songs in 2021 and 2022 than any other year, even as my microdosing regimen gradually tapered off as more time passed. I spent more time at the gym, kept a tidier home, and started teaching myself to paint and to read music (something I’d never explored before).
One of the most interesting things about microdosing psilocybin mushrooms to me is that over time, many users report themselves no longer feeling the need to microdose, which was my experience as well. These days I rarely turn to the mushrooms for support unless I have a particularly busy day or am in a particularly low mood. I just don’t feel like I need them anymore. In fact, I began to note that when I would push past my own intuition and microdose on days when my body signaled to me that I didn’t need to, I found myself unusually moody and prone to unsought-after introspection—even to the extent of experiencing some undesired crying spells as time went on. I find that in some ways, the mushrooms can put me too in touch with my own emotions on a day-to-day basis, and now that I’ve already utilized their services and gotten in touch with those parts of myself, it can be overkill to keep revisiting them. So now I prefer to use them predominantly on heavy workout days as an energizing pre-workout stack.
I’m certainly grateful for my macrodosing experience. I believe it got me through some of the darkest times of my life, in the post-lockdown days as I was figuring out which direction to take my life in next. I gained so much insight from my time spent with the mushrooms, both through my micro and macro-dosing journeys. I gained inner clarity, greater awareness of the issues I need to work on, and a better sense of what it is that I wanted out of life. I also developed a deepening fascination with mushrooms and with mycology as a whole, and joined a local mycological club and began learning as much as I could about all of the various forms of fungi I encounter in my local region.
It’s been a truly rewarding journey, and although I feel less inclined to microdose on a daily basis, I would still definitely recommend trying microdosing magic mushrooms to anyone struggling with depression, lack of energy, or simply seeking some more clarity and vigor in life. I experienced less side effects than I have from other medications used to treat these various conditions, such as antidepressants and stimulants, and wholeheartedly believe that psilocybin mushrooms are far more gentle to both the mind and body.
My first bit of advice for anyone considering microdosing psilocybin mushrooms is to do your homework—learn the potential benefits and potential side-effects, any potential interactions you could have (particularly if you’re taking psychiatric or serotonergic medications). My second recommendation is to start low and slow. In my experience, less is more when it comes to microdosing, so I recommend starting at a low dose and seeing how that goes. My ideal amount is only .15 grams—less is required than one might think to receive desirable effects!
But if you’re interested in microdosing and think it could work for you, I must say with certainty that I would recommend trying it out for yourself. I believe that many, many species mushrooms are true healers and helpers, and psilocybin mushrooms are absolutely no exception. It’s all about finding the best way for you personally to work in concert with the mushrooms in order to best have the mushrooms work for you (and they certainly worked for me)!
