Microdosing is an interesting shamanic art and alchemical practice. I personally practiced this several years ago with Psilocybe Cubensis, Magic Mushrooms and Magic Cactus (containing mescaline). I rather enjoyed the everyday experience and the substances did provide better days, uplifted mood, and courage in relationships and communication. I am unaware of a drug test that can detect Magic Mushrooms after 24 hours of being in your system and this may also be true with mescaline (but that depends on the test, although most employee drug tests won’t detect it).
I have taken psilocybin mushrooms in qualities as small as .1 of a gram to ease physical and nervous pain (and headaches). I have found that once an individual becomes adjusted or comfortable with the microdose, it is incredibly easy to sleep on/through and helps with the visionary state between sleeping and waking (hypnagogia).
Last year, I introduced a method of microdosing to my friends in the Phoenix, AZ area so that they might better be able to integrate their deep healing visionary and emotionally intense trips on larger doses of magic mushrooms. They were responsible adults and had been seeing several types of healers (for sober therapy) relating to healing childhood trauma triggered from being raised Mormon aka Church of Latter Day Saints. To this day, I believe they have been using the medicine in a safe and effective way.
Here’s the method that I learned and shared with my friends in Phoenix:
A person is to start with a very small dose of magic mushrooms such as .1 grams (or less if you are a sensitive) on the first day, take .5 grams the second day, ingest 1 gram on the third day, rest and prepare yourself (possibly doing a special cleansing diet on the fourth day (or for 24 hours before the next step).
The peak experience: On the fifth day or night it is time for the person to take a 3.5 to 6 gram dose of the magic mushrooms, with a sitter and safe set and setting on an empty stomach. This is a psychedelic dose and will usually trip someone into inner or outer-space. This is a great time to have a focus or conversation about the life experience or trauma that the person is seeking improvement with. It’s a good time for nature and avoiding all media including texting and social apps. I personally enjoy daytime experiences especially if you have had dark experiences in the past that you are attempting to move completely through.
The next day, or the sixth day, it’s important to journal and talk with the sitter or another person like a therapist in comfort about the experience/vision. Sometimes, I take a rest from the medicine but sometimes after a bad trip a person can be depressed, this may indicate that it’s appropriate to take a micro-dose from .5 grams to 1 gram. This dose should be so closely following the full dose experience (within 24 hours) that the individual has a tolerance and may be suggestive of less strong effects. I would err on the side of caution and remember that less is better. Other things can be substituted for the psychedelic mushrooms during this “come down” phase, such as adaptogenic herbs like Rhodiola or Suma/Maca roots, and superfoods can be used to return the nervous system and brain function to a great state of health (e.g. chia seeds, sea-weed, sea salt, raw organic fair trade chocolate, walnuts, and avocados). This is definitely not a day for intense experiences, social pressure, or action movies…it is a time of reflection. I like to be by water or in water. As the kidneys and adrenals represent the water element in the body and might be recovering from the experience of process and flushing the psilocybin/psilocin.
Bell Curve Image
On the next two days, it’s important to down step the dose back to the amount that you started with. So day 7 might be .5 grams or a little less, and day 8 may be even less (around .1 grams). This process of continuous microdosing is subjective and can be modified to you or your friend’s needs. If you are new to psychedelics, less is better and always take your time with experiences and experimental doses. It’s better to step up the dose slowly and a person can always make the bell-curve microdose model work around smaller or larger doses based on experience or take twice as long to increase and decrease the daily doses. It is also enjoyable and possible to receive the benefits of this healing journey by taking one or two days off in between doses. Remember that tolerance usually resets after 24 hours (with mushrooms).
Check out this graphic and imagine the dosage over time (dose is the height axis and times is the length axis).
Check out various articles on harm reduction, psychedelic therapy, and good set/setting practices online and by reading James Fadiman’s book.
Go with your gut,
Hugh T Alkemi
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