Microdosing hallucinogens

They must be getting some kind of reward, or they wouldn’t keep coming back. Perhaps it’s the placebo effect?

I had a question from a therapist about a client who had been microdosing psilocybin for over a year. The client claimed it helped her with anxiety, and planned to continue.

The  therapist wondered if her client’s hallucinogen use could have an impact on their upcoming therapy — positive or otherwise.

I didn’t have an answer ready, so I went looking.

There wasn’t a whole lot of research to be found, and what there was seemed to concern high-dosage use in a structured, intensive course of therapy. A far cry from daily microdosing.

One thing I did learn: Microdosing is way more popular than I realized.

An estimated 10 million Americans microdose various hallucinogens — think ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA, LSD. Among them, psilocybin is by far the most popular, with an estimated 8.4 million users.

Anecdotal reports from current and former users attest to the benefits of microdosing. They mention  improvements in mental health–– such as reduced symptoms...

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