Some of us find when taking LSD, that after a few hours, our muscles can become a little tight, achy and cramp up a bit. There are a few easy ways I’ve found to help to relax your muscles when taking low doses of LSD/microdosing and make the final few hours of effects more enjoyable. Muscle tightness may affect some people more than others, and could be partly to do with your magnesium levels rather than the LSD actively depleting them.
I have often found that my back can tighten after around 2-3 hours of taking a microdose and it’s more of an irritating distraction than a major problem. Still, it’s quite easy to fix, and isn’t necessarily down to you not being able to let go, or because of mental blocks etc.. It seems to be a bit of a trend amongst new agey people to blame every physical ailment on a mental cause. It’s unfortunate, and negates the fact that many common health issues can be a result of vitamin/mineral deficiencies (or the opposite), lack of/quality of sleep, hydration, allergies and other nutritional /lifestyle causes. We must remember the impact food and environmental influences can have on the psychedelic experience.
Here are some simple ways I’ve found to make your microdose experience more relaxing
1. Take magnesium – transdermal magnesium may be best here for optimal absorption and lack of side effects. The effects are felt within 30 minutes and it can also be helpful to ensure restful, deep sleep. It may be best to take it a couple of hours after taking the microdose, near to the peak. You don’t need a high dose, 100-200mg should make a significant difference.
Both exercise and stress deplete magnesium in the body, and whilst microdosing LSD shouldn’t really be stressful, there is a toll on the body that can’t be ignored. Even the extra stimulation is tiring to some degree and I believe that magnesium complements low doses of acid perfectly. Making sure you sleep well after microdosing is very important, and will also help integrate insights discovered throughout the day.
2. Take a hot bath – if you’re lucky enough to have the luxury of a bath, take advantage of it as an easy way to gently come down from LSD, whether it’s a full trip or a low dose (maybe not the best idea at the peak of a full trip for obvious reasons). Magnesium sulphate or magnesium chloride can also be added for greater effect (see above). Essential oils such as frankincense, lavender, and rosewood, I’ve found to be comforting and relaxing. Citrus oils such as bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, orange, can be more energising/uplifting which you may prefer if you want to feel more refreshed and aren’t looking to sleep soon afterwards.
3.Yoga/mediation – yoga is a way of energising the body and relaxing it at the same time, and can prepare you for deeper relaxation and meditation. Even just 30 minutes can be really helpful. Those who require more grounding whilst taking LSD might benefit from more grounding yoga postures. I recommend the sun salutation sequence, spending at least a minute in each position, followed by sitting in lotus/half lotus position for 15-30 minutes with closed eyes or open eyes if you prefer. Take care if attempting balances, and perhaps avoid headstands. I find yoga works well towards the end of the LSD’s effects, around 6-8 hours after taking a microdose, although any time you feel like it would surely be fine for you – trust your intuition and judgement.
4. Walk in nature – perhaps the most obvious, simple and unadulterated things have the most profound effects. Walking in forests has always been really pleasurable on any dose of acid, or other psychedelic for that matter. The air is clean and the sounds of nature are life-affirming. Personally, I prefer walking in places where human beings are not high in number, but not everyone would find this so important.
5. Cook – cooking or preparing simple food, especially fruit and vegetables can provide just the right level of stimulation, and also gives you the opportunity to work on motor skills/co-ordination by working with your hands (LSD is excellent for this in my experience). Sometimes you will find with low doses that you want something to do that is not too taxing, and working with food means you can find something at just the right level of concentration.
6. Cannabis – this can go either for different people but I do find that as the effects wear off, cannabis provides just the right shift in bodily relaxation that I need. Too much can be too much though so best to start with a very small amount and see how it goes. I don’t recommend it for coming down after a full trip but some people find it works for them, so best to experiment and see what works for you.
I welcome other ideas to add to this list, and there are probably a few things I’ve forgotten so will add to it as time goes on. They’re the kind of things that should be obvious but it’s not always easy in the moment to work out what your body needs. I hope some of these things will be helpful if you want to relax more with low dose LSD, if you haven’t tried them already. Suggestions are welcome.
Microdosing Journal 