I’ve recently started experimenting more with low doses of magic mushrooms after initially forming a strong preference for LSD. I’d initially avoided microdosing magic mushrooms mainly for practical reasons such as calculating the dose and time taken to prepare or eat them as opposed the ease with which LSD can be taken. Curious, I’ve revisited them over the last few months to see if there’s something I’ve missed. These are my results.
As I mentioned, dosing is much more random and difficult to work out compared to LSD. Even if you divide a tab of acid by cutting it into small pieces, and those pieces are slightly different sizes, you can be fairly sure that you’re not going to accidentally take a large dose – as slapdash as it may seem to be. But being the strange creature that they are, there are never any guarantees with mushrooms, and you should keep in mind always, that anything can happen. They are cunning.
How many grams of magic mushrooms are best for microdosing?
The more we take psychedelic drugs, the more the subtle effects of different doses becomes clearer. After a few years of regular microdosing with LSD, it’s become easy for me to discern the different effects of say, 10, 20, 30 micrograms etc. I now know exactly how much I want to take depending on how I feel that day. I think of it like a temperature dial, with less ‘thresholds’ than I previously thought. And ego-death and boundary dissolution can happen at any dose, although this is not guaranteed – it depends on many factors, most of all the individual. This is something I hope many more people discover, because it may change the way we see psychedelics in the future.
Microdosing magic mushrooms is a more subtle experience than LSD. I’ve grown more and more fond of LSD for it’s productive and energetic high but mushrooms are quite different. They have a more calming, sedative effect, more conducive perhaps to evening use, and also a more dreamy rather than an actively creative feel. As with full doses, their effects wear off quicker than LSD which can be useful sometimes.
I’ve been taking a range of doses between 0.2 – 0.5 grams of mushrooms each time and I can’t say these different doses have significantly different effects. The experiences have been very similar each time. In fact, I often forget I’ve taken them because they are so subtle. The logical conclusion might be to increase the dose but I think this is missing the point. I have found them to have muscle relaxant qualities, and sometimes relieving for migraine headaches as well. I tend to be more drawn to them when I’m looking to rest and reflect on a Sunday afternoon. I don’t find they give as much insight into the psyche in the same way LSD does, but acid is unique in this regard – sometimes it can be just like having a psychotherapist by your side. Mushrooms (for me) seem to be more of a spiritual guide.
As I’ve mentioned in other posts, microdosing allows for a tapping into the full egoless state that a full trip provides. Over time, your baseline state of consciousness can shift to the point where without any substances at all, you can slip back in at will. This is one of the things that has given psychedelics a bad name – flashbacks and all that. I love it when I drift back into it, but I understand that for those that have had very difficult or traumatic experiences it wouldn’t be enjoyable. It’s certainly true that the answer to the question “how long do the effects of LSD or mushrooms last?”, the answer is, forever. You never recover, because you are not supposed to. For some, it seems a more brutal form of teaching or healing than others, but recent research shows that people who have used psychedelic drugs just once, have lower incidences of mental illness.
Sex with microdosing and magic mushrooms
This is a subject that I need to write more about in another post but I wanted to add a couple of notes about it here first.
I’ve found magic mushrooms in low doses can help enhance the feelings of touch and the flow of sexual energy, all the while maintaining a very relaxed feeling in the body which I did not find quite the same with LSD. Psychedelics are not drugs many people associate with sexual pleasure, but there is certainly a very strong connection between the psychedelic experience and the sexual experience – in many ways they are one and the same as far as boundary dissolution goes (in my opinion).
As I mentioned in a recent post about the microdosing trend, it’s a shame that most of the new interest in psychedelics lies in how microdosing can increase productivity and ‘solve problems’. There is little mention of sensual experiences, sex, music or inner reflection. I think it needs to be explored more, between sexual partners as well. Alexander Shulgin’s wife wrote some interesting things about this in their book Tihkal. Living in a time when sexual satisfaction is around the lowest it’s ever been for the younger generation despite the hyper-sexualisation that constantly surrounds us, it’s surely more important than ever that we find ways to help people re-connect with their sexual body in an accessible way.
Play with the dosage a little to see what’s best for you
My notes here are not as reliable compared to my notes on LSD dosing. Because of the variety of strains, the way magic mushrooms are grown, where they are grown etc, there are different levels of psylocibin in different samples. Even two mushrooms that grew next to each other can have different percentages of psylocibin per gram. It’s therefore important to start low, work and up and form your own conclusions. Then again, this should apply to any drug, and with every new untested batch.
Let me know your thoughts, ideas, experiences
As always I welcome any thoughts on this subject and I don’t consider myself an expert by any means. There is so much to be explored, and I’m sure there are many people out their with interesting experiences and ideas to share that we can all benefit from hearing about.
Microdosing Journal 