DISCLAIMER: I am not stating that microdosing psychedelics can cure depression, anxiety or any other mental disorders. I also do not condone the use of any illegal substances. This piece was written from an analytical point of view and should be read as such. Please read with caution.
With the ever-changing intensities of society, it is pretty clear that (especially in the last few years) mental health is on a decline. It seems that no matter what part of the World you find yourself in, life is simply hard.
No matter your walk in life, you will inevitably experience an array of obstacles that can have a negative impact on your mental health. It can be a slippery slope and before you know it, you are in need of help to get yourself back on your feet.
There are plenty of effective methods for improving one’s mental health. In this article, I am going to be introducing you to a unique practice that could potentially help you in stabilizing your mood.
Let’s talk about microdosing LSD and how it can assist you and your brain chemistry!
What is microdosing?
Essentially, microdosing is the act of consuming a micro-amount of a psychedelic substance with the motive of improving your brain function, which can have a knock-on effect and improve a wide spectrum of areas.
The doses used for this practice as so small that they offer no psychoactive effects, meaning you will not get high. When using LSD, the dose is usually around 5-12 micrograms. The dose depends on your body weight, sensitivity to LSD, what you ate that day, etc. It is vital to figure out a dosage that is optimized for you and your needs.
What is LSD? LSD and the brain
LSD, also known as Acid or Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, is a hallucinogenic substance that falls into the Lysergamide category. This particular compound interacts with proteins on the surface of brain cells.
These are called serotonin receptors. The word serotonin may ring a familiar bell for you. Essentially, it is a chemical messenger that helps brain cells communicate with one another. It is known as the ‘happy chemical’ as it is best known for modulating mood, reward, cognitive, and numerous other physiological processes.
LSD appears to act through a specific receptor called 5-HT2AR. Learning this through psychedelic research has given us a groundbreaking insight into LSD and the effect it has on the human brain.
This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as it has acted as a branch of research, opening the door to further understanding of how LSD affects mental health. These results have allowed us to take the next step in psychedelic research, pointing us in the right direction.
While research is always ongoing, this is a big step to take. We have yet to cement exactly what happens in the brain after ingesting LSD, but we are on the right track and the data we have thus far is promising.
Microdosing LSD for mental health
While most microdosers report that this practice has been a key factor in improving their mental health and, in some cases, assisted individuals in combating clinical depression, the anecdotal information is not enough to convince the mass majority. Understandably so!
I just wanted to highlight that we really do not know for a fact if it does or does not improve mental health. While there have been a few studies, they have not generated enough data for us to be sure. Let’s have a look at one study in particular, which is also the largest one we have yet!
You may know of a man named Paul Stamets. He is one of the world’s most beloved mycologists and is a dedicated advocate for using psychedelics to treat clinical depression and anxiety.
Stamets and a number of other research members conducted the world’s largest microdosing study so far. What did they find?
Their large-scale examination of international adults highlighted the prominence of therapeutic and wellness motivations of microdosing psychedelic substances. What they essentially found was lower levels of depression and anxiety among microdosers.
As always, further research is warranted in order to better determine the impact that this practice has on cognition, well-being and mood.
Thanks to the suggestions of this research, we can expect to see more studies in the future in regards to microdosing LSD and other psychedelics for mental health.
Your brain on LSD
While microdosing LSD has no psychoactive effects (if done correctly) it may be helpful to look at what happens in our brain when we take a psychoactive amount.
For the first time in history, we can have an inside look at the physical effects of LSD on the human brain, thanks to the research team at Buckley/Imperial Research Programme! They conducted brain scans on a small number of patients after ingesting LSD and found some pretty interesting images.
Credit: Imperial College London
The team recruited 20 volunteers and gave half of them 70 micrograms of LSD while the remaining half were given a placebo alternative. To conduct their research, they used high-end techniques like fMRI and magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Essentially, those who were given the placebo had a slight increase in brain activity, but nothing too substantial. Those who were given LSD, on the other hand, displayed a different result. From this study, we can note that LSD allows specific areas of the brain to not only light up but also communicate with other areas of the brain that normally would not communicate. These images also found some parts of the brain lighting up more than usual while other sections that were typically active dimmed. They believe that such an effect could have a positive impact on one’s well-being.
‘‘Strong relationships were also found between the different imaging metrics, enabling firmer inferences to be made about their functional significance. This uniquely comprehensive examination of the LSD state represents an important advance in scientific research with psychedelic drugs at a time of growing interest in their scientific and therapeutic value. The present results contribute important new insights into the characteristic hallucinatory and consciousness-altering properties of psychedelics that inform on how they can model certain pathological states and potentially treat others.’’ – Snippet from Beckley Foundation.
If 70 micrograms of LSD can have such remarkable results, then perhaps smaller doses over a longer period of time can have some sort of positive impact, as well. Again, we will not know anything for sure until we have brain scans of microdosers to examine.
While studies are limited and funding isn’t very accessible, we can only go off the data we do have. I may be optimistic, but I do believe that a lack of studies does not always mean a lack of truth.
Hippies that have been taking LSD since the 60s have been telling us for years about the mind-expanding and therapeutic properties of this substance… Perhaps, they were right all along.
Only time and a lot of research will tell!
