To preface this post, I was originally very hesitant to micro-dose mushrooms. I’ve never consumed them recreationally or medically, so I did my research prior to diving in. I took the necessary precautions to ensure I micro-dosed medicinal mushrooms in a safe and effective way. I followed a schedule which consisted of taking my dose three times a week (or every other day) for three months. After the three months, it was recommended to take a 4 week break before starting again.

Where I’m at: I have completed my three months of micro-dosing and I’m on week 2 of my break. Here is my experience.

WHY: First of all, why did I decide to embark on microdosing medicinal mushrooms? I have never been someone interested in drugs. In fact, I’m the opposite. I’m scared of them and truly want nothing to do with any of it. I think this part is very important to know, as micro-dosing medicinal mushrooms is not comparable to doing drugs recreationally.

I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression on and off for the last 8 years (read this blog here, here and here). I took anti-depressants for two years (Zoloft) from 2017-2019 and have been doing natural remedies since. February of 2021, I quit my full time job and decided to go full-time on my own business. This brought a lot of stress, change and the unknown to my life.

4 months later I started to get intrusive thoughts that lingered for months. It caused me anxiety because they wouldn’t go away. The anxiety was manageable but I was determined to find a solution that removed this unneeded anxiety from my life. The search was on and I came across the idea of micro-dosing ‘shrooms. At first I thought this concept was crazy. I was sooo scared, nervous and afraid to try them. I hate the feeling of losing control. However, after listening to my community and the personal experiences of my friends, it was clear how positive and life changing this medicine is. The upside outweighed my doubts and I wanted to try anything I could before resorting back to anti-depressants. So, I found a reputable product and took my first dose with my loved ones and friends.

DO YOU FEEL HIGH? Short answer: no… The recommended dose is two capsules…however I only took one (because I’m generally sensitive to things – aka I’m a lightweight) and never felt ‘different’. On one occasion, I did take the recommended two capsules and I did feel different. I got way too relaxed and took a long nap. Did I feel high? maybe… but definitely not an out of control high. I just felt ‘different,’ which I wasn’t a fan of. So, one capsule was the dose I stuck with from then on out.

THE OUTCOME: Even though, I didn’t feel “high” from the shrooms. I gradually felt a HUGE difference in my way of thinking. After the second month, I truly started to notice this change. I was more positive, happy, creative, optimistic and balanced. I felt like myself again. My thoughts were well-organized and accessible. I had more compassion for other people. Conversations flowed easier and that layer of social anxiety had seemed to fade away. It wasn’t like I was too happy or too excited… I just felt completely balanced and myself. I began to notice that this feeling wasn’t just on the days I took my dose. My ‘off days’ began to feel like my dose days. It was apparent that the shrooms were causing actual change for me (compared to just feeling good when you take the dose.)

MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE: Even after not taking them these last two weeks, I can still feel how much they’ve changed my mood and way of thinking. It’s almost like I did 5 years of therapy in just three months. I don’t overthink as much as I did. I don’t hold on to things as long as I did. I let things go so much easier now. Thoughts easily come and go just like they are supposed to and I feel like microdosing shrooms truly helped me with that.

MOVING FORWARD: I will continue to follow this regimen: 3 months on 1 month off until I feel the need to not to.

TIPS:

• I’d recommend eating something before consuming your dose in the AM.
• Get into a set schedule of when you dose. I liked going Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday.
• Go into it with no expectations. As I mentioned, you won’t feel very different if you’re taking a small dose. Don’t assume it doesn’t work just because you aren’t feeling anything. In my experience, it was a slow and gradual effect.
• Journal your experience.

I highly advise you to do your own research. This is just my experience and I am in no way a professional of any sort. I also recommend watching Fantastic Fungi on Netflix. This really opened my eyes and made me realize how healing medicinal mushrooms can be.