C.J. Spotswood - The Microdosing Guidebook: A Step-by-Step Manual to Improve Your Physical and Mental Health through Psychedelic Medicine

The Microdosing Guidebook

A Step-by-Step Manual to Improve Your Physical and Mental Health Through Psychedelic Medicine

C. J. Spotswood, PMHNP

This book is dedicated to my friends, family, and mentors who have supported me along the road to publication and all of my personal journeys. I would also like to dedicate this book to all of my current and former patients. Without learning from you, writing it wouldnt have been possible.

This book is about ingesting very small doses of LSD or psilocybin with the aim of improving various areas of ones life without experiencing a full-on psychedelic effect.

I ask the reader to consider all of the following cautions before using any of the information in my book.

PSYCHEDELICS USED IN MICRODOSING. My book is limited to the use of LSD and psilocybin in microdosing. At no point am I referring to the use of ibogaine, ayahuasca, MDMA, or any other substances.

POSSIBLE POSITIVE HEALTH EFFECTS. Microdosers have reported experiencing improvements in their mental and physical health, focus, creativity, and spiritual awareness. However, medical research has not shown that microdosing psychedelic substances is more effective than a placebo for any medical or mental health application. I am in no way saying that microdosing is a panacea for all illnesses or conditions, or that every user will experience positive health effects.

POSSIBLE NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS. The use of psychedelics may result in negative health effects, and so does the discontinuation of medicines that you may be taking now. Some of the potential side effects, risks, and drug interactions are discussed in detail in Chapter 7 and Chapter 8. As noted below, you should discuss the health risks of microdosingand the best way to reduce those riskswith your healthcare provider. Not doing so can result in serious consequences, including emotional and mental instability, discontinuation syndromes, increased suicidal thoughts, withdrawal symptoms, seizures, and even death.

CONSULT YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER. Although I describe how psychedelics may interact with your health needs, including your medications, it is very important for you to consult your own primary care and/or psychiatric provider before using any psychedelics and before decreasing or stopping any medications that you may be using. The decision about whether or not to engage in microdosing is yours to make, but it depends on your own health issues. You should discuss the benefits and risks with a suitable healthcare provider before making a decision. See Chapter 11 for guidance on how to discuss microdosing with your healthcare provider.

LEGAL RISKS. One of the risks of microdosing is arrest and criminal prosecution. Psychedelics are categorized under federal law as Schedule I controlled substances, the most restrictive class of drugs, and they are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some states and municipalities have decriminalized these substances for personal use, but that doesnt mean that they are entirely without legal consequences, including arrest and conviction for a crime. Before acquiring and/or using psychedelics, you must check with your local authoritiesand consult an attorneyto determine what legal risks you are taking. The risk is even greater if you share these substances with others.

NO ENDORSEMENT. I have conducted extensive research for my book, and my sources are mentioned in the Acknowledgments and References. However, all of the opinions and advice in the book are mine alone, and no endorsement or affiliation with my sources is claimed or suggested.

GUIDING OTHERS. If you plan to use my book as a resource to help guide others, you should give all of these cautions to the people with whom you work.

Welcome! In recent years an increasing number of individuals have turned to psychedelic medicines, and the numbers seem to have risen further during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. While the use of high-dose psychedelics is evident, a growing number of people are interested in taking their health into their own hands through microdosing. Microdosing psychedelics is the act of ingesting subperceptual amounts of the substances with the aim of improving various areas of ones lifewithout experiencing a full-on psychedelic journey (aka tripping). For the purpose of this book, I focus only on psilocybin, LSD, or substances that have a similar structure to LSD. Microdosers have reported experiencing improvements in their mental and physical health, focus, creativity, and even spiritual awareness. It is believed that microdosing psychedelics has been practiced by indigenous cultures for centuries, from tribesmen in Mexico using peyote to hunters in the African Sahara Desert ingesting low doses of psilocybin to improve their visual acuity.

The act of microdosing psychedelics was relatively unknown until the release of The Psychedelic Explorers Guide by James Fadiman in 2011. From there, word has grown, and we have seen various media outlets covering microdosing. These include Rolling Stone, the Guardian, Playboy, the Economist, Forbes, and even various major newspapers, including the Washington Post and the New York Times.

With all the talk out there about microdosing and its purported benefits, many have asked me, How do I do it? and How do I find trusted information? These questions provided the initial motivation for me to write this book. I didnt feel I could steer askers to a specific place that I could trust, nor did the answers I came across seem to have any significant scientific basis. The best information I could find is cited within the covers of this book. But even that information was incomplete or inconclusive, only provided in bits and pieces. That made it difficult to navigate the informational landscape, and there were no resources for a how-to approach. Here, I give readers full access to information in one place. Additionally, many of the online guides or books that I have read merely base their information on the authors or website owners credibility, firsthand accounts, or anecdotal evidence. Im not minimizing that information, but I wanted to know where it came from and took the opportunity to read it myself. I can say I have personally checked out and vetted any of the sources and information behind all the work cited within this bookwe cant base everything on reputation. That being said, I want to point out that all the information provided within this guidebook comes from available published research. All I have done is read the research, synthesized the data, and disseminated the important information into one handy package.

My approach to writing this guidebook is unique in that I will describe how psychedelics work, how they may interact with your unique health needs (including medications), and how to mitigate risks before you begin. You will also learn how microdosing may affect your holistic health, encompassing your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health needs. Additionally, I will provide information that may not directly be associated with microdosing but is relevant to improving health outcomes.

Surprisingly, when writing this book, I realized that not only are there no published guidebooks on how to microdose (to the best of my knowledge), but there arent any resources readily available for medical professionals detailing the process of doing so. This guidebook is intended to bridge that gap. It is my hope that as you prepare to start a microdosing regimen, you will take this book with you to your next appointment with your primary care or psychiatric provider. Together, you can both decide if microdosing psychedelics may be right for you and collaboratively start a treatment plan. Part 2 of the handbook section is written specifically for healthcare providers. Here, I go more in-depth answering questions specific to them.