Annons
Annons
Annons
Fadiman's protocol consists of a suggestion that participants who already have their own psychedelic materials micro-dose every fourth day for a month and make notes of how they are feeling. A micro-dose ranges from a tenth to a twentieth of a usual dose. "If people say they're noticing [the psychedelic effects], I advised them to lower their dose. The rocks [shouldn't] glitter, even a little," says Jim.The word spread and people started asking Fadiman for information on micro-dosing. "People write in and say they're interested. One young man wanted to find out if it would help him stutter less; it has," says Fadiman. "Another stopped smoking."So far, Fadiman has collected around a hundred reports, and the results are coming in daily. "I then follow it up after another month," he says. "What people say is that micro-dosing appears to improve practically everything you do, just a little bit. One report called it an 'all chakra enhancer' – people say things just seemed to work really well, and because it's such a small dose, it impacts on mood without changing behaviour."Although he wasn't specifically studying depression, per se, several research participants told Fadiman that micro-dosing had alleviated their low mood. The forums were full of these kind of accounts, which is how Sue chanced upon Fadiman. "I wrote to Jim, and he sent me the protocol. Intrigued, I asked a friend who had some mushrooms if I could have a small amount," she says.TRENDING ON NOISEY: Reflecting On When Kanye West Used to Gleefully Tell Wank Jokes on Shit UK Chat Shows
Annons
Annons
WATCH OUR DOCUMENTARY: 'The Rise of Psychedelic Truffles in Amsterdam'
Fadiman isn't alone in his interest in the therapeutic properties of psilocybin, and as the cultural restrictions have begun to be lifted, a few new studies have been launched into larger doses and depression. One study showed that brains affected by psilocybin had different connectivity between some cortical regions, which might chemically short circuit patterns of negative thinking. A team at Imperial College London, under Professor David Nutt, is currently studying the effects psilocybin can have on treatment-resistant depression.So might micro-dosing be as effective a depression reliever in the long-term as it appears in the short-term? Fadiman won't be able to know with the data currently available to him; more formal scientific studies are going to have to be done on micro-dosing before anyone can deduce anything for certain. But just as a friend recommends a home remedy for more straightforward medical issues, so micro-dosing joins the tradition when it comes to matters of the mind.
Annons