Often I hear my clients asking “If a microdose is something you don’t feel, how do you know it’s not a placebo effect?”
That’s a great question! Especially when you look up the definition of ‘placebo effect’: The placebo effect is a phenomenon where a person’s physical or mental health improves after receiving a fake, biologically inert treatment, like a sugar pill or saline injection. This improvement is driven by the patient’s belief in the treatment and expectation of feeling better.
Viola! Here’s study investigating how most folks do know when they’ve consumed psilocybin. 15 mg. dose is close to a standard microdose.
In a double-blind trial of 120 healthy volunteers, 92.5% of participants correctly guessed when they received 15 mg psilocybin, compared with 65% for MDMA and 50% for methylphenidate. Investigators also guessed psilocybin correctly 95% of the time, showing that psychedelic trials can become functionally unblinded even when everyone is technically blinded. Psilocybin’s sensory and consciousness-altering effects make it especially hard to hide from participants, which matters when expectations can shape reported outcomes.
Personally, I appreciate the subtle nuance of a psychedelic microdose. The pupils dilate just a wee bit, to let more light in as well as the neurogenesis effect on diminishing default mode tendencies. As recently as yesterday, I was sharing Shedding Skin Writing Practice with a Creator’s Retreat Classmate. An hour prior, I had consumed a microdose of psilocybin with a dash of Lion’s Mane. In my writing practice, I shed light on how I wanted to show up outside the default mode when communicating hurt feelings with my partner. I wondered how I could find humor or curiosity as the driver, rather than hurt and anger. This is an example of how seducing the subtle helps us evolve as humans. It takes courage to be vulnerable and speak our truth. Please don’t let science squash your microdose experience.
Science is an act of following your curiosity and exploring unknown territories. Will we ever truly know if our beliefs, values, morals, and culture impact our perception of reality? Especially now, as we spend probably more time scrolling on the screen of phones, desktops, tablets, and you-tube and Netflix…What is objective? What is reality?
For my clients embarking on exploring Psychedelics, I say “Life’s a trip right now. Psychedelics help me get a grip on realtiy.”
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