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When you think of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), you might imagine an array of mind-boggling visuals. Yet psychoactive substances can be good for more than just a tremendous trip. For thousands of years, they’ve been used to treat psychological disorders and promote well-being. In fact, when taken in small doses, experts say they can even produce comparable effects to antidepressants.
Called microdosing, this idea is nothing new, but it’s taken off in popularity over the last several years. Scientists are pushing for more clinical trials to investigate how microdosing can impact our serotonin levels. But, existing studies have already shown that psychoactive substances could change the game for mental health treatment.
“We see people report greater levels of mindfulness, greater connectedness, reduced stress,” says Joey Rootman, a doctoral student at the University of British Columbia. “All these types of things can unfold within the microdosing experience.” How Does Microdosing Impact the Brain?
The most popular drugs used by microdosers — mescaline, LSD, and psilocybin, the active compound in so-called magic mushrooms — are defined as classical psychedelics. This means that they target our serotonin system , which regulates our mood.
Classical psychedelics target a specific type of serotonin receptor in the brain, which temporarily increases the amount of serotonin. This not only gives users a greater sense of euphoria that is commonly associated with serotonin boosts but also slightly modifies how we view the world around us.
“It’s not that [classical psychedelics are] necessarily creating some sort of whole new perceptual world, but more so that, by influencing our serotonin system, [they] can just tweak those levels of those different kinds of perceptive ‘clickers’,” Rootman says. “And by doing so, [they] impact our perception of the world.”
Read More: Psychedelic Effects on the Brain What Do Studies Say About Microdosing Psychedelics? In larger doses, this can lead to the visual effects and “mystical experience” commonly associated with psychedelics. But even in small amounts, these drugs are still influencing the serotonin system, which […]
Microdosing Psychedelics Could Revolutionize Mental Health Treatment
