So, my first time Microdosing on LSD turns out to be a trip at 8 am on a workday.
The psychedelic journey may not give you what you want, but it will provide you with what you need.
So at 8:00 am, I put a tiny piece of paper under my tongue. After an hour, I was sitting in front of the computer screen, reading a paper about quantitative research, suddenly my heart started to race.
The first thing I do is to look at my hand.
Oh boy, I can see my hand breathing. I started to get panicked, since a breathing hand is not what I had planned for. Of course, the more I tried to fight it, the worst it became. If there’s one thing I have learned from my previous trips, that is trying to be in absolute control is not ideal. I’d think of it like going on a ride on a self-driven car, fighting who’s in charge of driving will increase the chance of a car crash.
Though the visual doesn’t get any stronger than seeing minor line distortions, most of its effects are in my head.
My mind is jumping too fast, and there’s a strong urge of “I need to do something.” It’s debatable whether it is ‘productivity,’ cause when all you want to do is sit down and finish reading your paper, your mind is screaming “DUDE, GET UP AND DO SOMETHING”.
So about 2 hours in, I still can’t take my mind off how things are not going the way I planned. I’m still anxious, I’m feeling nausea. Thankfully, I had this self-saving guide prepared the night before, which I find helpful to keep my body and mind in check. (you can find it at the end of this page)
First suggestion, you should plan one or two activities that will relax you in a stressful situation. For me, it’s taking a bath.
So, I sat in my CBD infused bath, that’s when things are getting interesting.
My mood is at all-time-highest; I thought I was in heaven. I can feel each of my cells loosen up; I can smell the herbs. I can see the water particles rising from the water surface and disappeared into the air. I feel my mind, my body, and my soul literately merged into one. And all the distress and negativities dissolved and went away. I am whole again.
Immediately after the bath, what I experienced would probably fit into the category of the realm of how psychedelic helps with creative thinking.
I was looking at myself in the mirror (btw you should prob not do that if you are tripping at a much higher dosage)
I started to hear my mind talking, like literately.
It all starts with THE question:
“Who am I?”
And…
“What is being alive?”
And then, all these:
Is being alive just ‘emotionally involved in decision making’ ?
What is intelligence? Is it just ‘decision making’ ?
If our survival instinct enforces our choice-making, will I still have to follow the natural selection rules if my body does not present?
Am I still alive if only my mind and consciousness exist?
Then if a machine or bio-synthetic parts replace part of my body, how is my relationship with it different from my other body parts?
Do I see that part as a tool or a part of me? What’s the difference between the two? Is it purely emotional?
I have to stop myself from going down to this rabbit hole. But the fact that I am so hyper-aware of what my brain is doing, and able to hear all my thoughts is mind-blowing.
In the end, the effect of micro-dosing last me around 4 and a half hours; even though it surprised me with some twists and turns, but having the right set and settings is imperative in getting the most out of the experience.
I believe the study of psychedelic will keep challenging us on what we thought we knew and how we know it. Even now we have more and more individual experiences shared across the community, but still, there’s a long way from understanding exactly what happens to our brain and consciousness when we are on LSD.
But for any purposes, people who decided to be on an acid trip needs to be respectful and try to educate themselves on this powerful yet beautiful agency before they willingly sign up for an experience with the disintegration of the outer world and the dissolution of one’s own ego.
Go over this list the night before your trip:
What’s your objective? Why do you do it?
What’s been going on that’s good in your life at this moment?
What has been challenging?
What do you want out of this experience?
What’s your emergency activity list? Things to do that make you feel better?
During the trip, do this “check yourself” list :
Outlook
Are you more positive or negative? More optimistic or pessimistic? More or less skeptical?
Mental — Notice the thoughts running through your mind.
Are they the same as usual, or different in nature? Are you having more or fewer thoughts than usual? In general, is your mind more clear or more cluttered?
Creative
Are you finding new qualities in things, like stories in objects? Do you find your mind wandering in directions it doesn’t usually? Are you getting more ideas than usual? Do solutions to problems come more easily?
Emotional
Do your feelings take on any different qualities than before? Are there more or fewer feelings experienced than usual?
How quickly do you process them before reaching a resolution and moving on? Is sex better, or a different quality?
Social
How are you expressing your thoughts and feelings? Are there any changes in the pacing, tone, or nature of your speech? Do you smile more or less? What frequency do you agree or disagree with someone in conversation?
Body — Take a look at how aware (or not aware) you are of your body.
Now zoom in on the body by closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths. Slow your mind and place your full attention on any sensations in your body. Do you notice anything?
Capabilities — Notice if you’re more able to complete certain tasks than usual.
This might manifest as changes in attention span, physical/visual acuity, verbal fluidity, problem solving ability, empathy, different areas of awareness, and so on.
You can download the complete guide as a Notion page here.
Citations:
How to change your mind — Michael Pollan
