If you’ve been keeping tabs on the psychedelic revolution, you’re probably aware that microdosing has become the newest biohack, new age cheat code, or genuine support tool of a generation focused on happiness, meaning, impact, and sustainability. Finding the right microdosing schedule isn't hard, but it can be a very personal relationship.

While more psychedelic research is being undergone for larger doses, organizations are slowly making headway around sub-perceptual doses, best practices, and best times to partake in these personal experiments.

Microdosing is a gradual process of unraveling and loosening the tensions in the body and mind, while taking higher doses will bring emotions to the surface in a much more intense and accelerated fashion.

What are the best microdosing schedules? Well, that's something only you can determine for yourself. Understanding your intentions and expectations can help you determine how often you'll want to microdose, and for how long. The most popular are the Fadiman protocol or the Stamets' stack, but the psychedelic work week is also gaining traction in this community.

What Is Microdosing?

Who’s Microdosing?

People come to a microdosing practice for numerous reasons. Some are interested in psychedelics and want to dip their toes in the water rather than jump into the deep end of the pool. Others may have had a great trip and are now looking to cement their learnings with a microdose routine. More still use it as a healthy alternative to anti-depressants and other big pharma medications causing more harm than health.

Why Microdose?

Microdosing has dozens of benefits, both immediately and into the future. People claim this practice increases creativity, focus, clarity, and well-being. It helps with inflammation, circadian rhythms, natural energy, and sensations of grounding and presence.

It has helped numerous people dissolve depression and anxiety, lessen PTSD, and allows individuals to take back control of their lives.

Many people, like Brandon of Houston, have used microdosing as the bridge to building a psychedelic relationship. They've heard of all the benefits psychedelics can offer, believe they could help enrich their lives, and want to dip their toes into the water without diving into the deep end of the pool. Microdosing is perfect meet yourself where you're at, gain the value these medicines have to offer, and become a better you in the process.

Why Is It Important To Have A Microdosing Schedule?

While it might seem like overkill, following a microdosing schedule is fundamental to using shrooms as a treatment for mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. The two main systems used by microdosers are the Fadiman Protocol and the Stamets Stack, but there are a number of others that are effective, but less known.

Jim Fadiman's Protocol

The Fadiman Protocol is widely known as the most beginner-friendly model, due to the nature of its three-day cycle. On the first day of the Fadiman microdosing schedule, you’ll take your first microdose. The second day is a transition day as the psilocybin exits your system, and the third day is a normal day. At this point, you would restart the cycle with a second microdose on day four. Researchers suggest continuing this cycle for four to eight weeks, with two to four weeks in between cycles.

Paul Stamets’ Stack

The second most famous microdosing schedule is the Stamets’ Stack, renowned for its combination of various psychedelic mushrooms like lion’s mane, psilocybin, and niacin (also known as vitamin B3).

If you’re following the Paul Stamets microdosing schedule, you’ll microdose for four consecutive days before taking days five, six, and seven as off days. The cycle repeats with four days on, three days off for four weeks, with two to four weeks rest in between microdosing as a way to rest, reset, reflect, and integrate.

Other Protocols

The Every Other Day Approach

Another schedule is taking a microdose one day, followed by a sober day, and then taking a microdose again on the third day, before being sober the fourth. Basically, it's an every other day protocol and some people will do this between six to eight weeks, with about the same time being off.

People have found this method useful when they have a busy season of work, higher creative demands, or simply want to explore their edges in a professional, personal, or adjacent lens. People are touting this as one of the favorite microdosing schedules to get better work done while feeling grounded as they do so.

The Psychedelic Work Week

No, you don't have to work in the psychedelic industry to partake in this protocol. It's as simple as five days on, two days off. While most people dose Monday through Friday, you can move things around to fit your work week.

The Nightcap

Lastly is the nightcap protocol, which involves taking magic mushrooms every second day before bedtime. This is popular among folks who find that mushrooms make them sleepy, and this schedule allows them to sleep better, dream more vividly and wake up feeling refreshed.

Tracking Your Microdosing Journey

Tracking the effects of your microdoses is important to your psychological well-being as you move through your psychedelic journey. Journaling about your experiences can be even more beneficial if you start your microdosing journey with an intention in mind.

Whether you’d like relief from depressive symptoms, support in productivity at work, or an improved creative flow, the microdosing schedule you choose is fundamental to facilitating the desired effects. Tracking can help you both stay connected to your microdosing goals, as well as help you build a record of changes that occur with regards to your moods, mental health, productivity, creativity, efficacy, and overall well-being.

Both writing and microdosing are therapeutic practices. Each allows a different, deeper level of self-awareness, emotional maturity, and a sense of openness. Playing one off of the other is a recipe for intentional living and conscious decision making.

With Houston

Houston is designed for people looking to unlock new levels of well-being, connection, focus, and creativity in their worlds. It helps you log your doses, track your mood, set your intentions, and explore your inner space.

For those who prefer the digital route, Houston is your perfect companion app.

If you're looking to learn more about the Brandon, the founder of Houston, tune into our podcast with him where we talk about microdosing and psychedelic freedom.

With Wakeful: 6-Week Intention Journal

Our friend Jenny over at Wakeful Travel has worked in the psychedelic industry for several years and continued hearing the same thing; people are craving tools to better create intentions and mold integrations from psychedelic experiences small and large.

So, she decided to create a two part journal, one for intentions and microdosing and another for integrating bigger journeys. Sadly, these won't be available until June 2022, but you can go pre-order yours today!

With Odin's Microdosing Journal

Odin, The Microdosing Journal is your best guide to successfully incorporate microdosing in your daily life. It is designed in a way that takes you through all the essential stages of your microdosing journey.

This journal is for everyone who’s decided to plug into the life force, shift their perspective and expand their lives, but has no idea how to start. It will guide you through your microdosing journey, from choosing your substance, finding your dose, selecting the intaking protocol to offer a structured way to track your experiences daily.

Can You Microdose Too Often?

This revolutionary treatment for depression, anxiety, and PTSD has blown up in the Silicon Valley. Rather than solely aiding in mental health, people are using it as a tool to enter the elusive flow state, sleep better, feel more energized, and live more meaningful lives. However, microdosing is usually most effective on a schedule so the body can reset and prevent building up a tolerance to psilocybin.

As with most drugs, the more a person uses a substance, the higher their tolerance to that substance will become. This is why spreading dosages out by a few days–on a microdosing schedule that fits your lifestyle and goals–can help to manage increased intolerance. Your microdosing experience will be much more effective if you avoid microdosing too frequently.

Having one to four 'sober' days throughout your week is vital so your body can return to its baseline.

Gwella’s Microdosing Supplement

Still not sure? Check out our bridge product, Mojo! As the website goes on to share...

"Our journey began when a group of curious individuals sought to reverse-engineer the reported effects of a psilocybin microdose, without the psilocybin. It took us from the forest floor to clinical trials, in search of an effective method of boosting energy, focus, clarity, and mood — and we finally cracked the code."

Each Mojo soft chew features a proprietary blend of carefully selected bioactives. These are found in nature or cultivated to produce specific compounds that create the desired effects. Then, we layer these ingredients in perfect harmony to achieve our signature microdose experience.

The Come Down

As microdosing becomes a popular “life hack” for high-stakes work environments, it’s crucial to remember the importance of tracking your experiences and following your best microdosing schedules. And different intentions and times in your life will call for different microdosing routines. Sometimes an intuitive approach can be more beneficial than a regimented one. Just like psychedelic experiences are a personal thing, so is your microdosing routine.

Keep in mind the illegal status of magic mushrooms in most countries, and be aware of the risks before you start microdosing. While psychedelics are still being carefully researched and aren’t yet endorsed by medical professionals, the psychedelic revolution is on the horizon.

Further Reading

How to Grow Psychedelic Mushrooms

Ayahuasca retreats in the USA

How to pass a drug test