Headlight Journal

Better Living
Through
Chemistry?

An increasing number of people are turning to microdosing psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms. As the phenomenon spreads like wildfire among professional high achievers, Headlight Journal talks to a person who microdoses — a conversation through which we try to learn what the hype is all about. Is it a part of an ongoing hunt for personal growth, performance hacks, and the perfect working life?

Words by Rasmus Folehave Hansen
Photos by Niklas Højlund

As new technologies and idea-driven economies place greater intellectual demands on us in the workplace, we try to stabilize our inner core with yoga, self- help books, brain vitamins, diets, and inspirational gurus promising to improve work performance, mental health, or creativity. Lately, microdosing LSD and psilocybin mushrooms has spread among people who take drugs, not to escape the realities of life, but to improve and grow personally.

The idea behind microdosing is to barely open the door to the psychedelic universe by ingesting tiny amounts that are just at or below the threshold of any obvious drug effect – in the same way that a glass of wine can enhance one's mood and limit inhibitions without a sense of being drunk.

Studies mapping the neural pathways of people tripping on psychedelics have revealed that the drugs massively increase and rearrange connections between different parts of the brain – likely a reason why these substances show promise in terms of increasing mental agility and adopting new habits. Albert Hofmann, who invented LSD in 1938 while working for the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Sandoz, was known to enjoy taking LSD and was an avid microdoser who remained famously lucid until his death at the ripe age of 102. He passed the torch to psychedelic researchers of later generations who have helped turn microdosing into the global phenomenon it is today.

And here weare, in a conversation with a person in his 30s who lives in Denmark but prefers to remain anonymous. We gave him an alias: Thomas. With a long academic background and a demanding job for a start- up in the financial industry, he is one of many who have turned to microdosing LSD and, in his own words, it is a method he uses to improve his work performance and well-being.

“I first heard about microdosing from a friend of mine who had used LSD to solve a specific existential problem and found that it also improved his ability to perform his intellectually demanding university job. I'm the kind of guy who always strives to optimize my skills and performance, so after discussing the pros and cons with my friend, I decided it was worth a try.

The first dose I took was definitely the most exciting. Not in the sense that the experience was intense, but my expectations were certainly high. I did it on a Saturday so it wouldn't impact me at work, in case microdosing had a bad effect on me. But there really was nothing to worry about. I could barely feel the LSD, only a very discreet sensation of 'something', like being lighter in body and mind. Over the weekend I was quite conscious about taking notice of any changes to my general mood and energy. Both improved. I woke up on Monday more than ready to begin work." According to a demographic study conducted among members of microdosing on Reddit, Thomas sits right in the middle of the microdosing segment: A caucasian, straight, well-educated man with no significant history of problematic drug use. If you think psychedelics are just for hippies and boomers still stuck in the 1960s, Thomas is quick to put that notion to shame.

“I'm not a hippie or a stoner in any way, and I have no desire to escape from reality. My life is fine. Most people I know regard me as driven and highly skilled at what I do. I'm a professional who dresses and looks like a square, for lack of a better word.” Thomas says.

“With LSD, it's like my brain has learned a new skill that can be recalled and put to use when needed.”

Despite their great potency, it's a notable fact that, unlike most other drugs, psychedelics are non-addictive and non-toxic – you won't die of an overdose unless you practically drown in it. This makes them ideal candidates for experiments by people like Thomas who do not want to risk the habit-forming properties of short-acting substances like MDMA or cocaine. But, even when we talk about microdosing, you should always be careful; you never know how you will respond to any kind of intoxicant. Sure, one can take small amounts of cocaine and feel like the king of the world for a brief time, but it can escalate quickly to an expensive, unhealthy, and unproductive habit.

“It's not like a miracle drug that makes you an instant genius like in the movie Limitless; I didn't show up at work and revolutionize the tech business in a single day or anything. What it did do to me was make conversations easier, and I suppose it also increased my empathy, so I was more patient with co-workers and more open to listening to their viewpoints. It's hard to put into words, because, often, I sort of had to think about the effect before noticing any changes, but it was like my mental ceiling had been raised, and it took more to stress me out, which made it easier for me to plan ahead. The business I'm in is very competitive, so anything that makes me better at my job without also harming me can only be a benefit the way I see it.”

“Taking too high a dose could compromise my job and entire future career.”

LSD and psilocybin are peculiar, complex drugs with effects that cannot be satisfyingly described with words. To the uninitiated, a full-dose psychedelic experience can best be compared to being in a dream-like universe while conscious and in contact with one's surroundings. Flowing fractal patterns, deep existential insights, symbolic images, and spiritual awakenings inhabit the psychedelic space. Just like in the world of our dreams, a second can feel like a lifetime; ideas, memories, and associations flow at breakneck speed. But it is important to mention that it is far from everyone who experiences being taken on such a dreamy, psychedelic trip. How it affects you depends on your biology and your mental health.

The LSD Thomas had before breakfast is one of the most potent drugs known to man. How potent? It's the hydrogen bomb of drugs. A gram could send 10,000 people flying. A microdose is in the range of 10 millionths of a gram – or about a quarter of the weight of an eyelash, so the risk of extreme overdoses is real if one is not careful. That is why Thomas decided the best way to go was taking his LSD in liquid form.

“My friend helped me get hold of the LSD and showed me how to measure out the tiny doses by putting a 100 microgram LSD blotter in 100 milliliters of distilled water, which I kept in a small brown medicine bottle. When taking the LSD, I used a dropper to measure out doses of 10 micrograms each. It's the easiest and safest way to dose accurately when you don't have access to a laboratory-grade scale,” Thomas explains. “This was extremely important to me because taking too high a dose could compromise my job and entire future career.

Imagine if I suddenly started babbling and seeing rainbow colors at the office. That would not be a good look for me at all.”
Indeed, taking too much LSD at work – or anywhere for that matter – can lead to disastrous results. Take, for instance, Justin Zhu, the young founder and CEO of the marketing start-up Iterable who recently got fired for underestimating what was supposed to have been his first-ever LSD microdose before a business meeting. It was a careless and costly mistake.

Thomas steered clear of any embarrassing moments at the office but still found that along with the positive effects there was a slight downside to his own microdosing experiment.

“When I was about two months into my planned microdosing program, I began feeling as if my increased sense of openness also made me emotional inawayI'mnotusedto,andIfeltIwasmore easily affected by external factors. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a bad thing in itself, but it was a bit more than I had asked for, if that makes sense. I still think the benefits I have gained from the experiment outweigh the passing feeling of being oversensitive. What surprises me the most is that after I stopped taking LSD, I was still able to get back into the same mental modes I enjoyed during the period when I experimented. I can't just recreate the feeling of being drunk on beer. But with LSD, it's like my brain has learned a new skill that can be recalled and put to use when needed – or perhaps it's always been there and I only notice it sometimes.”

Thomas' experience echoes what other microdosers and researchers have to say about the matter: Something is happening, but exactly what is not clear. Recent surveys have shown that microdosing psychedelics does indeed offer improvements when it comes to general mental well-being, but almost as many users report unwanted effects, dragging the positive net gain toward zero. And the only placebo-controlled study on the topic to date suggests that, yes, microdosing can work in beneficial ways, but so do inert sugar pills if your expectations are high enough.

Safety notice
LSD, psilocybin, and most other psychedelic drugs are illegal to possess, buy or sell in many countries. This article deals with the considered use of non-intoxicating doses of psychedelic drugs. Despite their generally positive portrayal in this article, psychedelics in any amount may pose health risks that should be researched thoroughly before venturing into.