Towards a dynamic processual model of psychedelic microdosing.
Jason Hughes, Joshua Stuart-Bennett, Michael Dunning, Hannah Farrimond
International Journal of Drug Policy February 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104691 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 23 |
| Population | Active, prospective, and past microdosers of psychedelics |
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Keywords | Phases Process sociology Psychedelics Temporalities |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Microdosing pathways involve a series of phases—awareness, research, access, experimentation, incorporation, and expansion—that require ongoing work and can lead to greater temporal and relational expansiveness. |
Abstract
Existing research highlights an increase in psychedelic microdosing, particularly for therapeutic purposes and as a means for self-enhancement. However, we know little about the different routes into and out of microdosing, particularly by those who do not consume other illicit substances, and of the processes involved in the development, maintenance, and cessation of practices. Drawing upon a trans-national interview-based study of 23 participants actively microdosing (n = 19), about to start (n = 3), or who were past users (n = 1), we develop a phased-based analysis of different user pathways. We identify key phases as: 'Awareness/Discovery', where participants became aware of microdosing; 'Research/Reframing', where they researched access, techniques, and undertook 'stigma work' to reframe risks; 'Access/Supply' where they sought reliable and safe sources of psychedelics and cultivated attitudes/practices/substances for longer-term use; 'Experimentation/Differentiation' where participants altered dosing levels/schedules and, inter-relatedly, differentiated 'effects' and 'benefits'; 'Independence/Incorporation' where they stabilised practices into patterns 'right for them'; and 'Expansion/Advocacy' where microdosing was linked to greater inter- and intrapersonal 'expansiveness'. Pathways in and out of microdosing are multilinear and differentiated. Nonetheless, a dynamic processual approach helps highlight the overall structure of changes involved which, we find, can entail a shift towards greater temporal and relational 'expansiveness', greater independence, and more incorporated practices. These shifts necessitated considerable 'work' variously to negate stigma, maintain supply, determine dose, document shifts, and other kinds of material-symbolic 'investment'. We also show the significance of processual/phased-based models beyond psychedelics to better understand drug-use journeys and temporalities which confound conventional dependency-focused paradigms.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on microdosing, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelic microdosing benefits and challenges: an empirical codebook Active microdosing community | 2019 | Mixed-methods study | |
| Narrative identity, rationality, and microdosing classic psychedelics People who had microdosed classic psychedelics | 2019 | Qualitative study | n = 30 |
| Twenty percent better with 20 micrograms? A qualitative study of psychedelic microdosing self-rapports and discussions on YouTube YouTube videos and comments about psychedelic microdosing | 2019 | Qualitative study | |
| Accounting for Microdosing Classic Psychedelics People who had microdosed classic psychedelics | 2019 | Qualitative study | n = 30 |
| Experiences of microdosing psychedelics in an attempt to support wellbeing and mental health. People who microdose psychedelic drugs | 2023 | Qualitative study | n = 13 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Devaluation and Revaluation as Dynamic Social Processes: The Case of Psychedelic Stigma. Sociology of Health & Illness May 1, 2026
- Advancing the Anthropology of Psychedelics: Integrating Clinical Evidence, Sociocultural Insights, and Ethical Frameworks Anthropology of Consciousness June 12, 2025
- Evaluating psilocybin for the management of depression: a literature review British Journal of Mental Health Nursing August 2, 2026
Cites 26
- Towards an understanding of psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023
- Powerful substances in tiny amounts Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs February 1, 2018
- Psychedelic Microdosing: A Subreddit Analysis Journal of Psychoactive Drugs October 24, 2019
- The emerging science of microdosing: A systematic review of research on low dose psychedelics (1955–2021) and recommendations for the field Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews May 21, 2022
- Psychoactive substances as a last resort—a qualitative study of self-treatment of migraine and cluster headaches Harm Reduction Journal September 4, 2017
and 21 more in the library