“It’s a soul supplement”: an exploration of microdosing psychedelics through an in-depth interview with a user
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A microdosing user |
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Key findings | Argues that microdosing is a distinct use modality shaped by everyday contexts, with motivations that are multiple, situated, and shifting. The practice involves a gradual process of becoming, is expressed through specific language and values, and spans a continuum from enhancement to therapy, while also interacting with macrodosing in the same user's life. |
Abstract
Microdosing consists of the regular use of sub-perceptive doses of psychedelics substances, most notably psilocybin (“magic”) mushrooms and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). First observed in specific environments and subcultures before spreading in wider areas of human activity, microdosing has become one of the better recognised faces of the current “psychedelics renaissance.” Building on a body of qualitative research that examines the reasons people engage with substance use, how their practice is embedded in the context of their everyday lives, and the ways these experiences shape them and are vested with meaning, this article draws on an extended, in-depth interview with a microdosing user. Approaching microdosing as a particular use modality of psychedelic substances, a number of interrelated issues are identified and explored in the discussion. These include the multiple, situated and shifting nature of motivations for microdosing, the gradual process of becoming entailed in the practice, the language and values used to express and signify the stance towards and experience of microdosing, the continuum of enhancement and therapy, and the two-way relationship between different use modalities (micro- and macro-dosing) undertaken by the same user.
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 |