.:Overture:. Microdosing As a Reality Hack

by Israel Ruiz

Microdosing has been a huge topic of conversation over the past few decades. Not only in my work and personal life, but also in the medical, therapeutic, and scientific communities. From healing to nootropic use, it's becoming common to work with entheogens in barely noticeable doses. This is breaking new grounds and challenging outdated paradigms like religious, medical, pharmaceutical, and social beliefs. A new era is upon the human species. It's not only our right, but also our obligation to ourselves and the planet to undo old programs in both the conscious and subconscious areas of the mind. The plant devices that have assisted us throughout history have always been available to small groups of people that had a shamanic influence. With so many "parasites" and "sorcerers" consuming our species and controlling our minds for so long, the tools offered from these plants have only been accessible to few and now in decreasing numbers as governments fulfill the old agenda of inhibiting the expansion of consciousness. The war on consciousness is coming to its apex as I write this. Where will you be when it all collapses? Will you be part of the Evolution? Or be recycled? The Collective does not require You to Evolve, it'll do so even if you decide to continue keeling over. If you decide to Evolve with us (the 144,000 lol), you will experience a story that has never been seen on this planet. This will change you forever. The compound that has been the bridge to my evolution and expansion happens is the psilocybin mushroom. This friend of mine and I have been in cahoots for ten years with this new project. I've been asked to share the wisdom of this technique to assist with the psychological reprogramming, integration, and expansion outside of the currently outdated model.

 

Psilocybin cubensis "Golden Teacher" My first teacher and guide

 

.:Psilocybin and Microdosing:. 

Psilocybin molecule 

 

In the past 20 years, psychedelic clinical trials and research have exploded as it's become impossible to deny their benefits from the public. In 2000, John Hopkins was the first institution to get government approval for the research of psychedelics. In 2018, the FDA changed psilocybin’s status to “breakthrough therapy” enabling continued research. In the years following, Colorado, Washington, and Michigan, amongst other states, have already decriminalized possession of "magic" mushrooms. Still federally considered a Schedule I Substance, the narrative is rapidly changing as evidence builds up. Trials are showing how deeply we benefit from working with these entheogens, especially with proper guidance in clinical settings. The data continues to show minimal risks of overdose and addiction to the psilocybin. Results display how they offer a wide range of therapeutic uses for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and drug addiction while alleviating symptoms of physical pain. 

 

Psilocin molecule 

 

 Most of the research involves traditional or heroic doses (5 grams or more) under the supervision of a therapist in clinical settings and isn't accessible to the average person. Seeking this kind of transformative experience isn't something most would try on their own. If they do, it could turn into a "bad trip", preventing them from pursuing it in the future. There still is very little published research confirming the benefits of daily, self-administered microdoses of psilocybin. 

My motivation with this project isn't only to bring knowledge of these life and self changing compounds to the public, but also to bring awareness in this strange and disparate world we inhabit. 
While John Doe, who's never had a criminal record, is serving 10 years in prison for possession of mushrooms; the highly educated elite and affluent people in places like Wall Street, Ivy league schools, and Silicon Valley are reaping benefits from small-dose psychoactives as they relate to enhancements in mental performance and creativity. These substances that connect us to each other and higher states of being, are advancing the careers of a privileged few in a realm that worships materialism. We're in the age of information and we should all have access to these life altering, consciousness expanding allies.  

 

.:What Exactly IS Microdosing?:. 

 

A microdose is a sub-hallucinogenic dose of any psychedelic/psycho-active compound (ketamine, mushrooms, LSD, DMT...) that is low enough to avoid perception-altering affects, or a "trip". Dosage will vary from person to person and can range anywhere from 0.1 to 0.5 grams of dried psilocybin mushrooms or 1/10th of a  "normal" dose (based on personal usage). 

My work with the .:Overture:. Project has been eye opening. The amount of research and trials behind these compounds is showing no signs of stopping or slowing down. Aside from their psychological, neurological, and spiritual benefits, I’ve been noticing with myself and have found communities of bio-hackers using and commending these compounds in microdoses a nootropics. They enhance mental functions in memory, energy, concentration, and cognition. Reported benefits include increases in efficiency, pattern recognition, creativity, self-confidence, pain relief, an overall sense of connection, mood and focus, sense of calmness, empathy, access to flow states, self-efficacy, and cognition; with reductions to appetite for food, substance-dependencies (nicotine, caffeine, narcotics, etc.), migraines, and for women, reports of reduced PMS. 
 

Although groups like The Beckley Foundation, John Hopkins, and MAPS have been granted the green light in the past decade to begin studying the effects of small doses with psychedelics, psilocybin has been present alongside us since our very beginnings and grows everywhere except in arctic regions. The research and study of these compounds is new, but not our relationship with them.

 

 Current studies support this idea of brain restructuring in response to psilocybin's potentials. In the brain, psilocybin is converted into psilocin, which causes both structural and functional changes in cortical neurons. This explains why subjects can consume a single dose and have experiences with benefits lasting a month or longer after the initial dose. Scientists using MRI scans of brains on psychedelics have observed sustained increases in the range of firing brain signals and are noting that psilocybin seems to allow brain regions to work together in new ways. Something to note when it comes to the ideas of left and right brain hemispheres, their particular functions, and what this could mean for us when these two regions begin to work harmoniously. Psilocybin stimulates certain brain areas and connections while simultaneously reducing brain activity in other areas of the brain, specifically those in the amygdala, related to negative thinking. Additionally, there is reduced activity in brain structures associated with the Default Mode Network or DMN. The DMN is related to memory, imagining the future, and the voice in the head that thinks about itself (aka “The Ego”). Like every part of the brain, the DMN works with the whole to create a healthy and functional mind. When overactive, it creates negativity, fear-based thoughts, and dissatisfaction. Circular brain loops, rumination, and anxious spiraling can all be associated with the DMN. As psilocybin reduces activity in the default mode network, it creates a sense of being in the present moment, a loss of ego, a sense of oneness with all things, and a significant reduction in fear-based thinking. The preliminary hypothesis is that these effects can occur with microdoses.
 

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When starting out on a personal psilocybin microdosing journey, it is important to first identify a quality source that you can trust. It is suggested to find a colleague, or a friend who is an experienced psychonaut and can refer you to a tried and tested source or shaman to administer the medicine. 

I am in no way, shape, or form, advising anyone to pursue any illegal substances or activities. This is purely for educational purposes.
 
NOTE: If you are diagnosed with any sort of mood disorder, consult with your physician, therapist, or healthcare professional before accessing entheogenic therapies.
 
Do not consume psilocybin or any entheogenic substance if you are taking SSRIs since the biologically active compounds work on serotonin neurotransmitters and can be VERY harmful. If you suffer from schizophrenia or have had any relation to psychosis or psychotic episodes, please do NOT engage with psychedelics as they have been known to exacerbate these conditions. Seek a reputable shaman if so.

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Microdosing can increase sensations of arousal and without experience this can be interpreted by the mind as anxiety. It is highly advised that you develop some form of meditational practice/discipline (at least 5-10 mins every day) in order to reframe any sensations and increase your awareness of the body and mind. It is notable that this state of arousal tends to occur at the beginning of the microdose regiment. This is normal and will subside in the oncoming days. Uncomfortable sensations can be alleviated with proper dosing and attention to mind-set and setting. Thoughts can be guided with the aid of journaling, self-hypnosis and even with a therapist.

Once you understand relevant drug interactions and have decided to venture on this journey, find a quality source and use a proper scale to measure out the dose and start on the low end (0.1 to 0.15 grams). Some prefer to grind up the mushroom and place it in capsules. On your first dose, choose a day that you have off so you can observe the experience without the risk of “tripping” at work or social settings. 

.:Lunar Protocol:.

I developed my own protocol to pair with Materia’s .:Overture:. Neural-Hack project.

The Lunar Protocol ritual is the following:
One (1) dropper full, sub-lingually, first thing in the morning. You do this for 3 days ON and take 2 days OFF. The protocol is called Lunar because it’s taken for a full Lunar Cycle(One full month).

 I take time off from microdosing for the following month as a means to allow my brain, along with the conscious and subconscious mind, to calibrate to the new streams of data/neural pathways that are being created. After that month-long break, I return to the 3/2 days Lunar Protocol. The goal is to also prevent a tolerance build-up and avoid the need to increase dosage. 

If you’re approach with the .:Overture:. is for nootropic purposes, I suggest to lower your intake of any other nootropics and stimulants during the period of time working with it. I’ve found that I use the others much less than before the microdose. 

During the re-programming phase
with the Lunar Protocol cycle, I monitor very closely what I bring into my mind, body, and Being; foods, music, environments, substances, people, and even sex. I maintain a daily journal where I document not only differences I'm seeing and feeling, but also my affirmations/reprogramming codes. These begin to allow awareness of old programs that were operating. Think of it like this; I create the affirmation that I am losing weight very rapidly. This begins to manifest except there's this other thing occurring: I'm having a reaction to certain foods that I eat or the amount of times in the day that I eat for no reason other than habit and maybe as a coping mechanism. Now I can begin to see that the root cause to me not losing weight rapidly isn't because I'm not affirming properly or better, it's because of things in the subconscious that need to be deprogrammed. Awareness is power. Instead of be careful, I like to think of it as be ready for what you wish for.
 
There are, however, several ways to approach the microdosing schedule. I suggest experimentation to find the one that works best for you. You can find a breakdown of each known protocol here on the Microdosing Institute’s website. 

 With microdosing, less is always more. You are not here to "trip", connect with the universe, or even feel anything. You are here to intentionally, logically, and intellectually interact with a part of your mind that has never been interfaced with before: the subconscious/unconscious mind. 

 

  

                                                 

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