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Everyone sometimes doesn’t feel so comfortable in a large group of people. But when you have social anxiety, you almost always feel it when you are in a social setting. You don’t dare speak to others, feel insecure, and would prefer to be back in your room by yourself. Social anxiety can put a brake on your life and make you feel left out of the group. Can microdosing reduce symptoms of social anxiety? In this blog, we look at what the studies say and whether microdosing makes sense for social anxiety.
Microdosing has grown significantly in popularity in recent years. It is applied for both psychological and physical complaints. Microdosing is done with psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin, cannabis or mescaline. Instead of taking a normal dose (which would cause you to trip), take a very small dose. Usually it is 10% of a normal dose. You might think that this will therefore have no effect, but it doesn’t have to.
Because you are taking a microdose, the psilocybin can affect you, but you do not suffer from mind-altering effects. In higher doses, psilocybin can have the following effects:
With a “bad trip,” negative effects are also possible, such as paranoia, anxiety and other unpleasant emotions. You may also feel like you are losing control of yourself. When you microdose, these kinds of effects are not present. In fact, you can enjoy the benefits of psilocybin without hallucinating or having a bad trip.
Even in lower doses, psilocybin will have an effect on you. It corresponds in action to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical messenger that plays a role in regulating mood. It appears from research that low levels of this neurotransmitter may be the cause of the development of anxiety and depression. So when you microdose with psilocybin, you can potentially help restore the levels of serotonin in the body.
Unfortunately, not much research has been done on the effects of microdosing on anxiety. However, there are many people who use microdosing. There have been quite a few surveys on the Internet. This shows that people notice the following positive effects of microdosing:
Microdosing is also used for social anxiety. Below you can read more about studies done on the mental health potential of microdosing. The results are encouraging.
In 2019, researchers studied data from an online questionnaire completed by 410 people from different countries. All had been diagnosed with a mental or physical illness. In addition, these people did have experience with psychedelics (mostly magic mushrooms). Those who suffered from anxiety did not find microdosing as effective as taking a full dose. But it did have more effect than regular medication. Surely this is striking.
The fact that psilocybin can have a positive impact on our mental well-being is also shown in the following study from 2021. In this study, 200 participants received a single dose of synthetic psilocybin along with psychological support. This was found to have a positive impact on therapy-resistant depression.
In 2016, a study was done on 20 healthy people. They were given a microdose of psilocybin or a placebo and then an fMRI scan was performed. This showed that psilocybin changes the way the amygdala (the emotion center of the brain) communicates with other parts of the brain. This may allow for better regulation of negative emotions, thinks Katrin Peller of the University of Zurich. The research was done to understand anxiety, especially in the social area, where people feel socially excluded. After the microdose of psilocybin, participants actually felt more cheerful, less anxious, and there was a change in how they perceived themselves.
However, more research is needed on the benefits of psilocybin for anxiety in general and social anxiety in particular. So, though, there are now many personal stories to be found about what microdosing can do for shyness and anxiety. For example, Jaclyn Downs of Pennsylvania came into contact with microdosing psilocybin by chance. After friends gave her a tea of mushrooms and she took a single sip of it, she felt peaceful, in the now and well grounded all evening.
She realized she had taken a microdose and began experimenting with it. She used to do it only in difficult situations, such as parties or gatherings. Then she made it a routine, taking a microdose every three days. It helps to calm her anxiety and she can interact with other people much more easily. She feels relaxed and can handle negative situations better, she says.
Would you also like to try microdosing because you suffer from social anxiety? It seems that microdosing can have a positive effect on your mood, reduce anxiety and make you feel more connected to others. Microdosing is no longer a rarity. It is not known exactly how many people apply it. There is a discussion group on Reddit about microdosing. In 2018, 27000 people participated in it. Now, in 2022 there are already 183000. So you can join a large group of enthusiastic microdosers. However, choose reliable and organic microdosing truffles, such as those from Microdosing XP.
