Documentary Experiment 52 days taking a Macrodose of Psilocybin
A common practice in my experiments is the videos I record daily to obtain data and perspectives and reflect on what I am experiencing. For me, it is one of the most important parts because it allows me to verbalize and externalize thoughts, impressions, points of view and sensations that appear as I progress through the experiment.
He did not expect that a video, which can usually be between an hour and a maximum of two hours, would extend to more than 5 hours, so it becomes a documentary.
This documentary explains the experiment and my experience from day zero to the last day, including the end with the conclusion, an analysis eight days after finishing, and the previous addition at 35 days, which serves as the end of the experiment.
You can view it below:
(You can watch it directly here on Youtube)
A few weeks ago, I finished an experiment that took a macrodose of psilocybin (and psilocin) every two days for 52 days – one gram of psilocybin per dose diluted in two drops of psilocybin 0.5 gr. For simplicity, I’ve called it the psilocybin macrodosing experiment. This test comes to a couple of years after microdosing LSD for 40 days straight and having made several medically supervised forays with other psychedelics (psilocybin).
On this occasion, I am facing one of the most extensive, developed, and detailed experiments I have done. The follow-up carried out during each day was exhaustive, through video (more experiential and placebo effect), which has given for a documentary. Again, in a control panel (qualitative and quantitative), this time using a scale of values from 1 to 10 for better measurement and by a written report (following part of the scientific method), and also carrying out an analysis of sensations, observations, behaviour and cognition for each day taking a macrodose of psilocybin.
Index of contents for the experiment
To give rigour and a certain solidity, and as is becoming usual in the experiments I carry out, I have tried to be as faithful as possible to the basic structure of the scientific method. Therefore, in this report on taking a macrodose of psilocybin for more than 50 days, the following sections can be found:
- Observation.
- Formulation and context.
- Measurement – analytics with sentiment dashboard and value scale (from 1 to 10)
- Experimentation – the step-by-step about taking a macrodose of psilocybin every two days.
- Hypothesis.
- Falsifiability.
- Validated learnings.
1. Observation
What has been observed – this experiment has observed the behaviour, performance, sensations and attitude that I have carried for 52 days by taking a gram of the substance known as psilocybin every two days. In addition, I have tried to observe the results collected throughout the period subjectively, impartially and analytically. It is what is known as the macrodose of psilocybin.
Why it was observed – the objective of the observation was to conclude what happens before, during and after taking a macro dose of psilocybin for a long time. Thus establishing an almost unprecedented precedent regarding an unprofessional investigation of this type. Being a self-experimental and empirical study.
The data has been recorded through videos, a control panel with sensations and a scale of values (from 1 to 10), and conclusions at the end of each day of the experiment.
The observation has been as careful and critical as possible, considering the context of this experiment. As a result, it may not be as rigorous as it could have been if done with a group of researchers.
You can access the observed data and interpretations in the following report parts.
The conclusion of the observation is the following: a microdose of psilocybin (50 micrograms) is equivalent to a small whisper in the alteration of consciousness, but a macrodose of psilocybin (one gram of psilocybin per dose diluted in two drops of psilocybin 0.5 gr as has been the case) moves to a great shriek with all that this entails.
That is why we have tried to observe the effects of this “macrodose” spread over 52 days of regular activity in the workplace (meetings, conferences, presentations, creative work, sales, editing, communication, strategic development or fieldwork) and personally (lifestyle, social relationships, sports, meditation, food or rest), this being the part where such a pronounced effect can cause a more significant impact on consciousness, perception, the senses, activity cerebral and neuronal and therefore in the behaviour and performance of the individual, in this case, me.
It is observed that individuals who take microdoses increase their creativity, as well as other beneficial effects attributed to it. That is why this experiment was born to observe what products of taking a macrodose of psilocybin (one gram of psilocybin per dose diluted in two drops of psilocybin 0.5 gr) for 52 days, with a period of integration between day and day.
2. Formulation and context
This experiment is formulated through a protocol of ingesting one gram of psilocybin every two days, adding the Paul Stamets Protocol (composed of Niacin and Lion’s Mane) from day number 15 onwards. All while carrying out a high-performance professional and personal activity without lowering the levels of work, sports, rest or relationships and commitments, but rather hoping to improve them thanks to the effects of the macrodose of psilocybin.
The context is self-experimental. I have extensive experience being treated with psychoactive substances (psilocybin in most cases), 45 sessions since it started in 2017. I have also gone through a previous experiment consisting of taking a microdose of LSD, as indicated above, for 40 days in a row. Other similar experiences include ayahuasca on one occasion and 5-MeO-DMT in four sessions.
3. Dashboard, monitoring and measurement
A dashboard has been designed to be able to extract consistent results. Said table fulfils the function of monitoring, measuring and analyzing the indicators necessary for evaluating the data collected daily when taking the macrodose of psilocybin and when not.
It has been deemed appropriate to measure and monitor the following KPIs:
- Day: number of the day in question.
- Dose: number of shots.
- Time: when the dose was administered.Duration: the time that the effects of the macrodose lasted.
- Quantity: the size of the delivered macrodose.
- Graduation: an overall assessment of the effect.
- On an empty stomach: if it was taken without anything in the stomach or during the days of weekly fasting.
- Complements: administration, or not, of enhancing elements.
- Immediate effects: which were observed in the short term (between the first 20-50 minutes)
- Later effects: observations to highlight after 3-4 hours.
- Positive impact: that it changed for the better.
- Negative impact: what happened to a more negative part.Performance: level of personal “performance”.
- Productivity: the level of doing with focus, producing with quality and enjoying what is done.
- Creativity: index of the state of the creative mind.
- Focus: level of concentration and mental isolation.
- “Flow state” is an index that shows the deep connection between oneself and the surroundings.
- Mental clarity: the ability to see, execute, do, think, decide, feel and be without opposition.
- Mystical state: it refers to altered states of consciousness.
- Decision making: level to define the speed and ease to decide.
- Perception: an index that shows the precision to see, understand, and understand what goes beyond what we usually see.
- Resonance is an emotional and spiritual connection with other people or living beings.
- Empathy: indicates that it marks the ability to empathize with other people.
- Sensitivity: indicator used to measure the state of fragility, vulnerability and tenderness.
- Hallucinations: meter for visual effects produced by consuming the psilocybin macrodose.
- Considerations: possible elements that can cause positive or negative anomalies that interfere with the experiment.
- Sensations: objective conclusions about what the individual (I) feels at the end of the day.
- Remarks: Additional annotations related to the psilocybin macrodose experiment.
>>> Access the Experiment Dashboard.
4. Experimentation – Experiential analysis day by day
This section has the most weight in the entire psilocybin macrodose experiment, first because of its size and then because of the detail of what was experienced each day. It is a day-by-day of what I have been living and writing down, sometimes the next day and others on the same day, before going to sleep.
I have tried to reflect with the most excellent honesty, transparency and objectivity sensations, moments of rupture, mystical states, problems, anomalies, considerations, advantages, disadvantages, positive and negative effects, and impacts on the outside and inside. Everything that could have meant something related to integrating and navigating a macrodose of psilocybin while leading an everyday life.
The analysis goes day by day, from one to fifty-four, indicating “intake” as the day of the psilocybin macrodose, and sometimes using the reference “rest day” or “OFF day” the next day when it was not supplied.
Day 1 – Thursday 03/05/20 – take 1
I took the macro dose of psilocybin at 5:00 pm; then, I rode a stationary bike; it was a day with many online meetings and project calls. When I was on the bike, I attended two tough calls… One is about the continuity of a partner in one of the companies I manage, and the other to confirm a new project, a recommendation to a potential client, and the revelation of a problem with a client. All this while on the bike, what follows is a great empathy for other people and great care both in every word he uses and in every reaction to what he hears from the other party. In both conversations, I ended with an act of generosity and recognition because that’s how I was born.
When I got off the bike, I realized I didn’t feel like I usually do. Then I realized that the macro dose of psilocybin was having a “macro” effect. I then went on to perform yoga with special music, which helped me connect and enter a calm and peaceful state of flow, which opened the doors to a shower that I felt especially. I was aware of almost every got that ran through my body, a feeling that accompanied me to the following four meetings, which began with micromeditation. Me not taking the lead as usual. In addition to asking how long it would take to fix it and finish when we reached the established time. Something he had never done. In these meetings, I also acknowledged and praised everyone’s work. I felt much closer, kinder, and more affectionate.
From there, I ate something, and the effect diminished considerably; in moments of tension, I did not jump. I disconnected from doing things I shouldn’t. I focused on the tasks I had to do, and without realizing it, I left until 00:30 and hadn’t had dinner. The subtle sensations of every movement and thought accompanied me until I went to sleep.
The rest has been delightful, with a previous relaxing water bath. Unfortunately, I rested so much that I woke up at noon the next day.
Day 2 – Friday 03/06/20
Rest day on the macro dose of psilocybin. One where I thought I wouldn’t have much of a “hangover” until I got up and found myself entirely determined to do everything I had in mind, and I did. The space between deciding what to do, sports or work, has been almost nonexistent. I have seen myself with a very marked direction at all times, as well as later at work, where I have done 1:45h faster, the things that I usually do a day Especially having the feeling of doing it with more care and attention.
The surprise has been in the opera, where I have been able to have a much greater connection with acting. The attention concerning other occasions has been a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. I was there, present, from beginning to end. Combined with the great work I have witnessed, “Il Viaggio a Reims” has made me enjoy the best opera to date. The ability to perceive and process the environment is different from other days.
Today is a speedy day. I’ve only been drinking alkaline water, which seems to have made the effects last a bit longer.
Day 3 – Saturday 03/07/20 – take 2
According to the dashboard, I took the psilocybin macrodose at 3:00 pm, just before I started doing some editing and writing work, which was much more difficult than I would have imagined. The focus was so narrow and intense on anything that it barely let me think of anything but one thing, even blocking me and not thinking clearly because the small details absorbed me—not being able to be focused on the most general or broad. Nevertheless, I had several very lucid conversations with Javi, who was at home with me. An enlightening walk on the beach, where I solved several dilemmas that had been on my mind for weeks but were practically nullified by the productivity in the “mundane” work, which took 10 minutes turned into 45 minutes.
The rest of the day, with a ceremony of meditation, stillness, silence, yoga and taichi, was to enter a pure state of flow, complete attention and dedication to each slight movement, no matter how tiny. It was like going for at least 4 hours in slow motion. As a result, I remember everything with unprecedented clarity.
Let’s see the body’s ability to adapt these days and regulate the tolerance of the macrodose.
Day 4 – Sunday 03/08/20
I woke up mentally blocked, even meditating. The thing that disappeared from the root as soon as I sat in the sun for 3 minutes, the rest was pure joy. A feeling of well-being, connection and alignment with myself, like being on days 8-9 of a Vipassana. First, we went to play sports, and I was aware of every stride. Then he had great attention when we did HIIT, power yoga, and frozen water baths, all with a big smile, only feeling gratitude.
The focus and ease of performing tasks I couldn’t with the macro dose were much more significant. I can say that I was in a very subtle state of flow, doing things that don’t produce a state of flow. That increased when I went to learn how to mix music in the afternoon. So, with Javi as a teacher, he can improve his concentration and how he handles what he is learning. It was more intuitive and digestible. Within an hour, I was mixing songs like I had been doing it for weeks.
Another thing worth noting was the ability to make decisions that affect me for the better, such as leaving everything behind and focusing only on what is good for me in terms of well-being. Leaving things that I don’t usually leave, focusing on what I know I have to do before going to sleep, for example, taking care of myself and sleeping much earlier.
I have seen things clearer.
Day 5 – Monday 03/09/20 – take 3
A day full of sports, mindfulness, calls, meetings and writing, I am developing and preparing projects. As well as the interviews, I took the dose at 7:00 pm. The effect was less intense; I don’t know if the body was beginning to tolerate the amount better or if I ate for two hours because I was hungry. And I know that the effect is diluted before with food, but the key is to lead an everyday life. Since then, I have been more lucid than usual, operating with extraordinary mental and physical agility. I have been very connected in the yoga class and then Tai Chi, I have. And I have covered, after dinner, a project that I had been procrastinating for days, and in 30 minutes, I have left 90% resolved.
I think eating something is ideal because it lowers the effect and intensity of the macro dose of psilocybin. I have interacted without problem in the meetings and interviews that I have done, connecting with more empathy and mindfulness in each interaction.
Every time I take it orally, I have gas and stomach problems.
Day 6 – Tuesday 03/10/20
I observe more open, friendly, sensitive and attentive behaviour with others and myself. The character is softer, warmer and less reactive. The ability to decide and act has increased considerably compared to before starting the experiment.
I look for more openings to connect with myself. In meditations, quiet moments or micromeditations, I can put thoughts and emotions aside and focus on the breath with great detail and continuity. Any interaction I had yesterday was slow, conscious, attentive and very consistent with the person I am.
Regarding work, I did 90% of my tasks before 6:00 pm, both personal and professional, which usually does not happen so quickly. In addition, I discarded 20% of jobs that I did not consider relevant, which does not occur on ordinary occasions. I promise to do everything I said there because it appears on the agenda.
I was surprised to get into a state of flow in more routine and monotonous tasks such as meetings, calls, sending emails, editing and drawing conclusions from the analysis of my client’s businesses.
Day 7 – Wednesday 03/11/20 – take 4
At 3:00 pm, just before going down to the beach to take a nap, sunbathe, walk, relax and withdraw into myself. It has been a moment of total joy because I have been able to enter a lucid dream, trance and rest/nap while lying on the beach in the sun, listening to the seagulls, the waves crashing, and a brief breeze that moved the sand. I was aware of everything and the time I had been immersed in this subtle but intense journey of perceptions.
Today’s intake was the weakest. Even though it was the same macro dose of psilocybin, the body may begin to assimilate, tolerate, and adapt to the reaction. However, I have noticed myself as more sensitive than the other days hypersensitive. I would say, and tingling above all. Since yesterday’s Qi Gong activation, I have felt it flow more through my body without practising Tai Chi or Qi Gong. I have noticed the energy rise and fall through my body. I have been more able to do the mechanical work and have not felt such a narrow and absorbing focus.
Finally, I have reacted with more calm, less impetus and more freedom and confidence in meetings and calls. Acting only when he knew it was necessary, much less often than usual.
Day 8 – Thursday 03/12/20
I see in myself a greater capacity not to be distracted and not to participate in everything that can harm, distract or be minimally harmful. Also, I find no reason for negativity, sabotage or boycott. Nothing is around my head, and I am not optimistic either. I’m just there. I allow myself and move forward.
It is fair to say that notice greater firmness in decisions. And I find more emotional and mental stability in myself and am more attentive and “in control” of the moment. I have eliminated tasks and faced things that I had to face, always with determination. It is difficult to explain the day after you are in a higher state. Separately it could be divided into more significant emotional optimization, more cognitive capacity, and a better feeling to feel how you feel and act accordingly.
If I ask myself, what is the difference between a typical day and an average day after a macro dose of psilocybin? The answer would be perception, tranquillity, mental clarity, focus, subtle development in sensitivity, empathy and love, in a dose not too large but not too small.
Day 9 – Friday 03/13/20 – take 5
The day passed with exceptional fluidity, effectiveness and connection, even at the beginning of taking the psilocybin macrodose, around 3:30 pm, before a crucial professional meeting that would decide most of my income in 2020 and 2021. Therefore, tomorrow I will be very centred, focused, doing everything with full attention, without distractions and with greater mental clarity than yesterday, and yesterday was high.
Once at the meeting, I felt in a state of grace, attentive, listening, allowing myself to be recommended, calm, serene, and peaceful, and the time has come to explain what my projects are, the steps I want to take, why and how I am going to do it. And in the middle of an explanation where I have lost track of time, of anything other than what I felt inside of me, I have ended up letting go of something that I had never conceptualized, my professional purpose, the mission and vision of why I am doing what I do. I, of course, am doing and why I am going where I am going. But in addition, I have made it accessible and clear that there are no limits on my way to achieving it and going as much as I have to go.
No obstacle or barrier delimits the greatness and magnitude that the study, projection, teaching and dissemination of Holistic High-Performance will generate, the democratization and accessibility of a state of fullness, achievement, feeling, alignment and happiness reserved for a few.
This moment has been stellar, entirely engulfed by a state of flow-mystic heightened by my passion and motivation. Which has curdled, and we have confirmed and closed.
What struck me is that within three minutes of finishing, I was going into micromeditation with the team of the Program of Excellence for unemployed people. Lowering the intensity and euphoria to an almost Zen state, coming to be focused, calm and balanced about what we now had in hand, the continuity of the program beyond this commitment of 36 cities, the process, the following cities that are seen altered by COVID-19, the final closing event and sensations to date. Empathy, understanding and sympathy with every one of the six attendees.
When I later stopped working and went into the matter of choosing my father’s birthday present of editing the post that he published tomorrow, I saw a certain incapacity, or at least mental rigidity, to continue. I have distanced myself. I have gone out for a walk and from there to Carmen (physiotherapist), with whom I have connected a lot. Letting myself go, that time of disconnection in the treatment, has helped me to recover the importance of what had happened a few hours ago…
I had found something that I had not been able to shape before, the mission and vision of my path in Holistic High Performance. At that moment, my emotions surfaced, and I noticed the joy go down to the hairs of my eyebrows, even shedding a few tears during the session. The best thing is that I wanted to share it, and I have done it with her, Carmen and her husband, Javi, great friends.
Today has been very emotional, very sensitive, and very relational. Every time I interact with someone, whether digital or personal, I want to share, listen, talk, or even talk more than I should.
The macrodose of psilocybin has been at the same dose every day. The key is that it rises to full power when you connect with what moves you.
Day 10 – Saturday 03/14/20
I have slept 12 hours, and I have woken up without mental or emotional agitation of any kind. Sometimes I usually have it, especially when I wake up at 1:00 pm. He was calm, confident and determined for the moment. I have taken advantage of the time to sunbathe, be still and meditate as soon as I have had 45 minutes, which is not normal. What happens is that I end up taking advantage of that time to work. Then I came and started to do a good sports session. I’m fasting today.
The most relevant to date is that I am in what I am; the ability to disconnect from something to connect with anything at a maximum level of focus is fantastic. And remaining unchanged, not even when I received the message that my girl (who lives in Venezuela) had left me because she had met someone there. I have read the news, and without judgment, I have felt empathy and understanding for her; I have reflected on the matter and have only seen acceptance and respect. So I just closed it, with no remorse, emptiness or attachment, just good times, end of the chapter. To continue with the trip in which I find myself.
On a professional level, it hasn’t been one of the days with the best performance or productivity, but I don’t care. The keys are done, today, I sacrificed rest for work, and I came out on top.
The after-effect of the macrodose allows a more optimal integration the next day.
Day 11 – Sunday 03/15/20 – take 6
Fasting is undoubtedly a great conductor and stimulant to prolong and pronounce the effect of the macrodose of psilocybin and to be able to enter a deeper mystical state. That is what I have observed and noticed today. Also, today I used the Lion’s Mane Mushroom in tea, a well-known cognitive enhancer that helps epigenetic neurogenesis. In other words, it promotes and enhances the occurrence of a more excellent altered state of consciousness.
According to some studies, combining Lion’s Mane and psilocybin helps create new neurons and neural pathways and repairs neurological damage.
Far from this first test, the rest has been to enter a mystical and inspirational state deeper and more pronounced than expected. I was carrying the effect of an average of 3:20 pm to 5:10 pm today, as well as the intensity of the dose, which I would classify as a 9/10 for macrodose.
On this day, I have been able to channel its effects better, despite continuing to repeat patterns of personal health and well-being. Then the professional, which is not bad at all. I have written something that I have wanted to do since I was 27 years old, a handwritten letter to Sir Richard Branson, where among other things, I offer to work with him (even for free) and interview him for the podcast and meet him in person, that among all what it has meant in my life.
I have noticed that each interaction, primarily digital, due to the quarantine we are experiencing (thanks to COVID-19) has been much more elaborate, calm, intentional, loving, profound, delicate, sensitive and recognized. So now I write I am with a feeling of peace, quiet and fullness greater than usual, which is a lot for me.
Day 12 – Monday 03/16/20
First, I woke up earlier than I was used to. Second, I have seized the day from minute one. Third, I have not let any external decision influence me. Fourth, I have noticed a state of self-control greater than usual, as if everything is controlled; when I say everything, I mean everything I can handle. Finally, I listened more attentively and thoroughly than usual.
I have stopped to take a good look at the people with whom I impacted. I have done everything today, from 3 hours of sports, 30 Tai Chi and Qi Gong motorcycles, mixing music, meetings, micro nap, deep work, etc.
Apart from that, there is not much more to highlight; it would only add a state of calm, tranquillity and good humour, oblivious to everything happening. What’s more, I would say that I’m at my best because it’s now when I’m testing and checking the fruits of my work, but that’s another story.
Day 13 – Tuesday 03/17/20 – take 7
Day conducted in an unusual and ultra-productive way until taking the macrodose of psilocybin (4:15 pm) and then trying to go for a micro-break. So I have been relaxed and disconnected, but without going to sleep, for 35 minutes. Then I meditated for 10 minutes and did a 15-minute Tai Chi class. In all that time, the effect of the dose was lower than it had been until now. That led me to conclude that perhaps my body was better at regulating the amount administered. However, it was not like that. An hour later, it began to intensify its effect, more by surprise.
On this occasion, I noticed how my mind was going in slow motion, thus hindering more functional tasks such as writing, making decisions or creating and coordinating teams. Plus, he got easily distracted and evaded by just about everything. I realized a few minutes later when I was already part of the distraction. There have been moments when I have not remembered where I was before being distracted, quite in limbo. This has broken the rhythm of the day that I had.
Even recording the podcast, there was a moment when I was so into the conversation that I forgot that I was recording the podcast. That’s why there was a silence of about 15-20 seconds until I returned and realized it. Wow.
In high psilocybin mode, which repeats itself, I tend to elaborate my interactions with people via email, phone, video, or in person. As well as being more emotional, sensitive and carefree without having the backpack of responsibility. I am inclined to care about people more, much more than usual.
In addition, I have received an editorial rejection that has been more heartfelt than usual and that I expected in one way or another.
Day 14 – Wednesday 03/18/20
Incredible mental lightness, very awake, focused, radical work and hardly distracted. I achieved a much greater flow state while exhibiting in an online workshop and greater openness and naturalness when explaining and connecting with people. However, no matter how hard I tried, I felt I couldn’t stop being myself as I was, embracing every moment, gesture, word and interaction. This was very pronounced and conscious for me in the workshop and in two subsequent meetings that I had, and not so much during the day, but in one way or another, I was very conscious.
Day 15 – Thursday 03/19/20 – take 8
On the first day of the combination of Lion’s Mane (Lion’s Mane) in capsules this time, a fungus that is used therapeutically in the nervous system, as well as to achieve restful sleep, and also in the digestive system, and Niacin (or vitamin B3), an essential nutrient required for numerous physiological processes, niacin is necessary for the brain. All this, together with the macrodose of psilocybin. What is known within the psychedelic community is the Niacin-Lion’s Mane-Psilocybin protocol or Paul Stamets protocol, a nootropic formula to improve cognitive function and neurodegeneration.
I have found clarity and precision when transmitting and translating emotions, feelings and gestures, much more significant than what I have experienced in this experiment, even in others, such as the LSD microdosing. I took the macro dose of psilocybin late, at 8:00 pm, in the middle of a day of online work in the online program Ultraproductivity Method that I lead. The effect has been much faster but less “narrow” or introspective, quite the opposite. I have observed how my perception and empathy increased even more with the attendees and what has been achieved. They did it simultaneously, all of this without noticing a difference so extreme as to see that something was out of the ordinary.
The sharpness in thought, expression, illustrations, metaphors or communication was such that we all reached absolute astonishment at certain moments because of the development of the themes and where they led us. It was like removing all the limitations that a mind can elaborate on a particular subject, without ego, with humility, but with depth.
Today has been one of the least productive days in years that I can remember, and getting up, and during the day, I have had a happy, healthy and supportive attitude for myself and, of course, for others as well.
When the experiment is over, it would be interesting to ask the UP attendees what they felt on this day, something I will do. I will collect your impressions as feedback and include them in the experiment.
Day 16 – Friday 03/20/20
The day started having to be remounted. I woke up at 12:45 am and went straight to a meeting without meditating, giving thoughts, a shower, affirmations, or preparing for a great morning or anything; it had been years since this happened. Besides this, I have been cold-blooded, calm and accepting of what was escaping and working on what was not. I started and cleared the most important tasks. I returned at 4:00 pm to do the big morning, then sport (three modalities). And just after that, I jumped to an online workshop which I had to lead without prior notice (in English) at 1:30h, which I lengthened to almost 2:15h, having a sensational impact.
Everything is because I knew that despite not having control, I controlled what was important, me, in all my extensions—and doing it with confidence, visualization, decision-making, attitude and frame of mind. That has been decisive for the workshop, tackling the whole day and finishing earlier than expected with an incredible feeling of alignment and connection with myself.
Day 17 – Saturday 03/21/20
First test by prolonging the assimilation of the psilocybin macrodose for one more day (going to two). I observed (and enjoyed) a pronounced cognitive and emotional elevation and sharpness regarding my intuition and instinct values. I have connected with my flow state much more deeply than a day after the psilocybin macrodose, and I am much more controlled and conscious. I’ve lost track of everything I wasn’t doing in the moments I was engaged in something, whatever it was, including shopping, talking on the phone, showering, meditating, cycling, responding to a comment on Instagram or sending an email.
I’ve gotten to what I usually don’t get to, and that’s because I’ve had zero doubts in everything I’ve done, including jumping into a mental toughness workshop with zero preparation. A workshop where the result and impact have been maximum, even more than what happened with the macrodose in the seminar on the 15th.
Day 18 – Sunday 03/22/20 – take 9 (x4)
Take framed within a mystical ritual known as a medicine ceremony. That is, the creation of a sacred space, protected and controlled, that meets the optimal characteristics to be able to enter a mystical state (see set and setting – in the vocabulary of psychedelics), with a series of harmonic sounds, frequencies, music, essences as aromas, place. The set is the information and intention of the trip. The setting, the appropriate context, the state of the person and the guide (myself). In this way, you can trust to better surrender to the experience; without a doubt, this macrodose of psilocybin, which I increased by three times its size, had the objective of finding a space of calm, growth, development and spiritual, emotional and intellectual work.
That’s how it was, 4:40 am. I took the macrodose of psilocybin in a single shot. Usually, you can phase it, the first one at the beginning and what they call “the enhancer” at the hour. On this occasion, it achieved a faster “trip” effect. It had a considerably high peak. This effect occurred relatively quickly, and a drop that was more than progressive, at a faster rate than the usual macro doses. It is also true that the amount was three times larger on this occasion.
The results were a great introspection and getting into a state, thanks to the macro dose of psilocybin and the set and setting, where I could unlock emotional tensions and mental frustrations, as well as oppressed external control, and realize things that I couldn’t see. For example, indirect bias is about controlling time, how things happen, and how I should behave before the next moment happens.
I had several failures, like leaving the washing machine on or not putting the pc on silent. Both noises destabilized me a lot, which started a battle inside me, whether to let it go or change it until I decided that it was nothing that you should leave happen if it’s actually in your power to change it, that’s why I fixed it in both cases. It was very reflective; without a doubt, I was consciously in the subconscious, seeing things that I couldn’t see from the conscious, being able to shape them and connect the dots. It was an exciting part.
Then I jumped into the “observer” perspective where nothing was happening. I was just there, at the moment and mindful, as I watched the moment unfold and pass one after another, and I witnessed everything from a more third-person perspective. I was like that for a couple of hours. In the end, already in the closing phase of the ceremony, I had several realizations of those that shook you all my life.
- The first: everything that happens is the best thing that can happen.
- The second: I have lived so much, at all levels, from all perspectives. I have done so much, felt so much, thought so much, failed, and tried so much that I have lived three lives.
- Third: I have realized that everything that happens inside and outside of me, between people, in the world, and with other living beings, is an act of love. I must admit that this has impacted me like few things I have seen because if everything is an act of love, there is no room for judgment, anger, anxiety, etc.
I started at 7:09 pm and finished at 11:34 pm, then did a yoga class, Tai Chi and a relaxing bath all in silence, where I connected even more, first through movement and then through relaxation and heat.
Day 19 – Monday 03/23/20
Today could be said to have been a productive day, with good performance, easy, simple and calm. It has been a day of integration where at the beginning of the morning, I wrote a lot about everything that happened yesterday. I have even changed the article I write daily on the blog, for one, about “everything is an act of love”. I have shared in a call with Ed Zaydelman, a great friend, explorer and experimenter, about the experience, and we have exchanged impressions for more than 30 minutes. Then having had a great session of sports and work and then a physical therapist has left me in a pretty relaxed state—little more to add on this day.
Day 20 – Tuesday 03/24/20 – take 10
A quiet day. I was well spent, complete and rich in all sections. I have taken the macrodose of psilocybin at 5:09 pm, after a 35-minute nap, 10 minutes of meditation and 5 minutes of stillness and before a Tai Chi class and the third online workshop of a project that I lead these days called Unstoppable in Times of Crisis. It was the first macro dose I had taken before facing a large audience of about 250 people.
I noticed the high point when it had been little more than an hour. But, of course, what I have been observing, and writing down on a piece of the paper side at the same time that I gave the workshop, was the ease with which he was able to express ideas, concepts and teachings and explain them step by step without losing consciousness of where I was, when I jumped from topic to topic, joining the thread. It was like opening a book and understanding the words as you read them, and you guessed what you would read next.
I have also observed a more relaxed, kind, sensitive, calm and calm character, as well as a closer, spiritual and assertive one. The sense of humour about myself has been more significant, also the pressure of my ego (an illusion), which I have felt lighter. The ease of schematizing in my head and developing was something that I had never perceived so pronounced before until now, perhaps because of the situation and because I followed the Paul Stamets protocol (Lion’s Mane and Niacin – with the macrodose of psilocybin). I noticed the ability to discern between my mind, emotions and soul while giving the workshop and using each of these three parts when I needed it best. However, the best thing has been to think about connecting the three and letting everything flow.
In the end, I have taken time to meditate, refocus, focus and return to what I was before the workshop, which has cost a lot. Then I have eaten some chopsticks, and the effects have diminished considerably – I may be more placed to continue writing the book on modern stoicism that I prepared. In addition to developing several work plans for clients and the script for a new online program.
Day 21 – Wednesday 03/25/20
A productive day “post” macrodose of psilocybin from work, leisure and rest. The days after the macrodose go by at breakneck speed, and although I am aware of it, I feel like they go by even faster, no matter how conscious and attentive I remain, even if I do fewer things.
I have made decisions not to become a slave to my habits and routines, something that, surprisingly, I have seen today more clearly than ever. I have made decisions about my leisure, well-being and disconnection that I do not usually make. Also, I have done unforeseen things and improvised more than usual. As a result, I notice an excellent state of calm.
Day 22 – Thursday 03/26/20 – take 11
I administered the macrodose of psilocybin at 6:00 pm before meetings and online workshops for a training project I developed. I have explained the experiment to my partners and collaborators so they can be attentive before, during and after. Then, they can give me feedback on their observed differences in my behaviour, attitude, and way of presenting and interacting.
On the other hand, I notice that the chemical compound is not helping my digestive system… Every time I take it, I see that it creates inflammation in the stomach (despite being a single drop) and in my oral cords. I will investigate why this is happening and what I can do to mitigate these effects if this continues. These discomforts increase, so I will consider leaving the experiment and ending it where I left off.
On the other hand, today, I have noticed a very defined approach that has allowed me to get along well in interactions and presentations but not in routine work. Not even in continuing to write the book, I have observed a great facility to get distracted, despite assimilating what I read and understood very well. Still, it was a more passive and vague position, not at all active. The thoughts of wanting to leave everything as it was and end the day had occurred several times until I told myself it would end when I decided. I have noticed increased hypersensitivity because I felt heavy and upset in my stomach, and my voice was too forced and scratchy, even causing my oral cords to hurt.
I’m going to see a pharmacist and my GP tomorrow to see how I can continue without these more physiological side effects.
Feedback from my colleagues:
“Yesterday, I did not perceive that you were under the influence of psilocybin. I saw you wise, solemn, equanimous, in your time and observant. This being a version of you, as I was saying, I wouldn’t have guessed that you had altered consciousness either. vulnerable – you were like a great learner. I would say that it was a little manifested aspect but at the same time you were still you” – Víctor Ronco.
“I saw that, unlike other times, you put everything together with unprecedented accuracy, there were no jumps of ideas or other topics, everything was perfectly concatenated and with a lot of meaning and depth” – Luisangel Mendaña.
“Isra, I still don’t know you well enough to go deeper. But I do think that I saw you a little as outrageous, you had a different look, like more euphoria in speech. I did perceive that” – Lucas Marion.
Day 23 – Friday 03/27/20
I haven’t gone to consult the specialists. I’ll go tomorrow to see his diagnosis.
I’ve decided to rest as much as possible. Yesterday, I went to bed at 2:40 am… It’s the thing about taking the macro dose late. I’m considering taking it as early as possible after breakfast, something I haven’t tried yet. So today, I woke up several times and decided to sleep until I could see its impact. That is to say, I wanted to see how I could “rescue” the day, well, I woke up at 4:00 pm, and I managed to do everything with ease and little pressure that was out of the ordinary for the situation. – I even created a mini experiment around this.
On the other hand, mention that it is undoubtedly the second day when the most everyday and practical effects appear, especially for “normal” operations.
Day 24 – Saturday 03/28/20 – take 12
Today I diluted the macro dose of psilocybin in a tea, the harmful and inflammatory effect of the chemical has disappeared, and I have been able to carry on the day usually, even though today was the first day of the weekly two-day fast that I did. The effect of the macrodose was also more moderate, thus being able to carry on the day with more ease and normality and function much better than when it is taken directly as a drop and without mixing.
I took it before going to the shopping and the pharmacy, and I started noticing the altered state of consciousness effects at almost 40 minutes. Very subtle, especially in the perception of the environment, the warmer colours, a greater empathy, sensitivity and connection to everything that surrounded me, an effect repeated in the previous shots.
I conducted a work session in a workshop on Ultra Productivity and found that the effect was minor but not as little as I imagined. Again, great ease in the exposition, although I have noticed that I have spent too much time on the initial details (context, considerations, etc.), and it has taken me twice as long. Additionally, I have also realized that I could get lost in other elements that were not essential. Luckily, I was aware enough. I also noticed, on my part, a certain degree of transparency, honesty and sincerity greater than usual.
The positive thing about this shot when I take the macrodose of psilocybin is the regulation with another substance, having overcome the negative effect of inflammation in the throat and stomach, and being able to continue with routine tasks with much greater attention and focus than usual. For the next dose, I will try to dilute it in a smaller portion of liquid to see if the effect and duration change in intensity.
Day 25 – Sunday 03/29/20
Maximum mental, physical, spiritual and emotional performance, I have slept 9:30 am straight. I have done 3:40 hours of sports and 2:30 hours of mindfulness. I completed 95% of everything I had to meet on the second day of weekly fasting. A day without any inflammatory effect, diluting the macrodose in liquid has been a great solution.
These days I manage to see how one of these experiments squares your abilities, skills and ultra-productivity. More details are in each day, the video-documentary and scorecard.
Day 26 – Monday 03/30/20 – take 13
I have discovered that diluting the macrodose of psilocybin in 25 cl of water multiplies its effect by two and prolongs its duration for about an hour. I found this today when I took the shot at 2:00 pm. Fortunately, in all this time, I have learned a little about navigating these situations and experiences calmly and meditatively, resting, relaxing, and making short and slow movements without any rush.
It is the first time that I have taken it in this way and just before eating, which, surprisingly, before the macro dose activated its properties. It has been as if the stomach suddenly closed and came from two days of fasting. I had to leave breakfast halfway, then I put on Japanese Shakuhachi music and let myself go, first in stillness for about 10 minutes, then in meditation for 15 minutes, then for about 20 minutes lying on the sofa, just breathing and in a great mystical state (state of altered consciousness – without hallucinations and with the perception of where I was).
Then, I have gone on to do 20 minutes of slow yoga, which has been an absolute delight, the connection that I have made with each step, with each movement, the synchronization with the breath, of the best sessions of my life. Then another 20 minutes of Tai Chi, another type of breathing and movement, helped me enter a heat (Chi) with more energy than temperature.
Subsequently, I rested in a meditative posture for 10 minutes and needed to go in front of the mirror, look at myself and talk to myself. What follows, I can consider one of the ten best moments of self-realization, self-affirmation and love. A sincere conversation, only with the soul, of what I feel about myself: this moment alone has been worth the whole experiment. I am already paid with this “extra”, the most beautiful, genuine and sincere conversation that I have remembered with me since at least 2017.
Then I went to a meeting with Valentino, with whom I shared the experiment, the steps taken, and today’s situation. We talked for a while about it, which has helped me settle it. Then a hot and cold shower, and I went to the site because the next thing was a new 2-hour workshop where I have been much calmer, calmer and with vitality. Later I had a big problem, which I dealt with total calm and serenity. I don’t know if the macro dose of psilocybin had something to do with it. From the workshop, I have been able to work and perform at an outstanding level, being aware, being in flow, and with a great perception of the internal and external and the interaction between both.
Day 27 – Tuesday 03/31/20
I am now having an easier time getting up early, much more than usual.
This has been a day where I have given so much to the moment that I have even forgotten that I was experimenting. I remembered it now, about to go to sleep, when I remembered that I had to do the daily monitoring.
I conclude that I have experienced a lot of fluidity during the day, from the personal, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and conversations with friends and family, to the professional, launching a new online project, outlining the latest final touches to the book and developing what is going to be a new online project and an online platform for another project.
Day 28 – Wednesday 04/01/20
A strange day; I was starting because I had lunch at 5:30 pm. I have been adding small tasks, and time has passed, and I have arrived at that time later. Then I thought about taking the macro dose, and I decided that the best thing would be to leave another day off because if I took it around 6:30 pm, the effect would be prolonged, and I would go to sleep late, and I wanted not to.
For the rest, I have worked like a beast, in addition to having four enriching conversations and sunbathing on the terrace. Finally, I have done a bit of everything. It has been a rich day, where I have not felt that I was missing something, except the extra time for leisure and entertainment (especially playing music), but nothing to reproach myself with.
Day 29 – Thursday 04/02/20 – Take 14
Take at 3 pm diluted in 75cls of infusion, with 2.5 gr of lion’s mane and 500 mg of niacin, again a pronounced effect but not as high as the last macrodose of psilocybin. It may be possible to tolerate, as well as having taken a vegan protein shake and having lunch right after, a fruit juice and cereal with oats and almonds, blueberries and raisins. The effect has been moderate, very bearable and with moments of enchantment, contemplation and complete focus as I watched the sun pass through the gap of my slippers while lying on the sofa.
Moreover, I have noticed how I looked for moments of silence, observation, reflection and meditation, but with nothing in mind; it was like connecting again with nothing while simultaneously having everything. Mystical state without a doubt, but not so far away. I also observed that as soon as I was not careful, I was staring and lost in objects without any interest, attention, or thought.
I have noticed energy, connection, empathy, and great active listening in what follows: writing, recording the workshop, answering questions, writing a book, developing two projects, and having three intense calls.
On the other hand, I have noticed harmful effects in the stomach again because of the chemical. Therefore, I consider regulating it in liquid, adding more for the next dose.
I could do a more significant “navigation” under the effects of the macrodose of psilocybin and faster assimilation by integrating it just as I was descending in terms of the impact of the shot.
Day 30 – Friday 04/03/20
Today I usually started with energy, strength, and focus. I slept at 8:13 am. I have not seen any excellent wear, and around 10 pm, I detected significant fatigue beyond ordinary. So I have stopped everything and activated something with HIIT, power yoga and Tai Chi. I have eaten and gone to rest. Little to add to this day more than I see a great capacity to reflect, perceive, observe and evaluate how I am inside and what I see outside.
On this day, I conclude that the spirit must be cared for as much, or more, as the mind and body. And I realize that each time, in my case, I do better.
Day 31 – Saturday 04/04/20 – take 15
Take it at noon; after having slept around 10:30 am, I rest more and better and longer every day. Yes, I would stay in bed all day. It’s not very beneficial or optimal, but I feel good in bed. Although sometimes I get lazy to think about everything that comes after, not when I’m doing it. With the macrodose of psilocybin, I’ve been seeing this better since I started the experiment. Since I’m more sensitive to identifying all the things that make me feel good or don’t and seeing more clearly and more pronouncedly than when I look straight ahead, I get frustrated. I think it’s normal because I’m looking at something that I don’t it will still happen. Therefore I am creating a premature and illusory scenario. When, in reality, the only strategy that matters is the present, which will create a platform for the next moment, the future.
Today I have created a new context for the macrodose of psilocybin on an empty stomach, dissolved in water and lemon and squeezed grapefruit at the beginning of the day. Then I returned to my room to continue my ritual for the big morning. I have observed that when reciting my blankets, I went slower and felt more each of the words, and its effect as it travelled through my body and my mind and impacted my spirit was like connecting with it at a higher depth. It was as if by naming it and thinking about it, I assimilated it perfectly.
The same has happened with my morning questions that review the day before (verbalized) and then with the 50 minutes of meditation, where I have let natural light enter the room (I usually meditate in the dark) and where I have used palo santo. I wanted to try it in complete silence in meditation at the height of the macro dose. And I have stopped thinking, or at least that I remember, and I have merged with the breath to the point that I did not know if I was sitting meditating, if my back was straight or if it was curved, it was breath, I felt as if I was merged with the silence.
I then proceeded with my journaling technique, which has lasted longer and what emerged as I wrote was more profound than usual, which is saying humbly. From there, I have decided to connect more with breathing exercises like Qi Gong, a cold shower, and a decisive moment staring at myself in front of the mirror. This time other sensations and feelings, I saw myself more serious, with some sorrow and an internal struggle, as if I did not want to see it. I saw it in my eyes, in my look, in my face, more arduous and cruder. It has been fascinating.
I conclude that when you start the day, you have to give yourself much more space to think and work, as well as be used to navigating it, but that the state from which you start gives you a different perspective on everything that lies ahead, whatever it is. Whatever you have to deal with, plus feeling like you’ve lived almost two days before the first one starts.
The effects of more sensitivity, empathy, vulnerability and alignment with yourself and with other people are repeated.
Day 32 – Sunday 05/04/20
I slept at 10:45 am almost straight. As I said, I noticed that I rest more and better since taking the macrodose of psilocybin. The results speak so, as well as the statistics of the Sleep Cycle APP. The moments of stillness, silence and meditation are extended to seven or eight throughout the day. This allows me to gain perspective and awareness of everything that happens, inside and outside, and I learn to see better and more carefully.
Meditating on taking rest days is more accessible and serene. I find peace of mind faster, even though the mind goes on non-stop, but it is easier to focus on breathing, as well as practising sports, you are more aware. This today has caught my attention on how I use the muscles, the parts of the body, which I used before, but now I notice that I am more attentive to all of it. On days like today, fasting, I realize how much I can squeeze out of a day. Despite getting up at 12:30 pm, I have finished everything, including 3 hours of physical activity.
The rest, outstanding mental clarity and focus on making the decisions, I knew I had to take a lot of self-control and self-management.
Day 33 – Monday 04/06/20 – take 16
It takes at 4:30 pm, a hectic and intense day, where I have had to navigate again. Each macrodose of psilocybin I observe and experience is different in terms of sensations, effects, mood, mental and spiritual. Since you are never the same, something is understandable. Today was one of the shortest in duration. I wonder if I didn’t take Leon’s mane and niacin. I’d check again in two days when I join the three elements.
Today was the first time I’ve done sports at a good intensity amid the effect of the macrodose of psilocybin. Specifically, indoor cycling, due to the quarantine, 1:10 am and then 15 min of Yin Yoga. The truth is that the sensation of sweating so much in this state was rare. However, I noticed how sweat ran through my body. So, in addition to the fact that I think I sweated more than usual. This has led me to believe in the ability to adapt and navigate in altered states of consciousness that can be developed, even turning it into something ordinary. Although I do not plan to continue the experiment after finishing, I do not see it as optimal or necessary.
The take lasted about 2 hours. In between, I have been able to concentrate on tasks such as preparing a monthly newsletter and sending it, even pushing myself to work on more mechanical things such as blog and website analytics.
There have been moments of “bliss” (or Bliss in English, which are getting more relaxed, but impractical) are micro-moments to choose and decide because I see how easy it is to enter a mystical state, and here comes the best discovery of the day … I have the force of self-discipline that I even abstract myself from the moments of self-absorption and mysticism to continue back to the regular day, allowing me to live the experiment. I have also shared with my colleagues Josef and Dani the experiment about the macrodose of psilocybin and what I live, as well as receiving feedback that they see me as more sensitive but more “disappeared” regarding how complicated it is to find me these days.
Day 34 – Tuesday 07/04/20
Day of absolute fluidity, tranquillity, of connection. Despite not being under the effects of the macrodose of psilocybin, I have noticed. The feeling was as if I were more sensitive, attentive, and calm. I have taken the day as it has come, and it seems to me that it has lasted about three days. I have observed how I was in the moment every time I was aware. It has been a day where I have dealt with all with great ease.
Day 35 – Wednesday 04/08/20 – take 17
It takes at 5:35 pm. Today I noticed for the first time that I was tolerating the macrodose. I navigated with total normality the 3:40 am that its ascent lasted, from the rise, staying on the peak for 45 minutes and then descending. I have been very calm. There have been moments of “bliss” when I have looked for it in front of the sun, in silence, in stillness and with mantras. But, without a doubt, niacin and lion’s mane greatly influence a more prolonged, pronounced and much more enveloping effect. I have had three calls with clients, and I have presented and led a new workshop for the online project that I have launched.
I won’t highlight much more about today if it is true that the patterns of sensitivity, openness, vulnerability and connection are increasing these days, as well as the focus and interconnection of ideas, concepts and visions.
Day 36 – Thursday 03/09/20
Today I have decided to extend the experiment to 50 days to have a larger sample, more analyses, and more inputs, and then I hope for more outputs. That would stand out as the most relevant. The other thing is that I see more and better the decisions I make, and I am more aware of them.
Day 37 – Friday 04/10/20 – take 18
The worst day of the experiment so far. I took the macro dose of psilocybin at the beginning of the day, right when I woke up, with one drop of squeezed lemon, apple cider vinegar, and water. Today was a day of total fasting. I have also taken the lion’s mane and niacin simultaneously. I think that the tension and discomfort I had when I woke up was because I felt unwilling and, above all, negatively influenced by time. It has weighed me down a lot. I have felt like I didn’t feel like working. I felt too much pressure, discomfort, and heaviness, like an unbearable burden.
Also, I didn’t feel like continuing, so I continued as best I could until I stopped and lay down on the sofa, breathing. Moreover, I noticed how the negativity I had was being discharged as I lived and let myself be carried away by the shamanic melodies that they were ringing. There has even been a moment when my body, guided by the rhythm of ethnic drums and sounds, has let itself shake while I was aware, many times as if letting go of what I didn’t want.
It has been a tremendous emotional discharge, where there have been ups and downs, where I have felt overwhelmed, I have felt anxiety, and I have felt a lot of negativity. However, it was because it was inside me, and the macrodose, in one way or another, has helped me get it out, and then the sport has helped me get everything that was missing. I did not expect this, which leads me to conclude that you can never expect anything with this medicine, you never know what it will show you, but one thing is sure, it will show you and take you where you need to go.
On the other hand, I think it has to do with waking up somewhat confused with time, things to do, obligations, unnecessary pressure and sabotage, and then taking the macrodose right after. I felt like letting go of some significant burdens that weighed me down. Then, I had to lead a workshop in English where I was aware that my fluency in the language was worse than usual, and I had a hard time chaining words and thoughts in the Anglo-Saxon language. On the other hand, later, it was my turn to do it in Spanish, and I managed much better. After that “emotional discharge” that occurred around 3:00 pm, I was very calm, calm and soft throughout the day, also arriving very tired at night, which is not normal. It seems that due to the degree of emotional work done.
Day 38 – Saturday 04/11/20
Confirmed, a macrodose ON day is like an OFF day, but the OFF day is a total ON day, where everything is connected, where you flow, give, and receive. I have noticed full attention 80% of the day, which has led me to a state of flow as I have rarely experienced, which is related to the intensity of the work done yesterday in the macrodose. As a result, indicators of performance, productivity, mental clarity and decision-making have been through the roof.
These days are where I realize the roller coaster that an experiment like this supposes, prepared for anything, literally.
Day 39 – Sunday 04/12/20 – take 19
It could be said that today I have used – or navigated – the “perfect” day for the macrodose of psilocybin. The intake was at 4:10 pm, dissolved in a bit of water, while he remained fasting on the third day. I’ve had a sense of normality but nothing normal; you could say it’s like feeling higher than usual from the inside but not seeming like you’re high. However, when it was time to do something, talk, meditate, listen to music, appreciate, smile, listen, transmit, write or work, it was like having “superpowers”. You could be more attentive, focused, connected, empathic, and straightforward in mind and heart with your greatest vulnerability and authenticity.
In addition, I have observed this in four conversations that I have had with four different people, all four from four different contexts, and discussions of more than 30 minutes each. The quality of listening, attention, care and treatment was different from usual. There was no rush, no egos, and no intentions, and you were just there.
It is the day when all the indicators measured in the scorecard are highest and equal. It’s like making all the indicators: mental clarity, creativity, performance, productivity, mental clarity, decision-making, resonance, sensitivity, empathy, state of flow, focus, and mystical state, almost even at the top.
As the days of the experiment progressed, I found more depth.
Day 40 – Monday 04/13/20
It has been one of the earliest days I have woken up during the experiment – 6:45 am. It has been one of those days, again, “ON” at maximum performance with time for everything, mental space for everything, seeing the no duality, not being my mind, not being my emotions and not being my body, just being what I was.
Performance, clarity, conceptualization capacity, comprehension, speed and effectiveness in decisions, I have hardly noticed that the day has passed, but they feel like 36 hours.
Day 41 – Tuesday 04/14/20 – take 20
It takes a macrodose of psilocybin at 11 am, before lunch, medium mystical state, with moments of intense connection, regulating and tolerating the intake better. This has allowed me to navigate much more clearly through the day, during the “peak” effect between 2:50 and 3:20, but leaving behind a soft “breeze” of happiness that has accompanied me almost all day. I decided to have lunch at the “peak” listening to Alan Watts on the “I”, and it was a great experience to internalize all the knowledge the speech contained.
I noticed much more empathy in the subsequent interview with Skye at 7:00 pm, as well as my level of English has not been as affected as in the presentation of the workshop in shot 18 a few days ago – where that same day when sharing it With my partners they confirmed that it was not my level of English and that it was tough to understand me.
It could be said that it has been a day of regulation of the psilocybin macrodose. The main effects have been the focus, empathy and emotional connection with others, as well as with myself, at a lower level, and spiritual at certain times of the day, where I have decided to stop and meditate and then be still. Something that now, every day, I do more since the experiment began.
I have had a 1:35 hour project development day, and I have seen how we solve problems for two projects we are developing clearly and with very creative solutions. However, I have also been more hesitant to make decisions and have asked for more feedback than usual.
Day 42 – Wednesday 04/15/20
A day that stands out for the high level of self-awareness about my decisions, behaviours, thoughts about my thoughts, external emotions and what happened with internal ones. I have given my best despite working fewer hours than a typical day, like four fewer. Very awake and alert and connected to my intuition for most of the day. I have always left a gap for what was coming, simultaneously taking it with forcefulness but gentleness and grace. That is what I would highlight.
Day 43 – Thursday 04/16/20 – take 21
Take it at 3:00 pm, but without much effect, although I have felt vulnerable, emotional, unprotected and sensitive. I noticed how much more the space, the light, the music, the sensations, the smells, the conversations with people, typing, sending emails, I felt double everything. And I was more integrated into what I was doing and more fulfilled, but I didn’t feel that sense of being higher, as I have experienced lately.
I have felt discomfort and negativity, especially how much more I demanded of myself to work and be on what I had to do, fulfilling five commitments and three interviews. I have to get everything behind due to not measuring time well. Also, I realize that psilocybin medicine returns you to the state you were in before you took it, which is why set & setting is so important. Because if you arrive loaded, you are going to explore. If you come with negativity, you are going to feel bad. Whatever it is, you will focus on how you are, where you are, and why you are as you are. Tolerance continues to occur, but that does not stop it from having an effect.
What is certain is that I do not feel such sudden changes in temperature. Although I mixed the macro dose with a more considerable amount of liquid this time, I took the lion’s mane and niacin about an hour before. It is challenging to lead an everyday life like this, but I learned to navigate better daily. I identify more with how to face each little step you see differently while taking the macrodose.
Day 44 – Friday 04/17/20
Slow day for the attention, awareness and delicacy I have put into everything I have done. Day in which I have changed my routines, plans, way of working, processes and task orders and everything has been ok.
Little more palpable today. Good performance, good state of mind and mood and connection and alignment.
Day 45 – Saturday 04/18/20 – take 22
Fasting day, this was the macrodose of psilocybin that I took later, at 10:15 pm. The day before, he had been focused and committed to things, deciding and acting, fitting the time well with what he was living—Then, having rested at 9:30 am.
After the shot, at 30 min, I began to see the connection effect with my breathing, the sensations, the extra perception, the extra subtlety, and being more open to the five senses. I began to feel that “rejection” to be in front of the computer, doing whatever it is, it doesn’t matter, as well as being more involved in the music, in the small sounds, in the small details. Everything small is magnified as if you were looking at a drop of dust through a microscope. Everything slows down, becomes more leisurely, and slows down the mind, behaviour, actions, and thoughts.
At night it helped me get to an excellent state of relaxation. The intensity was much lower, perhaps because of the energies at that moment, probably because the body was already trying to slow down… I noticed it was gentler, soft, inviting, calm and kind to myself and the environment.
I was stretching, with low light, calm, then a hot water bath, in a state of relaxation where I felt every muscle loosen. And I stopped thinking and was alone in a state of absolute tranquillity. Then when I went to sleep, it took me a little longer than usual to fall asleep, like 15-20 minutes, but the rest was restful and deep, 9:30 am, not all at once, that’s because the first day of fasting weekly, I usually go to the bathroom because you expel a lot of liquids.
Day 46 – Sunday 04/19/20
I woke up with great energy, and then I went to work and then with an extraordinary session of mindfulness, sports, Tai Chi, and then two online work sessions.
Also, I noticed a more memorable connection regarding the “rest” days on this day. I don’t know if it has to do with assimilating the effect of the psilocybin macrodose. At the same time, you sleep, but I have been more sensitive, open, deep and resonant than any day where I have not taken the macrodose of psilocybin—in addition to much more focus, entering a state of flow several times and having more energy than usual to be on fasting day two.
Day 47 – Monday 04/20/20 – take 23
Take it at 7:30 pm, before two conversations with critical people in my life, including Melena de León and Niacin.
The shot has been diluted in water, just under half a glass (50-75cl). I have noticed the connection and moments of flow, but I have barely entered a mystical state or a state of consciousness as altered as usual. I can say that this has been the smoothest take-off these last 15 days and the one that I have felt better carried and lighter. General well-being feels much better than all the intensity generated on the days of taking. There has been no up or down. It has been stable for four hours, at a very manageable level, a phase of tranquillity and self-control, thinking slowly, speaking carefully, acting with awareness, and feeling delighted. It has been fascinating to observe and monitor this state.
Deep peace is what remains at the end of the day.
Day 48 – Tuesday 04/21/20
Absolute flow throughout the day, surprised with behaviour, actions, emotions, mood, intellectual power, ability to remember, have mental clarity, decide, create, instigate.
It is shocking to feel and experience such a considerable change from one day to the next. The truth is that it has been a day where I could say that it was the day of taking it when it was the day of rest, but without feeling the discomfort or responsibility and commitment, you feel when taking it. Because it is not a game or entertainment. I see the result in myself, my interactions with others, my professional and personal returns, and the ability to produce push be, see and live.
Day 49 – Wednesday 04/22/20 – take 24
Following the dynamics of the previous day, it takes at 5:00 pm a moderate, wavy and well-assimilated effect. What was observed in the two last shots is confirmed. According to the behaviours, the body has entered into tolerance mode. They are expected to be controlled and established in the day and in all the ups and downs that may occur because more awareness, understanding and empathy are added.
I would not have much more to highlight, but I almost always prefer to take the shot after the middle of the day because I feel more confident, knowing that if I jump into a stormy sea, I have the basics.
Day 50 – Thursday 04/23 – take 25
Fluid day of integration, connection, mental acuity, emotional tranquillity, equanimity and energy. I am closing everything to make a retreat on myself from tonight until next Wednesday, which is why I will extend two more days.
Day 51 – Friday 04/24/20
The second day of integration before the last macro dose of psilocybin, number 25, is tomorrow. I slept 10 hours. It has been the first day of the retreat, where I have dedicated myself to meditating, practising stillness, doing almost 4 hours of sports, and learning about Taoism, Zen philosophy and the Bon tradition of Tibet. It has been a day of spiritual and intellectual cultivation, as well as physical, as well as writing a lot.
Day 52 – Saturday 04/25/20 – take 25
Last day of the experiment and last intake, on a fasting day, at 4:50 pm, this time taking eight capsules of Lion’s Mane (3 g) and 500 mg of niacin (according to Paul Stamets, the perfect dose to act as a nootropic ), within the retreat that I have created in myself for five days.
I took the shot after sleeping 10 hours, meditating for 1:15, doing Qi Gong, indoor cycling, HIIT, stretching, and inversion machine, right after a meeting with the participants of the High-Performance Ultraproductivity Mastermind and before a 20-minute yoga session. In it, and quickly, due to fasting, I have been counting a greater resonance with the environment, with the music, as well as synchronization in movements and breathing, which has helped me reach a moment of flow and, above all, everything to a mystical state that has been expanding thanks to some mantras, looking at myself in the mirror and talking, and going out to the terrace to sunbathe. Then with a hot shower, I entered a very comforting state.
Next, I started the Global Stillness online meetup that was taking place today, an hour of total stillness and pure contemplation. Well, what follows here is that I have managed to separate my experience from the experience for a good while and see myself as the one who saw the one who saw what was happening. This has allowed me to identify the sensations (which could be called annoyances and discomforts), such as the “pain” in the back of my neck, having chosen to stare for an hour at a candle that I had placed at ground level, as well as feeling numb legs.
All of this has been unimportant because, in reality, I have seen the sensations as sensations, letting them appear and go, being that spectator who sees the spectator who watches the match. This has been powerful. My mind has stopped operating. At least, that’s what I remember. I only knew and saw that the moment was passing, and it did not stop giving. There, I have lost the notion of time and space.
When I returned, I decided to meditate just at the end of the stillness, which has served as a more subtle integration of that hour of stillness. Then, during the day, I felt an unusual internal heat. I have taken the opportunity to do Tai Chi and have sweated much more than ever. I felt joy and peace, but it was like feeling nothing. And I took the opportunity to dance and sing at least six songs, allowing me to connect even more. I was fascinated by the total liberation I felt on this last day. It was a great way to end the experiment.
I don’t feel much newer than what I have already been feeling. Also, I think I am going deeper and deeper into the conscious and the subconscious. And I think I could very well go for 50 more days. I feel like there is no end. The layers are endless. However, for rigour and consistency, it is time to finish and close the macro dose of psilocybin. The rest I tell below, in validated learning, discoveries and conclusion. So far, end of the experiment.
5. Hypothesis
The acceptable proposition for this experiment is to see where a macrodose of psilocybin (one gram of psilocybin per dose diluted in two drops of psilocybin 0.5 gr) administered every two days over 52 days can take you. The individual may end up with anxiety, stress, mental disturbance and emotional instability due to not knowing how to navigate “normal” days while remaining in a quite pronounced altered state of consciousness. That is not the right one to deal with everyday life situations. And work.
However, on the other hand, the opposite effect could occur, that the subject (me) reacts positively to the stimuli, senses, attitudes, mentality and behaviour involved in dealing with the day in a psycho-emotional state of this calibre. It could even happen that he started reacting negatively and stabilized until he gained strength and experience, or vice versa. It could even be that it was in an ascending rhythm from the first day or descending.
The central hypothesis is to see how positive (or counterproductive) a macrodose of psilocybin can be in the life of an individual who decides to take it for a prolonged period while leading an everyday life outside of medical control and supervision. What is intended to be validated are the aptitudes, traits and capacities that are developed during and after the required navigation, as well as the discoveries and learning that are extracted when dealing with all the inputs and outputs that occurred during the period that lasts first.
The effect of each macrodose and then the experiment as a whole. “How does a person who goes through something like this act react and change (for better or worse) before, during and after?” It is the answer that this experiment tries to answer since a similar precedent has not been detected, or at least experienced in the open, of this nature.
6. Falsifiability
This section is created to establish that every empirical proposition must be capable of being falsified or refuted.
This experiment does not assume any absolute truth, far from it, since other experiments similar or equal to this one could be designed with specific subsets of parameters that give different results than those predicted in this experiment, which would negate the hypothesis for these parameters, so which no effect, learning, impression or assumption can be considered indisputable and accurate.
The take and the individual are susceptible to the placebo effect.
I am aware that these results are self-exploratory and empirical, and the experiment cannot be extrapolated to a group of subjects who could be subjected to tests such as those in this experiment.
It would be false if I said that with a macrodose of psilocybin, one improves their state of flow and focus or their mental and emotional health.
I am trying to establish in this experiment what I have lived individually and personally, going through 52 days where I have taken a gram of psilocybin every two days while trying to develop usually the lifestyle and work that I lead. And then see the differences, improvements/deficiencies or pain points/flaws during the established period. Always remember that the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional state with which you start and continue determines how the experiment develops.
7. Validated learnings
Since the central hypothesis of the experiment focuses on identifying what happens when you navigate with a macrodose of psilocybin for 52 days, taking into account the effects of microdosing with these mushrooms or with LSD:
- They increase the perception and the conscious state.
- They improve mindfulness and focus.
- They increase creativity.
- They generate more energy than usual.
- An increase in vigour and strength is achieved when exercising.
- A better level of concentration and coordination is acquired.
- You enjoy an improved emotional state and better ties with family and friends.
- Relief of depressive symptoms.
- Emotional openness and sensitivity.
- Feeling grateful and fascinated by life (the mystical state)
Therefore, a macrodose of psilocybin would cause a more pronounced effect of all these effects, in the same way as others that do not appear in the previous list but that can already be seen in the experiential analysis broken down day by day.
These are the learnings validated after the experimentation, extracted from the analysis of the scorecard and the day-to-day monitoring:
- The effect of taking the macrodose of psilocybin oscillated between 3:20–3:30 am, being more prolonged and more intense when it was supplied in a small amount of liquid, water or infusion in this case—taking in the majority of occasions between 15h and 17h. Therefore, we can conclude that a dose of 1 gram, divided into 25 doses, has medium-high graduation on average. Furthermore, there is a correlation between fasting periods (two days a row a week) and the increase in its strength and effects, passing to high graduation.
- Niacin and Lion’s Mane were introduced from day 14. As seen on the scorecard, the nootropic pack extended the duration and positive effects, increased indicators of focus, productivity, flow, mysticism, empathy, sensitivity and mental clarity.
- In less than 45 minutes, the immediate effects have ranged from calmness and self-awareness to radical focus and self-control. This shows us that the macro dose generates states of being, consciousness, feeling and cognition that are favourable for human functioning.
- The subsequent effects, starting from the “descent” after 3:30-4:00, are more related to each other than the immediate ones. Tranquillity, relaxation, introspection, good humour, empathy and fluidity have prevailed.
- What, according to the analysis, we can highlight as a positive impact is a greater connection with oneself and with the environment, as well as entering into states of full attention on a more regular basis, an excellent capacity for reflection and an inclination to enjoy, live and be in the now.
- When the negative impact is measured, the following results stand out: getting lost in the details, being too expressive, communicative and scattered. It is straightforward to get distracted or diluted by minor pieces, as well as to mention the extraordinary complexity of performing routine and mechanical tasks, personal or home, as well as professional. Distraction and focus have been the most common factors that have appeared.
- The body has begun to tolerate the macrodose administered from day 46, where the last doses have hardly caused the effect that they previously caused.
- It is highly challenging to navigate the day, without restrictions, in terms of normality in tasks, work, and commitments, when you are in a mystical state (or altered consciousness) and knowing that you are going to integrate what you are experiencing with human interactions, with dealing with problems, with solving issues, putting your attention, requiring your abilities. All this when your degree of sensitivity, openness, perception and awareness is disproportionately more developed than usual. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, bewildered, lost, or sidetracked. It surprises me the mental and spiritual power and emotions I have had over myself in unsustainable situations, dreamlike moments, or surreal contexts.
- Every day has meant having to travel different paths, never the same narrative, nor the same friends or enemies, always with the common denominator that you found things that you did not expect to feel, see, perceive or react in that way, or that a change will affect you so much, the behaviour in all cases has been positive, except one day when everything won me over.
- It is proven that navigating a macro dose destabilizes you and is unsuitable for anyone suffering from stress, anguish, anxiety, depression or any mental disorder or illness. Therefore, it is not recommended for absolutely anyone.
- The average of the performance indicator, which measures what he has been able to give of himself personally and professionally, has been 7.3 out of 10, which indicates that the performance has been high. Productivity is the ability to do better work in less time and with better results, a 7.1, showing that you can be productive even in altered states of consciousness. The key to such a high average is that before taking the macrodose of psilocybin, around 2–5 pm, I had already been working more than half a day. Otherwise, the indicator would have changed.
- The creativity parameter stays at an average of 6.4 out of 10. This experiment and the macrodose of psilocybin have not helped me to have creative explosions. However, if I have conceptualized, created and developed, the total figure achieved does justice to what I experienced. The focus parameter is interesting, with an average of 7.4 in the 52 days. The macro dose has served to gain a lot of concentration and precision in what I was doing before, during and after the effects generated by the shot. Then we jump to the “state of flow” indicator that measures the moments that I have been “in the zone”, that is, where everything magically comes out, without realizing it, you are absorbed, here an average of 6.1 has been obtained, it corresponds because the fluid states have been very intermittent and not so sustained. The most powerful have occurred on the “OFF” days when I have rested and have not taken a drink because the days of “action”, the mystical state annulled the flow.
- Interestingly, the parameter “mental clarity” is the one that presents a higher average than the rest, a 7.7 out of 10. It should be noted that mental clarity is undoubtedly one of the most contrasted validated learning. This clarity was presented both in the days of taking as in the days of “rest” in the form in which it was presented was the facility to think, act, decide, reflect and above all, not to think about things or make oneself dizzy with so many thoughts, not even place to the negativity that our limbic brain accustoms us to.
- The following parameter, the “mystical state,” does not refer to Gohan’s transformation in Dragon Ball. But in the language of psychedelics, it relates to the altered state of consciousness because this type of experience is compared to the experiences described by mystics, a state in which it can also be reached through sensory deprivation or breath control. In this case, it refers to synesthesia, unusually intense perceptions, and an elevation of the psyche that elevates the soul. This parameter is the lowest of all, with a 3.7 out of 10, because except for some specific occasions on OFF days, it has only been activated, yes, firmly on the days of taking a macrodose of psilocybin. On the other hand, there have been some days like 18, 26 and 39 that the mystical state has reached a 10 /10, living experiences that could be categorized as the “No Return” state, as Buddhists call it, primarily when you work on it together with breathing, meditation or stillness.
- Another parameter measured and monitored has been decision making, corresponding to the ease or difficulty, speed or slowness on which a decision has been made. The average is 6.7. It has been easier to decide on the day of not taking it, and before or after, the effect has worn off but with much more incredible lightness and clarity than while taking it, which has been more complex.
- In “perception”, it has been tried to evaluate how better one can see, that is, state of consciousness, concerning before the experiment. In fact, to this day, more than a month later, I emphasize that I continue to see with more subtlety than before starting this test. The average is 7.4, also being medium-high, meaning a significant increase in perception and the ability to see what was previously overlooked.
- In resonance, how I could tune in with the people around me in any interaction has been measured. The average was 7.03. During the experiment, I felt an affinity with almost everyone, if not everyone. The connection between the personal and the professional has been outstanding. I have observed, on my part and the others, how the greater interest and attention I genuinely put in each person created better relationships. Exciting opening. This leads to the next meter, empathy, with a 7.1. Without a doubt, one of the surprises validated learnings, the psilocybin macrodose has created “an us” more than me, much less forced than usual, that despite practising it, sometimes I had to look for it, here it has flowed naturally, and that has generated hundreds of connections and memorable moments with people around me and with myself. Likewise, it has been decisive in meetings, workshops, and communications.
- An indicator that has surprised me has been that of “sensitivity” because every day I take the macrodose of psilocybin, my feelings have surfaced considerably. I wouldn’t say excessively because it was always the right way to better relate to others, recognize the affection of people around me, connect with clients or audiences, and enter into deep harmony with myself. It’s how to express what your soul needs to say and allow it 99% of the time. The average is 6 out of 10 for the same reason as the mystical state that its effect has been more noticeable on the days of taking, except that the rest days have also been maintained in this case.
- Finally, in the parameter of hallucinations, or visual effects produced by altered states of consciousness, the sharpness of the results stands out, with an average of zero in the 52 days of taking a macrodose of psilocybin. The nice thing about psilocybin versus LSD is that it doesn’t create as many visual disturbances. Paul Austin, whom I interviewed on my podcast and considered a world leader in psychedelics, referred to LSD as psychedelic coffee and psilocin as tea, funny but true.
- The last parameter that has a place in the validated learning is that of “sensations”, a very sentimental and experiential indicator, in which, around the 52 days of the experiment, the connection (spiritual and emotional) with myself and with the environment predominates, the integral alignment, tranquillity and well-being, feeling of fullness and grace, inner energy and that state of “bliss”.
The following parameters can be found in the dashboard that I designed and completed and correspond to considerations and observations.
I would conclude this section by confirming what I assumed in the hypothesis, the maximization and exaggeration of all the effects that are achieved with a macrodose of psilocybin and those that you obtain in one shot within what is known as a ceremony (a test that I even carried out within the experiment with a macrodose x4 intake – see experiential analysis and scorecard day 18). The part that can be considered as a discovery is all the emotional, spiritual and mental stability that you achieve (yes) when you can navigate alterations as unstable as the ones you suffer when you integrate a macro dose of 250 micrograms with your routine personal and professional activity, thus it is indescribable, and only suitable for highly experienced astronauts (navigators) – as Natasja Pelgrom said when sharing my feelings during the last days.
Additional resources
- The ten most essential psilocybin studies of the decade.
- Nine benefits of Lion’s Mane, plus side effects.
- What are the macrodosing and its benefits?
- The differences between microdosing and macrodosing psilocybin.
- Experiences with macrodosing psilocybin.
- Psilocybin Science and Experience – the first Spanish platform all about psilocybin.
Disclaimer about the Psilocybin Macrodosing Experiment – and other psychedelics
Although I cannot and should not recommend therapists or facilitators, you could find your way through closed communities and “meetups”, contacting holotropic breathwork practitioners and attending conferences organized by the Multidisciplinary Association for the Study of Psychedelics (MAPS) and similar organizations. There will undoubtedly be some great therapists and facilitators who can help you process or integrate past and present psychedelic experiences. MAPS provides a comprehensive list here.
You can also look at Psychedelics Today, which has published very useful and consistent advice and recommendations. Finally, for those looking for facilitators, substances, and therapy, here are some clues.
On the other hand, and more importantly, a handful of retreats work with legal and medically supervised psychedelics. The most contrasted are Psychedelic Experience by The Psychedelic Society, Synthesis Institute (Netherlands), and Atman Retreat (in Jamaica). But, again, this information is not a recommendation or an advertising agreement; it is merely indicative.
The Psilocybin Macrodose experiment, like the LSD Microdose experiment, recounts the research and self-experimentation I have done with psilocybin, psilocin, and LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide). Possessing, manufacturing or supplying some of these substances is a criminal offence in many countries. They can end up in prison and with fines, except in cases of connection with experimental investigations. It, therefore, would help if you understood that this experiment is designed to share the subject’s self-experimental results to provide context, performance, and research on these substances.
This experiment is not intended to encourage or motivate you to break the law. Therefore, no attempt should be made to use these substances except within authorized clinical trials.
I, Isra García, and the experiment carried out reject any responsibility, loss, or risk, personal or any other case, that may be incurred as a result, directly or indirectly, of the contents of this test.
Consider taking precautions to protect your privacy as soon as you decide to explore these topics.
Extra: if this resonates with you, I ask you to help us to spread the word about Psilocybin Science and Experience, the first Spanish-speaking portal on scientific dissemination about psilocybin, and support us in finding more potential partners. Here you can access all the experiences and experiment with the Toad Bufo Alvarius.