Recently, I received some negative feedback on an article that I wrote on how microdosing can fuel high-performance leadership. Someone wrote the editor: “After reading this article, I had to check the date to make sure this was St. Patrick’s Day and not April Fools’ Day. Microdosing on LSD at work in order to improve performance? ARE YOU PEOPLE NUTS???!!!” It reminded me of just how much of a stigma there still is surrounding psychedelics from the 1980s war on drugs.
Would it have been more acceptable if I had written about happy hour allowing for better collaboration and loosening up teams? No doubt. That’s because alcohol is such an acceptable part of our lives and culture. And yet upon closer examination, it’s one of the most addictive, dangerous and deadly drugs around in terms of causing domestic violence and car crashes that claim more than 10,000 lives each year.
But people like the angry reader of my article don’t realize that there has never been an overdose from psilocybin or LSD. I’m looking forward to a time when the stigma fades from view and the public is able to see psychedelics for what they really are, which is medicine dating back thousands of years used in rites of passage.
The microdosing movement allows for healing of mind, body and spirit. Hopefully, it will follow the rebranding of marijuana, which has moved from hippie culture to decriminalization and widespread use for medicinal purposes. All of these natural substances are a much safer alternative to alcohol.
Related Article: Microdosing reduces stress, complements healthy habits