Timothy Leary believed we needed to be released from the prisons of our minds, and from depressives to migraine sufferers to the “ideaters” of Silicon Valley, some agree to a degree, as they reportedly take microdoses of LSD to “treat” the brain. There doesn’t seem to be in-depth research into how many are currently dropping small amounts of acid (roughly 10% of a “normal” dosage) or if it truly cleanses the doors of perception, but it’s happening on some indeterminate scale.

From Jason Koebler of Vice Motherboard:

James Fadiman’s inbox is stuffed with hundreds of emails from people describing how they’ve conquered anxiety or depression or even things like cluster headaches and painful period cramps. Will the scientific establishment ever begin taking their experiences seriously?

Over the last five years, Fadiman has spent much of his time explaining how taking a tiny little bit of LSD or another hallucinogenic drug on a specific schedule could have big time medical benefits, and while the idea hasn’t yet catapulted itself into the mainstream, it’s getting there—there’s nary a science—or technology-minded media outlet that hasn’t either tried microdosing or written about it in some form over the last few months.

The general idea is based on the long-held belief that acid can help you work through some mental problems and see the world in a different way. But taking a full dose of a hallucinogen isn’t for everyone—my sole experience with LSD ended with me crying and eating frozen fish off the floor of a Barcelona hostel, among several other harrowing experiences during a high that lasted 14 mostly excruciating hours.

With microdosing is to take roughly a tenth of a normal dose (about 10-20 micrograms) every four days and then go about your business. Done correctly, there are no hallucinations, no traumatic experiences, not even any sluggishness. Those who do it correctly, Fadiman says, report having better days, feeling less anxious, and sometimes even conquering long-held mental hangups.

“People do it and they’re eating better, sleeping better, they’re often returning to exercise or yoga or meditation. It’s as if messages are passing through their body more easily,” Fadiman told me.•