If you’ve been reading about microdosing, you’ve probably noticed: there are a few medicines that come up most often, and they’re not interchangeable.

Mushrooms. LSD. DMT.

Each one has its own personality, its own strengths, and its own situations where it’s the right tool. The point of this page is to give you the honest side-by-side so you can start to know which one might be the best fit for you.

The Quick Comparison

Mushrooms (Psilocybin)

Microdose: 50–300 mg dried

Onset: ~30 minutes

Duration active in body: 4–6 hours

Best for: Mood, anxiety, depression, emotional work

Schedule: 5–6 days/week with rest days

Body feel: Body-centered, grounding

First-time friendliness: Most accessible entry point

LSD

Microdose: 10–20 mcg

Onset: 30–60 minutes

Duration active in body: 8–12 hours

Best for: Focus, creativity, energy, motivation

Schedule: 1 day on, 2 days off

Body feel: Cognitive, stimulating

First-time friendliness: Requires careful dosing

DMT

Microdose: One steady inhale (vape)

Onset: Within the moment of inhale

Duration active in body: 10–15 minutes

Best for: Reset, reconnection, brief calm

Schedule: Individualized - no fixed protocol

Body feel: Brief, gentle, clarifying

First-time friendliness: Most personal - usually not first

Mushrooms (Psilocybin) - The Emotional Medicine

Best for: anxiety, depression, mood, sleep, emotional weight, grief, body-based work, social anxiety

Why mushrooms work the way they do: About 90% of your serotonin receptors live in your gut. Mushrooms enter through digestion, which means they work body-first. The experience tends to be grounding, soft, and emotional rather than cognitive or stimulating.

What people most often report:

• Mood lifts that don’t feel forced

• Softer relationship with the inner critic

• Emotional release - including the kind that comes with old grief

• Better sleep, often with vivid (welcome) dreams

• More patience and presence

• Reduced PMS or menopause-related mood symptoms

Schedule: Most clients do 5–6 days a week with 1–2 rest days. Each cycle is usually 4–8 weeks before taking an integration break.

Common protocols: MOOD, SLEEP, CREATIVE - all customizable.

Stacks that pair well: Lion’s Mane (focus), Reishi (calm), Cordyceps (energy), niacin (circulation).

When to consider mushrooms first: If you’re new to microdosing, if you’re working with emotional content, if anxiety or depression is your primary focus, or if you want the gentlest entry point.

Full Mushrooms guide →

LSD - The Cognitive Medicine

Best for: focus, creativity, motivation, brain fog, ADHD-adjacent attention issues, low energy, problem-solving, sustained mental work

Why LSD works the way it does: LSD is more cognitive and energizing than mushrooms. It tends to be sharper, more stimulating, and more about lifting the mental ceiling than the emotional one. The 8–12 hour active window means a morning dose can support a full workday.

What people most often report:

• Sharper focus without the jitters of caffeine

• Clean energy without a crash

• Pattern recognition and creative breakthroughs

• Reduced “default mode” rumination

• Improved follow-through and motivation

• Less brain fog

Schedule: 1 day on, 2 days off. This is not optional - LSD tolerance builds extremely fast, and the off days are what keep the microdose working.

Stacks that pair well: Lion’s Mane (focus amplification), Cordyceps (sustained energy).

When to consider LSD first: If your primary goal is focus, creativity, or daytime function. If you’re a knowledge worker, creative, founder, or anyone whose work depends on long stretches of mental availability. If mushrooms felt too emotionally activating for you. If you’re sensitive to stimulants and need a cleaner alternative.

One important caveat: LSD can amplify anxiety if the dose is too high or if it’s the wrong fit. Calibration matters more here than with mushrooms.

Full LSD guide →

DMT - The Reset Medicine

Best for: brief grounding, midday resets, reconnection moments, emotional clearing, breaking creative blocks

Why DMT works the way it does: Of the three, DMT is the most personal and the most individualized. At microdose levels, it’s not the intense full-dose experience people have heard stories about. It’s gentle, grounding, and very brief - usually 10–15 minutes of subtle shift, then back to baseline.

DMT microdoses are typically taken by vape - one steady pull and inhale. Two or three pulls cross into full psychedelic experience territory, so dose discipline matters.

What people most often report:

• Brief but meaningful nervous system calm

• A reconnection to themselves or the present moment

• Reduced anxiety in the immediate window

• Creative unlocking

• A felt sense of “reset”

Schedule: No fixed protocol. DMT is the most personal of the three - we map the rhythm together based on your goals and how your body responds.

When to consider DMT: Usually as a complement to a mushroom or LSD protocol, not the primary tool. Some people use DMT as their only protocol for short, situational support. Others incorporate it as a midday reset between deeper work blocks.

When DMT might not be the first choice: If you’re new to microdosing, if you’re working with serious trauma (DMT’s intensity, even at micro levels, can be activating), if you need sustained daytime support over hours.

Full DMT guide →

How to Choose

Here’s a starter framework - but the real choice happens in conversation:

Choose mushrooms if: You’re new to microdosing, your primary issue is emotional (anxiety, depression, grief, mood), you want the gentlest entry, you want something body-centered, you’re working with sleep or PMS or menopause.

Choose LSD if: Your primary issue is cognitive (focus, brain fog, low motivation), you’re in a creative or high-performance role, you want sustained daytime function, you’ve tried mushrooms and want to compare, you struggle with traditional stimulants.

Choose DMT if: You’re already microdosing one of the others and want to add a tool, you want brief situational support, you’re looking for a midday reset rather than a daily lift. Usually not the first medicine.

Combine them? Some clients run a primary protocol (mushrooms or LSD) and use DMT as a complement. Others alternate cycles - a few weeks of mushrooms, an integration break, then a few weeks of LSD. You’ll figure out what makes sense for you.

What They All Have in Common

All three medicines:

• Are sub-perceptual at microdose levels - you don't feel “high,” you don’t trip, you don’t lose control

• Work on the serotonin system (5-HT2A receptors)

• Are non-toxic and non-addictive at the dose ranges used

• Should be screened against psychiatric, cardiovascular, and medication risks before starting

• Work best as part of a practice, not a one-time experiment

• Are best used with support - not figured out alone

Which One Did I Start With?

Mushrooms. Almost everyone I work with starts with mushrooms. They’re the most accessible, the most studied, the gentlest, and the easiest to dial in.

But “where to start” and “what’s right for you long-term” aren’t always the same question. Some clients start with mushrooms and stay there forever. Some move to LSD because their needs shift. Some add DMT into the mix later.

This isn’t a one-and-done decision. It’s a relationship that evolves.

Let's Figure Out Which One Fits You

The free 20-minute consultation is exactly where we make this decision together. We’ll talk about what you're looking for, what your day-to-day looks like, what’s already working and what isn’t - and then I’ll recommend the medicine and protocol that fits you, not a template.

No pressure. No judgment. No one trying to upsell you on a specific protocol.

All three are magic. Let's find yours.