Meet The Mums Who Microdose

STORIES

BY CERI DAVID AND ANNA SAUNDERS

One afternoon last August, Natalie* was tidying up before her two young children arrived home from school when an incredible sensation suddenly washed over her. “I had this uplifting sense that everything was going to be OK. Almost like a weight off my shoulders. I felt lighter and brighter.” That unexpected wave of happiness was both welcome and unfamiliar for Natalie, who had felt weighed down by post-natal anxiety since becoming a mother seven years earlier.

But now, for the first time in what felt like forever, Natalie’s anxiety eased. In that moment, she felt radiantly happy and peaceful – as if, she says, “I could suddenly breathe again.” The difference? That morning, Natalie had taken an eighth of a teaspoon of powdered psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms. On the surface, Natalie, a 30-something, pilates-loving mother from Western Australia, who regularly swims laps to keep fit, may not seem like an obvious candidate for psychedelics.

But when she and her husband were offered psilocybin by a progressive and health-conscious friend who swore by its mood-enhancing properties, they were curious. And having tried anti-anxiety medication to no avail, Natalie decided a small dose couldn’t hurt. The results of that first experiment last August were so revelatory that Natalie’s husband now buys psilocybin on the internet using cryptocurrency. Today, a small jar of powdered psilocybin, which looks a little like white pepper, sits in the pantry of their Perth home for use “every now and then”, whenever they need a mood boost.

Natalie* is one of a rapidly increasing number of Australians intrigued by the concept of micro-dosing — the practice of using tiny amounts of psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin or LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) to improve creativity, boost energy levels, redress emotional balance, and even treat anxiety, depression and PTSD. Psychedelics have been around for a long time, in the form of magic mushrooms, and, later, LSD, a synthetic version created for psychiatric use. But they have been totally banned since the ‘80s, and subsequently languished in the criminal shadows… at least until now.

Today, psychedelics are on the cusp of re-entering the mainstream, thanks to authors like Michael Pollan, who in 2018 wrote a treatise on the miracles of micro-dosing How to Change Your Mind, and James Fadiman PhD, author of the 2015 book The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys. Since then, what started as a hush-hush trend in the boardrooms and bathrooms of Silicon Valley, has slowly spread into the mainstream.

It played a cameo role in Aussie author Liane Moriarty’s 2019 bestseller Nine Perfect Strangers. Its benefits have been hailed on wellness sites such as Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, and this year, Pollan’s book How to Change Your Mind was turned into a Netflix series that proved so popular it has been dubbed into French, German, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Russian and Spanish, among others.

Meet The Women Making Thousands From Their Wardrobes

BY CAROLINE ZIELINSKI

Read why a growing number of women are using psychedelics to take the edge off motherhood, or alleviate anxiety and depression, at PRIMER.

READ IT HERE

Improve your inbox. Sign up to our free weekly newsletter.

WANT MORE?

SIGN UP

Would You Pay $100 For A Face Massage?

BEAUTY

Yes, You Really Should Be Using Acids For Your Skin

BEAUTY

“Should I Have Kids?” One Woman On The Mother Of All Questions

BOOKS

Want more stories?

Visit PRIMER