Been fascinated by low-dose psychedelics.
And seeing if any can be used as nootropics.
Since I am new, please moderators feel welcome to move this if this is not in the right section.

My first experiment was with low dose LSD.
I call low-dose LSD: "The Observer"

Procedure: 1 tab dropped in 100 ml of boiled purified water (no chlorine)
took only 5 ml
Taken right after a light breakfast.

Time to felt effects: 1 minute

Initial effects:
- Relaxation of muscles
- Overall gentle relaxation
- Noticeable inner quieting of the mind
- Difficulty focusing with eyes: felt like natural soft focusing

The most noticeable effect of this experiment is how fast a low-dose LSD quiets the mind.
And when the mind is quiet it can naturally observe, watch, and notice without distraction.
I didn't experience any hyper-focused effect, or even greater clarity or brilliance.
It was more a quieting of the discursive, chattering, monkey mind.
Which then opens up for easy observation.
It was definitely reminiscent of meditation practice, meditation retreat.
Regardless of how noisy the street sounds are, there is an inward silence.
very Zen - no frills, no whistles, no bangs. Just the quiet peaceful observing mind.
This is not an emotionally active dose.
And felt no interest in verbal interaction.

Possible Ideal Uses:
- Great for observational work of any kind
Can definitely see Hoffman and other scientist enjoying these low doses
- Good for reading, researching
- Gather information in a easy progressive way
- Retreat from over-active mind
- Neutralizer of worries
- Logical thinking: since the mind is free of distraction

Didn't find it as useful for:
- Increasing physical agility, flexibility, speed
- Conversational exchange
- Collaborative work with others
- Problem solving with others
- Physical learning or Emotional learning

Enneagram connection:
If you are one of the head-based Enneatypes: 5, 6, 7
I think you'll find the experience very appealing.
You may even find it is a natural anti-dote to the worried, over-active mind.

If you are one of the heart-based Enneatypes: 2, 3, 4
This might not be your favorite "cup of tea" as it does not have much emotional responsiveness.
However, could possibly open a doorway to the quiet heart.

Tarot Connection:
Card 9 of the Major Arcana: the Hermit

Numerological connection: the number 7

Elemental connection:
Air mixed with wood
no fire or water elements.

Total Duration: approx. 5 hours
Will definitely make your inner scientist feel at home.

Peace, Blessings, and as always YMMV
Thumbs up

I was with you right up until the tarot-card stuff. What on Earth is that supposed to mean?

I've often felt like microdosing (that's the technical term for what you're doing) psychedelics would make for fantastic antidepressants. Worry and an overactive internal monologue are two very common symptoms of depression.

Blessings
~ND

Nathanial, thanks for the term, micro-dosing, i like it.

I put the last bits in case people wanted more of a symbolic feel to the experience.
Each of the last 22 cards of the Tarot deck corresponds to a Universal archetype.
These archetypes show up everywhere: stories, myths, movies, daily life, and of course psychedelic journeys.
The Hermit, is one of those archetypes, and reminded me of the LSD space.

I forgot to mention that micro-dosing LSD did not leave me rejuvenated or refreshed.
My brain felt "worked" after 5-6 hours of activation in "observer" mode.
I took a good cardio routine and some caffeine to restart my brain.

If someone has a general enjoyment of the quiet, zen observer state, i imagine they'll enjoy
micro-dosing on LSD.

Blessings,
E7

take a quarter of a hit , atleast

Hmm, symbolic feelings. I like it.

I asked a friend about this, and he warned me against it: apparently he had a friend who tried it with psilocybin, and while it worked great at first, after about two weeks of daily dosing, he lapsed into a serious state of depression that took months to get over.

It may be possible to overwork your serotonin system and do damage.

LSD is also associated with an increased risk of psychotic thinking and megalomania, so if you keep doing this, you might want to make sure you're watching yourself and keeping track of your thought patterns.
Of course, loss of insight is one of the key symptoms of psychosis, so I'm not sure how well that would work, but I feel like I should pass on the warning.

Blessings
~ND

Is this not the ol' placebo effect at play here?? 5% of 1 hit with effects felt in 1 minute!? Sure sounds like it to me. If that is a 100mcg hit (which ain't bad these days!), that is going to be 5mcg tops, and that is likely being generous, unless these are some super potent hits. I was under the impression that 20mcg is the minimum threshold dose. And feeling effects off such a tiny amount in just a minute also sounds too good to be true. I would personally aim for a quarter of a hit.

Nathanial, thanks for the warning.
I only did one day of micro-dosing and stopped. The observer space is not what i am aiming for. I was rather looking for an increase in clarity and bright well-being. This wasn't at all my experience with micro-dosing LSD.

Banco, brother, i'm not sure it was a placebo effect.
I think it all depends on the sensitivity and openness of each person's system.
After 1 minute I could feel a noticeable relaxation in my muscles. I kind of relaxed pliable feeling.
This then grew into quiet mind over 10-20 minutes and was very distinct/active for over 5-6 hours, and felt drained by the end of the day.
I truly believe our nervous systems are unique. So I never pay attention to general dosing indicators, e.g. Terence McKenna 5 grams of mushrooms, etc etc.
Our body has it's own intelligence. Every time I place any sacred medicine I will use against my body and ask if it will be beneficial for me. And get an instant reading. This is basic muscle testing.
I ask if it will have a positive effect on my emotionally/mentally/physically/spiritually.
I muscle test all dosing. I found this invalueble.
Can highly recommend this to all my brothers and sisters.
Our body will give us a very precise indicator of what is the ideal dose for us at that time.

Blessings brothers!