Next Friday is that time of year again: the day Cupid flies through the clouds, red roses are sold out everywhere, restaurants are packed, and the day you kick yourself for forgetting yet again. We know full well that Valentine’s Day is a bit too much of a “must-do” romantic holiday, but as you can tell from our blogs on intimacy and sexuality, here at Dutch-Smart we do believe you should invest time and effort into your relationship. But besides gifts, therapy, and chocolate, there might be something else that could strengthen your relationship like never before…
Microdosing—that’s how you save relationships!
What are we talking about? Magic Truffles and Magic Mushrooms, and specifically the microdosing of magic truffles and magic mushrooms. After all, more and more media outlets are reporting these days that psychedelics seem to be the driving force behind the breath of fresh air blowing through many relationships. We read the story of Zack and Amy, two former lovebirds who decided to take a small dose of psilocybin every morning for two weeks—both out of curiosity and a desire to understand each other better.
Soon, both Zack and Amy noticed that they were calmer and more honest, but also that they dared to be much more open about their feelings—something that is crucial in a healthy relationship. Other people with firsthand experience even say that microdosing has greatly improved their sex lives. But can microdosing psychedelics really improve your relationship? And if so, how does it work?
How does it work?
The answer isn’t simple. In fact, even experts in the field of psychedelics say it’s quite possible that this is the case, but that there hasn’t really been enough research on it yet. “We know that high doses of psychedelics have strong scientific backing for their therapeutic effects,” Matthew Johnson, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, tells Mic.com.
Another expert adds that a number of studies suggest these psychedelics can increase openness, empathy, mood, and life satisfaction—and these benefits could very well influence people’s romantic relationships. “When you improve yourself, you can have better relationships with other people,” says Emily Kulpa of the Psychedelics Studies Research Program at the University of Toronto.
Or maybe it’s just a placebo...
But as a psychonaut, you already know better than anyone that a trip-inducing dose of magic mushrooms or truffles can alter your consciousness. And unlike the many studies on higher doses of psilocybin, when it comes to microdosing, we still have to rely mainly on anecdotal evidence. One of the experts points out that the often-cited benefits of microdosing might even be linked to the expectation that everything will improve as a result. A sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, in other words: you want your relationship to grow stronger and you believe in the power of psilocybin, so the result is positive. A bit of a placebo effect, then, but even that hasn’t been proven.
To find out whether all those thousands of stories about the positive effects of microdosing magic mushrooms on relationships are actually true, Kulpa wanted to investigate. “We wanted to conduct the study to see if the benefits would be comparable to those of a high dose,” says Kulpa. If a microdose acts on the same receptors as a high dose, then in theory you “might see some benefits.” The problem, however, was that no funding was available, and the substance is also illegal in the country. In short: the proper research is still a long way off. Tough luck.
Why microdose?
So for now, you won’t be prescribed a microdose of magic truffles to improve your relationship by a couples therapist, but there may be other reasons why microdosing could be interesting for you. For example, most people in the microdosing community seem to use it primarily to boost their creativity and productivity. Think of artists and musicians, but also entrepreneurs looking for new ideas and solutions to problems. In addition, it might help with procrastination, appreciation for nature, dispelling negative thoughts, and boosting your social skills. Worth a try?
