Since the early days of Microdosing Institute, we have been coaching people through their microdosing journey. After all, we want our coachees to get the most out of their microdosing experiences. At some point, almost every microdoser faces the question as to which microdosing protocol is best suited for them. For many people, the answer is: Microdosing Institute’s very own “every other day” protocol. Here, you can read more about what it is, why it is used, and the experiences of fellow microdosers.
What is Microdosing Institute ‘every other day’ protocol?
Our team of microdosing coaches has extensive personal experience with various microdosing protocols. From our years of coaching experience,, we extensively observed which protocols seem to work best for whom. One thing we discovered is that some people, especially those who microdose for medical purposes (such as depression, burnout, social anxiety, ADHD, ADD, migraines and cluster headaches) achieve more positive results when they microdose every other day. This experiment has now been empirically proven so many times that the international microdosing community named it the “Microdosing Insitute protocol”. Admittedly, this is something we are quite proud of.
In consultation with James Fadiman, who has been advising our Microdosing Institute coaching team since 2017, the Microdosing Institute protocol has now become a recognized method. We have been recommending it for over two years now, often with great success. The ‘Every other Day’ Protocol is a derivative of the well-known Fadiman Protocol, in which you microdose once every three days. James Fadiman developed this protocol specifically as a research tool. On the first day, you microdose. On the second day you are probably still experiencing some after-effects from the microdose, and on the third day you are back at your “baseline. That third day is important for reflecting on the effect microdosing has on you, in comparison to how you feel without microdosing.
However, for some people this third day of rest and reflection is crucial to their microdosing process. They are more likely to experience a dip on this third day, mostly due to their underlying psychological condition. Skipping this rest day keeps the focus on the positive effect, and on integrating this positive experience. This allows one – if this is the right protocol for them – to experience structural improvement.
This protocol is applied when it fits someone’s personal situation. It should be used in a well-considered way and based on preliminary research. In the case of depression, burn-out or PTSD, preliminary research is extra important. Our experienced microdosing coaches and therapists are happy to support you in this step of your microdosing process.
How does the Microdosing Institute ‘every other day’ protocol work?
- DAY 1: Microdosing day
- DAY 2: Transition day
- DAY 3: Microdosing day
- DAY 4: Transition day
- REPEAT: 4 to 8 weeks
- RESET PERIODE: 2 to 4 weeks rest
Below is a small sample of the experiences shared with us by microdosers in our community.
The ‘every other day’ protocol in ADD and Depression
I struggle with ADD, and in my case accompanied by negative feelings. I have gone through an entire process of getting prescribed almost all possible medications for ADD and depression. It turned out that almost all the antidepressants gave me serotonin syndrome. The ADD medication made me so dull that it felt like I had had a lobotomy. In short: things are not going smoothly for me.
After reading so many positive stories, I decided to microdose with microdosing XP Truffles. I followed the Fadiman protocol. I must say that it worked quite well, however, the dip on day 3 was so intense that I considered giving up microdosing altogether. This day would be characterized by negative feelings, and pessimistic thoughts about the meaning of life. On day 4 I would feel OK again, but struggling through day 3 every time was hell.
After following the advice of one of your microdosing coaches to use the ‘Every other Day’ protocol, my Microdosing experience took a positive turn. For my situation, this is definitely a better matched protocol. I now experience less mental noise, and I seem to be more present.
A pleasant sense of stability
I started microdosing when I was experiencing a negative spiral I got into when I quit taking antidepressants and antipsychotics. On microdosing days, I noticed that I was doing better. I had more patience and inner peace, and fewer emotional outbursts. That gave me a huge sense of relief. The rest and reflection days, unfortunately, were really bad. I had a lot of anxiety, sadness and anger at the beginning. Everything frustrated me and I had a very short fuse. Using the Microdosing XP truffles seemed to have started a process in me that was quite intense at first.
That up-and-down roller coaster feeling slowly changed, becoming less turbulent and leading to a kind of stillness within myself in which the microdosing day and rest day became a little more similar. This gives me a nice feeling of stability. I am curious to see if microdosing with 1cP-LSD has a similar effect on me. With this substance I want to microdose in the near future.
Knowledge is power
The Microdosing Institute platform was created because we wanted to map out which people microdose, for what reasons they do so, and what advantages and disadvantages they experience in the process. To us, sharing each other’s experiences is very important and valuable. Although microdosing is currently becoming more and more mainstream, we try to make people aware that research into microdosing and its potential healing effects is still in its earliest stages.
We are all still discovering. Your experience, whether positive or negative, is invaluable to us. In turn, we share your experiences with all the scientists we work with.
1 thought on “The Microdosing Institute Every-other-day Protocol—Microdosing Without the Dip”
Incredibly healing, that has been my short experience with microdosing. I began January 21st of this year and just took my eighteenth dose. I have experimented with the “days off” number, ranging from several days to one day off between doses. I was diagnosed with major depressive order long ago, and then ADD. The depression, most all of my life, has been debilitating. And anti-depressants have been a poor remedy. The SSRIs, one more concoction of the pharmaceutical industry, just do not work in my experience. I wish I had known about microdosing years ago, but grateful to have learned about it at all! It absolutely has eased the horrible anxiety and unease I have felt most of my life. Thanks for websites like this, that can help people with the process.