As my mom friend promised, the microdose didn’t give me any psychedelic experiences, though I did feel a slight euphoric tingling sensation upon first ingesting them. After taking them every other day for a few weeks in the morning, I noticed feeling more relaxed and comfortable in my skin. I wasn’t “buzzed,” and didn’t feel impaired in any way. By 3 p.m., when I had to pick my daughter up from preschool, I was perfectly lucid. I also noticed I was grinding my teeth less at night.
In 2025, microdosing psilocybin is becoming even more popular than it was a few years ago—especially among moms.
My experience, while very new to me, isn’t totally unique. In fact, microdosing has become to our generation what chardonnay was to mom groups of yesteryear—and personally, I prefer the vibe of psilocybin.
Daniella Gruenspecht, a licensed school counselor, mental health counselor, and founder of Shemaya Sanctuary, specializes in leading people on therapeutic journeys, including those using psilocybin. She tells SELF that these days, moms come to her for guidance on microdosing in droves. She even treats a Montessori teacher who microdoses while teaching. Books like Microdosing for Moms: A Beginners Guide to the Wonders and Benefits of Magic Mushrooms for Today’s Busy Mom and groups like Moms on Mushrooms indicate a rise in the microdosing trend. Back in 2022, around the time I discovered microdosing, NPR ran a segment about the thousands of moms who were microdosing as a way to cope with the anxiety of parenting.
We can attribute some of this popularity to the decriminalization of psilocybin, bringing users—moms among them—out of the shadows. In California, along with states like Oregon, District of Columbia, and Colorado, psilocybin is decriminalized; in many other states like New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, decriminalization is up for active legislation.
Microdosing mushrooms made me feel calmer, more connected to the universe, and overall, less tense and overwhelmed by daily stressors.
A microdose, or small amount of a plant active, is meant to be sub-perceptual, Gruenspecht explains. Meaning, you want to take a quantity that’s just enough to feel the relaxing effects, but not enough to make you trip or feel high, she adds. There isn’t a single agreed-upon definition of a microdose, but some research suggests approximately 1/5 to 1/20 of a recreational dose; for psilocybin, this typically ends up being around 0.3 grams. However, potency can vary greatly, so it may be difficult to know exactly how much you’re taking without some trial and error. And, as Gruenspecht sees often, each individual can have a different reaction, “depending on how sensitive you are.” But again, there’s no real way to measure what makes someone sensitive, or what exactly that means, so it’s all a bit subjective.
At microdoses, psilocybin may, as Gruenspech puts it, “help you attune to frequencies of the planet and notice synchronicities.” If this sounds a little woo-woo, I hear you. (We are talking about taking psychedelics here, after all.) But noticing meaningful coincidences or signs from the universe had a positive effect on my mood: Even in times of distress, it made me feel more connected to the universe, and ignited a sense of magic, hope, and purpose all rolled into one—which is, incidentally, what inspired me to become a mom in the first place.
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