Microdosing for Health, Healing, and Enhanced Performance

by James Fadiman PhD, Jordan Gruber JD

Overview

James Fadiman, an early psychedelic researcher, and co-author Jordan Gruber’s MICRODOSING FOR HEALTH, HEALING AND ENHANCED PERFORMANCE is the first comprehensive book on microdosing, using new research and extensive reports from individuals to describe the possibilities of the practice.

Microdosing is proving to be a safe and powerful approach to a wide range of health conditions and enhanced performance. Partly responsible for modern microdosing’s development and current popularity, the authors answer hundreds of questions, blending extensive research with detailed personal accounts from contributors worldwide. The book also contains wide-ranging microdosing history, research, and science.

People have microdosed successfully:

· to alleviate symptoms of depression, ADHD, chronic pain, and long COVID

· for enhanced focus, mental acuity, and physical abilities (including sports)

· to help taper off pharmaceuticals, especially antidepressants and stimulants

· to improve food habits, sleep, and relationships

· to become more aware of personal habit patterns, others’ feelings, and natural surroundings

· to reduce stress and anxiety

· to help over 30 specific health concerns

This book does not provide medical or legal advice. Readers should speak to their doctor before engaging in any course of microdosing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250355584
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/18/2025
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

JAMES FADIMAN, PhD, has been professionally involved with psychedelics for over 60 years. He developed modern microdosing, including the use of protocols, specific dose ranges, and time off. He is the author of The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide (2011) and is the world’s foremost microdosing researcher.

JORDAN GRUBER, JD, co-author of Your Symphony of Selves with Fadiman in 2020, has written, ghost written, and edited over a dozen books in a wide variety of fields including psychology, spirituality, finance, and personal development. He has been close friends with Fadiman since 1990 and contributed to The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide.

Editorial Reviews

01/20/2025

Psychologist Fadiman and ghostwriter Gruber follow up 2020’s Your Symphony of Selves with a thin treatise asserting that small doses of LSD or psilocybin mushrooms can improve one’s health and boost creativity, among other benefits. The authors suggest that microdoses should be small enough that they don’t produce visual distortions and that readers should wait at least two days in between doses. Discussions of microdosing’s benefits are hamstrung by a lack of evidence owing to a decades-long ban on researching psychedelics. The authors rely on unverified anecdotes throughout, as when they report that a visual artist who contacted Fadiman through his website overcame a creative block while microdosing, and that Reddit comments from college students who regularly took psychedelics indicate the substances may have helped raise their grades by enhancing their focus. Fadiman and Gruber string together firsthand testimonies about psychedelics’ positive effects on such conditions as chronic pain, depression, and long Covid without explaining how the drugs might cause such outcomes, making this feel more like a comments section than a cohesive report. Additionally, the few studies the authors cite are often of dubious quality, such as one that, despite lacking a control group, concluded microdosing might lessen ADHD symptoms. This fails to overcome the paucity of quality research on psychedelics. Agent: Jim Levine, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"I consider this a paradigm-changing book. If the reports included here continue to replicate, then inexpensive, take-at-home, tiny doses of psychedelics may become a new option for people with treatment-resistant depression, chronic pain, ADHD, and a host of other conditions. The cases and data presented in these pages suggest that strengthening the body’s capacity for healing with these remarkably safe and mostly natural substances is a realistic, researchable, and exciting alternative." - Andrew Weil, founder of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, Author of Spontaneous Happiness and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health

"With this thorough, well-structured, and fascinating volume Dr. Fadiman has given us what so many have been asking for, a resource to understand and explore microdosing in all its various facets." –Ayelet Waldman, author of A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life

"This extraordinary book successfully balances science and people's real-world experiences—informing experts and citizen scientists alike as to the broad promise of psychedelic microdosing. Highly recommended." —Paul Stamets, mycologist, author of Psilocybin Mushrooms in Their Natural Habitats (2025)

“A warm and engaging book full of charm, wisdom and hope, by the true leader in the field and many grateful disciples." - David Nutt, author of Psychedelics

"Indigenous mystics have known for millennia that there are plants which not only heal our bodies, but nurture our souls and expand our performance. Now the new discovery of using tiny doses on a regular basis is opening a new possibility for humankind. Dr. James Fadiman, who previously literally wrote the book on using psychedelics safely, has been devoting decades to the developing the science of microdosing. This has culminated in a master operating manual, MICRODOSING: For Health, Healing, and Enhanced Performance, co-authored with Jordan Gruber. It covers it all – from the basics to enhancements to broad-spectrum healing, as well as the science, history and implications for the future. Whether you just want to understand this huge cultural shift, or you feel like you are ready to experiment and potentially integrate this practice, this is the companion for doing it safely and effectively. It’s a milestone for which our species can be truly grateful. Bon Voyage!" - Foster Gamble, Co-creator THRIVE Movies and Movement, former CEO of MINDCENTER

"This book is a blockbuster. It charts a safe and effective way to bust through your mental, emotional, and physical blocks. Scads of research and personal stories herald the undeniable truth that microdosing is a viable path to addressing what ails us, with a comprehensive coverage of how to, how much, and how often. Dr. Fadiman’s wit and Jordan Gruber’s artful wordsmithing will give you “microdoses” of wisdom, laughter, astonishment. It might even help us solve some of the wicked problems that plague our world. I couldn’t put it down." —Anodea Judith, PhD. Author of Eastern Body-Western Mind, and The Global Heart Awakens

"For anyone seeking a comprehensive and accessible overview of psychedelic microdosing, look no further. Psychedelic elder and “father of microdosing,” James Fadiman, and co-writer Jordan Gruber have crafted a resource that seamlessly integrates extensive anecdotes and personal reflections with historical context and emerging scientific perspectives — all tailored for a non-technical audience. While the scientific study of microdosing remains in its early stages, the diverse experiences documented here point to its significant potential. This book is sure to become a cornerstone for microdosing-curious individuals for years to come."

— Manesh Girn, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, psychedelic brain imaging researcher, and host of The Psychedelic Scientist

"In college in the 80s, I’d take a nibble of a mushroom before a night out (not a fan of alcohol). Once, on vacation, I cut a tab of acid into slices. Who knew I was microdosing?! First named in 2010, now it’s on everyone’s mind and feed – antidepressant, antianxiety, and anti-inflammatory effects; trauma processing; creativity and focus– we all seem to find what we need. Is it real? Finally, after years of collecting and synthesizing information from so many, this crucially important book emerges. An honest, practical analysis of all the caveats and reasons to consider microdosing." - Julie Holland, MD, Author of Good Chemistry: The Science of Connection, From Soul to Psychedelics

From the Publisher