Microdosing Parents: Can Psychedelics Make Mom And Dad More “Present”?

Updated March 27, 2024 at 7:40 p.m.*

BERLIN — Sometimes, before heading to the playground with his 2-year-old daughter, Arno Kanter takes one or two pills. They are blue or bright orange and are smaller than a match head. They contain LSD, or, to be more precise, a derivative of the drug, whose chemical formula has been modified so that their purchase is not punishable in Germany.

LSD can alter the perception of space, time and visual stimuli: Colors appear more vibrant; the grain of tree bark seems to move. But Kanter, 39, only takes a fraction of the amount needed to trigger a psychedelic trip. It’s called microdosing.

“I don’t want to get high, but rather perceive my surroundings a little more intensely, a little more like a child,” he says. When his daughter shows him a leaf, he no longer has to fake his enthusiasm. “I don’t just distractedly say, ‘Wow, beautiful! I really like that,'” he says. “Through microdosing, I can see the world through her eyes.” The playground he’s been to hundreds of times, the old park in his Berlin neighborhood, then seems like an adventure to him, too.

Arno Kanter is not his real name. While he claims to be completely sane when it comes to microdosing, he says he can imagine how it comes across when he talks about childcare and psychedelic drugs: immature, selfish, irresponsible.

Other parents openly rave online about how well everyday life with children can be achieved by microdosing LSD or psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms. “In the early months of motherhood, I was so easily frustrated,” one mother microdosing psilocybin writes on Instagram. “Now I have more patience.”

Another mother shares on YouTube that psilocybin helped her alleviate the symptoms of depression she had suffered since the birth of her daughter: “It gave me back my connection with her and with myself,” she says.

Psilocybin for depression

In the online community “Mums On Mushrooms,” or MOM for short, hundreds of mothers from the United States and Europe share their experiences of microdosing on their daily lives with children. The tone is similar: They’re more balanced, more enthusiastic, more present. And unlike a glass of wine or a joint, they’re fully responsive and don’t suffer from a hangover. It almost sounds as if they’ve found a remedy that eases the strains of parenthood – and even makes them better mothers in the process. Sounds too good to be true – or harmless.

A call to psychiatrist and psychotherapist Gerhard Gründer. He led the EPIsoDE study, one of the largest worldwide studies investigating the effects of psilocybin on depression, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. “A microdose of psilocybin is typically 2.5 milligrams: one-tenth of the amount that triggers a psychedelic experience,” Gründer says “This shouldn’t impair everyday functioning.” So, microdosing shouldn’t actually put your child at risk. A hangover is also unlikely, Gründer says.

I doubt that microdosing makes people better parents.

The psychiatrist and psychotherapist heads the Molecular Neuroimaging Department at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim. He was the principal investigator of the EPIsoDE study, which investigated the efficacy and safety of psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression.

“I doubt, however, that microdosing makes people better parents,” Gründer says. “I’m not aware of any study that proves a positive effect of microdosing.” Microdosers swear that small amounts of psychedelic drugs make them more creative and balanced. Yet studies in which neither the experimenters nor the subjects know whether they are receiving a dummy drug or small doses of psilocybin have shown that microdosing has no effect on cognitive performance or well-being. Meta-studies on microdosing show a placebo effect. Or to put it another way: “If you expect to be more balanced because you’re taking something, then maybe you will be,” says Gründer.

Although Gründer’s EPIsoDe study and several other studies have shown that psilocybin can help with depression, “it’s only amounts of around 25 milligrams that trigger a psychedelic experience,” says Gründer. “And that would be in no way compatible with childcare.”

It’s no miracle cure

Tracey Tee, 48, founder of Moms On Mushrooms, also says that a psychedelic trip helped her overcome her depression. 2020 was a tough year for Tee: Before the pandemic, she toured the U.S. with a comedy show about parenting. During the lockdown, all her performances, her main source of income, fell through. Tee had been taking antidepressants since she had her uterus and ovaries removed at 41, and menopause began virtually overnight. Financial worries and the daily routine of lockdown with her then-9-year-old daughter pushed her to her limits.

Tee worked as a comedian, producer and entrepreneur before founding Mums On Mushrooms, the online platform where mothers share their experiences with psychedelic drugs.

Tee took psychedelic mushrooms for the first time on a camping trip in Colorado with friends who are also mothers — and without their children (psychedelic mushrooms are decriminalized in this U.S. state). “I felt how much I love my child and my husband,” she said. “But also the fear and sadness of understanding that I hadn’t allowed myself to feel until then.”

Psychedelic mushrooms are not “mother’s little helper.”

The experience helped her process those emotions, she says. Back home, she began reading up on psilocybin and taking small doses. “Currently, I microdose up to five times a week,” she says. “But sometimes I don’t take anything for months.” She has since stopped taking antidepressants.

It’s important to emphasize that psychedelic mushrooms are not “mother’s little helper,” that is, tranquilizers that numb the stress of motherhood. “On the contrary, self-awareness through psilocybin can make parents feel exhausted and in need of change.”

Tee sees her role neither as a healer nor as a life coach, but as someone who brings mothers together and provides them with knowledge about psilocybin. Above all, though, she is an entrepreneur. Mums On Mushrooms, which went live in 2022, is not only an online community; you can also book courses there, such as “Introduction to Microdosing” or “Macrodosing for Mothers.” The cost: the equivalent of €19 to €180 for video courses, and over €1,000 for a three-month program, which includes Zoom seminars and networking events in addition to the courses.

The postpartum shroom

Some scientists actually see psilocybin as a promising treatment for postpartum depression. Yet its effects are difficult to research: Taking psilocybin is difficult to combine with breastfeeding, as traces of the active ingredient are found in breast milk. Furthermore, very few mothers can take time off from childcare for six to eight hours – roughly the duration of what psychiatrist Gründer calls a “psychedelic experience” and is colloquially referred to as a “trip.”

A review study that summarizes the few studies on this topic concludes that psilocybin could be a promising treatment for postpartum depression. The active ingredient RE104, for example, is showing initial success. This shares many properties with psilocybin, but the psychedelic effect lasts only three hours.

“In the studies demonstrating the effectiveness of high doses of psilocybin against depression, the active ingredient is administered in a medical setting, usually with therapeutic supervision,” Gründer says. “I advise against experimenting with it at home.”

The purchase, possession and cultivation of psychedelic mushrooms is illegal in Germany. Yet some people purchase grow kits from the Netherlands, where the sale of mushroom spores is not a crime. “It’s difficult to estimate the amount of psilocybin in home-grown mushrooms,” Gründer points out. LSD is also illegal and often difficult to dose, and the effects of LSD derivatives have not been researched. Furthermore, self-dosed psychedelic experiences lack trained supervision to provide a sense of safety in case the whole thing becomes too intense or even frightening.

Long-term side effects? 

Gründer also urges caution when it comes to microdosing. “I’m a scientist,” he says. “My opinion is: If the benefits aren’t proven and the risks are unclear, I’d stay away from it.” Pharmacologists express concern that LSD microdosing could cause thickening of the heart valves. This occurred several years ago after taking medications that acted on the same receptor. So far, there are no studies investigating how long-term use of LSD and psilocybin affects heart valve functioning. The long-term psychological effects of microdosing have also not been researched.

For Arno Kanter, the father who now enjoys going to playgrounds again, the personal risk-benefit analysis is different. “Yes, I don’t know the long-term consequences of microdosing,” he says. “But I can see the alternatives.” He knows some parents who get drunk on weekends to relieve the pressure.

“When my daughter was a baby, everyday life was often a struggle,” Kanter says. “There were times when I, too, partied excessively.” Today, he prefers small doses of the LSD derivative. He just finds it a shame that he doesn’t know anyone with whom he can share his experience as a microdosing father. He may not have to wait long. The online community “Dads On Mushrooms” is set to launch this year.

*Originally published March 20, 2025, this article was updated March 27, 2025 with enriched media.