Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by anon192831 2829 days ago
I have a brother in-law (20yo) that's also on the spectrum (aspergers).

In an attempt to help with general anxiety that's associated with Aspergers, we introduced him to marijuana (as it has a relaxing effect), but that just mainly causes more anxiety.

However, it turns out that microdosing on psychedelics has been quite the panacea. I'd highly recommend reading the book "A Really Good Day" that goes over the safety aspects, myths and such.

In a span of 4 months, the kid is completely changed. Far more sociable. He's communicated that his anxiety is gone. He has become more thoughtful and far more self-sufficient. His ability to communicate/articulate his needs & desires, relay stories from his day are new behaviors that have presented himself since this regimen has started. In a sense, he has gone from "more autistic" to "more typical teenage/young adult boy" in a span of 4 months. He still does say that his condition is still apparent and that his ability to intuitively react to emotion/facial expressions/body language hasn't necessarily developed, but with the anxiety removed, now he can read body language cues with ease as he is not debilitated by the anxiety of the interaction and move forward in the interaction rather than recusing himself and living in his own bubble.

The reason this appears to work is because psychedelics increasing brain plasticity/neurogenesis. Even after the doses stop, the benefits will continue to remain as new neural connections have become established. A regimen can be used for say a month or two and be stopped with the benefits derived, so it's not something one necessarily needs to engage in for the rest of their life.

His immediate family doesn't know that this regimen is taking place, but everyone in the family during gatherings attributes his demeanor change to his "summer job" which "opened" him up, and are so "proud" of him and his growth. Of course, spending 12 years in a social school environment did nothing to open him up, but a 3 month summer job did the trick. chuckles

Of course there are stories of people who have taken very large tripping doses and have had catastrophic effects, so it isn't without risks, however, it appears that the risks are pretty minimal and also very manageable at microdose quantities.

So far in my microdose experiment, n=5 have had absolutely no ill effects and has been tremendous boon to mental state/cognition/clarity in general.

2 comments

That's great with the psychedelics. It's a promising treatment from some stuff I've seen with PTSD patients.

RE: cannabis. Most cannabis you buy is high in THC, which causes anxiety. You want the high CBD, low THC stuff. CBD has anti-anxiety properties and is actually relaxing, especially at high doses. As a bonus, it does not get one high. I also recommend a vaporizer pen or edibles instead of smoking.

Could you elaborate on the specifics? I have a microdosable bit of LSD at the ready but haven't had the courage to try yet.

EDIT: I feel anxiety is the worst of it. I can accept being 'weird', and my OCD-ish tendencies give me comfort. I mostly struggle with the anxiety, and weed has not been a good solution.