The real reason I committed to this experiment had nothing to do with productivity.
If you missed Part 1, you should read that first. For everyone else, here’s what happened next.
The First Dose
After I took those four drops in front of my bathroom mirror, I waited.
Nothing happened.
I went about my morning. Made my coffee. Got into my workday. All while watching for the slightest shift in perception, cognition, mood, anything.
Nothing. The day felt completely normal.
That first dose was anticlimactic. No focus burst, no creative flood, and no clear signal that anything was happening at all. I started to wonder if I’d taken too small a dose. The psychedelic educator I’m working with had told me I could go up to 5 drops given my muscle mass, so there was room to adjust.
I stuck with the protocol because I was determined to follow the plan.
Sunday. Thursday. Sunday.
The shift came on the second Sunday.
That Sunday Morning
It was the second Sunday of the protocol. I sat down to create content for the following month’s social media and email campaigns.
Something you need to know about me. I detest creating content. I love generating ideas, but the mechanics of writing and organizing while maintaining brand consistency is as boring and painful to me as watching an elementary school production of Hamlet.
I took my four drops, sat down at my desk, and started writing.
I dropped into flow almost immediately. Instead of the usual ramp-up where I fight my way through the first hour of resistance, the creativity was there from the first sentence.
I was writing some of the most effortless copy I’d ever produced.
I was so in the flow, that my biological urges were overridden by my flow state.
So the next thing I knew, I had a sudden, urgent need to use the bathroom. I looked at the clock and four hours had passed. I hadn’t moved. My first coffee was still sitting next to me, barely touched and cold. I hadn’t even noticed my body needing anything until I was nearly bursting.
That kind of sustained, uninterrupted focus used to happen maybe once every few months if I was lucky. After that Sunday, it became predictable on microdose days.
After that experience, the cognitive benefits the market promotes are real. Microdosing gave me access to sharper focus and easier flow states. And to my surprise the most tedious tasks compressed in a way I’d never experienced before.
These cognitive benefits weren’t why I decided to try this experiment.
The focus and flow are a welcome side effect. They’re not the goal.
Since that first breakthrough, I’ve been microdosing for four months. I started this trial because of what my genetic testing revealed years ago.
I carry the APOE 3/4 variant. That means I carry the second most concerning combination for Alzheimer’s risk. I also carry variants in genes linked to Parkinson’s disease, including SNCA, LRRK2, PARK2, and GBA.
(FYI: You don’t need to know what these acronyms means, just know that I do this type of testing on myself and my clients so we can get an accurate read on what their next steps are)
My metabolite testing showed I’m not producing optimal levels of GABA, which is a key neurotransmitter tied to neurological function. GABA deficiency has been directly linked to Parkinson’s pathology.
All this to say, I’m not microdosing because someone on a podcast said it was a cheat code.
I’m microdosing because I have specific, documented genetic and metabolic markers that point to elevated neurodegenerative risk over the next several decades.
The claims about neurogenesis, neuroplasticity benefits, and protective effects against cognitive decline are exactly what got me into this experiment. I’m not chasing productivity or flow states. I’m interested in long-term neurological support based on what my biology shows.
This isn’t a wellness trend for me. It’s a calculated intervention aimed at supporting neurogenesis and synaptic function over the next several decades, designed around specific risks I’ve known about for years.
I’m also doing this with the guidance of a certified psychedelic educator I trust. Someone who understands both the science and the practice, and who approaches this work with the same rigor and intentionality I bring to my own
I Test On Myself Before My Clients Ever Will
I’m not recommending microdosing to anyone reading this. That is not my message.
The message is that I run extensive testing on myself before I ever suggest anything to my clients. They always get the final say. Whether it’s peptides, supplements, training protocols, or interventions like this one, I’m always the first test case and bring my experiences to my client sessions.
That’s why I take genetic testing, metabolite analysis, biomarker tracking, and protocol design seriously.
I have noticed most successful leaders tend to make health decisions on hearsay. They take what worked for someone they don’t know, on a podcast or reel and apply it to their own body without ever checking if it fits based on their biology.
That’s expensive guessing dressed up as strategy.
A Note On Risk
LSD and other psychedelics are still illegal in most jurisdictions.
Personal risk assessment is part of every decision like this. Just like with peptides, hormone therapy, or any other advanced intervention, you have to weigh your own risk tolerance, your own legal exposure, and your own long-term goals.
What I’m advocating for is the testing and strategic framework behind these decisions. Not the specific intervention.
Intelligent health management isn’t about finding the next breakthrough. It’s about knowing what your biology needs and having the data to back every decision you make.
“So what does all this mean for me, Deepak?”
The advantage isn’t in microdosing, peptides, supplements, or any specific intervention. Rather, I believe the advantage is in knowing exactly why you’re using something and what outcome you’re targeting based on your own biology.
Through genetic testing, I know what I’m predisposed to.
Through metabolite testing, I know what my body is and isn’t producing.
Through biomarker tracking, I know how my interventions are moving the needle.
My decisions aren’t random. They’re targeted at specific, documented risks I carry. Nutrition, supplementation, training, cognitive work, and yes, this microdosing experiment, all serve a defined purpose based on what my data tells me.
Most successful leaders are guessing. A small percentage are experimenting. Very few are testing first and acting with precision.
If you’re not testing, you’re making decisions about your health in the dark.
But testing isn’t the whole picture.
Sometimes the data comes back clean, the protocols are dialed in, and people still feel stuck. That’s not a testing problem. That’s a different kind of problem entirely.
In Part 3, the final piece of this series, I’ll come back to Sarah and address when psychedelics aren’t the answer at all, and what’s actually driving the patterns most people are trying to fix.
If you’re ready to find out what your data shows and whether advanced testing makes sense for your situation, book a Vitality Check Up call. https://deepaksainihealth.thrivecart.com/event/
Cheers,
Deepak
