Some Comments Concerning Dosage Levels Of Psychedelic
Compounds For Psychotherapeutic Experiences

Gary Fisher

SUGGESTIONS FOR DOSAGE are best made for initial experiences,
since an individual's receptivity and sensitivity to drugs is so variable
that only experimentation with various dosages can determine for any
individual the amount of drug that he will require for any particular
experience desired. At the outset it should be made clear that this
writer does not consider dosage to be the crucial factor in the experience
the subject will have. Factors such as the individual's fear
of self-exposure; his need to maintain a favorable impression of
himself at all times; his willingness to learn; his ability to "go with"
changing states of consciousness; the rigidity of belief patterns; the
amount of insecurity about his personal worth; his preparation and
intent as he goes into the session; his trust in individuals in general
and particularly his confidence in the people with him; the wisdom
of those who share the experience with him; and the persistence with
which he defines himself - all these factors, and many more, are the
crucial ones in determining the kind of experience an individual will
have with the psychedelic compounds.
In spite of such a host of conditions, however, we have found
that dosage does help or hinder the operation of these factors. An-
other word of caution: a particular dosage does not guarantee a
particular reaction. The variability of response to the drugs is enor-
mous, largely because what is most important for a particular person
to learn at a particular time will vary tremendously, and thus the
experience will differ accordingly.
The comments here offered concerning dosage are considered
an integral part of the philosophy of psychedelic treatment outlined
elsewhere (e.g" Blewett & Chwelos, 1958; Chwelos, Blewett, Smith
and Hoffer, 1959; IFIF, 1963; Leary, 1962; MacLean, MacDonald,
Bryne & Hubbard, 1961; Savage, Terrill & Jackson. 1962; Sher-
wood, Stolaroff & Harman, 1962; Van Dusen, 1961; Watts, 1962).
Briefly, the treatment philosophy has as its goal a radical change in
personality structure, with attendant changes in values, goals, mo-
tivation, beliefs and behavior. This sought-for change is character-
ized by the individual's developing an attitude toward himself which
enables him to begin to experience himself and the world about him
in a positive, creative manner in which he assumes total responsibility
for his own state of being. Sherwood, Stolaroff & Harman (1962)
state:
The concept underlying this approach is that an individual can have
a single experience which is so profound and impressive that his life
experiences in the months and years that follow become a continuing
growth process.
There appears to emerge a universal central perception, apparently
independent of subjects' previous philosophical or theological inclina-
tions, which plays a dominant role in the healing process. This central
perception, apparently of all who penetrate deeply in their explorations,
is that behind the apparent multiplicity of things in the world
of science and common sense there is a single reality, in speaking of
which it seems appropriate to use such words as infinite and eternal
All beings are seen to be united in this Being. . . .
Much of the "psychotherapeutic" charges are seen to occur as
a process of the following kind of experience:
The individual's conviction that he is, in essence, an imperishable self
rather than a destructible ego, brings about the most profound reor-
ientation at the deeper levels of personality. He perceives illimitable
worth in this essential self, and it becomes easier to accept the pre-
viously known self as an imperfect reflection of this. The many con-
flicts which are rooted in lack of self-acceptance are cut off at the
source, and the associated neurotic behavior patterns die away. (p. 77)
It must be remembered that the impressions conveyed concern-
ing the efficacy and characteristics of the various drugs come from
the writer's experience with them and contain all the biases and
prejudices inherent in any clinician's working model. The material
is presented in the spirit of sharing experience gained in working
with the psychedelic compounds in order to offer guideposts to those
new in the field, and to offer the experienced some additional infor-
mation on dosage and on technique of treatment.

Pre-treatment Medication:
If the session is to be run in the morning and if the subject is
particularly apprehensive, it is wise to give him some mild bedtime
sedative. The main reason for this is to prevent a restless and fitful
night where he remains in a twilight sleep and where the cortical
activity is very fast and fragmented.
We have found it wise for the individual to eat very lightly the
day before his session and to have an especially light dinner the eve-
ning before the session day. If he can spend this day quietly, in
peaceful surroundings with his guide (guru, therapist) and session
mates, this is excellent. The subject should not eat the morning of
the session, and he should also abstain from juices and coffee.
If the subject is apprehensive in the morning, and if this appre-
hension persists or is unusually severe, the subject should be in-
structed to take early morning medication. We have found librium
to be a very useful drug at this stage. It should be noted that it is
highly improbable that an individual will not have some degree of
anxiety preceding a first psychedelic session. Indeed, in this writer's
experience, it is only the very chronically psychotic individual who
will show no demonstrable anxiety prior to a session. What is spe-
cifically referred to here is undue anxiety which is debilitating and
which interferes with the functioning of the individual to the extent
that a snowball phenomenon is initiated, wherein he becomes anxious
and his anxiety makes him more frightened until he loses all per-
spective about the forthcoming experience. When this occurs, or it
seems likely to occur, we have found it most effective to abort the
reaction by early medication with librium. The dosage depends on
the individual's sensitivity to drugs. Our usage of librium has been
from 10 mg to 35 mg. A person's sensitivity to drugs can be roughly
gauged by his sensitivity to other drugs. For instance, some people
need 2 1/2 grains of aspirin to case a headache whereas others need
15 to 20 grains. Individuals' sensitivity to drugs varies tremendously.
For example, given an equal amount of psychological rigidity and
resistance (clinically estimated), we have seen two individuals vary
in drug requirements by a ratio of I to 10 (e.g., one individual being
able to have a certain degree of experience with 25 mg LSD, whereas
his clinically controlled partner required 250 mg).
If the individual does not have undue anxiety in his early morn-
ing hours, we then recommend giving 10 mg to 20 mg librium as the
first drug in the session. Ten to fifteen minutes later 5 mg methedrine
is given, followed 20 minutes later by psilocybin. The dosage of
psilocybin again varies, but our range for first session experience
has been from 6 mg to 16 mg. Twenty minutes following the ad-
ministration of psilocybin, LSD-25 is given. Again the dosage varies,
but the most effective range we have found is from 300 to 500 mg.
The effect of this staggered dosage is to ease the subject gently into
the state of fluid expanded consciousness. One of the effects of
librium is to relax the musculature so that any somatic effects the
subject begins to have from the psilocybin will not be imposed on a
rigid, tense and therefore painful musculature system. If the body
can become relaxed, loose, pliable and comfortable, then any somatic
effects that emerge from the psychedelics will be experienced in a
comfortable soma which will lead to an acceptance of these effects,
rather than a resistance to them which would occur in a tense or-
ganism. Resistance results in the experiencing of pain, either so-
matically or psychically. When the organism is in a fluid state,
impinging or emerging somatic changes take place and are experi-
enced in this pleasant somatic setting. One very effective technique
is to massage the individual early in the session. With quiet, relaxing
music, soft lighting and comfortable, secure session mates, a very
slow, deliberate body and head massage brings the individual into
a relaxed, protective and nurturing environment, in which alarm and
panic are hard to manufacture.
The methedrine serves to stimulate and activate the individual
in this warm setting. Some individuals respond with too much
thought activity to amphetamines, and if this can be determined prior
to the session, then the methedrine should be omitted. With most
people, however, this small amount of methedrine serves to produce
an effect of heightened interest and fascination with the panorama
of experiences that begin to come into consciousness. We have found
the use of psilocybin prior to LSD to be beneficial in that psilocybin
has a smooth, mellow, affectual tone. The initial effects arc subtle,
more gradual and more manipulatable than LSD. These techniques
are all in the service of minimizing the likelihood of the individual's
becoming overwhelmed too quickly with his changing state of con-
sciousness, attempting to abort the reaction and becoming panicked
when he is unable to do so. Every precaution should be taken so that
the individual does not attempt to shut off the developing conscious-
ness expansion. By the time the LSD begins to take effect, the in-
dividual has become relaxed, has begun to enjoy the increased sense
perceptions and has become fascinated with the world of awareness
that is beginning to open to him. The deep and profound experiences
released by the LSD then flow uninterrupted, in an ever widening
scope.
Adding drug during the session:
We have experimented with boosting with various drugs and
with various dosages and time intervals. To date, our recommenda-
tion is that, given an initial adequate dosage, boosting is to be avoided.
The primary season for this attitude is as follows: the individual
will learn first what he needs to learn first, and boosting is often the
result of a prejudiced set of the guide as to what the subject should
be learning or experiencing. Secondly, boosting often indicates to
the subject that it is the drug, after allthat is going to do the work
(an attitude which we believe is to be avoided at all costs) and that
the guide has lost faith in the individual's ability to work out his
own resolutions to his conflicts and problems. Another important
facet is that the individual often will take a stand early in the session
concerning what he is willing and what he is not willing to do, and
will stick to it despite efforts of the guide and despite boosters. Often
this taking of a stand or position and sticking to it is a very important
experience for the subject as he learns so deeply what and where his
commitments get him, and has the opportunity to translate this ex-
perience into daily living so that he can see the fruits of his daily
attitudes.
If the guide decides to boost, however, then we recommend that
he use at least at much as the initial dose of LSD and that the
boosting be done within the initial three hours. That is, if the in-
dividual has been given 360 ?g LSD, then he should be boosted with
an additional 3M ?g, and it is preferable that it be given i.m. In
our experience it is expedient to give a booster if the individual be-
comes completely entangled in an area in which he is in a circular
bind wherein he is incapable of perspective and of conceiving any
alternative solutions to his conflict. This usually involves some
decision-making in which the individual sees that all old attitudes
and patterns of behavior leave him with unsatisfactory solutions.
In these cases the individual simply bounces from one old reaction
pattern to another, without benefit. The solution is then outside the
person's limit of entertained possibilities. In these cases, additional
drug may be helpful to get him out of his bind, so that heretofore
unimagined answers are forthcoming. Some experimenters who
have had experience using dimethyltryptamine in these instances
where additional drug u indicated, state that the use of this drug
in quantities of 60 mg to 80 mg i.m. is very effective.
We have also found it useful to give librium when the individ-
ual gets into extreme states of agitation which pyramid, and from
which there is no release - in terms of time, we would consider
40 to 60 minutes of extreme agitation and distress to be beyond the
point of therapeutic usefulness. Librium used in. in dosages of
from 60 mg to 100 mg is very helpful in allaying the extreme agita-
tion and anxiety without bringing the individual out of the con-
sciousness-expanded state. Librium in this respect is better than
thorazine, the latter to be used when one wishes to terminate a
session. This writer has found it necessary to terminate sessions on
infrequent occasions. Dosage of from 25 mg to 100 mg is usually
sufficient.
We have also found it helpful to use both libriuro and methe-
drine in the latter phases of sessions. Sometimes after a thoroughly
exhausting emotionally charged session, it is difficult for the indi-
vidual to orient himself to various "levels" of experience and phe-
nomena, especially to the level of "usual" consciousness. Individuals
may go from one level to another quite rapidly, (lying to under-
stand or rationalize these various levels, but to no avail, since the
endeavor is premature. At these times we have found it helpful
to use methedrine in dosages of 5 mg to 10 mg. This has the effect
of smoothing out the experience and keeping the individual in a
more expanded consciousness state for a longer period of time and
with a gradual lowering of this expanded consciousness over an ex-
tended period. When the individual is becoming more integrated in
his experience, we then use librium again in dosages from 10 mg to
26 mg as a relaxant and for a gradual soothing and calming effect.
Often if there has been somatic tension during the day, this dosage
of librium helps to loosen up, relax, and make the individual more
comfortable.
Use of Psilocybin:
It is this author's opinion that it is not desirable to begin an
individual's psychedelic experiences with psilocybin. The reason for
this is that psilocybin does not have as great a potential as LSD for
breaking through the resistances to expanded states of consciousness.
It is best to use the most potent material available to increase the
probability that an individual will be able to overcome his resistance
and attain a state of cosmic (expanded) awareness. Psilocybin, al-
though a powerful psychedelic, does not have the breadth of power
of LSD. The experience of getting involved and encumbered with
one's old, inadequate, value system or uncreative basic assumptions
about life is to be avoided, and the roost powerful agent to break
these attitudinal sets is to be used when available. Dosage require-
ments are always to be viewed against this philosophical framework.
If LSD is not available for an initial psychedelic experience, dosages
of from 50 mg to 70 mg psilocybin are recommended. For initial
psilocybin experiences following LSD experiences, dosages of 15 mg
to 30 mg are usually sufficient.
Use of Mescaline:
Since this writer has had limited experience with mescaline, the
reader is referred to Unger's (1963) review for detailed informa-
tion. Low dosages of mescaline are considered to be in the range
of from 100 mg to 200 mg, whereas for a standard psychedelic ex-
perience, dosages from 500 mg to 800 mg may be used. Dosages in
excess of one gram are to be avoided because of toxicity. When
mescaline and LSD are used together, the recommended dosage is:
200 mg to 400 mg mescaline with 100 mg to 300 mg LSD. Opinion
differs with respect to the subjective effects of mescaline: some find
it smoother, more mellow and giving a more prolonged descending
experience than LSD, whereas others find it harsh, rough and pro-
ducing unpleasant somatic effects.
Unger (1963) states:
Although the conclusion was delayed by both dissimilarities in their
chemical structure and differing modes of introduction to the scien-
tific community, it is now rather commonly adjudged that the sub-
jective effects of mescaline, LSD-25, and psilocybin are similar, equiv-
alent, or indistinguishable. (p. 112)
That the gross subjective effects are similar, no one would dispute.
But it is this writer's impression that there are many distinguishing
subjective differences among the drugs. Unger's conclusion stems
mainly from experimental subjects who had limited experience with
each drug. In those subjects who have had considerable experience
with all three drugs, it is commonly reported that, rather than being
indistinguishable, there are many distinctive experiential character-
istics of each drug. This writer is not familiar, however, with any
research where experienced subjects have attempted to specify
which of the psychedelics was given to them in a blind trial.

Table I gives dosage levels (low, standard and high) and lethal
dose for the drugs, LSD, psilocybin and mescaline.

TABLE I
Dosage Levels for Some of the Psychedelic Compounds

Drug	Low Dosage	Standard Initial Psychedelic Experience	Highest Known Given to Man	LD50 mg/kg *)
LSD	25microgr - 75 microgr	300 microgr - 500 microgr	1600 microgr	Mice: iv 50 Rats: iv 16.5
Psilocybin	2mg-8mg	20mg-40mg	120mg	Mice: iv 285
Mescaline	100mg-200mg	500mg-800mg	1500mg	Mice: IP 500

*) 50mg/kg: Median Lethal Dose; 50% of subjects expire with this dosage
expressed in milligram per kilogram of body weight.

Use of small dosages with experienced subjects:
This writer has often noted that experienced subjects tend to
restrict themselves to a dosage level which they have found will
induce a psychedelic experience. It is our opinion that this level is
often unnecessarily high, and we suggest that experienced individuals
experiment with smaller dosages. It is common experience that a
subject finds that he needs a smaller amount of material to induce
a psychedelic experience after he has had a few experiences with
the larger dosage levels. However, individuals will often continue
to use dosages of from 100 to 200 mg LSD. It is hypothesized that
as dosage is decreased, variables of the environment and the clarity
of mind prior to the session become increasingly important. Con-
sequently, prior to small dosage sessions, a period of meditation is
highly useful to enable the individual to relax and to clear his con-
sciousness of irrelevancies. Dosages as low as 10 mg to 25 mg LSD
or one mg to two mg of psilocybin have been found to produce
rather amazing states of expanded consciousness.

Use of small amounts of drugs for an initial experience:
One approach to be used with very anxious and frightened
subjects will now be discussed. This approach can be used with any
individual, of course, but with the majority of individuals it is not
necessary and not even desirable. The main disadvantage of this
approach is that it can build up resistance and make the desired
breakthrough into cosmic consciousness more difficult. If, however,
an individual is extremely apprehensive or frightened at the pros-
pect of the psychedelic experience, and yet psychedelic treatment is
indicated, small amounts of drug in a specially created atmosphere
can be most helpful. Dosages of from 25 ?g to 75 ?g LSD are
suggested, and for some subjects who arc extremely drug-sensitive,
even smaller amounts may be used. The idea is to create a hypnotic-
like atmosphere in which the subject thoroughly enjoys himself and
begins to experience his sense modalities to their fullest possible limits.
It is better with this approach to have the subject with just one
guide, rather than the two or four session mates employed with the
larger dosages. This guide is very active in producing and directing
ii comfortable, relaxed and enjoyable experience. There should be
absolutely no interruptions, and the subject should be assured of
this before the session begins. Special attention is paid to the decor
of the room, with soft lighting and pastel shades predominating.
A simply appointed room with selected objects is best. These ob-
jects are selected according to their artistic and aesthetic value.
Objects with various combinations and values of color, shape and
texture should be selected. Objects which have been found to be
ii)ost useful are: a single flower (a red rose, a pansy, a sunflower,
a violet), fresh fruit (one orange, one banana, one nectarine, a
small bunch of grapes), whole grain bread and cheese. Music, of
course, is most useful, and attention should be paid to the. subject's
favorite selections and composers. The music of Wagner, Sibelius,
Saint-Saens, Richard Strauss, Liszt, Chopin, Mozart, Tchaikovsky,
Mahler and Grieg is suggested. Other forms of music are also very
helpful for mood change, such as Indian music, progressive jazz,
Gregorian chants, Negro spirituals and the Blues. Simple figurines
are useful - some made from wood and others from stone. Deli-
cate perfumes and incense can be employed, and precious jewels
arc excellent. A variety of textures should be made available to
the subject. Laura Huxley's record, mentioned in her book, You
Are Not the Target, is an especially good one to play during the
session, as she creates a beautiful, ecstatic and safe world for the
Use of small amounts of drugs for an initial experience:
One approach to be used with very anxious and frightened
subjects will now be discussed. This approach can be used with any
individual, of course, but with the majority of individuals it is not
necessary and not even desirable. The main disadvantage of this
approach is that it can build up resistance and make the desired
breakthrough into cosmic consciousness more difficult. If, however,
an individual is extremely apprehensive or frightened at the pros-
pect of the psychedelic experience, and yet psychedelic treatment is
indicated, small amounts of drug in a specially created atmosphere
can be most helpful. Dosages of from 25 ?g to 75 ?g LSD are
suggested, and for some subjects who arc extremely drug-sensitive,
even smaller amounts may be used. The idea is to create a hypnotic-
like atmosphere in which the subject thoroughly enjoys himself and
begins to experience his sense modalities to their fullest possible limits.
It is better with this approach to have the subject with just one
guide, rather than the two or four session mates employed with the
larger dosages. This guide is very active in producing and directing
ii comfortable, relaxed and enjoyable experience. There should be
absolutely no interruptions, and the subject should be assured of
this before the session begins. Special attention is paid to the decor
of the room, with soft lighting and pastel shades predominating.
A simply appointed room with selected objects is best. These ob-
jects are selected according to their artistic and aesthetic value.
Objects with various combinations and values of color, shape and
texture should be selected. Objects which have been found to be
ii)ost useful are: a single flower (a red rose, a pansy, a sunflower,
a violet), fresh fruit (one orange, one banana, one nectarine, a
small bunch of grapes), whole grain bread and cheese. Music, of
course, is most useful, and attention should be paid to the. subject's
favorite selections and composers. The music of Wagner, Sibelius,
Saint-Saens, Richard Strauss, Liszt, Chopin, Mozart, Tchaikovsky,
Mahler and Grieg is suggested. Other forms of music are also very
helpful for mood change, such as Indian music, progressive jazz,
Gregorian chants, Negro spirituals and the Blues. Simple figurines
are useful - some made from wood and others from stone. Deli-
cate perfumes and incense can be employed, and precious jewels
arc excellent. A variety of textures should be made available to
the subject. Laura Huxley's record, mentioned in her book, You
Are Not the Target, is an especially good one to play during the
session, as she creates a beautiful, ecstatic and safe world for the
psychedelic voyager to explore. Any stimulus which will enhance
the subject's completely experiencing his senses should be employed.
The guide presents these objects to the subject and helps to
call his attention to the beauty of each object. In this respect it is
very beneficial for the guide to take a small amount of the drug
himself so that his state of expanded awareness can be shared by
the subject. The guide's enjoyment of his surroundings entices
the subject into the guide's world, and the more the guide is able
to reach a state of ecstatic wonder, the more he can share experi-
ences available to the subject. The guide goes about to create a state
of beauty and delight to the subject-with any method at his disposal.
Somatic changes can be dealt with by having the subject com-
municate their first occurrence to the guide, who then suggests, per-
haps in a hypotic-like manner, that the subject gently, then thor-
oughly, experience these sensations as pure sensation and take
the label off the sensation (e.g., pain) and simply experience it as
it is. In this way the subject ceases to resist the somatically experi-
enced sensations, and they then become delightful phenomena and
cease to be painful. (Pain, either physical or psychical, is always
caused by resistance to some naturally occurring phenomenon.)
The purpose of the whole experience is for the person to learn
to experience himself and the things about him with fulfillment and
joy. Having a good time and experiencing beauty is therapeutic.
This approach is to help the individual to release his tensions, to
experience his body in a delightful way, to enjoy music, to see
vivid colors, to absorb works of art, to eat fruit and bread, to look
at trees, flowers -to be in awe of beauty. This is a good introduc-
tion to psychedelics. It is a good introduction to one's guide in a
sharing experience. In this setting the guide must be an active par-
ticipant, a constant companion, and a directing initiator into pleasant
and beautiful experiences.

 

 

Note: References can be provided upon request.

(c) 2000