No Mushrooms For One Month! WHAT?
by Dr. Dave, Microdose U
When I first booked a month in Japan, I was excited for all the obvious reasons. The food, the onsens, the trains that actually run on time, the quiet little alleys where you feel like you’ve stepped into another world.
But underneath all of that, there was a big question sitting in the back of my mind:
What happens if I go 30 days with no psychedelics at all?
No psilocybin.
No LSD.
No cannabis.
Nothing.
For someone who’s been microdosing consistently for over four years, that’s not a small thing. I didn’t know how my brain would react. I didn’t know how my anxiety would behave. I didn’t know if I would be okay without what my mom lovingly calls “that stuff you take.”
So here’s the report.
Thirty Days. Zero Doses. What Actually Happened
Japan is very strict about substances. Bringing psilocybin in was never on the table. Cannabis, same thing. So I made the decision: I’d go the full trip without my medicine and see what happened.
Honestly, I was a little nervous.
For most of my adult life, anxiety and depression were never more than a step away. Before microdosing, if you’d told me I’d spend a month in a foreign country with no safety net, I would have expected panic, racing thoughts, and a nervous system on fire.
But that is not what happened.
I had no microdoses for over 30 days, and I did really well. No major anxiety spikes. No emotional crashes. No sense of, “Oh man, I need my mushrooms right now or I’m in trouble.”
That told me something really important:
The medicine has been doing its job.
It has rewired my brain enough that I can function, travel, and enjoy my life without needing a constant dose to keep me afloat. That is exactly what we hope for with this work.
What Helped Me While I Was “Off”
Just because I wasn’t dosing doesn’t mean I wasn’t supporting myself.
A few things made a huge difference:
1. The Japanese Onsen
If you’ve never soaked in a Japanese hot spring, imagine every muscle in your body letting go of the day all at once. The heat, the minerals, the quiet. I spent a lot of time in those baths. They were therapy in their own right.
Did the onsen replace psilocybin? No. But it absolutely supported my nervous system.
2. Simple, Intentional Breathing
The other big thing was breathwork. Very simple, very repeatable, and very real.
Here’s the pattern I used, over and over:
- Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds
- Hold for 4 seconds
- Exhale (through nose or mouth) for 6 seconds, really emptying the lungs
- Hold for 2 seconds
- Repeat for 3 to 7 minutes
That’s it. Nothing fancy, nothing mystical. Just consistent, slow breathing.
And it worked.
It calmed my body. It quieted my mind. It carried me through moments when, in the past, I would have reached for something external.
For anyone who thinks breathing exercises are just a tiny add-on, I’ll tell you straight: they helped me in a very real way.
So… Do We Need To Microdose Forever?
One of the questions I hear all the time is:
“Dr. Dave, do I need to microdose for the rest of my life?”
My answer: No.
You do not need to be on mushrooms forever to benefit from them.
What my month in Japan showed me is that the long-term work psilocybin has done in my brain is still there, even when I’m not actively dosing. The anxiety patterns are different. The way I respond to stress is different. The way I see my life is different.
That said, I still love microdosing.
It’s not just about anxiety and depression for me anymore. This journey has opened up:
- My physical health awareness
- My spiritual life
- My work
- My relationships and who I choose to spend time with
- The way I show up for this community
So will I start microdosing again? Yes. I just haven’t rushed it. I got home, I let my body adjust from jet lag, and I’m giving myself permission not to overthink the timing.
I might go another week without dosing.
Or I might wake up tomorrow and feel like it’s a good day to start again.
The point is, I don’t feel desperate. I don’t feel like I need it to survive. And that, to me, is one of the biggest wins of this whole path.
How Microdosing Has Changed My Reactions To People
Let me share something else that came out of this time.
While I was in Japan, I got a message from a listener who was very critical. They said they didn’t see the point of joining my Patreon because I wasn’t currently microdosing. They questioned my credibility. They felt I wasn’t producing enough content because I was traveling.
A few years ago, before microdosing, that would have really triggered me. I would have been defensive, angry, maybe even hurt for days.
Now?
I read it.
I took a breath.
I realized a few things:
- They don’t really understand what I’m doing.
- They don’t see the live meetings we’re still doing on Patreon.
- They don’t see the weekly podcasts that have never stopped.
- They might just need a different voice, and that’s okay.
I didn’t feel any need to attack them. I didn’t feel like I had to convince them. I simply accepted that I am not for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine.
That, my friend, is growth. And I credit this work — the medicine, the journaling, the reflection, the community — for that change.
The Work Continues: Content, Community, and Backup Plans
Even in Japan, nothing stopped:
- A new podcast episode still came out every Wednesday (like it has for over four years).
- We kept doing live Patreon meetings at least three times a month.
- We even released a special women’s health episode with my friend and colleague, Dr. Denise Morett, talking about perimenopause, plant medicine, and mental health.
Because of that scary moment when YouTube temporarily deleted my channel, we now also have a backup video channel on Rumble:
If YouTube ever does anything drastic again, that’s where you’ll be able to find the videos.
And of course, everything is always anchored at the main home base:
Is Patreon Really Safe For Sharing?
One more thing that came up in the questions this week:
“How do I know Patreon is a safe place? I’ve got some things I’ve never told anyone.”
We have people in our Patreon family who have shared things they were holding for decades. Deep, painful, private stories.
We have a simple understanding there:
- No judgment
- No shaming
- No sharing people’s stories outside the group
And in all the time we’ve been running it, that trust has held.
If you’re curious, the best thing you can do is come in, feel the energy for yourself, and just observe for a while. Nobody is forced to speak. Some people take weeks before they share. Some just listen, and that’s okay too.
If you’ve been wanting a place where you can finally say the things you’re scared to say out loud and still feel held, I really believe our Nakama family is one of those rare places.
What I Want You to Take from This
If you’re early in your journey and you’re worried that you’ll have to microdose forever just to feel “okay,” I want my Japan trip to sit in the back of your mind as a quiet reassurance.
I went 30 days with no mushrooms, no LSD, no cannabis.
I had no significant anxiety spikes.
I felt grounded.
I used simple tools like breathwork and hot baths.
And I came home feeling even more confident in what this medicine can do when we work with it respectfully and consistently over time.
You are not broken.
You are not stuck.
You are not destined to suffer forever.
Stay patient.
Keep your protocol simple.
Stop trying a million things at once.
Let the process do its work.
I’ll keep showing up here every Wednesday with a new episode, with my heart wide open, sharing the truth as honestly as I can.
And if you want to walk closer with me and with others on this path, you’re always welcome in our Patreon family, in our live meetings, and in our little corner of the internet where we’re slowly, quietly, changing lives.
Including yours.
Dr. Dave
Founder, Microdose U 
P.S. If you’d like to learn more about microdosing and starting your own journey, grab my free 5-part email course.
Where You Can Go for Support
If this week’s episode or story spoke to you, here are some ways to stay connected and supported:
Listen: No Mushrooms for One Month! WHAT? on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and Rumble.
Join: The Patreon Family for private discussions, sourcing support, and live group meetings.
Guidance: Explore One-on-One Coaching for personalized help on your journey.
Visit: My Amazon Storefront for the supplements and tools that support my daily routine.
Nothing in this podcast is to be taken as medical advice. Please consult with your doctor before microdosing. Also, only use these medicines safely where it is legal or decriminalized.
