The difference between antidepressants or microdosing.

February 12, 2024

The difference between antidepressants or microdosing

How does depression arise?

When you’re not feeling well, when there’s too much on your plate, when you push yourself beyond limits for too long, or when numerous events in your life occur and you have no space to deal with the emotions, it may happen that things trigger old pain. This can lead to it becoming overwhelming, resulting in depression or burnout. It could also be a temporary loss of zest for life, which I will discuss later.

Depression from genes and family lines

Sometimes it’s suggested that it’s ‘in the genes.’ Personally, I believe in epigenetics. Simply put, this means that you can pass on emotional pain to the next generation. So, if your parents and ancestors don’t process their emotional trauma, you might carry this pain from birth. It then becomes your responsibility to break this cycle for any potential future generations.

What to do with depression?

Maybe you’re currently experiencing depression and are considering what to do? A visit to the doctor and following conventional paths by opting for antidepressants, or choosing an alternative route and exploring how microdosing could play a role in healing and coping with depression.

Different vision on depression

It’s interesting to explore ‘What is depression?’. Personally, I find the perspective of looking at the English word for depression quite beautiful. In this context, it is said: ‘Depression = Deep Rest.’

Depression = Deep rest

Depression = Deep rest Translated, it is said: The word “depressed” is phonetically pronounced as “deep rest” in English. We cannot consider depression as a mental disorder, but on a deeper level, as a profound and very misunderstood state of deep rest, entered into when we are completely exhausted by the weight of our own false stories about ourselves.

Depression is an unconscious loss of interest in the second-hand, a desire to die to the false. It is so close to awakening, but unfortunately, it is rarely understood as such. Or as a friend expressed it: “depression comes with built-in awakening…” And for what awakening, you might think: To discover who you truly are. In the next paragraph, I will share a bit about Jim Carrey’s explanation of his perspective on depression.

Jim Carrey on depression

If you’re not familiar with Jim Carrey, he is an actor who often portrays various characters. He says he views depression as an invitation, saying: ‘I no longer want to be this version of myself. I need deep rest to bid farewell to your old character and discover which character now wants to be born.’ He sees depression as an invitation to self-exploration. (This is my own free translation of his words.)

Depression as an invitation to self-exploration

For Jim Carrey, depression means letting go of the character you’ve played for years, entering deep rest to let a part of yourself die and discover who you truly are. You can see depression as suppressed emotions that want to be felt to give birth to the new you. Therefore, the vision of natural healing is not to park these emotions behind an invisible wall and block them for safety. It’s about allowing these feelings to be felt and thus healing yourself.

Life is what you make of it. How do you approach your depression?

Maria Johanna

Having depression, burnout, or feeling overwhelmed

Having depression, burnout, or feeling overwhelmed. Life is what you make of it. How do you approach your depression? Naturally, it is desirable to overcome it as quickly as possible. A visit to the doctor and ‘Oh, how nice, you get medication.’ Specifically, antidepressants. “Oh, you probably know more people who take these.” 1.2 million Dutch people took antidepressants in 2022. It’s nice if you can be ‘helped out of a jam’ with antidepressants for a while. However, people often take them for years and find it challenging to stop.

Metaphor for antidepressants

In my book about microdosing (sorry, my book is only in Dutch), I use a metaphor regarding the use of antidepressants. It goes like this: Imagine you are driving a car, and it makes noise. You realize that something is wrong with the car, and you want to do something about it. What do you do? You decide to turn up the car radio so loud that you no longer hear the noise. This is how you can see the use of antidepressants. There is an issue within you, and instead of addressing the core of the problem, you park it behind a symbolic wall as if it doesn’t exist. Problem solved, right? You no longer hear the noise.

What do antidepressants do?

I have never taken antidepressants myself, so I cannot speak from personal experience. However, I have guided many people and heard about their experiences with antidepressants. It’s as if, through antidepressants, you park your emotions behind a symbolic wall in your head. This means you can function better. However, it doesn’t solve the problem. You don’t feel the deepest, negative emotions, but it also means you don’t experience the most positive emotions. Antidepressants numb you. Temporary relief can be nice, but what if you want to stop taking them, not to mention the side effects.”

What are the side effects from antidepressants?

But what are the side effects of antidepressants, actually? If you do a simple Google search on “antidepressant side effects,” you’ll find the following:

Feeling restless
Trembling or being anxious
Feeling sick or nauseous
Digestive issues, stomach and intestinal complaints
‘Watery’/Vague feeling in your head
Diarrhea or constipation
Loss of appetite and weight loss
On the contrary, some may experience weight gain
Dizziness
Blurred vision
Dry mouth
Confusion
Sleep problems (insomnia) or drowsiness
Headaches
Loss of sexual drive (libido)
Difficulty achieving orgasm during sex or masturbation
In men, difficulty obtaining or maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction).

Source: English side effects antidepressants.
Source: Dutch side effects antidepressants.

Afkickverschijnselen antidepressiva

Withdrawal symptoms of antidepressants Tapering off antidepressants is a serious matter. You cannot simply stop taking your antidepressants cold turkey. It involves slowly tapering down your medication. Always consult your treating doctor when discontinuing your antidepressants, as tapering off can bring about side effects.

Dizziness
Headaches
Nausea
Sleep problems (insomnia) or drowsiness
Feeling ‘jolts’ in your head (like electricity)
Intense (negative) emotions
Adapting to emotions

Source: side effects antidepressiva when you stop your antidepressants .

Resurfacing (negative) emotions

Often, when you start tapering off antidepressants, negative emotions surface initially. Sometimes, these emotions have been parked for decades, and the problem hasn’t been resolved but merely parked behind a symbolic, invisible wall. The resurgence of these emotions can be startling, causing people to quickly revert to a higher dosage of antidepressants. You need to push through it. Hence, proper guidance is advisable.

Loss of zest for life

If you look on social media, everyone seems happy. This is a bit exaggerated, of course. Naturally, everyone has their struggles. And when we all lay our struggles on the table, we ultimately choose our own burden. Our own suffering that we can handle. Every person experiences ups and downs. It might happen that we sometimes lose ourselves in life and lose our zest for life. Everyone loses their zest for life at times, feels a bit down, and going through a personal crisis can sometimes be the best thing that happens to you.

‘Sometimes, going through a personal crisis can be the best thing that happens to you. Unfortunately, you only see this in hindsight. You can do this!’

Maria Johanna

Sometimes the loss of zest for life comes from an event. Perhaps due to loss, and you’re going through a grieving process. It doesn’t always have to be about a person, animal, or loved one. It could also be work-related, a change in residence, or something else. It might be that you are too focused on external factors and not enough in touch with your inner world. Don’t seek escape outside yourself if you’ve lost your zest for life. Everything is within you. This is precisely where Microdosing becomes a powerful tool.

What is Microdosing?

Microdosing involves taking a small amount of a psychedelic or plant medicine over a specific period. Microdosing is often associated with ‘tripping’ and ‘drugs.’ Indeed, you can Microdose with psychological substances, which are substances that can induce a tripping and/or hallucinogenic effect.

Microdosing with non-psychological substances

There are plenty of options for microdosing with non-psychological substances from nature where you don’t experience a tripping effect. Each plant and/or mushroom has its own qualities. If you want to delve deeper into the Microdosing products we offer, click here to learn about our Microdosing products.

What does Microdosing do?

The essence of Microdosing is to come closer to yourself. It means not avoiding anything. You don’t suppress your emotions but confront them. Therefore, Microdosing is not just a feel-good journey. However, many Microdosing substances contain compounds to make you feel better. Microdosing is something you do for a specific period, often 1 to 3 months. During this time, plant medicines open you up to move away from your thoughts and connect more with your feelings and your true self.

What do you experience with Microdosing?

Microdosing helps initiate a healing and reflection process by reducing overthinking and increasing connection with your feelings. Below are some effects you may experience with Microdosing:

A new perspective on situations and your life
Increased connection with emotions
Feeling more comfortable in your own skin
Processing things
Old memories may resurface for you to feel and process.
Finding peace with your past
Gaining insights
Easier to prioritize yourself
Clarity in decision-making
Improved focus and concentration
Living more in the moment
Inner peace
Better sleep quality
Quiet mind
Ego’s voice recedes into the background
Heart’s voice comes to the forefront
More compassion for others
Deeper connection with yourself
Easier to feel and set your boundaries

‘Microdosing is not about feeling better, but about better feeling.’ (*the journey from thinking to feeling)

Maria Johanna

Side effects from Microdosing

Microdosing Side Effects When you start Microdosing, you may not feel significantly different initially. Microdosing is done over an extended period to experience gradual healing. Initially, finding the right dosage may require some experimentation, often referred to as finding the ‘sweet spot’ (your personal ideal dosage). You’ll discover this quickly.

You may experience the following:

Headache; often disappears on its own and is temporary at the beginning.
Emotional; sometimes emotions that you’ve suppressed for a long time may surface, and you may be more sensitive than usual.
Fatigue; fatigue is an invitation to surrender to it.

One additional note: Unlike antidepressants, microdosing substances can increase your libido. Consider products like Soul Present drops and also Blue Lotus.

Withdrawal symptoms Microdosing (when you stop the Microdosing)

You won’t experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop Microdosing. However, you may start to feel a bit less well, or, for example, sleep problems may reoccur. You can always do an extra month of Microdosing. It’s not that you’ll get sick or experience other unpleasant symptoms when you stop Microdosing.

The difference between Antidepressants and Microdosing

In broad terms, you can see the difference between antidepressants and Microdosing as follows:

With antidepressants, you park your feelings, providing a temporary “rescue” but not a cure. On the internet, you can read that antidepressants are supposed to help within 2 to 4 weeks, and people should use them for 6 months to a maximum of 1 year. In practice, it turns out that people often take antidepressants for many years, if not their entire lives, without feeling truly healed. They become ‘dependent’ on the medication.
With Microdosing, you don’t avoid emotions; instead, you confront them. It’s a process of self-discovery, making time and space to truly get to the core of your problem. You can do this under the guidance of a Microdosing coach. Microdosing is usually done for 1 month to a maximum of 3 months.

Freedom of choice between antidepressants and Microdosing

My wish is for there to be more awareness about the choice between the ‘conventional path’ (antidepressants) and the ‘alternative path’ (Microdosing). In my view, the term ‘alternative path’ could be described as ‘the natural path.’

Webshop with Microdosing products

Have you become curious and would you like to explore our Microdosing Products, Cacao, and other plant medicines and accessories? Then visit our webshop.

Let us know if you have any questions by filling out your question via the contact form or emailing us at info@houseofoneness.com.

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