Exploring the Power of Microdosing: Insights from Charity Mills’ CAP Presentation

On November 14, the Colorado Association of Psychotherapists (CAP) hosted an illuminating presentation led by Charity Mills, licensed mental health professional and CEO of Colorado Teletherapy Services and Grow Your Own Thoughts. This impromptu 90-minute Zoom session brought together clinicians, students, and mental health professionals eager to deepen their understanding of psilocybin microdosing, emerging neuroscience, and the evolving therapeutic landscape in Colorado.

What followed was a rich, in-depth conversation about brain science, mental health trends, policy changes, and how microdosing can support both clinicians and clients seeking new ways to heal.

 

Rising Mental Health Needs in a Changing World

Charity began by exploring the broader context behind the resurgence of psychedelic interest. The data is clear:

• • Depression has risen sharply over the past decade.
  • Anxiety, trauma, domestic violence, and addiction continue to climb.
  • Colorado consistently ranks among the top 10 states for suicide, divorce, and domestic violence.

Despite access to traditional interventions—SSRIs, SNRIs, talk therapy, CBT/DBT, EMDR—many individuals still feel stuck in old patterns of thinking and emotional looping. Charity emphasized that these struggles are often tied to rigid belief systems, chronic stress, and the brain’s limited neuroplasticity when left unsupported.

This is where psilocybin becomes relevant.

 

Why Psilocybin? A Neuroscience Perspective

Charity walked attendees through a clear and accessible explanation of how psilocybin works in the brain:

1. The Amygdala (Fight, Flight, Fear)

Psilocybin reduces blood flow to the amygdala, helping individuals step out of hypervigilance, emotional reactivity, and fear-driven responses.

2. The Prefrontal Cortex (Focus, Planning, Executive Function)

Microdosing excites the prefrontal cortex, enhancing:

• • Focus
  • Creativity
  • Long-term planning
  • Emotional regulation
  • Presence

This stands in stark contrast to substances such as alcohol and cannabis, which depress frontal-lobe activity.

3. The Default Mode Network (Inner Chatter)

Often overactive in anxiety, depression, and rumination, the DMN is quieted by psilocybin—creating space for new thinking, new insights, and new responses. Charity described it as shifting from rigid “I’ve always been this way” thinking into openness and curiosity.

4. Neuroplasticity & BDNF

Psilocybin increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports:

• • Growth of new neural connections
  • Rewiring of old thought patterns
  • Long-term shifts in mood and perspective

This differs from SSRIs, which often require ongoing use, contribute to blunted emotional affect, and create dependency through serotonin reuptake disruption.

 

Microdosing vs. Macrodosing: Two Paths, One Goal

Charity differentiated clearly between macrodosing (full psychedelic sessions) and microdosing (sub-hallucinogenic but noticeable shifts)

Macrodosing

• • Deep, introspective, often spiritual
  • Significant serotonin disruption
  • Requires supervision, integration, and preparation
  • Particularly helpful for trauma processing and insight

Microdosing

• • Small daily doses (often 0.05–0.5 g)
  • No hallucinations
  • Enhances clarity, mood stability, creativity, and presence
  • Supports long-term healing through repeated, gentle neural change
  • Allows individuals to work, drive, parent, and live life normally

Charity emphasized that microdosing should not be sub-perceptual:
You should notice your thinking slow down, feel softer around the edges, and experience a quieter mind.

Strain, Sourcing, and Safety

One of the most practical sections of Charity’s presentation focused on choosing the right mushroom strain.
For microdosing, the ideal strain is:

Golden Teacher

• • Moderate psilocybin
  • Low psilocin
  • Gentle, predictable, and well-studied

B+ (B-positive) is another acceptable option.

She strongly advised against:

• • “Mystery capsules” with unknown origins
  • Strain-stacking
  • Hybrids with unpredictable effects
  • Buying from retail shops claiming legality (illegal under current Colorado law)

When possible, cultivating at home or obtaining mushrooms through a therapeutic or harm-reduction agreement ensures both legality and quality.

 

Microdosing Every Day? Charity Says Yes.

One of the biggest Myths Charity addressed:
“You need days off to prevent tolerance.”

Not true for microdosing.

Because psilocybin’s half-life is short and it does not affect natural serotonin production, the body does not build tolerance at microdose levels. Many people benefit from daily use—especially during the first 30–90 days of healing.

This was welcome news for attendees who shared that their “off days” often brought irritability and a return of symptoms.

 

Ethics, Colorado Law, and Clinical Considerations

Charity provided an essential overview of Colorado’s legal framework:

Proposition 122 / SB 23-290 Makes Psilocybin:

• • Decriminalized (not legal for retail sales)
  • Legal to possess, grow, share, and gift
  • Accessible through therapeutic, harm-reduction, or spiritual guidance agreements
  • Exempt from probation violations and child-welfare penalties when used for mental health

Licensed Facilitators CAN PROVIDE SERVICES FOR REMUNERATION

Licensed healing centers with licensed facilitators must utilize products from licensed cultivators or licensed manufacturers. This is the only way to legally pay directly for psilocybin which must be consumed on the premises in the presence of the facilitator. This is most common for macro sessions. 

Within Colorado remuneration can be exchanged for harm reduction, spiritual or therapeutic services and therapeutic education, outside of the regulated facilitator model. This is often referred to as the personal use provision of the law. Clinicians can ethically stay within their lane as long as they do not directly sell mushrooms.

 

A Rich Q&A: Training, Medications, and Professional Pathways

The session closed with a deep and thoughtful Q&A covering topics such as:

• • How clinicians can train responsibly in microdosing support
  • How to assist clients on multiple medications (SSRIs, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers)
  • When microdosing requires supervision (e.g., schizophrenia, severe bipolar disorder)
  • The difference between regulated macrodosing vs. unregulated microdosing
  • Ethical referral pathways
  • How microdosing complements integration after larger journeys
  • How clinicians can join group sessions to observe real-world client experiences

Charity reaffirmed her commitment to ethical practice, client safety, and respect for the therapeutic relationships clients already have.

 

A New Frontier for Mental Health

Charity’s presentation offered more than information—it offered hope.

Microdosing is not a magic cure, nor is it a replacement for therapy or medication. But in the right context, with the right education and support, it can open space for healing, neuroplasticity, emotional balance, and renewed connection to oneself and others.

For clinicians, educators, and community members, it marks a powerful emerging tool in the evolving landscape of mental wellness.

 

Charity ‘s contact information:

Email: Charity@cts-gyot.com

Website: https://growyourownthoughts.org/