The Dementia Microdosing Protocol – Intention Setting - A Mindful Approach to Dementia & Psychedelics

Intention setting is a first step in almost any microdosing process. It is fundamental to following The Dementia Microdosing Protocol and Assessment. To truly live with a growing sense of gratitude is the intention I invite for someone with mild to moderate cognitive impairment in their journey of Alzheimer’s (as well as the intention for the caregiver). This sense of gratitude brings an openness to what is ahead as well as a belief that there will be gifts to discover that open one’s heart. This gratitude is big enough to hold both the pain and challenges while being cradled in a deep sense of loving-kindness, compassion, and a wisdom nestled deep in heart and spirit.

When microdosing, there is a synergy between what is ingested and what unfolds. Likewise, the gratitude brought to the journey is ever-present in the way it is revealed. I like to think of this gratitude as a flourishing of the heart/mind. It becomes the heart-compass of the journey. By expressing itself through the intention, qualities in the Assessment such as sense of well-being may increase while anxiety and depression lower.

If attention to the heart takes the forefront, rather than looking for a cure, the heart focuses more on a graceful transition. With Alzheimer’s, the transition is already in process. Each person can contemplate how to best curate the journey to meet their own heart’s compass. Hopefully, all decisions nourish a settling of the heart and mind. This settling is both for the person who may be closer to their mortality but; in my case, it is also part of my journey as a caregiver—and it is the journey together—in my case with my husband, Henry, as partners, best friends, husband and wife, spiritual companions of over 40 years, parents to our children and sons-in-law, and grandparents to our five grandchildren.

Henry has continuously been contemplating his intention when microdosing; and really, they weave their way into the thread of who he is and how he is facing his Alzheimer’s journey. Intentions can keep changing over time as they naturally morph into guiding the journey of the heart forward. Here below, in the spirit of a sankalpa, a short, affirmative sentence in the present tense, Henry shares some of his intentions:

I live with an ever-expanding heart of gratitude.

My heart grows in ease and peace.

I am grateful for each moment.

I am connected to spirit/God/boundlessness.

- Lauren Alderfer, PhD.