People Just Need More Money: The Role of Disposable Income as a Key Moderator of Heart Rate Variability Among Risk Factors in Adolescents from Low-Income Households in Colombia, Nepal, and South Africa Claire Tait-Doak 2617797 Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam P_BTHESEGHG - B-thesis Genes, Cognition and Behaviour Dr. Martin Gevonden August 14th, 2025 Word Count: 5939 Abstract IntroductionThe global burden of depression is a leading cause of disability, yet diagnosis and treatment remain difficult. Paradigms are shifting from purely medicalised models toward understanding genes, risk factors, and physiology in depression. This study examined psychosocial risk exposures and heart rate variability (HRV) in adolescents from low-income countries, and how effects differ between those with and without depression. MethodA sample of 1,107 participants aged 13-15 from Colombia, Nepal, and South Africa completed psychometric tests (MMAP, IDEA-RS) to identify risk factors of abuse (A) and volatile parental/caregiver relationships (PR).…...

Maya Angelou once said “there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” There was a time about a decade ago, when I was very prolific, and also more inclined to share my experiences, when people I knew would ask me to write a book about my life. I had always wanted to, but like every artist, I was always waiting for the right moment; some apt moment when time stretches out and conditions are perfect, when the opening of the door to the soul won’t get in the way of laundry or something. In the decade that followed, life took even more extraordinary turns, and there were many times I thought, while still bearing the ever expanding burden of the untold story, that I was glad I didn’t try to define it quite so prematurely. Always living under my skin, like an itch that needs to…...

Physical Activity Has Positive Impact on Mood In a Case Study of Viral Infection and Fatigue Claire Tait-Doak 2617797 Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam P_BSTRHEA Stress & Health prof. dr. Eco de Geus Introduction Now in the latter years of the COVID-19 pandemic, much attention has been paid to the broader impacts of post-viral effects associated with COVID-19 infection, but also a renewed interest in chronic fatigue syndrome following viral infection. The short- and long-term symptoms of a viral infection have become associated with increased risk of depression symptoms (Raison et. al., 2006) and exercise intolerance (Weldon et al., 2023). Physical exercise is well known for improving mood, and this effect may be even stronger for those with low mood (Lane & Lovejoy, 2001). This creates a paradoxical problem for patients, where movement may help alleviate depressive symptoms, but too much physical exertion can easily worsen…...

Before beginning a microdosing practice, it's important to manage expectations. Quite often I see people practicing short term microdosing coming away disappointed that they haven't seen any major changes. It's hard not to place big hope in this novel practice when the headlines about psychedelics are reading things like "one dose of psilocybin is like ten years of therapy." Coupled with the fact that people are desperate to be relived of their pain, their stress, and their troubles, it's no wonder that let downs happen when it doesn't turn out to be a magic eraser for life's problems. Unfortunately, people are of the belief that microdosing is supposed to make you "happy" in the same way that they believe antidepressants will, and protect you from any negative feelings whatsoever. This is far from any picture of mental wellness we could strive for and respect. A better way to think about…...

Background Microdosing is categorised as taking regular doses of a drug or supplement to improve mental and/or physical health or wellbeing. Contemporary microdosing is most often associated with classic psychedelics and cannabis products, but can also include other substances such as research chemicals, new psychedelic substances, non-psychoactive mushrooms and cacao. In this case, we are talking solely about microdosing classic psychedelics, which most often is either psilocybin containing mushrooms or truffles, or LSD or one of it's more accessible analogues such as 1P-LSD or 1V-LSD. Microdosing with classic psychedelics is not new, but has been growing in popularity over the last decade during the "Psychedelic Renaissance" of the 21st century. This new trend of microdosing appears to have begun in Silicone Valley around the early- to mid- 2010s. Users reported that it helped them to feel more creative, engaged, productive, and socially adaptive. Thus, microdosing seemed like the perfect answer…...

Overview The use of psychedelics has been historically highly stigmatised due to unfounded claims as to their harmfulness. These claims were often made from a politically motivated perspective and not subject to rigorous scientific enquiry. In the years since, evaluations of various substances, legal and non, and their impact on the individual and society has shown that classic psychedelic substances and cannabis not only have low levels of harm, but in some cases the risks are negligible. By comparison, commonly used substances such as alcohol, tobacco, heroin, cocaine amphetamines, painkillers such as fentanyl and oxycontin, pose major risks to individual health and public safety. Not only can we use this to demonstrate the fallacy behind the demonisation of psychedelics compared to other substances, but also an irony emerges where psychedelic and entheogenic substances are seeing more and more positive clinical results in improving conditions in participants who often turn to…...

As discussed in the introduction, microdosing is not specifically a "cure" or straightforward fix for any particular condition or problem, although some specifics are emerging through more rigourous research. What we do know, is that various psychedelics have effects on the brain and body that can open up avenues to resolving a variety of different issues. Some known properties of psychedelics include: Macrodosing is privilege, Microdosing is accessibility Macrodosing psychedelics produces these effects to a much greater degree than microdosing, whence the enormous movement to legalize and study these substances, and the documented ways they have changed lives. However, for many reasons, macrodosing psychedelics is not for everyone. Access to safe, guided macrodosing experiences is a privilege, you need either the money to seek out reputable retreats possibly in a foreign country, or you need the luck to have someone in your own network who can be this guide for…...

There are several well known microdosing protocols, as well as many ways that individuals choose to work with this practice. The Fadiman Protocol, named for it's creator James Fadiman, probably the most commonly used, involves microdosing every third day. So you have the microdose day, a transition day, and a rest day. Fadiman recommends repeating this for four to eight weeks before taking a break. The Stamets Protocol or Stamet's Stack has also become popular over the last few years, especially with growing interest in non-psychoactive mushroom supplementation. Paul Stamet's advice is to "stack" microdosing psilocyin truffles with Lion's Mane mushroom and Niacin (vitamin B3). The schedule is to take this "stack" for four days, and rest for three, and to continue for 4 weeks before resting for another four weeks. Other protocols include things like : every other day, twice a week, or specifically microdosing on significant days such…...

Not There Yet: Disability and the Illusion of Inclusion in Higher EducationClaire Tait-DoakVrije Universiteit AmsterdamJune 29, 2026 Today we live in an era where the topic of inclusion seems to be everywhere. However, it is often emphasised by practitioners, scholars, and those within marginalised communities themselves that discourse around inclusion does not necessarily translate to comprehension and practice of inclusion. In higher education especially, the prospect of inclusivity and diversity is seen as a hallmark of progressiveness and enlightenment (Barnes, 2007), but in practice, good intentions and inclusivity programmes often don’t translate to success for disabled students as hoped (HOP Translation Taalcentrum-VU, 2022). Solving the problem of disproportionate difficulty and poorer outcomes for disabled versus non-disabled students is a matter of closing the gap between what we think inclusivity is and what it really looks like. One of the most common hurdles to broad scale inclusion is challenging the misconception…...