Aside from using psychedelics, like ketamine and psilocybin, to help treat depression and anxiety, researchers are now looking into how combining psychedelics and sex may help those struggling with sexual wellness. Sex can impact a person’s psychological, emotional and physical wellbeing. There are social and chemical advantages that may come from having sex. For instance, oxytocin and endorphins are released through a person’s body during intercourse, which helps reinforce feelings of love and bonding. However, sex can also create mental obstacles for individuals. As a way to offer relief to those challenges, combining certain substances with sex can help produce stimulating and sensual effects. In light of all the recent psychedelic wellness advancements happening in the industry, let’s explore how using psychedelics to improve sex health works.
Benefits of Combining Sex and Psychedelics
During the war on drugs, psychedelics became illegal and they were depicted as a monster. Despite that, there has been a recent movement to decriminalize them for medicinal and therapeutic purposes. As psychedelics continue to be integrated into everyday practices, more studies and advancements on wellness are released — proving they probably shouldn’t have been criminalized to begin with. As it turns out, there are potential sexual health benefits that come from introducing psychedelics into a sex routine. Many people report having better experiences due to the ability to let go of mental blocks or traumas that would otherwise interfere with feeling pleasure and fulfillment from sex.
Some psychedelic substances, like MDMA, have a way of intensifying the way a person feels when they are being touched, thus enhancing bodily sensations. When feeling that energy, it’s easy to forget about any anxiety around sexual performance. Instead, individuals simply enjoy the pleasure they are receiving at that moment.
Mixing sex and hallucinogenic substances can give many people the freedom they need to allow their brains to better connect with their bodies. As a result, improvements in emotional connections between couples can occur. Welcoming psychedelics during sex can bring unity to a couple and provide them with a freeing sensation and increases intimacy. A stronger connection between two people can lead to having multiple, more extensive and better orgasms.
Risks of Using Psychedelics for Sex
Of course, experimenting with psychedelics and sex outside of a controlled setting should always be approached in an intentional and safe manner, given the many possible side effects. Not having previous knowledge of proper dosage and the effects of certain substances can significantly alter the experience. Some psychedelics can give a person a different experience depending on how much or how little is taken. If the right dose is not consumed, the individual runs the risk of having a bad trip or a trip that doesn’t necessarily enhance a sexual connection.
Because effects vary from person to person, psychedelic self-treatment, without fully comprehending a substance, can be tricky. It’s always best to seek advice and treatment from a therapist, holistic doctor or subject matter expert. If done right, there are several advantages that can come from using psychedelics to improve sex health, and other ailments.
It’s also good to note that drugs purchased on the street have the potential to be laced with other things or just not be as pure, which also alters the effects of the substance. Clinical settings always offer the most protection and consistency, being that a specific pure dose is administered to the patient and supervision is provided to help integrate the experience.
Mixing Psychedelic Therapy and Sex Therapy
For a lot of people, sex is a fun and pleasurable experience. For others, sex can be difficult to enjoy due to life-changing situations they have encountered. Post-traumatic stress disorder may occur in people that have disturbing thoughts and feelings that were brought on by dangerous and disturbing events. Individuals with PTSD around sex might have trouble recognizing sex as a positive thing as they deal with tons of complex emotions around the act. This can put a strain on establishing sensual connections and ultimately affects relationships as a whole. In some cases, studies suggest PTSD can also cause sexual dysfunction even though the trauma is not directly linked with sexual abuse.
Trauma survivors can feel worried or tense in their relationships, causing some to be less interested in having sex. If there is a chance that a particular activity will bring back a specific memory, some will avoid sex altogether. Any form of sexual violence or traumatic event can have damaging mental effects. Aside from PTSD, other mental health ailments such as depression, personality disruptions, anxiety and attachment issues can all cause a disinterest or disconnect around sex.
As we mentioned earlier, a good way to overcome traumatic events today can be through psychedelic therapy. Similarly, finding relief around sexual trauma can be found by going to sex-focused therapy. In preparation for a healthier sex life, it may serve an individual to talk about any feelings of panic and suffering they have gone through. Combining sex therapy and psychedelic therapy may prove to be more beneficial, as there is a healthy mixture of treatments focused on the well-being of a person. Certain psychedelics such as ketamine, MDMA, LSD and psilocybin are known to help alleviate some of the suffering caused by anxiety, PTSD and depression.
There is reason to believe that victims of sexual assault can benefit from psychedelic therapy to aid the therapeutic process. Victims of sexual trauma often close down sexually. In many cases, the world these victims live in changes drastically, leaving them with anxiety and fear around sex. Some can also become extremely sensitive to their surroundings, causing feelings of insecurity or nervousness during sex, versus pleasure and satisfaction.
Studies indicate that using psilocybin as part of a treatment plan can help individuals to regain their confidence and interest in sex. MDMA-assisted couples therapy has demonstrated excellent effects in reducing negative thoughts and feelings about intimacy. MDMA has the ability to help people feel empathy, less fear and reduced defensiveness, which can improve communication and connections. Ketamine therapy has helped countless survivors of sexual abuse heal — without the use of traditional antidepressants — as it allows individuals to restore degraded connections and feel empowered over their trauma.
What Psychedelics are Best for Sex Health?
Traditional psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD have intensified the feeling of being touched and therefore can be a great way for someone to analyze themselves emotionally and mentally. LSD can make hallucinations more sensual and as a result, allows people to feel more aroused. Combining sex and LSD can make intimacy feel like the experience has lasted longer than it really did, extending sensations of desire and closeness. LSD can also make it easier to act out sexual fantasies since it affects how reality is perceived.
Psilocybin sex-based therapy has helped individuals and couples regain their interest in having sex. Given that mushrooms invigorate everything surrounding a person, if sex on shrooms is the goal, then couples should ingest them while in bed. Otherwise, there is a risk of getting distracted by something else.
Another psychedelic that can be beneficial to sexual health is MDMA because of its ability to bring people together by encouraging hormones like prolactin and oxytocin to be released. Those hormones are known to help people feel confident and closer to others. With the help of MDMA, therapists have helped survivors tackle their trauma.
As more studies on psychedelic sex therapy are released, experts continue to find benefits in the use of substances for sex health. For now, MDMA, LSD, psilocybin and ketamine are just among some psychedelics known to improve mental and sexual health.
So, Should We Use Psychedelics to Improve Sex Health?
Although research around sex-based psychedelic therapy is ongoing, most of it is promising as they do offer ways of bettering a person’s sexual health. Sex researcher, Annie Sprinkle, has described her experience of combining sex and psychedelics as a liberating experience without that feeling of having boundaries. She has delineated those encounters as being more intimate, more emotional and positively intense. Before being categorized as a schedule 1 drug, MDMA was used in couples therapy in the late ’70s and ’80s. As the world becomes open to the use of psychedelics as therapeutic, MDMA — and other substances — is once again being seen as potentially beneficial for several mental health ailments.
Psychedelics have demonstrated the ability to not only improve sexual pleasure but also as a developmental process for removing damaging mental barriers. Combining psychedelics and sex can make someone a more selfless lover by transforming the way they think and by heightening connections between partners. Mind-altering substances can transform the sexual situation into something emotional, psychological and even spiritual.
Certain substances can be beneficial to a person’s sex life and have the potential to restore a person’s mental health after they have experienced various forms of trauma. Going into psychedelic treatment with intent and knowledge can help make the process more seamless. For those interested in self-treating at home, it’s always best to first consider professionally guided therapy. However, it’s important to know the risks that may come from taking a substance without fully understanding it. Begin the use of any psychedelic in low doses, or microdoses, to better understand your tolerance and to avoid bad or overwhelming trips.
What are your thoughts on using psychedelics to improve sex health and mental health. If you have any stories you’d like to share, we’d love to hear them in the comments below.
