The joy of psychedelic sex

"I remember specifically getting messaging when I was younger about how you shouldn't have sex on drugs — that it may be the best sex of your life and ruin the rest of your sex life," says Sura Hertzberg, founder of the print magazine Sex & Psychedelics. "We hope this magazine offers support to folks who want to explore the intersection of these things but don't know where to start, or who have explored it and want to either learn more, share about it, or connect with others."

Hertzberg and her co-creators are currently finishing the third issue that they'll launch at the Psychedelic Science 2025 summit taking place in Denver this June. The theme of this one is "eco-sexuality." From Jane C Hu's interview with Hertzberg in The Microdose:

How do you pick themes for issues?

I started the project with some idea of what the initial themes might be. The first issue was a sort of retrospective, looking at what had been happening in the intersection of sex and psychedelics so far. Ultimately the feeling of that first issue was very journalistic looking: clean, organized, and professional. So when it came time to decide on the second theme, we were like, "Let's make a sexy one." Let's do a dark theme, one that feels more visceral — so we decided on shadow-tending. As Mary Sanders puts it in the issue: "The shadow represents the parts of ourselves that hold our traumas, shame and struggles; they might be parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of, so we hide or bury these parts because they are so painful to face. They can be big and visible or more subtle and sneaky. When we tend to a garden, we assess the needs of the land and sometimes pull weeds, adjust the water or shade that the plants need, or we might set up some type of boundaries to keep out pests or even recruit helpers for bigger seasonal projects. Tending to the shadow is no different."Since psychedelics have had a resurgence, there have been stories of psychedelic abuse, sexual abuse and misconduct — that damage has been done. Many of us are wary of touch; some are not taught how to use touch well, or are scared of sexual things coming up during sessions and try to back off of those topics — and for good reason, because that can be very risky. So we are trying to foster more on-the-nose conversations about this: straightforwardly addressing them instead of trying to skirt around them.

There are incredibly beautiful ways that we can work with sexual energy and themes, but it takes accountability, and for the community to openly converse about it, and to discuss the risks and the potential.

As Timothy Leary said, "Intelligence is the ultimate aphrodisiac."

Previously:
• Ancient psychedelic wisdom for modern medicine
• The Psychedelic Guide to Preparation of the Eucharist
• Netflix's 4-part adaptation of Michael Pollan's book on psychedelics, 'How to Change Your Mind'
• FDA approves J&J's patented psychedelic esketamine for depression without requiring you take other antidepressants with it
• Psychedelic fish, ants, and sponges that can make you trip