🫠 Ask a Guide Anything

Welcome to Tricycle Day. As a psychedelics newsletter, we usually nerd out on plants and fungi. But today we’ll make a rare exception… because we need to talk about the birds and the bees. 😏

It's no secret that psychedelics affect how we experience our bodies, emotions, and connections with others. So naturally, many people wonder whether these medicines might spice things up in the bedroom.

For this week's "Ask a Guide Anything," we posed this question to our network of experienced practitioners: How can someone use psychedelics (with or without a partner) to improve their sex life?

They share their best tips on psychedelics and intimacy below.

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It starts with you

Several guides stressed that sexual gratification starts with your relationship to yourself. Michelle Harrell puts it plainly: "A fulfilling sex life doesn't begin with your partner; it begins with you. True intimacy is built on a foundation of safety, trust, and honest communication."

Psychedelics can help by addressing the internal barriers that prevent authentic intimacy. As Oxana Kirsanova explains, "Psychedelics help dissolve mental barriers, reconnect you to your body, and soften shame or fear around intimacy. When you're connected to your own desires, sensations, and truth, you're more able to express that openly, vulnerably, and confidently with a partner."

Kari Roe-LaFramboise adds that "the more healed we are the better everything in our lives become, including our sex lives. This can manifest through healing sexual traumas allowing someone to be able to explore sex in a new and healthy way."

Performance enhancement is a byproduct

Don't expect psychedelics to work like Viagra. As Ben Askins bluntly puts it, "They don't improve sex as a primary function; they expose what's in the way. They show what you've been chasing. Use them to meet truth, not just enhance kink."

Louis Belleau echoes this insight: "The psychedelics are rarely performance enhancers (although some people think they are). They're more like a mirror or spotlight, so they can help us see and/or understand where we're disconnected from our own pleasure, truth, or capacity to be fully seen."

Angela Balboa frames it as an opportunity for discovery: "They are beautiful gifts to help us understand what brings us pleasure and also what gets in the way of receiving and experiencing it. Shame, expectations, disconnect can all limit us in expressing our needs and fully exploring sexual pleasure."

Presence is the ultimate aphrodisiac

Many practitioners highlighted how psychedelics can enhance the foundational elements of great sex—presence, embodiment, and sensation. Cari Oneal notes that "psychedelic medicines at lower doses are remarkable for reintroducing oneself to getting out of their head and into their body, due to their abilities to increase sensory awareness, expand tactile responsiveness, and draw one into present moment focus."

Mindy Tueller breaks down the formula: "Good sex happens when we a) are fully present in all our senses, b) allow ourselves to fully experience pleasure, and c) don't pass judgment on the circumstances. Mushrooms, LSD, and MDMA in particular can support this."

For couples, John Moos suggests that "the enhancement and exploration of intimacy in all of its forms allow us to slow down, get present, and witness one another in our most vulnerable and erotic states." As Avery Collura beautifully puts it, "These experiences can rewire how we relate to pleasure, boundaries, and desire, making intimacy feel safer, more playful, and more alive."

Our take

The jury has spoken. Psychedelics won’t magically fix a broken sex life (sorry), but they can offer a clear window into the deeper issues underlying dysfunction. And if things are already working, who’s to say you can’t heat things up another few degrees?

Now even if it goes without saying, it’d be irresponsible not to touch (pardon the pun) on harm reduction. Consent is always important with sex. And when you add substances into the mix that increase one’s susceptibility to influence, well, just make sure everyone is fully onboard with what’s happening, please.

And if you’re working with a professional, make sure you’ve established clear boundaries about physical touch before (not after) the medicine is in your system. “Tricycle” makes a great safe word, btw.

Got a question for our guides?

Reply to this email to shoot your shot. If it’s a juicy one, we may select it for a future issue.

Seeking more personalized guidance?

Our directory of vetted psychedelic professionals is a great place to start your search. Find a facilitator on Maria’s List.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

That’s all for today, Cyclists! Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help.

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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.