The other week on an unseasonably cold day in Savannah, GA, an unspecified seafarer shoved about four grams of psychedelic mushrooms in my mouth as I sipped a Guinness on the toilet. This dose (an apparent misfire) was administered under the age-old delusion that “more is always better.” The previous weekend, the maritime-r and I were on the same program from a substance standpoint, but we approached the adventure in cautious increments. After the sexual success of that encounter (orgasm from earlobe stimulation, palming each other’s face, tracing the ridges and wrinkles that told stories of smiles and shortcomings, crying to Brian Wilson), we couldn’t wait to explore the unsightly ridges of arousal further through sex on mushrooms.
We thought we would discover new nerves, bounce electric current between us. Instead, I thought I was receiving cunnilingus from the Keebler Elf, immediately put on a fur jacket and ushanka hat and attempted to “return home to the river.”
For better or for worse, psilocybin induces transformational experiences. A couple may find peace, suspended in a series of ego-disintegrating, ethereal orgasms. However, the same couple on a different trip may become bugged out by the intricacies of the human body and not even be able to accept a kiss without inviting mental chaos. Sex on shrooms is delicate. Once you hop on mycelium’s magic carpet ride, you can never be sure how the journey will unravel. Bad trips happen, whether or not physical intimacy is involved, so it’s best to be prepared.
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Consent is Key
Legally, you can’t consent to sex on psychedelics because you’re not in a sober state of mind. However, that doesn’t stop couples from having sex on shrooms with fervent consent.
Before we get into the mystical and the humorous, we must implore: when tripping with a partner, if psychedelic sex is something you want to experience, ensure they’re on the same page before the dosage drops.
“Talk about it beforehand to discuss intentions and boundaries,” said Michelle Janikian, the author of Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion: An Informative, Easy-to-Use Guide to Understanding Magic Mushrooms. “When you’re actually tripping, it will just make everything go smoothly, so everyone is on the same page.”
Will I Fall in Love?
Falling in love under the influence of mushrooms is no anomaly.
“Psilocybin mushrooms could ramp that [connection] up even more in terms of serotonin activation, accelerated bonding, and could even cause new partners to believe they are soulmates,” neuroscientist Michele Ross writes in her blog post about having safe sex on mushrooms.
Perhaps Liz Elliot distilled this ineffable, next-level intimacy best when recalling her shroomy sexcapades with Timothy Leary: “We could play with each other’s brains,” she wrote, “stroke mental erogenous zones.”
Just how psychedelic therapy can be ten years of therapy packed into one day. If you trip with someone, no matter the level of physical intimacy shared, it can be like fitting a few months of dating in one day because you get to traverse new territories and unlock new sensations together.
Tripping with your partner, whether you braid your bodies together or sit in opposite corners of the room scream-singing, will be like no other time you will witness again. Not together, not with anyone else. All shroom sex stands singularly in your personal ethnography of intimacy, often marking steps toward a deeper understanding of how you fit together… or how you don’t.
Strangers will also have sex while tripping balls. It’s human nature. And, if there’s consent, then there’s nothing wrong with making love to the tie-dye draped fairy you met on the fringes of a music festival. However, be warned it will likely be far from casual. You may devote yourself to your fairy for life or leave with a deeper understanding of yourself.
Alternately, it might only be reality that rails you, and you’ll decouple yourself from the fairy and realize that your soulmate is your best friend, the barista at the coffee shop in Copenhagen you saw one time, or your middle school frenemy.
Sex on Mushrooms Could Become Impossible
Slim Jim Tim Bits from Twitter has enjoyed many trips but has never had sex on mushrooms. He did, however, “have a wizard who was the conductor of my room.”
Just like Slim Jim Tim Bits, many may read this and think the entire onus of sex on shrooms is absurd. After all, how are you supposed to focus on another person’s pleasure when you’re busy glaring into the eyes of your own extinction or winking at the cherubic face that has appeared on your ceiling fan?
A Twitter user echoed a sentiment that many share: “Whenever I was melting [on mushrooms], I was always too far gone and couldn’t focus for more than a second.” This matter, like most mushroom-related matters, comes down to dosing.
“If you take a moderate dose, it’s probably going to be fun and keep you present in your body and with your partner,” Jankian says. “If you’re at a higher dose [around 3 grams and above], you might feel overwhelmed or very vulnerable. With so much sensation, the thought of having sex on top [of tripping hard] can be too intense.”
However, sometimes intensity and absurdity can lead to hilarious events that can still deepen connection even when sex fails. An anonymous self-professed Savannah-based sybarite, shared his story of shroom sex gone absurd with Psychedelic Spotlight: “I was having sex while Martian starring Matt Damon came on and I was so concerned for Matt Damon’s welfare I couldn’t do it.” He goes on, “I also didn’t know who was fucking who but that didn’t matter because like Matt Damon was on Mars and I didn’t know if he was going to be okay.”
Matt Damon or no Matt Damon, Dr. Ross writes that even a tiny fumble, “like getting toothy while giving a blowjob,” could result in you or your partner nosediving out of the moment and not being able to recover. “Touch,” she continues, “whether sexual or non-sexual, can be a gamble on mushrooms.”
Bascially, don’t bring a reusable bag full of sex toys because you probably won’t get to them. But taking a heroic dose with a partner you trust and laughing about your failed attempts at sexualizing the experience could be, to employ the cringey cliche, better than sex.
Mushrooms Can Expand Your Perception of Intimacy
Getting down and going down on mushrooms also opens up the question: What is sex? Is sex already a psychedelic experience — two minds becoming one, pursuing cascading sensations of pleasure?
Psychedelic in its simplest sense means mind-expanding, so the act of just attempting sex on shrooms can open up new domains of what sex really is beyond a function.
The trip where the seafarer and I couldn’t even dream of copulating in the carnal sense was still extremely sexual. With my ego floating somewhere far from me in the ether, I was absorbed into a nothingness that rebounded into complete pleasure. With no burden of selfhood, everything was sex.
It suddenly connected why dirty talk about climaxing in Russian translates to, “I want to end;” Why French infamously speak to the power of orgasm by calling it la petite mort: the little death.
As I became nothing, everything became sex: every toe twitch, every harmonica solo spilling out from the speaker, every breath. There’s a wealth of articles both actionable and esoteric about sex on psychedelics with other humans, but what about when we’re having sex with nothing? Can you have sex with a concept? Can you orgasm from accepting existence?
Not to trigger any memories of Carrie Bradshaw at her worst, but I can’t help but wonder: When we say I’m coming, where do we think we’re going?
Dosage and Advice
Michelle Jankian, author of Your Psilocybin Companion: An Informative, Easy-to-Use Guide to Understanding Magic Mushrooms, believes that the ideal dose for sex on mushrooms is 1.5 and 3.5 grams of dried mushrooms depending on experience and intention.
However, some psychonauts prefer taking a microdose (around one 10th of a psychedelic dose) or a moderate dose to facilitate intimacy. On a smaller amount, you will still be present in your body and safe from visuals but can appreciate the reward of enhanced emotions and sensitivity to touch that a lower dosage can still bring.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins say that the link between setting and proper dosage cannot be overstated. Mushrooms amplify everything — both the lovely and the grim. So, a comfortable setting where you can relax and surrender is vital.
Prepare your nest for everything the trip may bring and have some harm reduction techniques in place. Dr. Ross recommends being cautious of your hydration levels and turning the AC on to avoid dehydrating or overheating during sex. She also warns that “your body temperature can change quickly, and you can also get chilly fast.” To remedy this, ensure “you have fans, soft blankets, and water nearby, so you’re prepared for any scenario mushrooms may throw your way.”
DISCLAIMER: Psychedelic Spotlight does not in any way encourage or condone the use, purchase, sale or transfer of any illegal substances, nor do we encourage or condone partaking in any unlawful activities. We support a harm reduction approach for the purpose of education and promoting individual and public safety. If you are choosing to use psychedelic substances, please do so responsibly.
