PSYCHEDELICS, SPIRITUALITY & SEX - 9000 BC TIL THE PRESENT

In a literature overview entitled Psychedelics and sexual functioning: a mixed‑methods study in the open access journal “Scientific Reports”, researchers from The Department of Medicine, Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, and the  Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, begin by asking the following question:Do psychedelics affect sexual functioning postacutely? Anecdotal and qualitative evidence suggests they do, but this has never been formally tested. While sexual functioning andsatisfaction are generally regarded as an important aspect of human wellbeing, sexual dysfunction is a common symptom of mental health disorders. It is also a common side effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a first line treatment for depression. Naturalistic use of psychedelics was associated with improvements in several facets of sexual functioning and satisfaction, including improved pleasure and communication during sex, satisfaction with one’s partner and physical appearance. Convergent results were found in acontrolled trial of psilocybin therapy versus an SSRI for depression. In this trial, patients treated with psilocybin reported positive changes in sexual functioning after treatment, while patients treated with the SSRI did not.Despite focusing on different populations and settings, this is the first research study to quantitively investigate the effects of psychedelics on sexual functioning. Results imply a potential positive effect on post-acute sexual functioning and highlight the need for more research on this. The most significant changes seen as a result of the use of psychedelics were in seeing sex as a spiritual or sacred experience, satisfaction with one’s own appearance, satisfaction withone’s partner, and experience of pleasure. 

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