How Do Psychedelics Affect Our Intimate Experiences?

A few weeks back, we shared some of the key takeaways from this year’s SPSP Sexuality Preconference held in Denver, Colorado. The theme of this event was “Rocky Mountain High,” which was a nod to our conference location being held in the first city to decriminalize psilocybin and the first state to legalize recreational marijuana. To that end, some of our speakers explored the current state of the science on psychedelics on sexual function. 

In this post, we’re going to dive a bit deeper into the subject and discuss an article recently published in The Journal of Sex Research titled “Perceived Impact of Psychedelics on Sexual, Gender, and Intimate Relationship Dynamics: A Mixed-Methods Investigation.” [1] This paper is really interesting because it investigates the role of psychedelics in individuals’ self-exploration as it relates not just to their own identities, but their relationships with others. Below, we’ll briefly discuss what we currently know about how psychedelics affect us, then we’ll give an overview of the new study and some of its main findings. 

What Do We Know About Psychedelics?

Psychedelics encompass a broad category of substances that alter an individual’s mood and perception. There are a large number of psychedelic substances, which include things like LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin mushrooms. Although the specific effects of each of these psychedelics vary, they share some commonalities. For example, these substances all allow people to feel more disinhibited, which may lead them to undertake actions and behaviors they otherwise would not.  

In addition, drugs that fall under the psychedelic category are thought to have the potential “to alter sexuality and intimacy by facilitating disclosure, mindfulness, shared positive experiences with an intimate partner, and self-insight” (p. 1). In fact, there is emerging support for the idea that drugs like MDMA may be helpful in enhancing feelings of connectedness within relationships, and that individuals who microdose psilocybin mushrooms experience less depressive symptoms and greater motivation for self improvement.

Given these findings, the authors of the new study were specifically interested in how psychedelics may be related to an individual’s own sense of their gender and sexuality, their ability to form relationships with others, and their openness to exploring non-normative relationships. 

A New Study of Psychedelics 

In order to investigate the role of psychedelics in our intimate lives, the researchers needed to find individuals who were already familiar with psychedelics. By recruiting through various online forums and newsletters, as well as during the in-person event Entheofest (a psychedelic advocacy event), the researchers were able to sample 581 adults who had some experience with psychedelics. Of these individuals, most of them were white (78.7%) and many were college educated (35.6% total). In the past five years, the most common frequency of psychedelic use was once every 2-5 months (27.9%). 

Participants were asked a number of questions related to their psychedelic experiences in the short-term and long-term. For this study, individuals were specifically asked if they felt that psychedelics had affected their gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, attraction to their current partner or other partners, experiences in their sexual relationships, and the kinds of relationships they found themselves in. For each option, individuals were asked to elaborate what they felt the effects of psychedelics were in that context. 

Key Findings From the Research

This study found some support for the ability for psychedelics to alter individuals’ perceptions of their own gender and sexuality. As it relates to gender, individuals discussed a number of ways that psychedelics allowed them to feel more open with regard to their gender expression and identity. For instance, many participants reported how psychedelics encouraged them to engage in gender exploration, reject social norms surrounding gender, and feel more authentic in their gender expression.

This idea of being able to be one’s authentic self also emerged in the context of sexuality. As an illustrative example, one participant said: “As typical of gay men my age [68], there is a lot of internal homophobia (at least for those of us who survived AIDS). The first trip made me very aware of the importance of self-acceptance and embracing my real self” (p. 6). 

For individuals who experienced shifts or changes in their sexuality stemming from psychedelic use, the most commonly reported effects were related to the quality of romantic relationships both during psychedelic experiences and over time, as well as their attraction to current partners and their experience of sexual activity during psychedelic experiences. It is important to note, however, that while the majority of these changes enhanced individuals’ feelings, some individuals experienced diminished relationship quality, attraction, and sexual activity while using psychedelics, suggesting that they don’t affect everyone in the same way. 

Overall, there are reasons to believe that psychedelics have varied effects on an individual’s intimate lives. This study supports the idea that “positive psychedelic experiences may increase feelings of self-acceptance, authenticity, and freedom in self-expression, thus potentially contributing to changes in sexuality as well as more fulfilling relationships with others and the self” (p. 6).

However, one important limitation is that the nature of the study may have meant that individuals who had positive experiences were more likely to respond to the survey. Accordingly, more research is needed to further explore under what circumstances and for whom psychedelics may be beneficial. 

To read the full study, click here. 

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[1] Kruger, D. J., Argyri, E. K., Mogilski, J. K., Herberholz, M., Barron, J., Aday, J. S., & Boehnke, K. F. (2025). Perceived Impact of Psychedelics on Sexual, Gender, and Intimate Relationship Dynamics: A Mixed-Methods Investigation. The Journal of Sex Research, 1-12.