It’s My Pleasure
Earlier this year I saw this meme, captioned "Weed helps prevent me from doing this to me."
One of the great psychological benefits that people can experience from using cannabis is a greater sense of self-compassion and a release of judgement and shame. And for something that is taboo to discuss, and can come with a lot of shame and trauma baggage, I'd venture to guess there are a lot of people who could benefit from a little experimentation with mixing the two. (If you have no shame or trauma or communication issues in regards to sex, this newsletter is not for you - byeee!)
A little intimate context: I've been doing some reading around the concept of "pleasure". I won't repost my diary excerpts, but the high level takeaway is that NOW IS A GREAT TIME to question how you relate to and experience your physical body, and how you allow it to seek and claim pleasure. And noting that "pleasure" is not just a sexual experience - pleasure is a chemical reaction in your brain that has numerous triggers. Eating, exercising, petting dogs, wearing perfume, bathing, smelling trees, cuddling, obviously sex... maybe take a minute to write your own list of pleasures.
Not only is being aware of your pleasure-intake good for you, it's good for the people around you. To update the scientifically inaccurate Elle Woods quote, "Exercise gives you [anandamide]. [Anandamide] makes you happy. Happy people just don't kill their husbands."
Extra points if you remembered that in your Endocannabinoid System, anandamide (aka the "bliss" molecule) is made by your body and looks so similar to THC, that your body can't tell the difference between the two --- although THC's effects are felt much stronger than anandamide. Therefore, I think we can officially dub THC as THE PLEASURE MULTIPLYING MOLECULE.
Any of these already pleasurable experiences on your list can be that much more pleasurable when cannabis gets involved. (If you haven't discovered this already, you are probably doing something wrong, I encourage you explore it!)
So let's get into some specifics of what to expect when pairing cannabis with the pleasure activity that will top many of your lists (I'm alluding to sex here):
1. Being high effects how you experience time. Time feels more drawn out and experiences seem like they go on for longer than in reality. If you're experiencing something pleasurable, why wouldn't you want to slow down time?
2. Being high effects your short-term memory. While this can be inconvenient if you are trying to tell a long story, in a situation where you want to be present and not have your mind wandering, this can be a good thing. I'd recommend experimenting with a balanced indica/sativa hybrid, 1:1 CBD strain, or indica-leaning strain with terpenes like limonene (euphoric, calming), linalool (anxiety-reducing), or beta-caryophyllene (brain boosting, relaxing). Or if you keep good weed notes, a strain that felt nice and warm and tingly in your body is likely to be a good companion here. You probably don't want something super energizing/heady (but I guess that depends what you're into) or something super sedative and sleepy.
3. Being high can anecdotally benefit arousal (for female bodies). Not much scientific research here yet unfortunately, but THC can heighten your senses and sensations in your body, increase blood flow (when applied locally), decrease pain, as well as lowers inhibitions and tendencies to dissociate, which all combine to impart sex-positivity. Don't want to get high but still want the benefits? Try CBD or even THC topicals. I'd recommend smoking or topicals due to their quick onset (~5-15 minutes). But if you're more into planning than spontaneity, then taking an edible 2 hours before you want it to kick in is also an option, and edibles often tend to have more body-focused effects than smoking.
4. THC can specifically help people who've experienced sexual trauma or who have sex-related anxiety get over some of their metal hurdles. It does this by activating the receptors in the area of the brain that is responsible for your memory/emotions/nervous system and therefore can decrease anxiety or negative reactions in sexual situations when you're high and those receptors are turned on.
5. CBD boosts production of a natural cannabinoid called 2-AG. Do you know what else makes your body release lots of 2-AG? Orgasms. So there's evidence to suggest that CBD-based products could be beneficial to setting the stage for that build up, by reducing tension and relaxing the body.
As with all drugs, set and setting are very important to ensure you have a positive experience. Most importantly, if using with a partner, it should be someone you know and trust (and may have more benefits for long-term couples than new ones, although surely still fun for either). Maybe only one person uses it and the experience gets to be all about their pleasure, and then next time you switch off. Maybe you want to try it alone first to learn how it effects you so that you're more comfortable.
There's a lot of follow up reading here if you want it. Foria has a great blog, as well as Miss Grass. I also am citing this article or this one for most of the points above.
