Nick Karras embodies all the qualities you want from your sexologist. He’s open, understanding, easygoing, and observant. He is also the author of Passionate High: A Guide to Using Cannabis for Better Sex and Creativity, who has spent years studying how cannabis affects the brain. We caught up with Nick to talk all things sex and cannabis.You’ve studied the interaction of sex and cannabis for a few years now. What were some of the most surprising things you found?Throughout my research we were asking subjects questions like, why do you smoke? What are the mental effects? We looked at age, financial demographics, everything. What blew me away is that a very small percentage of people across the board were using cannabis for sex, but they were using it for everything else. It was interesting to me because I never thought of it as a creative outlet–I had always used it for sexual experiences only. But I was hearing from musicians, artists, and all kinds of people who would tell me “a small amount of this strain and my creativity comes out.”I had accountants tell me that their accuracy rate went way up when they took a small amount of a particular strain. I had a neuroscientist tell me that before he did surgery, he would take a small amount of tincture to calm himself down. When he was working on a brain afterward, his senses felt more alive and nimble. Those fascinating results are what sent me down the path of wanting to know what cannabis does to the brain. I wanted to know why these people were having all these different effects and how we can control those effects.And what effects did you find to be most consistent?I call it the “bouquet of cognitive effects.” There are five features [that are consistent when consuming cannabis]: hyperfocus, pattern recognition, enhanced imagination, increased empathy and episodic memory retrieval. So, let’s start with hyperfocus. People refer to it as the zen effect–it’s when you get into a zone and you’re more present. Then, there’s enhanced pattern recognition. This is important for couples because in order to move forward on a problem, you first have to start seeing patterns. When I am coaching couples with sexual issues, sometimes a partner says something that subconsciously triggers the other without either of them knowing it, and it’s the same word or phrase every time. By tapping into pattern recognition, you are more aware of what’s going on.To me, the increased imagination is the best part of cannabis–you see the world differently. I love when I’m laying with a lover, smoking some cannabis after incredible sex. We lay there and being high, you come up with these crazy ideas, like, “hey, lets move to Rome!” Of course, the next morning over breakfast you would look at each other and say, “yeah, we were stoned and that was silly.” But some of the stuff is good! That’s why I tell clients that when you are high and you get these lofty ideas, actually write those ideas down and ask yourself where they came from. Maybe they are things you actually want to do–I have personally based a lot of my life decisions on stuff that would come from that space.Enhanced episodic memory takes you back to the past. For instance, maybe you get high and hear a song you listened to when you were a teenager. You click back to that moment, you go to that place, and you feel that memory with a lot of detail and vividness. For instance, a lot of couples who see me say they want to return to the feeling they had at the beginning, when they first met. So, I’d suggest to design a little ceremony.Get pictures out of when you first met. Lay them around you and your partner. Second, dim the lights to create a romantic atmosphere. Then, maybe put on the music you listened to when you first met or made love. Once you consume a little cannabis and start looking at these pictures or telling stories, trust me–you get back into it. The body holds a lot of knowledge and that’s why these visuals, smells, and sounds will bri