The Book of Ecstasy: Opening Yourself Up to Erotic Energy―In All Its Forms

by Barbara Carrellas

A bold and healing guide to rediscovering ecstasy through sex, spirit, and radical self-acceptance

From Barbara Carrellas, trailblazing author of the beloved Urban Tantra, comes The Book of Ecstasy, a fully revised and expanded edition of her cult classic Ecstasy Is Necessary. With warmth, clarity, and compassion, Carrellas reclaims ecstasy as a deeply personal and accessible experience of joy, aliveness, and connection―not something reserved for mystics or perfect bodies, but available to anyone willing to listen to their own truth. This is a book for anyone who has ever felt left out of mainstream conversations about sex, pleasure, or identity―especially those seeking “something more” beyond the norm.

Addressing vital topics such as boundaries, consent, and neurodiversity, The Book of Ecstasy also explores what happens when ecstasy feels impossible―or too overwhelming to manage. Carrellas writes for those who are healing from trauma, navigating illness, or mourning the loss of their old sexual selves, while also naming and normalizing powerful energetic and emotional states that are often misunderstood.

Blending practical tools, spirituality, and decades of embodied experience, this book offers a fiercely inclusive and radically affirming path to ecstasy―for every body, in every season of life.

Genres: Self Help, Health

320 pages, Paperback

Expected publication August 11, 2026

Reviews

[Stacey (Bookalorian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book review - Physical Book - ARC - Non fiction - body, mind and spirit - Sexuality

I just finished The Book of Ecstacy by Barbera Carrellas and here are my musings.

Have you ever wanted to connect with your partner but you have road blocks? This book will help you find a way to find pleasure in physical touch in an inclusive way.

The book covers boundaries, consent and sexual pleasure.

Finding pleasure while you are healing from trauma, or dealing with sickness… Maybe you are learning about your sexual identity. This book is for you. Ecstasy is something you can have daily. The book takes the approach of practical tools and insights to expanding erotic and energetic experiences.


It's not a book I would have brought because I didn’t think I needed it. I found it really informative and I learned a ton. I want to try some of the things in it with my husband and he is definitely game. It can never hurt to try and connect with the person you love even if you think you don’t need to.

It's well written and easy to follow.

It's going to be a while before you can grab a copy, Aug 2026 is the release date but I will be ahead of the curve by the time you get yours.

Thank you to st martins press for my gifted copy… 4.5 stars

#spillthebook #readers #nonfiction #booklover #staceandjace #bookpod #eroticenergy #ecstacy #spiritual #booktok #bookstagram

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what I was actually expecting going into this book but I feel like it didn't hit the mark like I expected it to. ( ON ME and not the book)

I appreciated a few small areas about radical acceptance. However, several times throughout there were mentions multiple time that you didn't have to be a sexual person to benefit from this book -in my opinion- to be able to get the most out of it, you had to be. And you had to be open.

I may just not have been the right audience for this.

I implement some of the practices into my life, but overall I felt like this could be very informative and useful for someone more targeted at what the aim was ... I was not that target audience.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy.

[B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this one in a goodreads giveaway. I tried finishing it, I really did, but...I am *not* the audience for this one. This is a very woo-woo book. Which I guess one probably should have guessed from the title...but the blurb doesn't make it seem that way (if it had, I wouldn't have entered in the first place).

This is really geared towards those who believe that crystals do something other than look pretty and can be used to repel things by their existence (as opposed to simply being used like a rock and throwing).

And it's definitely not for the demisexual crowd. So. Yeah. Must be a woo-woo person who falls into the non-demi, non-asexual umbrella to possibly enjoy? appreciate? be interested? in this one.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book didn't hit the mark like I expected it to. I appreciated a few small snippets of the books, especially the parts about radical acceptance. However, it had mentioned multiple time that you didn't have to be a sexual person to really benefit from this book and I felt like to get the most out of it, you had to be. And you had to be very open to different things.

I may just not have been the right audience for this. I will take some of the practices and try to implement them in my life, but overall I felt like it missed the mark for me

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy.

[lindsay.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting and easy to read, but not what I expected. After reading it, I'd consider it a how-to manual for those interested in expanding their sexual activities, with their existing or additional partners. There’s a lot of questions/activities to prompt self reflection and advice on communication, after-care, self-awareness, etc. I’m not sure what exactly I expected (maybe more of a non-fiction book about the experience of pleasure, as opposed to a self-help book?) but regardless, it was a thought-provoking read!

Thanks to St Martins Essentials for the ARC to read and review!

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked up this book, it didn’t match my expectations, though I realize that was due to my own perspective rather than any fault of the book. While most of it didn’t resonate, I appreciated the sections on radical acceptance for their helpful insights. The author stated the book’s benefits weren’t limited to sexual people, but it seemed being open to those experiences was important, making me feel I wasn’t the intended audience. Although I didn’t fully connect with its aims, I plan to try some practices suggested. Overall, the book may be valuable for others more aligned with its target audience, but it wasn’t for me.

[Penelope Bloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure exactly what drew me to this book. Promises of "ecstasy" kind of scare me. But I enjoyed this book, learned a decent amount, and I truly appreciated the nuanced and wide definitions of ecstasy/ecstasy-adjacent conditions, not just sexual situations.

[baked and booked]

Netgalley ARC