Sandstone Experience

Dust jacket notes: "One of the most daring and controversial experiments in the movement toward open sexuality, Sandstone - a retreat in the California mountains - has long been the subject of much conjecture and speculation. Now in Sandstone Experience, Tom Hatfield, the resident manager and the first member of the permanent inner 'family' to write about his experiences, reveals the facts of what went on in this much-misunderstood community where nudity and sexual sharing were part of daily life. The author vividly describes the rare excitement generated by the diverse, well-educated, and creative population of Sandstone, including eminent representatives of the creative arts and professions. A thorough screening process eliminated those looking for cheap thrills, restricting guests and members to an intellectually aware group of adults willing to probe society's strictures on our minds and bodies and eager to share their liberating discoveries with others ready to set aside limiting boundaries. Sandstone's novel approach to interpersonal relationships created an environment that dispelled many conventional illusions about marriage, jealousy, and masculine and feminine stereotypes. Tom Hatfield explains how the release of sexual tension functions to free our psychic energy for our own inner development and discusses the rationale behind nudity, 'recreational' sex, and group sex. He traces his first involvement with Sandstone, his relationship with the other members of the nuclear 'family,' his growth within its walls, and his final commitment to its philosophy. The reader is introduced to many of the fascinating people who participated in Sandstone's wide range of activities and who represent all facets of emotional and physical inclination. As Robert Rimmer, author of The Harrad Experiment, says of the book in his introduction: 'In my opinion, it's an important sociological document....'"