At the time, there wasn't much reading available on the topic. In the Journal of Sex Research in 1978, Mina Robbins and Gordon Jensen reported interviewing 13 multiorgasmic men, concluding that it is possible for men to have multiple orgasms by separating orgasm from ejaculation. Sex therapists and researchers William Hartman and Marilyn Fithian wrote Any Man Can (St. Martin's Press, 1984), that described some rudimentary techniques that men could use to become multiply orgasmic. In 1989, Marian Dunn and Jan Trost, writing in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, expanded the thinking following interviews with 21 multiorgasmic men. They found that there are different patterns of male orgasmic ability, that men don't always lose their erection after an orgasm or ejaculation, multiple orgasms could be learned, and that expectations can limit men's orgasmic response. Recently, Beverly Whipple and colleagues, reporting in the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, studied a man who experienced six orgasms in 36 minutes with no erection loss and no attempt to control ejaculation.
In a book I wrote called How To Make Love All Night (HarperCollins, 1994), I identified three patterns of male multiple orgasm: one is a non-ejaculatory orgasm (NEO) in which a man has an orgasm but inhibits ejaculation using the PC muscle. After several orgasms he then "releases the hounds." In multi-ejaculation, a man has several orgasms in a row, all accompanied by full or partial ejaculation. In a third pattern, a man has an intense orgasm and ejaculation, followed by less intense orgasms, or "aftershocks." All of these patterns can occur without erection loss.
Men who experience multiple orgasms report feeling energized after orgasm rather than depleted; are able to understand and enjoy their partner's arousal better; feel closer to their partners; have more options during a sexual encounter with the same partner--which promotes monogamy; and find that their partners had positive reactions. The men find that their orgasms were actually stronger and more intense because they were full-body orgasms rather than localized genital sensations.
The Implications Of These Findings?
We need to study the impact of psychological variables such as thoughts, fantasies and dreams on orgasm and then on physical health. If enhancing orgasm does prove to promote physical health and help relieve pain--and promote mental health by relieving anxiety and depression and protecting against stress--this is clearly an alternative to drugs. As part of this approach, we need to study the quality rather than the quantity or frequency of sexual encounters. Let's get over "Am I normal?" and move toward "Why not be fabulous?"
I would like to propose a new "sexual hygiene" movement in which the emphasis is on the relationship of sex to physical health, vitality, wellness, wellbeing and even creativity.
I think a useful framework from which to view sex education is one that uses expectations--a central concept in many areas of psychology. Expectations can either limit or enhance our sexual experience. In a sense, the current expectation of what many women experience during orgasm is too high it's unrealistic to expect fireworks when you have no knowledge of your own response and no orgasm history. On the other hand, our current expectations are too low in that we expect preference, not passion, and performance, not pleasure. Sex education should promote aspiration, not limitations, stressing that when you're in a long-term relationship there's always more to learn about your own response and your partner's response.
Exploring Orgasmic Potential
The future of sex is not cybersex or the Orgasmatron, Woody Allen's futuristic orgasm-producing home appliance in his 1973 movie Sleeper. It's still arousal and orgasm with a living, breathing partner. Expanding our orgasmic potential may help end some of the gender divisiveness that many of us have experienced, and allow us to use our bodies to create shared emotional peak experiences that I believe form the basis of adult relationships. It's good to be sexually fit and orgasmic, but the meaning is more important than the techniques used to get there.
We haven't even come close to exploring our orgasmic potential. I'm not naive enough to believe that orgasmic energy powers the universe, cures cancer, or prevents mass killings (though it does a pretty good job of keeping me off the streets). In addition to all of the physical and mental benefits we can get from sex, we can also experience more and greater benefits if we individually and mutually unleash our orgasmic potential.
Here's a question we should all look forward to pondering: If both partners are multiorgasmic, how do you know when you're through making love?
A Bigger Better Orgasm
Both men and woman can use the following techniques to make orgasms longer, stronger, more intense and, ultimately, more healthful.
1. GAIN PELVIC MUSCLE CONTROL. The pubococcygeal (PC) muscle group, which supports the pelvic floor, is the one that spasms when you have an orgasm. If it's in good shape, more blood will flow to the pelvic area during arousal and the PC will contract more strongly, making orgasms last longer and feel more intense. To paraphrase a statement about scientific discovery, "Orgasm favors the prepared body." Kegel exercises are a simple way to strengthen PC muscles. To do them, squeeze the muscle you use to voluntarily hold back your urine. Hold for two seconds and then release. Repeat 20 times, three times a day.
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