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Types of Orgasm in Women; A Critical Review and Redefinition
... Neurohormonal reaction of smooth muscle organs and contraction of homologues of ejaculatory muscles (Campell and Peterson, 1953). Spastic vaginal contractions occurring at highest tension levels (Glann and Kaplan, 1968). ...
Abstract: Although there are many forms of female orgasms described in the literature, there are still debates about the female orgasmic response and no unified theory to explain those orgasmic reflexes and sexual responses have been proposed. Also, there are inconsistent reports and comments about the ‘vaginal versus clitoral orgasm controversy’. Recently, a novel form of female orgasms has been coined as “Expanded Sexual Response” (ESR), and defined as: “being able to attain long lasting and/or prolonged and/or multiple and/or sustained orgasms and/or status orgasmus that lasted longer and more intense than the classical orgasm patterns defined in the literature”. Expanded orgasms induce a different state of consciousness, or “orgasmic consciousness”, whereas many forms of altered states of consciousness (ASC) can be observed. There are lots of reports, coming from the data accumulated during last decades on the female orgasm and orgasmic consciousness, which confirms the fact that “clitoral and vaginal orgasms are two separate entities”, while their unification may induce a stronger and intense form of female orgasm, coined as “blended orgasm”. As we have hypothesized in our other publications, at least six orgasmic reflex pathways may take part in the development of single or multiple clitoral, vaginal, blended orgasms, and expanded, enhanced, prolonged ESR orgasms. Pudental, pelvic, hypogastric and vagus nerves play major roles in the development of single or ESR orgasms, as well as at least two oxytocin pathways may contribute to it. In blended, ESR orgasms and/or status orgasmus, more than one ‘orgasm reflex arch pathway’ may trigger the orgasm at the same time, while other pathways play a supplementary role. We have investigated the ESR phenomenon using a specific ESR-Scale in a series of surveys among ESR-women, compared to the control groups and defined the main characteristics of ESR phenomenon in the human female. ESR women seem to have higher libido, higher masturbation frequency, more erotic fantasies, stronger and more intense, prolonged orgasms or expanded orgasms (EO); while they experience multiple clitoral, vaginal and blended orgasms separately, as well as status orgasmus. Also ESR women are more aware of their bodies and their deep vaginal erogenous zones (DVZs), which comprises inner clitoris, G-Spot, A-Spot, O-Spot, PC-Muscles and Cervix. “Four nerve-six pathway theory of female orgasm” and oxytocinergic system may seem to explain ESR phenomenon.
KEY WORDS: orgasmic consciousness, vaginal orgasm, clitoral orgasm, G-spot, A-spot, PC-muscles, blended orgasm, status orgasmus, expanded orgasm, four nerve theory, expanded sexual response, ESR, , deep vaginal erogenous zone, DVZ
SexuS Journal ● 2017 ● 2 (4): 117-145
... Some researchers have described female orgasm as (Mah & Binik, 2001): • Neurohormonal reaction of smooth muscle organs and contraction of homologues of ejaculatory muscles (Campell and Peterson, 1953). • Spastic vaginal contractions occurring at highest tension levels (Glenn and Kaplan, 1968). • Reflexive sensory-motor response involving genitopelvic contractions (Kaplan, 1974) • Reflexive sensory-motor response to sexual stimulation (Kline-Graber and Graber, 1975). ...
Female orgasm and female 'peak experiences' are well recognized in the ancient historical literature of the India, China and Far East. Eastern cultures tried to discover the limits and extents of female orgasmic response for centuries unlike the Western cultures, where, for centuries, pleasure and orgasm of females were accepted as a sin and were not regarded as acceptable as they were in the Eastern philosophy. Tantric cultures and Taoist cultures encouraged the prolonged sexual activity, coitus and female orgasm for hundreds of years. However, the West started to understand the real nature of female orgasm in the second half of twentieth century using objective and rational scientific investigation methods. Similar to Tantric Orgasms, ESR (Expanded Sexual Response) has been defined recently as: being able to attain long lasting and/or prolonged and/or multiple and/or sustained orgasms and/or status orgasmus that lasted longer and more intense than the classical orgasm patterns defined in the literature. This review article explains some of the novel findings on female sexuality, ESR and prolonged-expanded orgasms, in comparison with the old Tantric and Taoist philosophies.
... • Spastic vaginal contractions occurring at highest tension levels (Glenn and Kaplan, 1968). ...
El orgasmo femenino y las “experiencias pico” femeninas tienen su adecuado reconocimiento en la antigua literatura histórica de la India, China y Extremo Oriente. Por siglos, las culturas orientales trataron de descubrir los límites y alcances de la respuesta orgásmica femenina, a diferencia de las culturas occidentales, donde, por siglos, el placer y el orgasmo femenino se tomaban como un pecado y no se consideraban aceptables, en oposición a la filosofía oriental, donde sí se consideraban aceptables. Por años, las culturas tántricas y taoístas fomentaron la actividad sexual prolongada, el coito y el orgasmo femenino. Sin embargo, Occidente empezó a comprender la verdadera naturaleza del orgasmo femenino en la segunda mitad del siglo XX con el uso de métodos de investigación científicos objetivos y racionales. Al igual que los orgasmos tántricos, la respuesta sexual expandida (RSE) se definió recientemente como: la capacidad de alcanzar orgasmos de larga duración, prolongados, múltiples o sostenidos o el status orgasmus que dura más tiempo y es más intenso que los patrones de orgasmos clásicos que se definen en la literatura. Este artículo de revisión explica algunos de los nuevos hallazgos sobre la sexualidad femenina, la RSE y los orgasmos prolongados-ampliados en comparación con las antiguas filosofías tántricas y taoístas.
Abstract
Female orgasm and female “peak experiences” are well recognized in the ancient historical literature of the India, China and Far East. Eastern cultures tried to discover the limits and extents of female orgasmic response for centuries unlike the Western cultures, where, for centuries, pleasure and orgasm of females were accepted as a sin and were not regarded as acceptable as they were in the Eastern philosophy. Tantric cultures and Taoist cultures encouraged the prolonged sexual activity, coitus and female orgasm for hundreds of years. However, the West started to understand the real nature of female orgasm in the second half of twentieth century using objective and rational scientific investigation methods. Similar to Tantric Orgasms, ESR (Expanded Sexual Response) has been defined recently as: being able to attain long lasting and/or prolonged and/or multiple and/or sustained orgasms and/or status orgasmus that lasted longer and more intense than the classical orgasm patterns defined in the literature. This review article explains some of the novel findings on female sexuality, ESR and prolonged-expanded orgasms, in comparison with the old Tantric and Taoist philosophies.
... One important consideration explicitly mentioned in the DSM-5 is how to interpret a lack of orgasm through vaginal intercourse alone (ie, without external stimulation of the clitoris). The distinction between "clitoral orgasm" and "vaginal orgasm," which emerged in the early psychoanalytic literature, 226 continues to be of interest to the lay public and among clinicians. With few exceptions, 227 orgasm triggered by clitoral stimulation has been de-pathologized and viewed as a normal variation in sexual response. ...
Introduction:
Since the millennium we have witnessed significant strides in the science and treatment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). This forward progress has included (i) the development of new theoretical models to describe healthy and dysfunctional sexual responses in women; (ii) alternative classification strategies of female sexual disorders; (iii) major advances in brain, hormonal, psychological, and interpersonal research focusing on etiologic factors and treatment approaches; (iv) strong and effective public advocacy for FSD; and (v) greater educational awareness of the impact of FSD on the woman and her partner.
Aims:
To review the literature and describe the best practices for assessing and treating women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder, female sexual arousal disorder, and female orgasmic disorders.
Methods:
The committee undertook a comprehensive review of the literature and discussion among themselves to determine the best assessment and treatment methods.
Results:
Using a biopsychosocial lens, the committee presents recommendations (with levels of evidence) for assessment and treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder, female sexual arousal disorder, and female orgasmic disorders.
Conclusion:
The numerous significant strides in FSD that have occurred since the previous International Consultation of Sexual Medicine publications are reviewed in this article. Although evidence supports an integrated biopsychosocial approach to assessment and treatment of these disorders, the biological and psychological factors are artificially separated for review purposes. We recognize that best outcomes are achieved when all relevant factors are identified and addressed by the clinician and patient working together in concert (the sum is greater than the whole of its parts). Kingsberg SA, Althof S, Simon JA, et al. Female Sexual Dysfunction-Medical and Psychological Treatments, Committee 14. J Sex Med 2017;14:1463-1491.
... • Spastic vaginal contractions occurring at highest tension levels (Glenn and Kaplan, 1968). ...
Female orgasm and female “peak experiences” are well recognized in the ancient historical literature of the India, China and Far East. Eastern cultures tried to discover the limits and extents of female orgasmic response for centuries unlike the Western cultures, where, for centuries, pleasure and orgasm of females were accepted as a sin and were not regarded as acceptable as they were in the Eastern philosophy. Tantric cultures and Taoist cultures encouraged the prolonged sexual activity, coitus and female orgasm for hundreds of years. However, the West started to understand the real nature of female orgasm in the second half of twentieth century using objective and rational scientific investigation methods. Similar to Tantric Orgasms, ESR (Expanded Sexual Response) has been defined recently as: being able to attain long lasting and/or prolonged and/or multiple and/or sustained orgasms and/or status orgasmus that lasted longer and more intense than the classical orgasm patterns defined in the literature. This review article explains some of the novel findings on female sexuality, ESR and prolonged-expanded orgasms, in comparison with the old Tantric and Taoist philosophies.
... Neurohormonal reaction of smooth muscle organs and contraction of homologues of ejaculatory muscles (Campell and Peterson, 1953). Spastic vaginal contractions occurring at highest tension levels (Glann and Kaplan, 1968). Reflexive sensory-motor response involving genitopelvic contractions (Kaplan, 1974). ...
Although there are many forms of female orgasms described in the literature, there are still debates about the female orgasmic response and no unified theory to explain those orgasmic reflexes and sexual responses have been proposed. Also, there are inconsistent reports and comments about the 'vaginal versus clitoral orgasm controversy'. Recently, a novel form of female orgasms has been coined as "Expanded Sexual Response" (ESR), and defined as: "being able to attain long lasting and/or prolonged and/or multiple and/or sustained orgasms and/or status orgasmus that lasted longer and more intense than the classical orgasm patterns defined in the literature". Expanded orgasms induce a different state of consciousness, or "orgasmic consciousness", whereas many forms of altered states of consciousness (ASC) can be observed. There are lots of reports, coming from the data accumulated during last decades on the female orgasm and orgasmic consciousness, which confirms the fact that "clitoral and vaginal orgasms are two separate entities", while their unification may induce a stronger and intense form of female orgasm, coined as "blended orgasm". As we have hypothesized in our other publications, at least six orgasmic reflex pathways may take part in the development of single or multiple clitoral, vaginal, blended orgasms, and expanded, enhanced, prolonged ESR orgasms. Pudental, pelvic, hypogastric and vagus nerves play major roles in the development of single or ESR orgasms, as well as at least two oxytocin pathways may contribute to it. In blended, ESR orgasms and/or status orgasmus, more than one 'orgasm reflex arch pathway' may trigger the orgasm at the same time, while other pathways play a supplementary role. We have investigated the ESR phenomenon using a specific ESR-Scale in a series of surveys among ESR-women, compared to the control groups and defined the main characteristics of ESR phenomenon in the human female. ESR women seem to have higher libido, higher masturbation frequency, more erotic fantasies, stronger and more intense, prolonged orgasms or expanded orgasms (EO); while they experience multiple clitoral, vaginal and blended orgasms separately, as well as status orgasmus. Also ESR women are more aware of their bodies and their deep vaginal erogenous zones (DVZs), which comprises inner clitoris, G-Spot, A-Spot, O-Spot, PC-Muscles and Cervix. "Four nerve-six pathway theory of female orgasm" and oxytocinergic system may seem to explain ESR phenomenon.
... Two years after the publication of the Masters and Johnson findings quoted above The Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, the official publication of the prestigious American Psychoanalytic Association, published several articles about this subject. Glenn and Kaplan (1968), two males, attempt to rescue confusion from clarity by suggesting four redefinitions. Obviously unwilling to accept Masters and Johnson as a starting point in doing analytic work and similarly unwilling to give up the vaginal-clitoral dichotomy, they suggest the following four redefinitions: 1) "vaginally stimulated orgasm;" 2) "clitorally stimulated orgasm," 3) "vaginally experienced orgasm;" 4) "clitorally experienced orgasm." ...
Argues that the reluctance of many psychoanalysts to attribute a capacity for sexual pleasure to women has led them to ignore or refuse to accept relevant scientific evidence and thereby continue a questionable clinical practice. Their reluctance is manifested by their efforts to perpetuate a belief in the occurrence of "vaginally-stimulated" orgasms and to reorient their female patients from the clitorally-stimulated orgasms they regard as characteristic of the emotionally immature woman to the vaginally-stimulated orgasms they regard as characteristic of the woman who has reached emotional maturity. Nevertheless, Masters and Johnson (1966) have established that clitoral and vaginal orgasms are biologically the same. The present author cites the explanation of H. Kaplan (1974) who notes that although the female orgasm involves direct or indirect stimulation of the clitoris, it is always located and is largely experienced in and around the vagina. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
... Other sources also argued that orgasm may result from digital stimulation of the upper vaginal wall (which includes the so-called Grafenberg or " G " spot)[23]and/or from a combined clitoral and vaginal stimulation (blended orgasm)[8]. However, the female orgasm can also be triggered by various erotic stimulations of different genital sites that induce many different types of orgasms (such as clitoral, vaginal, or blended)[4,8,12,13,23,33,[35][36][37]. Converging fi ndings suggest that the female orgasm is not only a physiological refl ex, but also a complex mechanism arising from a neuro-functional alchemy in which the brain and cognition play a crucial role in coordinating female sexual pleasure[4,5,12,13,23,33,36,38,39]. ...
Functional neuroimaging demonstrates a combined role of central and peripheral mechanisms in human sexual response. Nevertheless, inter-individual subjective differences remain unresolved. Since Freud, controversy remains regarding the similarity of each type of partnered sexual pleasure experience. The authors hypothesized that the neural networks sustaining the memory of all types of subjective partnered sexual pleasure experiences might interact with the insula, a key brain area for integrating somatic experiences.
Using a 3T Phillips MRI scanner, brain activity elicited when 29 healthy female volunteers were exposed to subliminal presentation of their sexual partner's names, an approach to investigating the brain network sustaining the mental representation of their partner, was assessed. This brain activity was compared with scores from the Female Sexual Functioning Index on satisfaction and the typologies of their partnered orgasmic experiences. No orgasmic responses were recorded during fMRI. This approach allowed the investigation of the memory of the different types of stored partnered orgasmic experiences.
The memory of partnered pleasure obtained by clitoral stimulation correlated with brain responses in the left insula only, while that of partnered pleasure by sexual intercourse correlated with the left insula and also with the right superior temporal gyrus, thalamus, and right inferior prefrontal gyrus.
The results suggest that the memory of sexual experiences is integrated a posteriori at different levels (i.e. by different neural networks) in a woman's brain. The authors believe these findings will open a new avenue towards understanding inter- and intra-individual differences in woman's sexual mind.
... Nevertheless, there is enormous variation in the ease with which women can achieve orgasm (e.g., Kaplan, 1974;Kinsey, Pomeroy, Martin, & Gebbard, 1953;Levin, 1981;Masters & Johnson, 1966;). For instance, woman's orgasm can be triggered by various erotic stimulations of different genital sites that induce many different types of orgasms (such as clitoral, vaginal, or blended; Alzate, 1985;Glenn & Kaplan, 1968;Ladas, Whipple, & Perry, 1982;Levin, 1981;Levin & van Berlo, 2004;O'Hare, 1951;Masters & Johnson, 1966). Clitoral stimulation is a primary source of sensory input for triggering woman's orgasm; even during coitus alone, indirect or direct clitoral stimulation may occur (e.g., Kaplan, 1974Kaplan, , 1987Kinsey, Pomeroy, Martin, & Gebbard, 1953;Masters & Johnson, 1966;Meston, Hull, Levin, & Sipski, 2004). ...
The way women experience orgasm is of interest to scientists, clinicians, and laypeople. Whereas the origin and the function of a woman's orgasm remains controversial, the current models of sexual function acknowledge a combined role of central (spinal and cerebral) and peripheral processes during orgasm experience. At the central level, although it is accepted that the spinal cord drives orgasm, the cerebral involvement and cognitive representation of a woman's orgasm has not been extensively investigated. Important gaps in our knowledge remain. Recently, the astonishing advances of neuroimaging techniques applied in parallel with a neuropsychological approach allowed the unravelling of specific functional neuroanatomy of a woman's orgasm. Here, clinical and experimental findings on the cortico-subcortical pathway of a woman's orgasm are reviewed and compared with the neural basis of a man's orgasm. By defining the specific brain areas that sustain the assumed higher-order representation of a woman's orgasm, this review provides a foundation for future studies. The next challenge of functional imaging and neuropsychological studies is to understand the hierarchical interactions between these multiple cortical areas, not only with a correlation analysis but also with high spatio-temporal resolution techniques demonstrating the causal necessity, the temporal time course and the direction of the causality. Further studies using a multi-disciplinary approach are needed to identify the spatio-temporal dynamic of a woman's orgasm, its dysfunctions and possible new treatments.
Resumen (SPANISH TRANSLATION)
Este artículo explica algunos de los nuevos hallazgos sobre la sexualidad femenina,
la Respuesta Sexual Expandida (RSE) y los orgasmos prolongados–ampliados en
comparación con las descripciones de las antiguas filosofías tántricas y taoístas. El
orgasmo femenino y las «experiencias pico» femeninas tienen su adecuado
reconocimiento en la antigua literatura de la India, China y Extremo Oriente. Al igual
que los orgasmos tántricos, la respuesta sexual expandida se definió recientemente
como: la capacidad de alcanzar orgasmos de larga duración y/o prolongados y/o
múltiples y/o sostenidos y/o status orgasmus que dura más tiempo y es más intenso
que los patrones de orgasmos clásicos definidos en la literatura occidental. Occidente
empezó a comprender la verdadera naturaleza del orgasmo femenino en la segunda
mitad del siglo XX con el uso de métodos de investigación científicos objetivos y
Artículos atravesados por (o cuestionando) la idea del sujeto -y su género- como una construcción psicobiológica de la cultura.
Articles driven by (or questioning) the idea of the subject -and their gender- as a cultural psychobiological construction
Vol. 4 (2), 2019, abril-septiembre
ISSN 2469-0783
https://datahub.io/dataset/2019-4-2-e104
Tantra y los límites del potencial femenino en la respuesta sexual H. Ümit Sayin
Revista Científica Arbitrada de la Fundación MenteClara Vol. 4 (2) 2019, ISSN 2469-0783 204
racionales. En esta revisión se presentan descripciones detalladas de estos
fenómenos en el marco de investigaciones clínicas actuales.
Abstract
This article explains explains some of the novel findings on female sexuality, ESR and
prolonged–expanded orgasms, in comparison with the old Tantric and Taoist
philosophies. The female orgasm and the female “peak experiences” have their proper
recognition in the ancient literature of India, China and the Far East. Similar to
Tantric Orgasms, ESR (Expanded Sexual Response) has been defined recently as: the
capaciti able to attain long lasting and/or prolonged and/or multiple and/or
sustained orgasms and/or status orgasmus that lasted longer and more intense than
the classical orgasm patterns defined in the western literature. The West started to
understand the real nature of female orgasm in the second half of twentieth century
using objective and rational scientific investigation methods. This review presents
detailed descriptions of these phenomena in the context of current clinical research.
Palabras Claves: Tantra; respuesta sexual expandida; RSE; orgasmo femenino; status
orgasmus; orgasmo tántrico
Keywords: Tantra; expanded sexual response; ESR; female orgasm; status orgasmus;
tantric orgasm
Este artículo explica algunos de los nuevos hallazgos sobre la sexualidad femenina, la Respuesta Sexual Expandida (RSE) y los orgasmos prolongados–ampliados en comparación con las descripciones de las antiguas filosofías tántricas y taoístas. El orgasmo femenino y las «experiencias pico» femeninas tienen su adecuado reconocimiento en la antigua literatura de la India, China y Extremo Oriente. Al igual que los orgasmos tántricos, la respuesta sexual expandida se definió recientemente como: la capacidad de alcanzar orgasmos de larga duración y/o prolongados y/o múltiples y/o sostenidos y/o status orgasmus que dura más tiempo y es más intenso que los patrones de orgasmos clásicos definidos en la literatura occidental. Occidente empezó a comprender la verdadera naturaleza del orgasmo femenino en la segunda mitad del siglo XX con el uso de métodos de investigación científicos objetivos y racionales. En esta revisión se presentan descripciones detalladas de estos fenómenos en el marco de investigaciones clínicas actuales.
Orgasm itself, along with its specific psychodynamic, has stimulated few reflections and little research in the psychoanalytical field to date. In this regard, perspectives relating to orgasm are generally placed within a wider context covering desire, arousal and, of course, satisfaction. Freud himself seemed to show no particular or systematic interest in an orgasmic psychodynamic per se. This article, the aim of which is to consider the specific nature of orgasm, proposes a two-stage reflection. First, it considers the specific aspects of orgasm in order to arrive at a phenomenology of the orgasm itself-within a clearly defined framework. Second, it explains this phenomenology from a psychoanalytical point of view. These reflections lead us to suggest that while the erogenous zones in men and women respectively are at the root of the sexual arousal that leads to orgasm, it is most probably in fantasy that the female orgasm finds its major trigger. This is all the more relevant given that the existence of a real qualitative difference between clitoral and vaginal orgasm is now being challenged. This would tend to confirm the idea of a predominance of fantasy over bodily location, given that, quite clearly, it is not possible to attribute the former role to a precise area of the body. In this respect, only the analytical process is able to lead us to the primary sources of orgasmic problems-both male and female-and, above all, to reconstruct the origin of a satisfactory or unsatisfactory orgasm.
This paper attempts to delineate the role of masturbation in female sexual development and function. There is little on this topic in the literature of any discipline. Long after medical and religious taboos against masturbation in human males gave way to more enlightened scientific and humanistic attitudes, masturbation in the female was felt to be somehow not right. The prevailing point of view seemed to be that psychologically healthy girls and women do not practice genital self-stimulation as a rule. Like so many other aspects of female sexual development, the entire subject has been obscure and myth-ridden.
Der klassische psychoanalytische Ansatz über die psychosexuelle Entwicklung der Frau, wie er uns von Freud nahegebracht wird, zeichnet sich besonders dadurch aus, daß der Frau eine spezifische, primär weibliche Entwicklung abgesprochen wird. Es ist interessant, daß Freud, obgleich ein wesentlicher Teil seiner Patienten Frauen waren und die psychosexuelle Entwicklung eine Zentralachse seiner Theoriebildung ist, eine vollständige Theorie im Grunde nur für das männliche Kind formuliert hat und selbst wiederholt vom Geheimnis des Weiblichen gesprochen hat. Verkürzt lassen sich seine Ausführungen über die Entwicklung des kleinen Mädchens etwa folgendermaßen referieren: Die frühe Triebentwicklung des Mädchens sei der des kleinen Jungen gleichzusetzen. Nach Durchlaufen der oralen und analen Phase erreiche es ebenfalls die genitale Phase, in der die erogene Zone die Klitoris sei. Diese werde vom Mädchen als unzureichender Penis erlebt, eine libidinöse Besetzung der Vagina gebe es nicht, weil diese bis zur Pubertät im Erleben des Mädchens nicht existent sei. In der sog. phallischen Phase sei das Mädchen gezwungen, seine Kastration und die damit verbundene Minderwertigkeit zu akzeptieren. Es entwickele einen Kastrationskomplex und den daran gekoppelten Penisneid. Es gebe sehr häufig die Masturbation auf, da seine klitoridale Minderwertigkeit eine allzu große narzißtische Kränkung sei.
Despite decades of research, the neurophysiology of orgasm remains unknown. Animal models with the urethrogenital reflex in rats and facial expressions of orgasm in macaques have provided remarkable contributions, but the models can only explain a part of the overall perceptual experience of orgasm in humans. Human studies on the other hand have mostly focused on subjective reports, and while a few instruments have been developed (but seldom used), the distinction between orgasm and intense sexual pleasure has not always been demonstrated. Recent advances in functional imagery have further contributed to our understanding of orgasm, but a final comprehensive model bringing together all the findings and explaining the neurophysiology of orgasm is still lacking. This paper reviews the literature on orgasm, from animal studies to human data, including those from men and women with spinal cord lesions who offer a natural experimental model to study climax. The data lead us to propose a model of orgasm as a non-pathological analog of autonomic hyperreflexia (AHR), involving a sympathetic storm arising from genital stimulation and triggering genital, autonomic, and muscular responses that are normally submitted to immediate and massive supraspinal inhibition (thereby leaving only the pleasurable experience of orgasm). The model is consistent with the physiological recordings of orgasm in men and women, the neurophysiology of ejaculation in men, and data from functional imagery and from clinical conditions involving unexplained reports of orgasm, in particular from prostatectomized men, prepuberal boys, women in labor, women who suffered sexual abuse, and individuals complaining of orgasmic cephalgia.
The sexual development of adolescent boys is closely tied to masturbation. Erotic fantasies are used to work through conflicts concerning sexuality and gender. These fantasies may be extended, enriched, and socialized through a variety of means, including interactions with peers, various cultural means, and pornography. Adolescents also commonly defend against awareness of these conflicts by denying their significance and conceptualizing them as mere stimulants or concomitants of physiologic arousal. Internet pornography provides a particularly powerful means by which some adolescents can disguise or obliterate the meaning of personal masturbation fantasies and so be spared the anxiety associated with the fantasies and their conflicted meaning.
Four women in analysis who experienced childhood orgasm are described, providing a contribution where sparse clinical data exist to date. My observations support the likelihood that childhood orgasm is a normal female potential, occurring spontaneously in some girls. Such experiences and associated fantasies may contribute to healthy female self-esteem and body image, to character development, and to pleasurable adult sexual functioning. In other girls, childhood orgasm precipitated by abuse, overstimulation, or severe conflict may result in rigid psychopathological defenses, sexual dysfunctions, or avoidance.
A random sample of 100 undergraduate women were interviewed about their subjective sexual experience. Sexual sensations during masturbation, oral sex, intercourse, and intercourse with concurrent clitoral massage were summarized and differentiated. Sensations labeled "orgasm" by a majority of the subjects were identified, and the suggestion was made that experiences other than that outlined by Masters and Johnson may be considered orgasmic by women in a more general population. Some support was found for Singer and Singer's typology of orgasm at a subjective level. Most subjects who experienced multiple orgasms found them no more satisfying than single ones. Clitoral and vaginal orgasms may be distinguished subjectively, but no clear preference for one or the other emerged from a consensus of the subjects. Orgasm rate was significantly related (p less than 0.001) to satisfaction during intercourse and oral sex, but not during masturbation. Some evidence was found supporting the role of social learning in developing sensitivity in the clitoris and vagina and possibly the breasts.
It has generally been assumed that a male's experience of orgasm is different from a female's experience of orgasm. In this study, a questionnaire consisting of 48 description of orgasm (24 male and 24 female) was submitted to 70 judges. These professionals (obstetrician-gynecologists, psychologists and medical students) were to sex-identify the description to discover whether sex differences could be detected. The judges could not correctly identify the sex of the person describing an orgasm. Furthermore, none of the three professional groups represented in the sample of judges did better than any of the other groups. Male judges did no better than female judges and vice versa. These findings suggest that the experience of orgasm for males and females is essentially the same.
This paper reports on a 195-subject pilot study of female sexual responses. The questionnaire used in the study is described, and the data obtained are discussed and integrated with established research and theory. Discussion focuses on the relatively low frequency with which women actually experience orgasm in sexual relations and the need to understand the reasons for this phenomenon. The concept of the normality of this varied capacity for orgasm is presented in contrast to the usual tendency to evaluate female responses by male standards. Several sexual patterns and different types of orgasms in the female are identified, and the relationship between the type of responses perceived and various other factors is discussed. Responses indicated that, on the average, the strength and degree of gratification provided by an orgasm is not related to the method of induction or to the subjective localization of the pulsating sensations.
The development of one aspect of feeling female is hypothesized to account for certain phenomena in the treatment of young women patients. Fear of loss of genital pleasure experienced as contractions of the anal and genital-urinary sphincters is seen as the central issue in conflicts manifested in genital, oral, and anal modalities. It is suggested that the female's awareness of her genital arises from the generalization of sphincter sensation in the little girl, which is then represented in the body image. The body image is postulated as a link between genital pleasure and the valuing of femininity.
The case of a woman who felt repulsed by the sexual act is described in detail. This case study illustrates an eclectic hypnotherapeutic technique (hypno-emotive approach to psychotherapy) that integrates elements of experiential therapies, Gestalt therapy, the cognitive behavioral approach, and a modification of rational stage directed hypnotherapy. The technique combines imagery with elements of the therapeutic methods named above during a state of deep muscle relaxation and facilitates a feeling of self-enhancement and experiential insight. The different stages of the hypno-emotive approach to psychotherapy are: psychoeducational explanation, focusing, attending to somatic manifestation of ongoing feelings, deep muscle relaxation, hypnotic imagery, and hypno-emotive replication.
Freudian theory linking emotional development with somatic correlates has not been shown to explain certain phenomena from the laboratory and from clinical experience. Comparative studies, however, suffer from problems in methodology. Population samples may be biased by an absence of women more likely to be frigid, interview methods are emotionally superficial even though apparently comprehensive, and reliability and validity studies are generally not done. However, on the basis of these studies neurotic personality appears to be associated with sexual fears. Higher social class and younger age group are associated with less inhibition. Relationship to past personal experiences is more controversial, and there is less support for this hypothesis in comparative studies. Marital happiness appears to form a motivation for adaptation between partners. Successful treatment of frigidity has been accomplished by many forms of psychotherapy, including behavior therapy. In all types, nonconsummation has been very successfully treated, while treatment of orgasmic inadequacy has been disappointing. The absence of any comparative trials and the effects of self-selection of patients (especially in retraining schemes) make it impossible to compare the efficacies of treatment. Attention should be drawn to the similarity of nonconsummation to a phobic state and orgasmic inadequacy to a state of hysterical dissociation. This similarity would lead to an expectation, theoretically, of better results with behavior therapy and methods of desensitization and retraining.
The evolution of Freud's theory of instinctual drives, with the accompanying models of a mental apparatus, is remarkable for its tenacious adherence to addressing the fundamental problems of human psychology, here phrased as the problems of body-mind-environment relationships. The concept of instinctual drives continues to be one of the most pervasive concepts of psychoanalysis, weathering considerable attack over the last several decades, although losing some clarity in the process. I have cited and discussed as basic issues of the concept of instinctual drives: the relationship of observational data and theoretical constructs in psychology; whether our construct of drives is or should be or can be purely psychological; the problem of conceptualizing the ontogenetic origin of mind; the issues of the "force-meaning conjunction" and the problem of psychic energy in psychoanalytic constructs; and the relation of our concept of instinctual drives to the concept of instincts in general. It seems that progress with these fundamental issues might be made by utilizing models that are more homologous with present knowledge in related fields than is Freud's reflex arc model of the nervous system, in order to build a better drive construct within the framework of psychoanalysis. The classification of instinctual drives remains a problem. Clinically, aggression seems to be a factor in conflict, very much like sexuality. Despite widespread acceptance of the idea of aggression as simply parallel to sexuality in all respects, there are major discrepancies. Perhaps aggression cannot be viewed as a drive after all; perhaps our drive construct needs to be modified to accommodate aggression. Certainly, controversy in this area has interfered with the production of good clinical studies which could begin to increase our understanding of aggression and its place in the human personality. The psychoanalytic theory of drive development has probably undergone less change in the last forty years than other aspects of drive theory, although careful observational work has led to alterations of our views of the age of onset of genital awareness, of female sexual development and function, and of the latency period. This is the conclusion of the first of two papers examining the post-Freud development of the theory of instinctual drives in psychoanalysis. The companion paper follows on p. 402 of this issue of The Psychoanalytic Quarterly.
This critical review presents a synthesis of the available theoretical and empirical literatures on human orgasm. Findings from both normal and clinical human populations are included. Two major trends in the literature, the dichotomization of biological and psychological perspectives and the assumption of gender differences, are highlighted. A new multidimensional model of the psychological experience of orgasm is described with a view to futhering a biopsychological approach applicable to both sexes. Clinical applications of this new model are discussed.
Orgasm itself, along with its specific psychodynamic, has stimulated few reflections and little research in the psychoanalytical field to date. In this regard, perspectives relating to orgasm are generally placed within a wider context covering desire, arousal and, of course, satisfaction. Freud himself seemed to show no particular or systematic interest in an orgasmic psychodynamic per se. This article, the aim of which is to consider the specific nature of orgasm, proposes a two-stage reflection. First, it considers the specific aspects of orgasm in order to arrive at a phenomenology of the orgasm itself--within a clearly defined framework. Second, it explains this phenomenology from a psychoanalytical point of view. These reflections lead us to suggest that while the erogenous zones in men and women respectively are at the root of the sexual arousal that leads to orgasm, it is most probably in fantasy that the female orgasm finds its major trigger. This is all the more relevant given that the existence of a real qualitative difference between clitoral and vaginal orgasm is now being challenged. This would tend to confirm the idea of a predominance of fantasy over bodily location, given that, quite clearly, it is not possible to attribute the former role to a precise area of the body. In this respect, only the analytical process is able to lead us to the primary sources of orgasmic problems--both male and female--and, above all, to reconstruct the origin of a satisfactory or unsatisfactory orgasm.
A hybrid control scheme is proposed that combines the advantages of various artificial intelligence technologies to better model and control transient behavior of a nonlinear system, even as its parameters are modified, via the ability to extract the cause of a change in a system's outputs. Appropriate techniques are developed for all stages of the development process, in an effort to reduce the amount of recalibration necessary by using a similar approach each time
This book examines the essential dynamics of the interpersonal situation involved in a two-party contract or--to use the word preferred by Dr. Maxwell Gitelson--compact. The author applies these dynamic principles to the psychoanalytic treatment situation, pointing out the pressures and values which can be mobilized to favor communication by the patient to the listening therapist and the extent to which these are followed by gratifications and frustrations which alter the balance in such a way as to determine a progressive course. If the reader will note the topics of the chapters listed he will observe that the reactions of both patient and therapist to each other in the interactive process or compact are carried systematically and successively to a point where separation of the contractees is logical. This over-all view will permit us to examine such familiar phenomena as transference, regression, resistance, interpretation, and so on in a perspective which gives them a clearer meaning. It will be objected that this sharpness or clarity involves certain distortions or misrepresentations, dependent upon oversimplification. But this is the perennial dilemma of the teacher: the teaching of facts and figures versus the teaching of truth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This first English edition of "Drei Abhandlungen zur Sexualtheorie" has been translated by James Strachey. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The basic principles of psychoanalytic therapy, the technique of psychoanalysis, and the general and specific problems encountered in clinical practice are briefly presented by the author. 203-item bibliography. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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