Types of Orgasms

In my last post, I mentioned that people have at times argued that some sources of sexual stimulation are better than others, from Freud’s attack on clitoral orgasms as “immature” to modern feminist attacks on vaginal orgasms as symbols of female subjugation. My own view is that the location of the stimulus is irrelevant as long as it feels good, and that politicizing body parts or telling people that one kind of sex is “better” or more “mature” or more “liberated” than another is pretty silly.

From our point of view as we try to understand what is going on during Tantric sex, it is much more important to talk instead about how orgasms differ according to their length, intensity, periodicity, and the perceived location or spread of the “accumulated sexual tension” that an orgasm releases. These are the different types described by the experienced Tantrics I interviewed:

Simple orgasm:  A single “peak,” typically including 5-10 pelvic spasms in twenty seconds or less; generally perceived as being located in the genital area.

Dry orgasm:  A male orgasm (of any of these types) without ejaculation; dry orgasms can happen naturally, but are often the result of a man deliberately avoiding ejaculation.

Foreshock:  A less-intense orgasm, often one of a series, experienced as part of the build-up to a stronger orgasm, especially when practicing extended arousal and delayed orgasm; in men, foreshocks are dry orgasms, and are usually the result of intentionally blocking ejaculation.

Aftershock:  A less-intense orgasm experienced after a major orgasm, often part of a diminishing series separated by no more than 30 seconds; in men, these are often natural dry orgasms after ejaculation and may occur in spite of the partial softening of the erection.

Multiple orgasms:  Two or more orgasms in a row, with definite intervals between them; each interval is usually at least 30 seconds and often several minutes, and the level of arousal dips between orgasms, but without ever dropping below the level of “moderately aroused.”

Continuous orgasm/Extended orgasm:  Like a string of simple orgasms with very brief intervals between them and no drop in level of arousal; once started, these can just keep going … and going … and going!

Pelvic (or two-chakra) orgasm:  An orgasm of any of the above types that is more powerful than normal and feels like it is coming from the whole pelvic area.

Three- or four-chakra orgasm:  Like a pelvic orgasm, but perceived as even more powerful and as coming from an area extending from the genitals to the abdomen (three chakra) or the chest (four chakra).

Full-body orgasm:  Like a pelvic orgasm, but perceived as still more powerful and as involving the whole body, or at least the whole torso and head.

Multi-chakra orgasm:  Any of the previous three types; any powerful orgasm that seems to originate from an area that includes more than just the genitals.

Blended orgasm:  Any orgasm that results from stimulation of more than one type or more than one region, or both; e.g., an orgasm that results from both clitoral and vaginal stimulation, or by stimulation of the clitoris and vulva by mouth, fingers, and vibrator.

Tantric orgasm:  Any blended orgasm or series of orgasms of unusual length or intensity that comes after a deliberately extended period of arousal, often accompanied by meditation and visualization techniques.

The Difference Tantra Makes

None of the men and only a handful of the women I interviewed had experienced anything besides a simple orgasm before learning Tantra. Almost half of the women said they had never had an orgasm during simple, vaginal sex with any partner before beginning Tantra, and only five said they had ever experienced multiple orgasms.

By comparison, all of the women, even those who had never had an orgasm with a partner before, now often experience extended orgasms, multiple orgasms, or multi-chakra (pelvic or greater) orgasms during Tantric sex, often in combination. About half also experience either unusually prolonged orgasms (an extended orgasm lasting five minutes or more), or full-body orgasms, or both, at least occasionally.

All of the men also regularly experience multi-chakra orgasms, and about half have experienced a full-body orgasm at least once, but only about half have at least occasionally experienced multiple or extended orgasms, and only about a third regularly experience multiple orgasms. None have ever experienced an unusually prolonged orgasm.

(In standard vaginal sex, it’s the women who are often left hanging when their partners reach orgasm first, so perhaps it’s only fair that the women are more likely to have multiple or extended orgasms during Tantric sex and are the only ones who get to experience non-stop waves of orgasms!)

More than half of the couples described their pre-Tantra sex life as pretty good, good, or excellent. They all saw Tantra as a natural next step, a way to enrich something that was already working for them. The rest of the couples said their pre-Tantra sex life was fair or poor or “having problems.” These couples came to Tantra to find a cure for their problems and they generally credit that decision with saving, or at least vastly improving, their relationships and/or their sex lives.