There are those who have claimed that men can learn to have multiple orgasms, and are quick to point out that for a male, an orgasm is not the same as an ejaculation. This is not new and the concept has been useful for years in describing the sexual experience and response of men with spinal cord injuries. A man without sensation, say below his chest, could have a physical ejaculation without experiencing the usual emotional counterpart. That is, the mechanical muscular spasms that propel the ejaculate out the end of the penis could occur, but in the absence of physical sensations from the pelvic area, the man would have no awareness of this response and would not experience the psychological excitement of orgasm. Ejaculation is physical, orgasm is mental. A man with a spinal cord injury might psychologically, therefore, experience an erotic high that he identifies as his orgasm, but this mental event is totally independent of what is happening with his penis. Thus, men can have an ejaculation without an orgasm and an orgasm without an ejaculation. However, this is usually the consequence of serious central nervous system damage.
Sexuality researcher Dr. Beverly Whipple, who coauthored The G-Spot, published a case study of a man with "multiple ejaculatory orgasms." Along with colleagues Dyers and Komisaruk, she studied a 35 year old man who, while wired to a computer, experienced six full ejaculations/orgasms within a period of 36 minutes. The study, reported in 1998 in the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, included the subject's comment that he typically could do better at home. These researchers were careful to identify these multiple peak experiences as ejaculatory orgasms. Both the physical and psychological events occurred simultaneously. Although using the word "multiple," this is not the same usage as others who have claimed that men can learn to be multiply orgasmic. It should be noted also that this man reported that he was able to ejaculate with full feeling from the age of about 15, and it is unlikely that it is something he had learned.
I will admit to a fair amount of skepticism in response to claims that the majority of men are able to learn to be multiply orgasmic. It was probably around 15 years ago that the California based sex therapy team of William Harman and Marilyn Fithian published a book titled Any Man Can: The Multiple Orgasmic Technique for Every Loving Man. That book had been out of print for years. Skeptic that I am, I tend to question any promised sure-fire technique for something most men would likely want to learn... but then see that the book subsequently fade from public interest and go out of print. The original Joy of Sex was printed and reprinted for many years until finally replace recently by a revised edition. The same is true of the women's health book Our Bodies, Ourselves. It was around for years before being updated and re-released. Valuable useful information tends to survive.
I need to be fair and acknowledge a principal I have often preached. That truism states: "Even those who consider themselves to be experts in the field of sexuality must assume that there might still be something new to discover." A corollary principal of mine states: "Even though something old has gone unnoticed, this does not mean it is untrue... particularly when it comes to sex." Witness the rediscovery of a sensitive area inside the vagina that was first identified in 1950 by Ernst Grafenberg. This sensitive area received little attention until Ladas, Whipple and Perry rediscovered it and, in 1982, published The G Spot (which has now been translated into 19 languages). It is also true that our discovery of something new or rediscovery of something old might be more likely if we step outside the "medical model," or move beyond our "Western thinking." With this in mind, I would like to refer to you a couple of books.
First, however, let me tell you of two other books that are certainly within our Western concept of the mind and body. In 1997, Susan Joiner's book An Everlasting Lover: How One Couple Learns the Secret of a Multi-Orgasmic Man appeared on the bookshelves and is still being sold by amazon.com. One year later we saw the publication of How to Make Love All Night (and Drive a Woman Wild): Male Multiple Orgasm and Secrets for Prolonged Lovemaking, by Barbara Kessling and Susanne Jaffee. This book also is still on the amazon.com list.
In 1997 there was another book written, this one however employing the lessons of Taoist sexuality. The Multi-Orgasmic Man is selling very well on amazon.com, outdoing the other books on the topic. Douglas Abrams, coauthor of this book, and his wife Rachel Carlton Abrams, a family practice physician, have written a follow-up book titled The Multi-Orgasmic Couple. Dr. Abrams definitions of male orgasm and male ejaculation differ a bit from what I had stated above, and this is true for most writers on the topic of male multiple orgasms among neurologically intact males. When Dr. Abrams writes of men learning to become multiply orgasmic, her concept of the distinction is as follows: "Orgasm is the peak experience that we have during sex during which we feel intense pelvic and bodily contractions, increased heart rate and breathing among other things." It would appear that she is saying there is a strong psychological erotic awareness that is accompanied with physical muscular contractions. She then states, "Ejaculation is simply a body reflex - like when the doctor taps your knee - during which the semen is ejected from the body." Dah... help me with this one Doc... isn't it the intense pelvic and bodily contractions that in fact propels the ejaculate out through the penis? A man with a spinal cord injury will have a "body reflex" with no sensation, but his body is contracting... he's just not feeling it.
The authors of The Multi-Orgasmic Couple state their book is "For couples interested in intimacy as much as sexuality and love-making..." They tell us that their "inspirational and sexy love guide... equips couples with everything they need to:"
Cultivate desire and celebrate passion
Harmonize two distinct sexual temperaments to more deeply satisfy and pleasure one another
Experience multiple, longer, and more intense whole-body orgasms
Channel sexual energy to improve health, stimulate creativity, and increase longevity
Practice "soul-mating" to achieve a profound and tangible spiritual union.
It is claimed that "Erotic and instructive, intimate and witty, this guide, complete with sensual and instructional line drawings by the artist who illustrated The Joy of Sex books, demystifies classic Taoist principles and practices for fully realizing sexual potential and creating deeper, more fulfilling relationships." The authors promise that "Couples will savor the experience of mastering the art of making love - and making love last."
Dr. Beverly Whipple, coauthor of The G Spot states, "These authors bring together eastern and western knowledge in a way that focuses on the process and pleasures of lovemaking."
All three of the self-help books for men hoping to learn to become multi-orgasmic are available from amazon.com.
