Study: Orgasm is a Model of Sexual Trance and Climax Through Rhythmic Pleasure
The key to orgasm is all in the rhythm, according to a study published in the journal Socioaffective Neuroscience and Psychology.
Previously, to study human orgasm, scientists mainly focused on the root of this extreme sexual pleasure. Now, this new study has probed a somewhat less explored area of human orgasm: how orgasms affect the brain.
Although our reasons for copulation may vary, the common goal of having sex is always reaching an orgasm (or orgasms).
Regarded as the paradigm of sexual pleasure for both men and women, orgasm is one of the most intense pleasures attainable to an organism. It is the sudden release of amassed sexual excitement during the sexual reaction cycle, resulting in rhythmic muscular convulsions in the pelvic region and usually accompanied by the ejaculation of semen in the male and by vaginal contractions in the female.
During orgasm, a person may experience an increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure and heavy breathing.
This sexual trance is controlled by the involuntary or autonomic nervous system. Often, an orgasm may follow other involuntary acts, such as muscular spasms in various regions of the body, a general ecstasy and, commonly, body movements and seductive words or hissing noise.
In women, this fiery, blissful release of sexual tension is accompanied by contractions of the genital muscles. If a woman is continuously stimulated, she may experience multiple orgasms, while a small percentage of women may ejaculate — a clear fluid spurting from glands (known as Skene’s glands) located close to the urethra during extreme sexual arousal or during orgasm.
While the signs and feelings of an orgasm are obvious, the hidden mechanisms of this sexual reaction — especially its neurophysiological effects — are not known.
Numerous studies conducted in the past had differing views on orgasm, for example, famous sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey once described orgasm as “the crescendo, climax, and sudden stillness achieved by an orchestra of human emotions … an explosion of tensions, and to sneezing.”
Study author Adam Safron, Ph.D., of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, also notes that the majority of studies conducted on orgasm has focused on its evolutionary functions.
For this new study, Dr Safron aimed to draw a clear picture of how the human orgasm affects the brain. He analyzed a wealth of studies and literature that have examined the brain and body’s response to sexual stimulation.
Safron created a model using this information hoping it would shed light on how rhythmic sexual activity affects rhythmic activity in the brain.
He explains that if rhythmic sexual stimulation is intense enough and lasts long enough, it can magnify neural oscillations at correlating frequencies, in a process called “neural entrainment.” Dr. Safron says this process may be responsible for what he describes as a “sexual trance,” where our brain’s only focus is on the immediate sensation experienced.
“The idea that sexual experiences can be like trance states is in some ways ancient. Turns out this idea is supported by modern understandings of neuroscience,” he says.
“In theory, this could change the way people view their sexuality. Sex is a source of pleasurable sensations and emotional connection, but beyond that, it’s actually an altered state of consciousness.”
On an interesting note, Safron drew similarities between orgasms and reflex seizures, stating that both of these experiences can be activated by rhythmic stimulation that prompts rhythmic activity in the brain.
Furthermore, Dr Safron discovered something more amazing; he found that the brains reaction to rhythmic sexual stimulation is comparable to the way it responds to rhythmic music and dance.
“[…] although obvious in retrospect, I wasn’t expecting to find that sexual activity was so similar to music and dance, not just in the nature of the experiences, but also in that evolutionarily, rhythm-keeping ability may serve as a test of fitness for potential mates,” he says.
He emphasizes that rhythmic music and dance have been a crucial part of mating for hundreds of millions of years, and his findings are proven by this fact.
