When most people think of orgasms, what the French call le petit mort, they usually center on an idea of something that happens when at least one person reaches sexual climax in the context of arousal.
For men this culminates in ejaculation; for women it’s an intense stimulation from within the vagina (colloquially known as the “G-spot”) and/or the sensitive nerve endings of the clitoris. Even when we bring ourselves to orgasm through masturbation, we may find ourselves harkening back to previous sexual experiences that were enjoyable, watching pornography or thinking of our dream man, lady or some combination thereof.
While these methods of achieving “the big event” are tried and true, it is possible to achieve orgasm from other, seemingly nonsexual behaviors.
Many of us have heard of people who get their sexual kicks through a variety of different kinks and fetishes, especially if you have seen TLC’s show “Strange Sex.”
It turns out that due to a variety of reasons, some people get turned on by foot stimulation, blowing up and popping balloons (balloon fetishists go by the term looners if you’re interested), dressing up as animals and other creatures (a subculture of the “furry fandom”) and even images of cartoon pornography, the oldest form of porn. One could spend days, weeks, even years trying to find out all the different manifestations of fetishes in human populations.
However strange we may find some of them, fetishes are only one piece to the orgasm puzzle.
In a 2009 entry on the research blog scientopia.org, a soon-to-be viral case of a 41-year-old woman who achieved orgasm from brushing her teeth was explained.
While some of us may jump at the chance to achieve orgasm in this type of way (what could be a more convenient way of assuring dental hygiene?) the woman was not so excited about the ordeal.
Apparently, the orgasmic episodes brought upon momentary lapses in consciousness, much like seizures as a result of epilepsy disorder. Luckily, when the woman underwent testing she was diagnosed as epileptic, given medication and her orgasm-induced seizures became a thing of the past.
Additionally, in an article posted on theverge.com in June of 2013, a phenomenon called Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) was exposed.
According to those who have experienced ASMR, similar feelings of wellbeing and cranial tingles are present whenever they get a haircut, are checked for lice or have makeup applied to their faces by others.
In some cases these feelings can manifest themselves simply by watching these things happen to others, either in person or on video. This has led certain innocently made YouTube videos to skyrocket in their popularity due to their ability to induce what the ASMR community likes to refer to as “head orgasms.”
There are also ways of achieving orgasm through childbirth, yawning, exercise and yoga.
While many of these strange sources of orgasmic experiences can be attributed to neuropsychological differences between people, sometimes it’s just a matter of relaxing and opening oneself up to the possibility of orgasm through unconventional means.
Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, you’ll find subtle differences appear in your morning routine which could have the ability to perk up your entire day, both in and outside the bedroom.
