4.1: Introduction to Pleasure, Sexual Arousal and Response
After completing this module, students should have a working knowledge of:
- What pleasure is
- Stigma and pleasure seeking
- How culture shapes and constricts sexual pleasure
- How to tap into pleasurable things in life without regret
- The role of the brain in sexual arousal and response
- The sexual response cycle by William Masters and Virginia Johnson
- The importance of Alfred Kinsey’s work and at the Kinsey Institute
- Current work on arousal done by sex researcher Emily Nagoski
Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise? That I dance like I’ve got diamonds at the meeting of my thighs?
Maya Angelou, Still I Rise
Introduction
This chapter will explore the topic of pleasure and sexual arousal. More specifically, what turns you on or provides you pleasure of any kind. What do you desire, and how did you learn this was something you wanted? Is it the sight of an attractive person, a smell you find particularly appealing, or the taste of something silky and delicious? Is it being touched in just the right way or that particular song that gets you in the mood? Or is none of this something you find pleasurable? Whatever it is, our minds, influenced by our surroundings, hold the key to understanding our pleasure. The mind is our largest sex organ, and it can either accelerate our desires or bring them to a screeching halt.
How we become aroused and whether or not it involves physical embodiment is different for each and every one of us, but the pursuit of pleasure in various forms is intrinsic to the human condition. We are pleasure seekers and the sooner we acknowledge and embrace this, our lives become much fuller. Giving into pleasure is not a bad thing, it is part of radical self-love. In this chapter, we will unpack the notion of pleasure and some ways in which society constricts us from enjoying ourselves. Our goal is to eliminate those constraints and find our way to feeling joy. We will also explore some of the science behind sexual arousal and the mind-body connection. Specifically, the ways in which external factors, coupled with how our minds respond to those factors, either enhance or hinder our arousal.
Circe’s House
Bodies entwined floating over water. Gurgling, is that my stomach or the waterbed where our bodies lay tangled in dirty sheets. Scents of cheap beer and marijuana wafting through the house into your roommates room. I feel special that you selected me. So much to learn and inhabit. I am outside of myself watching as we slosh around, your strawberry blond curls brushed against my trembling body. So unsure of what’s to come and thankful that it is over.
- Anonymous