How to Experience Different Types of Orgasm
Penda N’diaye is a writer and the founder of Pro Hoe, an organization focused on decolonizing sexuality and pleasure. You can hear her on the Pro Hoe podcast and read an earlier Q&A with her on goop. Here, she reports on six different types of orgasms.
Orgasms are as varied as the people who have them. They can range in intensity, frequency, and sensation. There are blended orgasms and energetic orgasms, and for some of us, there’s squirting.
Of course, orgasms are not the be-all and end-all of every sexual experience. Sex tends to be more fun when you can engage without too much expectation or pressure to achieve a specific sexual milestone. Take the time to explore what feels good to you and remain open to your body’s pleasure potential.
Energetic Orgasms
An energetic orgasm transcends your genitals and may be the most mind-blowing form of orgasm. What does it feel like? An ecstatic, natural high.
Unlike genital-focused orgasms that happen when your muscles tense up while aroused and then release through ejaculation, energetic orgasms swirl and build throughout your body.
“When shared with a lover, an energetic orgasm can be felt moving between the two people, like waves in the ocean, swirling and gushing and moving together,” says sexologist Juliet Allen. “No genitals or bodies need to be physically touching for this type of orgasm to happen. In fact, more often than not, they happen when [people are] fully clothed.”
If you’re new to energetic orgasms, focus on energy gathering in your genitals while you’re aroused. Then, says Allen, “breathe in and visualize the energy moving up the chakras all the way to your crown. Breathe out, and visualize it dispersing through every cell of your body. And repeat.”
Blended Orgasms
The more pleasure spots you discover, the more pleasure you’ll experience. Blended orgasms happen when a mix of different sensations leads up to a satisfying climax.
Licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex therapist Shadeen Francis says that when most people think about blended orgasms, they think about stimulating the clitoris internally and externally at the same time. “But because our bodies are an interconnected system of senses and erogenous zones that can lead to orgasm, all of your pleasure points count,” she says.
For a blended orgasm experience, first start with an erogenous zone that consistently brings you to orgasm—like your clitoris—and then simultaneously incorporate touch, pressure, suction, or toys in another area—like your nipples—as your arousal builds. To experiment with multiple sensations, try tools like a double-sided dildo for anal and vaginal penetration or one for vaginal and clitoral stimulation. Explore gradually if you like; you may find the pleasure more overwhelming or sensational as more nerve pathways are engaged.
Multiple Orgasms
One orgasm is plenty for some of us. And for others, multiple orgasms can be a testament to great sex. Either way, it’s generally beneficial not to zero in on the numbers.
“Achievement and goal-oriented sex are some of the ways to ensure orgasms don’t happen or don’t happen in the way we’d like them to,” says sex therapist Kamil Lewis. “Try to take it much slower and become more present-focused.”
The key to multiple orgasms is to home in on your emotional, mental, and physical state while experiencing pleasure. You’re setting the stage for concurrent orgasms to unfold. (Does that sound like school? Once you’re on a roll, you’ll thank yourself for the mental hard work.)
Sensory-oriented methods can help you become connected to yourself and your partners. Try making eye contact, breathing rhythmically and in sync, or experimenting with sensory deprivation, like blindfolding or handcuffing. With solo play, adding vibrators into the mix after one orgasm gives you control over your recovery—and over when you rev up for more. “Once you experience an orgasm, give yourself time to come into your body, move positions, and keep the exploration going,” Lewis says.
Squirter Orgasms
Squirting involves vaginal ejaculation of a sticky-ish fluid that can range from a few drops to a powerful waterfall.
“Many people experience squirting orgasms in response to G-zone stimulation along the upper wall of the vagina,” says Jess O’Reilly, PhD, host of the Sex with Dr. Jess Podcast. “The pressure against the urethral sponge combined with a bearing-down sensation often results in fluid explosion.”
Whether your squirt is just a dribble or enough to make you gasp in awe that your body just did that: You’re normal, you’re great.
Prostate Orgasms
The more willing you are to explore your erogenous zones, the more likely you are to intensify your orgasms—naturally, that goes for people with prostates, too. Prostate orgasms are described as being more robust and full-bodied than penile stimulation alone. During prostate stimulation, the male G-spot’s muscular and gland tissues surround the urethra and swell before a powerful orgasm.
A common misconception is that your prostate is inside of your rectum, but in reality, the sensitive area is next to your rectum, just beyond the anal canal.
“The prostate is somewhat conical in shape and sits in the pelvic cavity between the bladder and the pelvic floor,” says O’Reilly. “Thanks to its slightly alkaline fluid, it helps carry and support sperm and is also a source of undeniable sexual pleasure.”
You can stimulate the prostate internally and externally by using your fingers, a toy, or a penis. Before you start, lube is an absolute must for long-lasting wetness and comfort. If you are exploring internally, use fingers or a penis to play with depth and circular motions. To find the prostate, go a few inches inside the anal canal and feel for something about the size of a walnut. Gradually increase speed using your fingers with a “come hither” motion toward the belly button.
With a toy or solo play, find a comfortable position and focus on external stimulation by pressing against the perineum—the area of skin between the balls and anus—with different vibrations and pressure.
Fantasy Orgasms
Can an orgasm be achieved by mere brain power? According to neuroscientist Barry Komisaruk, PhD, and his team at Rutgers University, it’s rare but possible. Using MRI technology—unavailable to early sex researchers—they have observed the brain’s reaction during fantasy orgasms.
Komisaruk’s team worked with women who said they were able to have fantasy orgasms—orgasms from self-induced imagery alone—and found that fantasy orgasms produced the same emotional and physical changes as orgasms from genital stimulation. Both types of orgasm showed similar increases in blood pressure and heart rate.
Try listening to sexy audio stories that set the mood and spark the imagination from Dipsea, reading erotic novels, or conjuring up imagery from past pleasurable memories to explore fantasy orgasms.