Orgasmic Meditation Uses Sexual Touch to Enhance the Experience

Most people have heard about research suggesting that consistent meditation can relieve stress and anxiety and make you more productive. Meditation is probably better known for inducing a calming, relaxing state. Some people even add orgasms.

Yes, there are some meditation proponents who take a relatively big step further by incorporating orgasms, which could represent another stress-relieving and relaxing physiological event.

The purpose of orgasmic meditation—or "OM," as its devotees refer to it—is not only sexual, either. Rather, the idea is to provide a more profound meditative experience.

"Supposedly, the goal is not orgasm but a meditative state in both the person receiving the stimulation and the person stimulating," said Tom Ingegno, D.A.C.M., an acupuncturist, trained meditation expert and owner of Charm City Integrative Health in Baltimore.

Meditation and sex both have many benefits for the body and mind, so it may be tempting to combine them.

In this case, a person with a clitoris meditates while another individual strokes the upper left quadrant of the clitoris for about 15 minutes with a gloved and lubricated finger. The person being stroked is supposed to focus on their body's sensations without trying to climax, though that is the eventual goal of the exercise.

The company most closely associated with orgasmic meditation was OneTaste, an organization that rebranded in 2018 in the wake of controversy and an FBI investigation. Its founder was charged with federal forced labor violations in June 2023. She pleaded not guilty.

With such contention, it's difficult to know whether orgasmic meditation or its related methods are even worth trying. However, if you do wish to try it, Ingegno recommends asking a person you trust.

"There are no issues with trying this with a trusted partner," he said. "A study published in November 2021 on 20 couples indicated a few changes in brain activity from OM meditation, similar to yoga meditation and loving-kindness meditation techniques. It is also difficult to separate the sexual aspects of this technique from the meditative aspects. This has been an issue with practices like tantric yoga since its development."

A new kind of orgasmic meditation

More recently, social media sites such as TikTok have featured clips of people orgasming without physical touch, relying only on the meditative aspect to help get them there. Experts aren't sure, though, whether this practice is more hype than reality.

"Anything is possible, I guess," Ingegno said. "I have seen no teachings, classical or modern, that can help make an informed opinion. Taoist sexual practices and tantric yoga practices discuss sexual activity and orgasm in great depth, but most techniques require a partner and there is physical contact."

How do you do it?

"It is important to be open about what you might discover," said Amir Marashi, M.D., an OB/GYN and the owner of Brooklyn Gynecology Center in New York City. "This will allow you to get out of your mind and into your body. Some people start by imagining a scene or situation that is arousing. Breathing intentionally—slowly, paying attention to your breaths—can help you feel connected to your body."

Marashi suggested performing OM while carrying out Kegel exercises, which stimulate the clitoris without touching for a hands-free orgasm.

But calling this practice meditation may be a stretch, Ingegno said.

"Some people do have the ability to think of a sexual situation and achieve orgasm, but I wouldn't qualify that as meditation," Ingegno said.

Is touch-free orgasm worth a try?

Marashi said there are several benefits to orgasmic meditation. Like other mindfulness techniques, orgasmic meditation can lower the stress response.

"Orgasm, whether hands-free or not, releases oxytocin and endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and happiness-inducing serotonin and dopamine," Marashi said. "This can improve mood, increase energy and happiness, relieve stress and boost feelings of close connection to self or partner."

Ingegno said that whether there are benefits to trying touch-free meditative orgasm is open to individual interpretation. He asks why you'd spend time learning something when there are more straightforward methods to achieve the same result.

In other words, old-fashioned self-pleasure may be a more feasible way to reach orgasm. And if you want to enjoy meditation, practicing it separately may be more effective, too.

However, meditation and sex both have many benefits for the body and mind, so it may be tempting to combine them. Especially if the techniques are performed with someone trusted in a safe environment.

"I caution people to understand that there are different benefits seen within various meditation techniques, and people should be clear as to why they are practicing any method," Ingegno said. "I don't think there is enough evidence to say OM meditation will lead anyone to enlightenment."