The power of ecstasy

Survival is a genetically coded imperative that is reflected in every part of our complex biological design. It is something that is encoded in our primitive reflexes, built in to our psychological make-up and hard wired to neurological circuits. The only thing that matches it in scope is pleasure.

It makes sense I suppose, for what would be the point if we didn't enjoy the act of procreation? It is in the moment of orgasm that we find how perfect we have been designed to ensure the survival of our kind. On the one hand it is a physical experience that triggers all the right conditions to ensure fertilization. On the other it is without argue the most pleasure that anyone can ever hope to share, so much so that people get addicted to it!

Until recently, our knowledge about sex and sexuality was scant, and limited to understanding it as an esoteric subject, most notably as tantra in the tantric texts. You'd think that such a strong instinctive drive would be worthy of abundant scientific scrutiny, but then you'd underestimate the power of social taboo.

With the world slowly coming round to the notion that sex is not a shame, there has recently been abundance of discovery, and no sooner did science jump the hurdle of infamy, than we were stopped in our tracks by the discovery that the mind of women 'tilt' when they reach orgasm.

According to a recent article in Scientific American the female brain show a muted response in the part of the brain that govern self control over basic desires, with a corresponding release of tension and inhibition. The area responsible for moral reasoning and social judgment and the area of the brain responsible for "extinction fear" and the storage of memories associated with emotional events appear to switch off during orgasm.

Women lose their moral reason, judgment and emotional ability with orgasm, and strange as it may sound, it is common sense to think that such a powerful flood of shared emotion would sweep away all obstacles to ecstasy.

All of which remind us when it comes to matters of the mind, we are still in virgin territory.

‘Tis the season – A special Christmas message

It is the 23^rd of December and if you haven’t done so yet, your time is running out to buy that special gift. You know, that one gift you know will be perfect, if you could only find, or had the money for it?

And have you noticed how expensive everything has become, you wouldn’t think that we were recently on the brink of a global financial meltdown if you look at how much everything cost.

Then again I suppose it is just fitting that the festive season turn our focus to worth and value, almost in the same way it has throughout human history. Looking back in time there are plenty of examples, but none that come with a price tag quite as big as the feast of Saint Nick. And you can bet your bottom dollar that next year it will be worse.

So, if you find yourself caught up in the spending whirlwind that  rages at this time of the year, perhaps it is time to pause and reflect on what it is that you find valuable in your own life. What would your answer be if someone asked you what is your most valuable possession?

Nine out of ten people will say they think their life is the most important, while the remaining 10 percent will probably suggest something about love. Which is quite sad if you consider that life is cheap these days, but then again it really is not worth very much. On its own, without the freedom of a soul that know to live is life, and that life is so much more than just a single person, to be alive alone is literally worth nothing.

To be part of life we need to explore our world with innocent abandon, without the fear of change. To truly live we need to know that we are in control of everything that matter, like attitude, the ability to connect in honesty with our environment, our expectation and our ability to learn and grow. Things like resonance, peace, love and happiness are all waiting just beyond the grasp of choice.

If it was me to answer what would be the single thing I treasure most, I would have to say the moment I get to choose, and every glorious moment hence. I cannot think what anybody would want more than a moment to be, in harmony with life in all its abundance, diversity, opportunity and wonder. And what a bonus to be blessed with more!

‘Tis the season to be jolly, tra-la-la-la-la, tra-la-la-la, and in the spirit of the season my gift to you is nothing less. I’d love to hear what you’ll be doing with yours?

Orgasm - absolute ecstasy or emotional trip switch?

Survival is a genetically coded imperative that is reflected in our biological design. It is something that is encoded in our primitive reflexes, built in to our psychological make-up and hard wired in to our neurological circuits. The only thing that matches it in scope is pleasure. It makes sense I suppose, for what would be the point if we didn't enjoy it.

The pinnacle of this dual but opposite principle is orgasm, and it is in the moment of orgasm that we experience the utmost of what we were designed for. On the one hand it is the physical activity that sparks all the right conditions to ensure procreation, and on the other it is without argue the most pleasure that anyone can imagine! So much so that people get addicted to it.

The pleasure of orgasm is something of an enigma, but where in the past it was studied as an esoteric subject, most notably in the "art" of Tantric Sex, it has recently become the subject of serious scientific investigation. One of the first surprises we discovered is that it seems as if the brains of many women switch off during this moment of ecstasy.

According to a recent article in Scientific American the brains of the female of our species show the most muted response in the part of the brain that govern self control over basic desires with a corresponding release of tension and inhibition. In addition, the area responsible for moral reasoning and social judgment as well as the amygdala, responsible for "fear extinction" and the storage of memories associated with emotional events. One of the scientists researching in the field is even quoted as saying that women do not have any emotional feelings during the moment of orgasm.

And neither does it seem do they have any power of judgment or reflection. At least judging by the area's of their brain that still have power, which makes me wonder why certain areas switch off at all.

Could this perhaps be a design flaw, something that does not work in our otherwise perfectly adaptable biological blueprint? Or is it something that is somehow necessary, something that is crucial to the survival of us and our species?