Love And Orgasm – Alexander Lowen (1)

The homosexual may derive some pleasure and satisfaction through identification and “acting out,” but he forgoes the experience of the self. His satisfaction is experienced on an ego level, not on a physical level. Orgasm is a function of self-experience and self-realization in their deepest form. There are important therapeutic implications in this analy- sis of homosexuality. If a patient can achieve a better iden- tification with his body, a stronger sense of self, a better functioning personality, his sexual pattern will automatically shift toward the heterosexual end of the scale.

To do this requires the working through of personality problems on the one hand and body tensions on the other. The corollary is also true: any increase in heterosexual feeling or behavior will result in an improvement in all personality functions. We must know more about heterosexual attitudes and behavior if this is to be our goal. Heterosexuality Heterosexuality is taken so much for granted that it is rarely subjected to the kind of analysis given to homosexuality.

Yet it would be well to inquire in what ways it differs from homosexuality. This is the same problem we face in our attempt to understand health. It is so much easier to describe an illness than to define health. In the absence of such a definition, a person is regarded as healthy if he does not suffer from any discernible illness.

Similarly, a person is considered to be heterosexual if he does not engage in any overt homosexual activity. Such distinctions are psychologi- cally unrealistic. It is comparable to dividing people into thieves and honest men and viewing every man who is not a thief as an honest man. Many men are dishonest in ways that have nothing to do with thievery. It would be simple to say that heterosexuality is the attrac- tion and union of opposites, whereas homosexuality is the attraction and union of the same or the like.

However, it has been shown that behind every homosexual act is the uncon- scious image of sexual union with the opposite sex. It is obvious that two homosexuals cannot play the same role. Can it be anticipated that under the facade of heterosexuality, one or both parties may act out homosexual attitudes and feelings? The homosexual feeling derives much of its “charge” from the process of identification. The masculine partner in a lesbian relationship obtains most of her excitement and pleas- ure from the reactions of her partner.

Her experience has been described as vicarious. A similar situation prevails in male homosexuality. The male who plays the feminine role has the vicarious satisfaction of experiencing the pseudomas- culinity of his partner. Identification also occurs in many heterosexual relationships.

Why does a woman become a “butch” or “dyke” type of lesbian? What drives a homosexual to risk arrest? What fix- ates a woman in the sexual role of prostitute, sister-spouse, mother-wife .. . the man as playboy, great lover, big brother? What are the causes of orgiastic impotence? Love and Orgasm differentiates be- tween sexuality and sensuality, be- tween partial and full orgasm.

The first full-scale work on Reich’s orgasm theory, it analyzes the inseparable connection between one’s sexual func- tion and one’s personality. Dr. Lowen presents many fascinating case his- tories, as he describes the act of intercourse and shows why only the mature individual can experience the true orgasm of heterosexual love.

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Included is an article by Margaret Mead discussing the new sexual freedom and how it affects the young q SEX FOR ADVANCED LOVERS by Robert Chart- ham. A sophisticated and most explicit manual for adults—a variety of techniques to enrich the pleasure of sexual love and overcome inhibitions. The author is an authority in the field of sex edu- cation. q 101 INTIMATE SEXUAL PROBLEMS ANSWERED by LeMon Clark, M.D.

Drawing on his years as physician, professor, and editor, LeMon Clark, M.D. provides straightforward answers to the questions men and women ask most about sex. THE NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY, INC., P.O. Box 999, Bergenfield, New Jersey 07621 Please send me the SIGNET BOOKS I have checked above. I am enclosing $ (check or money order—no currency or C.O.D.’s). Please include the list price plus 15Q a copy to cover mailing costs.

Name Address City State___________ Zip Code Allow at least 3 weeks for delivery LOVE AND ORGASM ALEXANDER LOWEN, M.D.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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• Unique ID: 12eff203266da257
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 1,624,392 bytes (1.549 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 321
• Language: English (en)

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