Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Runner's High - Sexual High

A recent New York Times article titled "Yes, Running Can Make You High," reveals that scientists have finally proved what many have known all along, that there is euphoria to be found in intense workouts. According to the article, researchers measured endorphin levels in subjects' brains, before and after a two hour run, using PET scans and recently available chemicals. Dr. Henning Boecker, of the University of Bonn, states that similar levels are present "when people are involved in romantic love affairs."

We couldn't help but wonder what these scientists would discover in the brains of Tantric sex practitioners. We suspect that even those in long-term relationships attain endorphin levels similar to those "involved in a romantic love affair". (Such has certainly been our subjective experience!) Tantric sexual practice involves prolonging arousal, and we suspect that increasing this results not only in the release of amphetimine-like compounds, which happens during an average sexual response cycle (see Masters and Johnson), but also in heightened endorphin levels and that flooding the system with this combination of brain chemicals is what leads to mystical experience (see pp. 35-37 of The Essence of Tantric Sexuality).


Read it here.