Guest written by Rain Andersen (@wearenotfriends_) a veteran sworker with nine years in adult entertainment and five years working for Lovers.
Knowing what brings you pleasure can give you an incredible advantage in this world. Our Pleasure Awakening’s Blog contains the best advice & products to help you unlock your full pleasure potential. Use these educational resources to inspire and challenge you through every step in your pleasure journey.
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What is the Sexual Response Cycle?
The Sexual Response Cycle refers to the physical and psychological changes that occur when a person is sexually stimulated or aroused. This sequence of bodily and emotional responses occurs in four separate stages: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.
Excitement
The Excitement Stage of the Sexual Response Cycle can last between several minutes to several hours and is characterized by physical signs of arousal like increased heart rate, increased lubrication, and flushed skin. This period of the sexual encounter is often dedicated to flirting, foreplay, and pre-sex rituals.
Plateau
The Plateau refers to the moments leading up to orgasm, bridging the physical and psychological changes that occur between arousal and climax. This is a critical stage in many people’s sexual encounters that can be supported with sex toys, sexual stimulants, and other sensory enhancing products.
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Orgasm
The Orgasm is the shortest stage in the Sexual Response Cycle, lasting an average of three to fifteen seconds for people with penises, and 20 seconds to 2 minutes for people with vulvas. This stage is characterized by muscle spasms, involuntary muscle contractions, and increased heart rate. There are many ways to trigger and orgasm. We’ve included some of our favorite, unconventional ways to experience pleasure below.
- Orgasms 101
- How to Have Multiple Orgasms
- On the Edge of Self Discovery: A Beginners Guide to Edging
- Orgasm, Interrupted: A Beginners Guide to Ruined Orgasms
- How to Have a Consensual Forced Orgasm
- Erotic Hypnosis: How to Have Mesmerizing Orgasms
- Why Can't I Orgasm?
- 5 Tips for Faster, Easier Orgasms
Resolution
Resolution refers to the final stage in the Sexual Response Cycle, when the body returns to its resting state. This stage of our sexual encounters is typically characterized by reduced swelling and fatigue. Post-sex rituals and aftercare practices have become a popular and common way of concluding sexual experiences, and have been adopted into many couple’s routines.
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