Reclaiming the lost ark (or is it art): Orgasms were once prescribed to promote mental health

Throughout the ages sex has been a pivotal and misunderstood part of culture. Depending on the religion, sophistication, and ideology of a culture, the role of orgasm and the sexual organs of women have played an important component in shaping societal habits and values.

The early Celtic and naturalist cultures saw women as empowered beings because of their ability to give birth and worshipped the ability to transmit life through goddess culture and theology. For many of those earth faiths orgasm was seen as a sort of “possession” by the goddess and a form or magic that could protect people and give visions.

When the Roman army conquered the Celtic people, sex was one of the many weapons they used to enslave and shame women in an attempt to replace the power of life giving (by birth) with the power of life taking (by the sword). That shame and the whispered “magic” of orgasm continued on through time.

In the Victorian age, women displaying any number of illnesses (depression, schizophrenia, fatigue, personality disorders, anger management issues, hormonal imbalance) were diagnosed as having “hysteria,” a catch-all phrase suggesting problems with a woman’s reproductive system (largely still a mystery in the Victorian age) were causing the various ailments.

The theory of hysteria was loosely based on the observation of male physicians that only women seemed to be troubled by many of these issues and since the ability to reproduce is the obvious difference it must be the cause. For women with advanced cases doctors gave them a hysterectomy, but for women with intermittent symptoms doctors prescribed orgasms.

The same observational skills that led physicians to believe only women suffered from depression, insanity or anger also informed them that once a woman has had an orgasm she is pleasant, docile and easy to get along with.

Doctors prescribed masturbation or “clinics” where “specialists” would manually masturbate women to orgasm as a way of controlling the hysteria.

Of course, they had no way of knowing the chemicals released during orgasm are the same ones that provide pleasure and muscular release. They just knew many women seemed to get along better with others and seem  less edgy when they were having regular orgasms.

In a society where women were subject to a million social and sexual rules like Victorian England, telling someone to go home and masturbate was a big deal. Even more of a change was the idea women should let another man, not her husband, manually stimulate her. However, under the veil of “medical science” women were finally encouraged and allowed to see to their own pleasure.

To make it easier and less socially awkward, a new machine was invented   to help women cure their hysteria quickly and easily. That machine was the vibrator. It was less awkward than an appointment with a stranger, and there was no shame because it served a “medical purpose.”

Now we understand that having an orgasm won’t cure mental health issues or physical diseases. But, can't an argument be made that the fact that if she is a bit on edge or just need a little help smiling through her day, a quick and easy orgasm will do it. But is that not technically a medicine for mental health, though maybe not the serious diagnosed one, but still mental health nonetheless?

Anyway, if you want to give her the "doctors' prescription", then in guide number 2 from the Reads For MEN guides, I talk about Preparation, Building & Delivering the female orgasm