Orgastic potency

Orgastic potency is a term that Freud and especially Wilhelm Reich used to refer to the ability to achieve a satisfying sexual release via an orgasm. Reich contrasted "orgastic impotence", or failure to reach a full orgasm, with what he considered the healthy ability of both sexes to be "potent" in achieving orgasm.

Definition

Orgastic potency is not the same as the frequency of orgasm, sexual prowess, or libido. Instead, Reich used the term to characterize the ability to dissolve one's ego into the climax of an orgasm, an experience he believed was a psychological cure-all that could lead to a person's full mental health. Reich argued that psychic health and the ability to love depended on orgastic potency, the full discharge of the libido: "Sexual release in the sex act must correspond to the excitement which leads up to it." He wrote: "It is not just to fuck ... not the embrace in itself, not the intercourse. It is the real emotional experience of the loss of your ego, of your whole spiritual self."

Wilhelm Reich's View

Wilhelm Reich, a student of Freud, first coined the term in the early 20th century. He believed that a person's mental health was deeply intertwined with their ability to achieve a satisfying sexual release. Reich argued that the full discharge of the libido through orgasm was a key component of psychological health. He believed that the ability to lose oneself in the sexual act was a critical aspect of mental health.

Criticism

Critics of Reich's theories argue that his emphasis on orgasm as a panacea for mental health issues oversimplifies the complex nature of human psychology and sexuality. They point out that many factors, including emotional intimacy, communication, and mutual respect, play a significant role in sexual satisfaction and mental health.

See Also

• Sexual potency
• Libido
• Sigmund Freud
• Wilhelm Reich

References

Orgastic potency Resources
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