Both partners practicing orgasmic meditation report having a mystical-type experience: results using the Mystical Experience Questionnaire

A structured, partnered meditative practice involving manual clitoral stimulation can trigger mystical-type experiences in both participants. In a survey of 780 practitioners recalling a single powerful session, 62% reported a complete mystical experience as measured by the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30), with an average total score of 3.35. A separate study of 56 partnered pairs found 23% reported a complete mystical experience, with an average score of 3.21. The experience was strongly correlated between partners, and the role of stroker or strokee also influenced the reported intensity. Whether the brain activity during this practice resembles that of other mystical experiences remains unknown.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background: Practitioners in a variety of spiritual/religious traditions have described “mystical experiences”, defined by a common set of qualities. The “Mystical Experience Questionnaire” (MEQ30) provides a validated and quantitative measure of mystical experience, and has been used successfully to demonstrate that the hallucinogenic substance psilocybin triggers a mystical-type experience. Orgasmic Meditation (OM) is a structured, partnered meditative practice involving manual stimulation of the clitoris. Although the partners in an OM have different roles (one is stroking, and the other is being stroked), both claim benefit from the practice. The aim of the current study is to use the MEQ30 to assess to what extent participants report mystical experiences during OM, and to what extent that experience is correlated between the partners. Methods: In Study 1, 780 participants completed the MEQ30 with a single powerful OM in mind. In Study 2, 56 pairs of participants (both partners) completed the MEQ30 after their next OM. If the respondent had a score ≥60% of the maximum possible score on each of the four subscales of the MEQ30, this was considered a “complete” mystical experience. Results: Respondents from Study 1 reported an MEQ total score of 3.35 (SD = 1.08), with 62% of respondents reporting a complete mystical experience. Respondents from Study 2 reported an MEQ total score of 3.21 (SD = 0.92), with 23% reporting a complete mystical experience. We found strong relationships between MEQ total score and role (i.e., stroker or strokee), interrater agreement within-group index (aWG) = 0.46, and an even stronger relationship between partners and MEQ total score, aWG=0.71. Conclusions: These findings suggest that OM can trigger a substantial mystical experience in both partners. Whether the brains of people who OM show similar activity changes to those having other mystical experiences awaits future study.