Types of pleasure
Authentic Tantra says there’s 4 types of Pleasure:
Physical/Sensual
Emotional
Spiritual
Sexual Pleasure
Physical and sensual pleasure are often overlooked and usually we are all desiring more pleasure here. Below are examples of physical and sensual pleasure:
Stroking and being stroked
Head rubbed
Playing physical games (play wrestling, tickling, naked twister with your partner)
Massage
Self-Play
Hearing good music
Eating great food or drinking something delectable (foodgasms)
Pleasant smells
Visual Pleasure
Exercise or post exercise
Pain can equal pleasure
Psychedelics, plant medicine, cannabis
Emotional Pleasure are things that we don’t usually consider as pleasurable yet bring so much pleasure when received and giving:
Joy
Gratitude
Serenity
Amusement
Inspirations
Love
Spiritual Pleasure is another form of pleasure that is often not considered when hearing the word pleasure despite feeling it all around and within us when receiving and giving:
Prayer
Meditation
Spiritual communion
Psychedelics, plant medicine, cannabis
Sexual Pleasure is what is often what is thought of. This form of pleasure like the ones before it can have a great deal of trauma associated with it. We want to be clear, pleasure is seperate from traumas. Traumas are emotional scars that haven’t fully been worked through and if what was deemed sexual pleasure for one but not other parties it wasn’t consentual, therefore it wasn’t sex let alone sexual pleasure.
Ask yourselves, what brings me pleasure? Which forms of pleasure have I had today, which forms of pleasure am I missing? We’re human, capable of change and so don’t allow what you didn’t like decades ago deter you from exploring all the ways in which you may derive pleasure. Don’t be afraid to embrace pleasure and expand the pleasure that you’ve been receiving and giving.
