by Armin Ahmadi
I was hungry. Despite a strong spiritual practice, a satisfying creative outlet, and two deeply devoted children, the one area that wasn't working in my life was my marriage. My wife and I went to all kinds of counseling, and I tried to approach the issues through psychology and bodywork practices, but the relationship continued to fall apart.
One of the problems was that I felt ashamed of desiring people besides my wife, and I couldn't speak about it. Those hidden desires built up to the point where I had an affair. It was a completely damaging thing to do. But there was so much confusion, shame, and pressure inside me, and the communication with my wife was breaking down. Meanwhile, I was afraid that if someone found out what I was like, that this is who I really am, I'd be totally rejected. The more I concealed and lied, the messier the situation became.
We got to a point where my wife found a boyfriend on the Internet, and he moved in with us. When she left, we had a huge fight about what would happen with the kids and with our house. I was devastated. I had dedicated a lot of my life to my family, giving up much of my work as an artist in order to be a father. That's when I dove into a process of research about relationships. I wanted to figure out what had gone wrong and try to heal that pain. My search led me to Orgasmic Meditation (OM).
I'm not sure what the difference is between excitement and fear, but I definitely felt one or both when I had my first OM. I don't remember much of what happened. Afterward, I floated out of the room and cycled home, and I don't think my bike had wheels. It was an extraordinary feeling. I remember my second OM experience was more grounded, and my attention more attuned.
Through my Orgasmic Meditation practice, as I gradually became more present and focused, I experienced a healing of the sense of shame. Orgasmic Meditation helps you access the places where you have the greatest shame; that element was vital to my healing.
Besides shame about the urges I had during marriage, I had grown up with the message that, as a man, I was naturally objectifying women, and that was bad, bad, bad. In Orgasmic Meditation (OM), it became clear that women also have desires. I didn't know that -- at least not until Orgasmic Meditation, when I experienced what happens when the finger and the clitoris connect, and both of you want to move in the same direction, which is toward sensation. I realized desire is not something to be ashamed of.
For years, I tried to be a good son for my parents and a good husband for my wife. I tried to be a decent person and not be rude. But it seemed like all the trying wasn't enough to make my life work. What works is not being ashamed of myself.
When I met other people who were OMing, I discovered a feeling of abundance. It was okay to want to OM. It was okay to ask for it and talk about it. I could be real about whatever it was I wanted. Instead of hiding myself, I had the freedom to be out in the open.
I already had an established Vipassana meditation practice, which is about fine observation of physical sensations. Orgasmic Meditation was an extension of that practice. In order to train the mind for Vipassana, I started by learning to focus the attention on a very small area, noticing the breath moving in and out of the nostrils. I understood Orgasmic Meditation (OM) as being a version of that practice, except that the small area of focus is the tip of the finger or the clitoris.
In Vipassana, we then went on to scan the body and feel sensations throughout the body, just as in Orgasmic Meditation. Vipassana also includes a practice of generating lovingkindness towards people, which we do in a similar way by connecting with the OM partner. The main difference between the two practices is that Orgasmic Meditation is done in connection with another person. Orgasmic Meditation released the pent-up pressure of my desire and spilled that energy into all my interactions with people, bringing insights and new confidence.
Now I'm looking after my kids and living alone. I have the legacy of my children, which is always my main focus. I'm getting on with things I feel good about. When I get involved in an intimate relationship, I always teach my partner the practice of Orgasmic Meditation. It's a really useful modality that has taught me it’s okay to be real and own who I am.
