I grew up in California and kicked around life a lot, trying different things. Eventually, I decided to become a pilot—back in the days of the Vietnam War. But I busted up my knee in a football game and totally blew my chances for that. Then I got into doing drugs and a lot of shady stuff. And by some fluke, I got into selling motorcycles and motorcycle parts. Then I started building show bikes, which were all chrome and gold pearlescent paints with flames and extended front ends. And then I started showing those bikes and winning trophies.
One day, an old friend from college came by and said, “Hey, DB, do you have any photos of your bikes? They're really nice pieces of art.” So, I bought a camera, and seven years later, I earned two degrees in photography and moved to New York City to begin work as a commercial advertising photographer. I spent about ten years in the Big Apple, establishing a photo business, but eventually, I had to leave because I couldn't be around a lot of drugs anymore. So I came back to California and San Francisco and cleaned up my act.
I remember the day I learned about Orgasmic Meditation. It was December 14, 2014. I didn't date, go out much, or do anything else, so my roommate suggested going to some meetups. I don’t even remember what the subject was that day, but at some point, this young woman stood up and started talking about Orgasmic Meditation and how wonderful it made her feel. And don’t you know that got my attention? There sure was a whole lot more going on in the world than I knew about!
When the day for my first OM came, I was nervous and excited, but, of course, I put on a casual air of, “Oh, I've done this type of thing before.” I remember a young woman asked me if I wanted to OM. I figured she picked me because I'm just an old dude, and there wasn't any possibility of anything going on beyond the practice.
Up to that point in my life, the limbic connection thing had kind of eluded me. For the longest time, I had to think about whether I was ever really feeling something. But when I OMed with this person … wow. There was something rumbling there. There were sensations. And I was surprised by that. I was also surprised that I never got aroused. Right from the start, I realized that Orgasmic Meditation was primarily spiritual. And I really got into the modality of that.
Then, one day, I had an OM that overwhelmed me as far as feeling and the limbic connection are concerned. I felt like a furnace. The sensation and the energy were just incredible. I remember saying afterward, when we were about to go into a second OM, “No, no, no! I need at least 15 minutes to come down from this!” I was so wound up that I didn't want to start another OM right away.
I think one of the things Orgasmic Meditation taught me is that I receive a lot when I show up to participate in an experience. OM changes your perspective as you realize there is something to be enjoyed beyond the ideas of 'giving' and 'taking.' For example, I promised my dad I would care for my mom as she got older. After a while, it kind of became a chore. After I started OMing, it became a lot easier to look after my mother until she passed. Actually, it became more of a delight. My mom couldn’t say anything to me directly, but she told my niece how much she appreciated how I was taking care of her.
I guess the greatest thing about OMing was that it grew my ability to love without possessiveness and without jealousy, which is totally averse to the way I had lived previously. It opened me up to many other experiences that I probably wouldn't have sought out or encountered. Last but not least, it taught me I could deal with relationships without shame.
