Rena Malik, MD Podcast: Optimizing Health, Sex & Relationships with Science Backed Tips from Leading Experts Moment: Is Edging the Key to Ultimate Pleasure? ft. Dr. Nicole Prause
May 14, 2025
Join Dr. Nicole Prause, a pioneering neuroscientist and founder of Liberos Center, as she dives into the complex world of orgasm and sexual response. She reveals fascinating insights about brain activity leading to climax and discusses an undocumented phase in the sexual response cycle. The conversation includes the role of cognitive control in achieving orgasm and critiques the scientifically unsupported practice of semen retention. Prause also addresses the challenges researchers face in sexual health, particularly in the face of societal hostility.
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Undocumented Orgasm Phase Identified
- A possible new phase of the sexual response cycle involves a spike in alpha brain waves and a drop in sympathetic nervous system activity near climax.
- This phase may relate to cognitive control needed to safely achieve orgasm, revealing more complexity than the traditional model.
Brain Control and Orgasm Safety
- Orgasm seems to require reduced brain control allowing a seizure-like synchronous firing state.
- This mechanism explains why orgasm isn't triggered too easily or frequently for safety and effectiveness.
Orgasm and Meditation Brain States
- The high arousal brain state near orgasm resembles the brain state seen in meditation-induced flow states.
- This similarity suggests sexual arousal could provide comparable mental health or cognitive benefits.