Use a Vibrator:
It’s More Than Just a Sex Toy
Vibrators are becoming increasingly popular today, and the New York Times recently reported that condom manufacturers are rapidly moving into this market.9 This is yet another sign that taboos around masturbation may be weakening. Most contemporary purchasers are likely unaware that the vibrator has a long and interesting history. Back in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was common for doctors to treat “hysteria” (a vaguely defined “female” mental illness that was not formally banished from the medical literature until 1980) in their patients, bringing them to orgasm by stimulating them manually. While this would be considered criminal today, “pelvic massage,” as it was called, led to “hysterical paroxysm,” a medical euphemism for orgasm.10 It is interesting to note that a form of this belief persists among some practitioners of “sexual healing” who contend that genital massage, and especially stimulating the G-spot, leads to the release of stored trauma. We think the reason that people feel better after this kind of session is considerably simpler: orgasm is a release of tension, and it is good for you in its own right.
To return to the subject of vibrators, they were originally developed to make it easier for doctors to perform pelvic massage and induce the desired hysterical paroxysm, thereby enabling them to service more patients and avoid repetitive motion injuries. During that era, medical devices were not nearly as heavily regulated as they are today, so the vibrator soon became available for home use and was sold to the general public through the Sears Roebuck and similar catalogs. It was euphemistically marketed as being good for women’s general health. The vibrator remained in this shadowy realm, half sex toy and half muscle-tension reliever, until the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Betty Dodson brought its use into the open. Dodson taught women to masturbate as a way of owning their own pleasure and published Liberating Masturbation and Sex for One based on the workshops she had been conducting during that era. She deserves great credit for initiating the contemporary trend toward making vibrators readily available, without concealing their true purpose.
You may be wondering what devices that were invented in the modern era have to do with a tradition that is 1,500 or more years old. Chances are the ancient Tantrics never contemplated the invention of the vibrator, although, like erotica, sex toys have been used since time immemorial. From this perspective the vibrator is not so much a modern invention as it is a new manifestation of something ancient.
History aside, remember that Tantra is an empirical and pragmatic tradition. We have been trained to view it as inclusive and open to innovation by each new generation. From this perspective, attitude and approach are what matter, and practitioners are free to use whatever tools are available to them.
The vibrator is one such tool, and using it with awareness and intention can make it a very effective one. The brain doesn’t discriminate; it responds when the body is in a heightened state of arousal. Using a vibrator can get you into this heightened state very quickly and efficiently.
There are many different kinds of vibrators available, from small pocket-sized devices to the large and powerful Hitachi Magic Wand. Most people can apply the smaller ones directly to the area being stimulated; the Hitachi may be too intense for some, so you may want to use a pillow or a towel to diffuse the vibrations and moderate the sensation.
For many, direct stimulation of the clitoris is the most effective technique, but you can also try applying a vibrator to the area between your genitals and anus, or just above the pubic bone, which is a way of stimulating the G-spot or prostate externally. Given the history, there is a tendency to think of the vibrator as a tool for women only, but people with male genitals can use them too. You can hold the penis in one hand and apply a Hitachi Magic Wand to your fist. This is likely to be intensely arousing. You can apply one of the smaller versions to the frenulum (the very sensitive area at the head of the penis, beneath the opening of the urethra). If you’re already highly aroused, this is likely to send you over the edge. You can also try placing the vibrator below your scrotum while using your hand to masturbate. This will send waves into the prostate and is likely to produce a very powerful response.
There are countless ways to use a vibrator, and it is up to you to discover what feels best. This simple mechanical device can help you explore your erotic response, become more orgasmic, and intensify your partnered experiences. By using one consciously, you will be converting a toy into both a toy and a Tantric tool.