Friday, December 30, 2011

Awakening the Clitoris from Betty Dodson

This is a re-post of Betty Dodson's Blog. She is one of our sheroes- here you can see why.  So many women have not learned about their own body, anatomy and arousal and many women have never had an orgasm.  It's one of the primary ways we help women at Self Serve.  Here Betty talks about some common challenges and solutions for finding that pleasure!


Awakening the Clitoris by Betty Dodson

After hearing countless sex histories from girls and women over the past four decades, I believe sexual repression begins the moment a parent or caregiver punishes a child’s natural curiosity for touching their own sex organs.

Society needs to understand that the health of each person’s sexlife rests upon childhood masturbation— the foundation upon which all of human sexuality is based. It’s very consistent that each client I see struggling with orgasms as an adult has no memory of masturbating in childhood or in their teens. The absence of this natural self-exploration interferes with the development of nerve pathways that carry positive sensations from our genitals to the pleasure center in the brain. This blocks or slows down the development of sexual release with orgasm.

Not as many boys get the same message of “Don’t touch your-self down there” as do girls. The male sex organ is more easily accessible so society tacitly agrees that a boy’s sexual interest is more natural or urgent due to the ejaculation of semen. However, all societies controlled by some form of organized religion demonize pleasure for its own sake, so boys suffer masturbation repression as well. The predominant acceptance for sexuality remains fixated on procreation within a monogamous heterosexual marriage— far too narrow an image. Therefore most of us are sinners in the eyes of the church which makes it much easier to control a large portion of the population by a few.

Female sexual conditioning is already in play when a concerned parent unknowingly sets up a sexual double standard when mothers want their sons to be sexual but fear their daughters might end up with an unwanted teen pregnancy with all that entails. Therefore, most girls grow up without any idea of where her sexual feelings come from except by accident like climbing a rope in gym class, clenching their legs together or rocking on the arm of an overstuffed chair. They become fixated on some weird form of indirect clitoral stimulation that rarely translates into partnersex. Meanwhile, boys learn to come quickly to avoid getting “caught in the act.” This leads to adult men ejaculating fast because they have not learned to sustain heightened sexual feelings. So for every pre-orgasmic woman there is a pre-mature ejaculating man.

Add to this all the jokes, disgust or moral condemnation shown toward masturbation and we have a recipe for preventing people from discovering the joys of orgasmic sex. Those who do masturbate often struggle with guilt and self-loathing. Once we include Dr. Freud’s theory of “mature vaginal orgasms” for women and more recently the much debated, yet fashionable G spot, we have a population that is very sexually confused. Men believe they must “give” a woman her orgasm to prove they’re good lovers while women have been conditioned to protect the male ego. Many women end up faking an orgasm to avoid hurting a lovers feelings and thus sacrificing their own pleasure. As if that isn’t bad enough, we misname the female genitals by reducing all the parts down to a “vagina” which only refers to the birth canal. When was the last time you saw the word clitoris in print or heard it said on television?

Sex educators know this: When we go on television, we are told we can say “G” spot but refer to the clitoris as the “C” spot. When I was interviewed by Bill O’Reilly in 2002, I was told that I couldn’t say “Orgasms for Two” the title of my book, so I had to use the sub title, “The Joy of Partnersex.” Bill said it was because his was a “family show.” I took that to mean families didn’t have any orgasms which is probably closer to the truth.

As long as church and state continues to limit sex to procreation, we’ll have a severely repressed society. Nearly all men can ejaculate quickly but far too many women are not orgasmic. These women suffer from guilt and self-loathing and blame themselves for being “frigid” or today it’s called “sexually dysfunctional.” Both women and men end up comparing themselves to porn stars, which has been society’s primary form of sex education. Naturally this causes more insecurity and dissention in relationships often leading to divorce and the break-up of families. But a sexually controlled society is much easier to manipulate by a few authoritarian dictators, priests, or other so-called leaders.

We now have a chance to change the course of history with the emerging Global Revolution. This time we must complete the sexual revolution that began in the sixties by including orgasmic pleasure in the teaching of human sexuality.

“Help me Dr. Betty. I’ve never had an orgasm.” I have lost track of how many times I‘ve answered this very same question: I want to share this near perfect example from Rebecca. Her story represents many young girls’ struggle with the inability to discover and enjoy the experience of orgasm. In a society where sex is everywhere we turn, this can be emotionally very painful. She feels broken and sexually inadequate.

Rebecca’s first question: Friday, Jun 17, 2011
“I’m almost twenty years old, and I’ve never had an orgasm. I have no problem with getting aroused. I think about sex a lot, I want sex a lot, and I fantasize about sex regularly. However, touching my vulva, being touched or having intercourse doesn’t seem to work right for me. I love sex – I love the idea of a man being inside me, I love touching a man and pleasuring him. I just don’t seem to get the physical pleasure other girls do. Often, sex is very painful for me.

The same goes for oral or manual stimulation. It feels horrible half of the time; I can’t seem to stand my clitoris being touched. So oral sex feels like a combination of very little pleasure and absolute pain. I love going down on men, and honestly, that is what I prefer since there is no expectation and I can focus on him being turned on. Besides, I am sick of explaining I don’t come so he doesn’t feel badly if he doesn’t give me an orgasm. I would fake one for him, but I have no idea how.

The only times I would feel any pleasure are during dry humping when I was on top (oddly, it feels better with clothes on). Or when on the bed, I would lie on my stomach and he would lie on top of me while entering from behind. I think it was because the pleasure was less centered, more spread out, but not consistent. Just occasionally he would hit the right spot for a few moments, and suddenly I would feel a slight build up, then he would always speed up because I was reacting positively. But I’d loose the right spot after a few seconds anyway so he gets a release and I get to lie there still feeling turned on, and ashamed.

My ex would tell me, “It will happen someday.” But if I can’t maintain pleasure for more than a few moments very occasionally, how can I possibly expect a build-up to orgasm? Each time he would try to encourage me by telling me “To come” and I would just get depressed. It is not going to happen at this rate, and if I tell someone the truth about how it sometimes hurts, no one will want to be with me.
I know masturbation is the key here, but without having a man around, I do not feel turned on. I feel stupid and nervous, and I will lie there for ages until it gets depressing and I just can’t bear it anymore. I’ve tried vaginal stimulation, clitoral stimulation, that shower head technique... it feels numb or horribly painful, and I just don’t know how to get aroused by myself. No gynecologist has told me there is anything physically wrong, so I’m at a loss. I’m sick of feeling like a failure. I’m sick of feeling frustrated and still aroused after sex, and I’m sick of having no idea what everyone else is enjoying.

I know orgasm is not the end-all-be-all of sex. I still enjoy having sex, so I will keep having it. But since I’m feeling so frustrated, it makes finding a partner very difficult. I didn’t even have oppressive parents. They have been very open and supporting in every way, so what’s wrong with me? I just want to know what an orgasm is, to feel it at least once in my life. I want to know what I’m missing. I want sex to be what it’s supposed to be. The only other aspect that might come into the picture was being touched inappropriately by a boy at age 16, but I was having trouble with masturbation long before that. I have also taken anti-depressants from age 14 to 18, but I took Welbutrin for a while after, which is supposed to fix the sexual dysfunction they cause, and I am no longer depressed. Other than that, I have an anxiety disorder... But even with my scheduled anxiety drugs, I’m not able to function any better, so I’m still at a loss. I apologize for the length of this, but I’ve just never really been open about sex like this before. Thank you for your time. I love your website. It’s really incredible what you’re doing!”

My response:
Dear Rebecca,
What you describe is a common pattern for legions of young women today. In my opinion, it was insane to put a 14 year old girl on an anti-depressant drug. It is a known fact that these drugs interfere with a person's sexual build-up to orgasm. The same goes for Welbutrin. Google Welbutrin side effects and read the information available. Today it is all too easy to take a child to a doctor and get a quick fix with some drug.

You sound like a smart young woman so I recommend you make a 350 degree turn around and embrace alternative healing modalities. Change your diet and use yoga and meditation for your anxiety. We all have some degree of feeling anxious; its part of the human condition. Burn off some of your pent up sex frustration by taking up a sport where you can sweat. Work out in a gym, swim lengths in a pool (my favorite). For now, don’t focus so much on wanting an orgasm with a partner. Your young man knows even less than you do about female sexuality. You need to practice masturbation alone by exploring your vulva and to focus on stimulating your clitoris.

Stop being such a drama queen by claiming that clitoral stimulation "either feels numb or horribly painful." Unless you are beating up on your clit with dry fingers or some hard objects, “horribly painful” is a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe “discomfort” or “intense” would be better terms. In addition, the fact that you cannot focus on yourself without a "man around" makes you a victim. It’s highly unlikely that any man will be able to help you have an orgasm unless you can go there first. I know that many boys chant, "Come, come, come!" But that just creates more pressure on girls to perform and it’s a sure way to turn us off. While these young men mean well, they are using the male model of sexual response that doesn’t work for us. So it’s back to basics.

Go to How to Orgasm and follow my step-by-step process. Your clitoris needs to be awakened by your own gentle touch. Begin with an over-all vulva massage using some organic oil like coconut. You have a lot to overcome and learn so do not expect instant success. Sex is like any art form; first, the basics are learned and then practiced like a dancer working out at the exercise bar in front of mirrors. All the information you need is on the website. Let me know when you succeed. I am rooting for you.
Rebecca’s second response follows:

“I wanted to thank you for what you wrote to me a few months back. You were right. My clitoris had not been awakened. That wording was perfect, and it really made me think. I never would have imagined that the extreme sensitivity I felt could really be solved just by touching myself regularly! You were right, though. You were so, so right. It is just like trying to jump into cold water: you have to start by wading in the shallow end or it will be unpleasant. So finally, I worked through it, and I had my first orgasm!

I read your article on How to Orgasm. I spent time. I went slowly. I focused on what felt good rather than what I thought I was supposed to feel. I learned what worked for me and what did not. I decided to masturbate at least a couple times a week. Then I tried sex with more than one person. I had sex where I was in control and overall, I have loosened up. It was the best thing I have ever done for myself.

I do not have an orgasm every time I masturbate, and I’ve only managed once with partnersex (oral and manual), but now I know it will take time. I am not expecting an orgasm from vaginal penetration. Actually, I was finally able to tell a partner to stop focusing on my vagina and focus on my clitoris instead! Even after he said other girls can come vaginally, I did not feel guilty. I am finally focusing on me, rather than focusing on what others think. I feel so much more confident. I cannot thank you enough. Thank you for messaging me back. Thank you for rooting for me, and for other girls out there dealing with this. Just, thank you so much.”

This first category of problems for pre-orgasmic girls stems from lack of masturbation. The second category is having small orgasms but they are unable to identify them due to their expectations of what they “think” an orgasm will be like. Their ideas about orgasm are either based on watching porn, which is entertainment for men, or scenes from movies where women seem to orgasm effortlessly or noisily; once again for the sake of entertaining an audience.

“Dear Dr. Betty.
I'm 25, and until last night I'd believed I'd never really had an orgasm, except for possibly one time shortly after I started masturbating around the age of 12. I've masturbated almost religiously since then, often several times a day, with breaks occasionally where I just get too discouraged to try anymore and quit for a few months.

So Last night I read through the entire section on not being able to orgasm, and the stories of many women were eerily similar to mine. I feel something building and I always feel just on the verge of coming, like I'm teetering on the edge of a cliff. But it feels too good, or too intense, and then all of a sudden I'm empty. Arousal leaves me and I don't want to be touched. This leaves me feeling unsatisfied and incomplete, and so very frustrated. Every time your response to these women, women like me, was the same: “THAT'S an orgasm.” Since it doesn't feel like a release, I didn't think it was. Those feelings are so intense, and seem to be building towards something downright explosive, so the fizzle I got instead is, well, anti-climatic.

Because of your beautiful mission to educate us about our own bodies, I've come to the startlingly simple truth: For 13 years I've just been asking the wrong question. Instead of 'why can't I orgasm? What's wrong with me?' I should have been asking, 'What can I do to improve my orgasms?’ It never occurred to me to ask, because to improve I would need to have one to start with. Last night when I masturbated, I really focused on the sensations, thinking about it from the standpoint that I orgasm every time I masturbate. And I realized you were right - it does feel like a release, just a quiet, gentle one. My inner muscles don't contract or convulse, but now I know they don't have to.

So today, I decided to try to keep going after my clit stopped being so sensitive. I slowly built up and ended up having five of my little orgasms. Instead of feeling frustrated I felt relaxed and sleepy and content. There was no more pressure on myself. Now, instead of giving up after what I thought was no orgasm, I'm going to enjoy myself, and see if I can start building up to more intense orgasms. Now that I know the right question to ask, I can experiment with my orgasms (I'm still in disbelief that I can put those two words together!) Not giving up after one already helps!

So once again, thank you so much. It seems now like such a simple thing, but I felt broken and ashamed to admit to partners I wouldn't be able to orgasm with them. Now I'm excited by the prospect of fun mornings (afternoons, and evenings...) exploring a part of myself I never realized existed. I feel like Cinderella finally getting to go to the ball. So keep doing what you're doing. The women of this world need you.”

The First Two Problems: No masturbation followed by exaggerated idea of orgasm.

1. No masturbation: The big problem for these young girls who have never masturbated is that they have no idea how their sex organ functions. Learning how to orgasm during partnersex is very unlikely unless the man involved has a soft touch and is willing to spend a lot of time gently stimulating her clitoris with moistened fingers. Or he is gifted in performing oral sex and has the patience to keep going for thirty minutes or more. Even if he succeeds, she is then totally dependent on him for all of her sexual pleasure. While that might stroke his ego in the beginning, it will soon seem like a job without pay.

2. Exaggerated image of orgasm: girls who leave it up to their boyfriends to help them have an orgasm become the classic image of the blind leading the blind. He knows even less than she does because his sex organ functions totally differently from hers. If he’s circumcised and unfortunately most boys are, he relies on rapid friction to order to ejaculate. Boys with foreskins are gentler with a self-lubricating sex organ. It’s clear to many that the basic idea behind this barbaric practice is to prevent boys from masturbating.

The first step begins toward sexual healing is looking at your vulva in a mirror that stands alone to free both of your hands. None of this one-handed exploration will work. Next is a good light. Begin with a vulva massage using organic massage oil and slowly progress to manual stimulation of your clitoris. After five or so minutes, use your vibrator on low and keep it near the clitoris but not on it at first. Some women start above the clitoris or use the vibrator on the outer labia to soften the vibes. (Today I use a sock on my Magic Wand). As you feel sexual excitement building, keep moving the vibrator. One consistent mistake I have observed is to bear down with your vibrator to increase sensation. That never works. It will just numb out the entire area.

Once you have your first orgasm, back off and let those 8,000 nerve endings in your clitoris calm down. Then continue stimulation above or below Ms. Clitty while rocking your pelvis and breathing. This is when many of us can experience lovely after-shocks of pleasure as the sex energy continues to course through our bodies. Some women like to go on and have another orgasm while others are content with just one. Many have discovered that as long as the stimulation is to their liking, they can continue to have several more orgasms until physically tired. In my experience, each orgasm has its own build-up with varying lengths of time in-between. Sexual response is very personal. No one style fits all.

We need to explore our bodies with an open mind, without any fixed agenda or ideas of what an orgasm will feel like. We now have two generations of youth who have grown up with the abstinence only model as their primary source of sex information. Porn is entertainment for men and rarely if ever incorporates women’s sexual needs. Most important for all of us to realize is women function quite differently than men— we cannot expect orgasmic results in 5 or even 10 minutes. Yet this timing is adequate for most men.

Go to the Navigation Bar at www.dodsonandross.com and click on “Ask Dr. Betty.” Read other women’s questions which will help you to form your own. When we lack sex information and have a minimum of experience, we don’t know enough to even form the right question. But once you have the information to help you explore your body more expertly, you’ll discover new physical sensations and feelings. In no time al all you will be an orgasmic woman well on her way to enjoying a happy sex life. Just remember, sex is like any other skill: it must be learned and then practiced. My recommendation is to practice regularly as though you were training for the Sexual Olympics.

Leather Bear Tails: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Happy New Year to all you Leather, BDSM'ers, kinksters, and fetishists!!!

Take this Holiday with joy and light and love and great spanking!!!

We will be celebrating with friends and family at out favorite nudy bar followed by crashing in
town and a great big breakfast!!!


Be safe have fun and remember what happens n New yeas eve day and New years day will give you little insights as to what will happen the rest of the year!!

So keep your eyes open, your heart ready and your cute bottoms warmed to all of the new possibilities that a New Year can being!!!

Very Sincerely,

Master Bear and her slave


If you are interested in power munches, play parties, or hands on workshops in the Albuquerque area please contact the 20 year organization of AEL at:


aelmailing@gmail.com

If you are interested in an active online community please find:

Fetlife.com

group name:

New Mexico Fetlifers

Friday, December 23, 2011

Leather Bear Tails: Happy Holidays

Leather Bear Tails: Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Hello there everyone! Happy holidays to you and yours no matter where you are in the spiritual spectrum! My slave and I hope that you are safe and joyous for the holiday season and wish you all a Happy and amazing New Year’s celebration that bring you all what your heart’s desire!

Much Love,

Master Bear and slave

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Slut Walk + Red Umbrella Day



Join us as we Slut Walk from the PEP Office to the Albuquerque Social Club in honor of the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers (aka "Red Umbrella Day").

Read more about Red Umbrella Day here. Read some background on Slut Walk here.

We are thrilled to announce plans for our THIRD Albuquerque Red Umbrella Day! Here's the plan for Sunday, December 18th, 5-830pm:

Meet at PEP (149 Jackson NE in ABQ) at 5pm. Bring signs for Slut Walk if you wish, or just bring yourself. Walk together to the Albuquerque Social Club (4021 Central NE), which is graciously allowing us to gather for the reading of the names (of sex workers murdered in 2011) and candle-lighting ceremony. After we read the names and light candles, we will open the floor for anyone to speak.

We will be taking photographs. If you do not wish to be photographed, please let the event organizers, Brittany or Sera Miles, know prior to Dec 18th.

Regarding Slut Walk, we want to note that we are aware of the controversy and varying view points about the name and purpose of Slut Walk. For our purposes, the Slut Walk is inclusive of sex workers and is a supporting pillar of Red Umbrella Day.

Have a question? Want to talk with the organizers? Email seramiles@gmail.com.

Nob Hill Park & Shop | Thursday, December 15






Shop Nob Hill for a Neighborhood-Wide 
Sale Event
December 15, 2011


15% off our entire store
December 15, 2011
Open late 12 - 9 pm


Buy Local & Save!

Community Bands Together to Create Nob Hill
Park & Shop Thursday, December 15th


Nob Hill Retailers need your help!

The 17th annual Nob Hill Shop and Stroll happened on December 2nd as planned, but hurricane-strength winds and brutal cold kept most shoppers at home.  It was bad for business, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time for Nob Hill. 

Your Nob Hill neighborhood is struggling.  Shop and Stroll is usually one of the biggest sales days of the year for most area retailers.  For many merchants, 2011 has been the most challenging year they’ve ever faced. Jay Steinberg, owner of Birdland shares, “for the first time in 17 years I’m on the verge of going out of business.” He is far from alone.  Many stores have closed over the last few years in Nob Hill. Matie Fricker, Co Owner of Self Serve Sexuality Resource Center, and lead organizer of Park and Shop explains, “We’re about to celebrate our store’s 5th anniversary, and it should be a time for celebration.  But it’s never been harder just to stay open. When I started talking to neighbors, I realized that we are not alone.”  Martha Somerville, the owner of Papers for 15 years has seen the neighborhood change. “I grew up going to mom and pop stores--I always loved the creativity and individuality I found there. It feels very different shopping in a store that is locally owned. You can feel the passion of the owner, their heart is in the business and you really feel the love in how you are treated.”  Unfortunately, Martha has been forced to move Papers into a smaller space in order to save her shop.  “The sales just aren’t coming into support the cost of doing business.” Martha fears that without a change Nob Hill could end up looking like a ghost town. 

What's happening in Nob Hill is happening all over America, and through Park & Shop, the merchants of Nob Hill hope to make it easier for folks to keep their money in their local community.  According to Wayne Story, VP of  Communications and Marketing for the Albuquerque Independent Business Association (AIBA) “Albuquerque area consumers and businesses are spending too much of their money on businesses with ownership in other states, and the money is flooding out of New Mexico. It's filling the pockets of out of state internet businesses and national companies whose profits leave the state and never return.” 

Whether or not you can shop on Thursday, December 15th, Nob Hill merchants hope that you will choose to support locally and independently owned small businesses. By choosing to support Nob Hill and other locally owned businesses you can effectively keep vitally needed resources here in New Mexico.

For sales and details, go to:


Nob Hill Park & Shop Sales and Specials
   
The list of businesses offering big sales on December 15th is growing.

Some participants are: Revolver, Kosmic Trading Post, Self Serve, T ‘n’ A Tobacco, The Herb Store, Cowboys and Indians, Birdland, Gearwerks, Olo Yogurt Studio, Stone Mountain Beads, Terra Firma, Rhythm Dance Company, Rockit Hair Studio, Toad Road, The Yarn Store, Tres Boutique, Sole Art and Antiques, Bath and Body Distro, Stilo, Ecco Gellato, Bath and Body Distro, Astro Zombies, Papers, Zap..Oh!, Form Gallery, Aqui-Nob Hill, The Barber's Shop, Stone Circle Massage and more.










Check out this huge sale event on Facebook, then share with friends!















Like voting with your dollars?


Check out the Cash Mob Movement, also launching in ABQ this Thursday.





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Self Serve
   505-265-5815