Try Something New This Year…While Masturbating

<strong><em>If a person masturbates a certain way for many years, is it possible to change the method successfully?</em></strong><br /><br />It's definitely possible to change the way you masturbate, if you're willing to put in a little time and effort. Many of us started masturbating as children or teens, when we were just discovering our bodies' sexual responses and didn't have a lot of knowledge about different types of sexual stimuli. Since orgasm is often the goal of masturbation, we may have hit upon one or two reliable ways to get ourselves there quickly and never looked back. It's not uncommon for people to still use the same basic masturbatory techniques they perfected as youths.<br /><br />Humans are creatures of habit, and we stick with these techniques because they work and they're easy. If you want to switch it up for whatever reason (repetitive strain injury, perhaps?), be prepared to take a little longer to reach your orgasmic goal, since you're retraining your body to respond to something new. If you masturbate with your hands (as opposed to using some type of sex toy, furiously humping a pillow, or employing Jedi mind control), you can get some new ideas for techniques to try from sex manuals that include information on hand jobs, such as <a href="http://www.toolshedtoys.com/details.php?prodId=327%20" target="_blank"><em>Tickle His Pickle</em></a>, or books specifically about masturbation, such as <a href="http://www.toolshedtoys.com/details.php?prodId=1005" target="_blank"><em>Getting Off</em> </a>[. Experiment to see what feels good to you.<br /><br />Vibrators, masturbation sleeves and other toys are another way to try something new. But these aren't the only toys that can be used during masturbation. Sometimes we focus so much on our genitals that we forget about other erogenous parts of the body. Items like butt plugs, prostate stimulators, G-spot toys and nipple clamps can be incorporated into sexy play to add another dimension of sensation.<br /><br />If you have a partner, you can explore masturbation together. Having your partner get you off with his/her/hir hands can feel very different than when you masturbate by yourself. Experiment together with new strokes and touches; you may find something you really like that you can try when you're alone as well.<em><br /><br />Want Laura to answer your questions in SEXpress? Send them to laura@shepex.com. Not all questions received will be answered in the column, and Laura cannot provide personal answers to questions that do not appear here. Questions sent to this address may be reproduced in this column, both in print and online, and may be edited for clarity and content.</em><em><br /><br />Laura Anne Stuart has a master's degree in public health and has worked as a sexuality educator for more than a decade. She owns the Tool Shed, an erotic boutique on Milwaukee's East Side.</em>