Masturbation is normal, no need to feel guilty

“Doctor, please prescribe a stronger medicine than this,” pleaded the anxious young man. ‘This’ was a herbal concoction given by a quack! “Why did you approach him?” I asked.

“I’ve been indulging in this bad habit for the past 10 years and have lost all my energy,” he said. The ‘bad habit’ being masturbation.

Masturbation, indulged in by both the sexes, is the stimulation of the sex organs to obtain pleasure. It may or may not lead to ejaculation and/or orgasm.

Masturbation has always been a topic for myths and misconceptions, arising mainly due to ignorance and hearsay. Even the vaguest and unrelated complaints are attributed to it.

Masturbation owes its negativity to western thinking. The theological decree of ‘it’ being a sin. Not just theologists, even doctors till recently believed in the so-called harm caused by masturbation. S. Tissot, a Swiss physician, added a new dimension by propagating a theory that masturbation was a disease and hence, needed a cure. According to him,, the act of self pleasure damages the nerves and will lead to insanity.

Unfortunately, this theory gained precedence and gradual acceptance due to lack of unbiased knowledge. Many people capitalized on this ignorance and put the fear of God in the minds of the general public.

To quote a famous sex researcher, “95 per cent of the population masturbates, and the remaining 5 percent are lying!” Masturbation is a perfectly normal act. It’s a substitute for sexual intercourse. The difference — masturbation is entirely selforiented unlike sexual intercourse, which is very much a shared experience with the objective of mutual pleasure, emotional satisfaction or procreation, Being the first form of new sexual expression, it is also chaperoned by sexual fantasies. Hence it may cause psychological stress. The ability to deal with this kind of stress differs from person to person depending on their attitudes and backgrounds.

Masturbation is normal and there is no need to feel guilty or ashamed. Only those who are spiritual and those whose minds are restricted refrain from indulging in this. It does not lead to any health deficits, and is even recommended as a therapeutic tool in treating sexual problems.

Being the first form of new sexual expression, it is also chaperoned by sexual fantasies. Hence it may cause psychological stress. The ability to deal with this kind of stress differs from person to person. Masturbation is normal and there is no need to feel guilty or ashamed. Only those who are spiritual and those whose minds are restricted refrain from

indulging in this.