{"id":326,"date":"2026-05-02T07:57:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T07:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/?p=326"},"modified":"2026-05-27T17:15:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T11:45:33","slug":"eros-in-the-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/eros-in-the-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"Eros in the Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"326\" class=\"elementor elementor-326\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a56cd03 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no\" data-id=\"a56cd03\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;gradient&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-68e2d27\" data-id=\"68e2d27\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c1bc5f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7c1bc5f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Eros in the Brain<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-309730e elementor-widget-divider--view-line_icon elementor-view-default elementor-widget-divider--element-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"309730e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon elementor-divider__element\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"#000000\" width=\"800px\" height=\"800px\" viewBox=\"0 0 56 56\"><path d=\"M 27.9883 52 C 29.2774 52 29.9336 51.1328 31.2461 49.3516 L 45.2383 30.6719 C 45.8711 29.8047 46.2461 28.9375 46.2461 28 C 46.2461 27.0390 45.8711 26.1953 45.2383 25.3281 L 31.2461 6.6250 C 29.9336 4.8672 29.2774 4.0000 27.9883 4.0000 C 26.7227 4.0000 26.0664 4.8672 24.7539 6.6250 L 10.7617 25.3281 C 10.1289 26.1953 9.7539 27.0390 9.7539 28 C 9.7539 28.9375 10.1289 29.8047 10.7617 30.6719 L 24.7539 49.3516 C 26.0664 51.1328 26.7227 52 27.9883 52 Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c28988c elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"c28988c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-inline-items elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-c4bff4b elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"author\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-far-user-circle\" viewBox=\"0 0 496 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M248 104c-53 0-96 43-96 96s43 96 96 96 96-43 96-96-43-96-96-96zm0 144c-26.5 0-48-21.5-48-48s21.5-48 48-48 48 21.5 48 48-21.5 48-48 48zm0-240C111 8 0 119 0 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S385 8 248 8zm0 448c-49.7 0-95.1-18.3-130.1-48.4 14.9-23 40.4-38.6 69.6-39.5 20.8 6.4 40.6 9.6 60.5 9.6s39.7-3.1 60.5-9.6c29.2 1 54.7 16.5 69.6 39.5-35 30.1-80.4 48.4-130.1 48.4zm162.7-84.1c-24.4-31.4-62.1-51.9-105.1-51.9-10.2 0-26 9.6-57.6 9.6-31.5 0-47.4-9.6-57.6-9.6-42.9 0-80.6 20.5-105.1 51.9C61.9 339.2 48 299.2 48 256c0-110.3 89.7-200 200-200s200 89.7 200 200c0 43.2-13.9 83.2-37.3 115.9z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-author\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDr. Jaydev Panchawagh\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-89ea835 elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-calendar\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M12 192h424c6.6 0 12 5.4 12 12v260c0 26.5-21.5 48-48 48H48c-26.5 0-48-21.5-48-48V204c0-6.6 5.4-12 12-12zm436-44v-36c0-26.5-21.5-48-48-48h-48V12c0-6.6-5.4-12-12-12h-40c-6.6 0-12 5.4-12 12v52H160V12c0-6.6-5.4-12-12-12h-40c-6.6 0-12 5.4-12 12v52H48C21.5 64 0 85.5 0 112v36c0 6.6 5.4 12 12 12h424c6.6 0 12-5.4 12-12z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time>May 2, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-cec31a0 elementor-inline-item\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-far-clock\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8zm0 448c-110.5 0-200-89.5-200-200S145.5 56 256 56s200 89.5 200 200-89.5 200-200 200zm61.8-104.4l-84.9-61.7c-3.1-2.3-4.9-5.9-4.9-9.7V116c0-6.6 5.4-12 12-12h32c6.6 0 12 5.4 12 12v141.7l66.8 48.6c5.4 3.9 6.5 11.4 2.6 16.8L334.6 349c-3.9 5.3-11.4 6.5-16.8 2.6z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-time\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time>7:57 am<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-751bae0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"751bae0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u2014 Dr Jaydev Panchawagh \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 MVD Surgery Centre, Pune<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ae3e0b0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no\" data-id=\"ae3e0b0\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-66c75f3\" data-id=\"66c75f3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1dfe16c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1dfe16c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Your brain is designed for this experience \u2014 and the neuroscience of what happens inside it, moment by moment, is more extraordinary than anything the ancient texts imagined.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6196ef5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-elementskit-heading\" data-id=\"6196ef5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"elementskit-heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ekit-wid-con\" ><div class=\"ekit-heading elementskit-section-title-wraper text_left   ekit_heading_tablet-   ekit_heading_mobile-text_center\"><h3 class=\"elementskit-section-subtitle  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe History\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3><h2 class=\"ekit-heading--title elementskit-section-title \">A Subject We Have Never Stopped Thinking About<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<div class='ekit-heading__description'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>From Ancient Treatises to the Scanning Room<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-116ac06 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"116ac06\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div dir=\"auto\"><p>There is one experience we have not yet considered in our journey through the brain. It is, in some ways, the most fundamental of all \u2014 the one without which none of us would be here. It has been celebrated, suppressed, theorised about, written into poetry and sacred texts, hidden in the dark corners of human imagination, and elevated to the status of art. For as long as humans have been recording anything at all, it has commanded profound cultural attention.<\/p><p>I am speaking of sexuality. Of what the modern neuroscientist calls the neurobiology of sexual experience.<\/p><p>For much of recorded history, this subject was deliberately obscured. Medieval clerics across many traditions \u2014 Christian, Islamic, and in certain periods, Hindu \u2014 pushed the topic into shadow. They moralised it. They surrounded it with shame. They deployed the accusation of sexual impropriety as a weapon, and they cultivated, in the populations they governed, the conviction that this most natural of human experiences was something to be feared and apologised for, rather than understood.<\/p><p>This was not always the case. The ancient Indian tradition treated sexuality as a legitimate domain of intellectual and aesthetic inquiry \u2014 even as a domain of craft and art. References appear in the Vedas and the Puranas. By the time Vatsyayana wrote his\u00a0<em>Kamasutra<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 sometime between 200 BCE and 200 CE \u2014 the subject already had a long scholarly tradition behind it. His book was not, as popular imagination sometimes has it, a mere catalogue of technique. It was a treatise on the conduct of an entire dimension of human life: its emotional texture, its ethical responsibilities, its place within the broader pursuit of a meaningful existence.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-843d101 elementor-widget elementor-widget-elementskit-heading\" data-id=\"843d101\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"elementskit-heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ekit-wid-con\" ><div class=\"ekit-heading elementskit-section-title-wraper text_left   ekit_heading_tablet-   ekit_heading_mobile-\"><h2 class=\"ekit-heading--title elementskit-section-title \">A Telling Observation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<div class='ekit-heading__description'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>The mystic Osho once remarked that across all his hundreds of volumes \u2014 on the Bhagavad Gita, on Ashtavakra, on mystics from every tradition \u2014 the only book the world reliably remembered was\u00a0<em>From Sex to Superconsciousness<\/em>. The reason, he observed, lay not in his writing. It lay in the unconscious of the society receiving it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6a101a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6a101a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The reopening of sexuality as a domain of serious inquiry, in the modern West, dates only to the late nineteenth century. Havelock Ellis, Alfred Kinsey, Masters and Johnson \u2014 each pushed the subject further into the light. But these early researchers were largely confined to studying the body: what happened to the genitals, the heart rate, the breath. The brain was beyond their reach. The technologies that would allow scientists to watch the brain in the act of experiencing sexual arousal did not yet exist.<\/p><p>Now they do. And what they have revealed deserves careful attention.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-147061d elementor-widget elementor-widget-elementskit-heading\" data-id=\"147061d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"elementskit-heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ekit-wid-con\" ><div class=\"ekit-heading elementskit-section-title-wraper text_left   ekit_heading_tablet-   ekit_heading_mobile-text_center\"><h3 class=\"elementskit-section-subtitle  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Neuroscience\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3><h2 class=\"ekit-heading--title elementskit-section-title \">What Happens in the Brain During Arousal<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<div class='ekit-heading__description'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Superego Steps Down<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-888675c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"888675c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-label\"><p>Masters and Johnson identified four phases of the human sexual response: arousal, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. Each of these, we now know, corresponds to a distinct pattern of activity across the brain.<\/p><p>Begin with arousal. The most striking finding from imaging studies of the past two decades is that, during sexual arousal, certain regions of the brain become\u00a0<em>less<\/em>\u00a0active, not more. Specifically, two regions in the front of the brain \u2014 the lateral orbitofrontal cortex and the lateral prefrontal cortex \u2014 show a marked reduction in activity.<\/p><p>To understand why this matters, consider what these regions normally do. These are the parts of the brain that perform moral self-monitoring. They evaluate behaviour against internal standards of correctness, propriety, and ethical permissibility. They are, in essence, the neuroanatomical substrate of what Sigmund Freud called the\u00a0<em>superego<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 the internalised voice of every parent, teacher, religious authority, and social code that has ever shaped us. They are the parts of the brain that say:\u00a0<em>not now. Not here. Not this way. Not at all.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7aeec5d elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"7aeec5d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-55e71d4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"55e71d4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">\"During sexual arousal, these regions go quiet. The superego steps back.\"<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-101d1a3 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"101d1a3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1965b94 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1965b94\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-label\"><p>The constant internal evaluation that accompanies our every action eases its grip, briefly, allowing the experience to unfold without the running commentary of self-judgement. This is not incidental. It is, almost certainly, a necessary feature of the system. Sexual experience, as nature has designed it, depends on a temporary release from the cognitive frame of moral surveillance. Without that release, the experience cannot occur in its full form.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e9946e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e9946e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Amygdala Stands Down Too<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4a92f6b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4a92f6b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-label\"><p>A second region also relaxes during arousal: the amygdala, that small almond-shaped structure deep in the temporal lobe that governs anxiety, vigilance, and threat-detection. Modern life keeps the amygdala chronically activated in most of us \u2014 scanning for danger that, in our evolutionary past, was real and present, and that today arrives largely via news alerts and social comparison. Sexual arousal, in conditions of safety and genuine connection, produces a marked reduction in amygdala activity. The body&#8217;s threat-detection system, briefly, is permitted to stand down.<\/p><p>Now consider what happens when these regions do\u00a0<em>not<\/em>\u00a0relax \u2014 when the superego does not loosen its hold, when the amygdala remains hypervigilant. This is the neurobiological signature of much sexual dysfunction. Patients who carry deep convictions of sexual shame often show, on imaging studies, persistent activity in the lateral prefrontal regions during attempts at intimacy. The superego refuses to step back. The experience is, neurologically speaking, prevented.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-679c561 elementor-widget elementor-widget-elementskit-heading\" data-id=\"679c561\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"elementskit-heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ekit-wid-con\" ><div class=\"ekit-heading elementskit-section-title-wraper text_left   ekit_heading_tablet-   ekit_heading_mobile-\"><h2 class=\"ekit-heading--title elementskit-section-title \">Key finding<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<div class='ekit-heading__description'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>The mystic Osho once remarked that across all his hundreds of volumes \u2014 on the Bhagavad Gita, on Ashtavakra, on mystics from every tradition \u2014 the only book the world reliably remembered was\u00a0<em>From Sex to Superconsciousness<\/em>. The reason, he observed, lay not in his writing. It lay in the unconscious of the society receiving it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab179d6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-elementskit-heading\" data-id=\"ab179d6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"elementskit-heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ekit-wid-con\" ><div class=\"ekit-heading elementskit-section-title-wraper text_left   ekit_heading_tablet-   ekit_heading_mobile-text_center\"><h3 class=\"elementskit-section-subtitle  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tOrgasm\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3><h2 class=\"ekit-heading--title elementskit-section-title \">At the Moment of Orgasm \u2014 An Expansion<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<div class='ekit-heading__description'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Chemical Symphony<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c53af70 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c53af70\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-label\"><p>What happens at the moment of orgasm is among the most striking findings in all of neuroscience. It is, in a word,\u00a0<em>expansion<\/em>. Brain regions that in ordinary life operate independently of one another \u2014 sensory areas, motor areas, regions involved in memory and emotion and bonding \u2014 light up simultaneously, in synchrony, in a way rarely observed in any other state of consciousness. The boundaries between specialised regions blur. The brain becomes, briefly, an unusually unified system.<\/p><p>Sensory centres that process touch; motor centres that coordinate rhythmic movements of release; centres that release dopamine and other reward chemicals; centres that orchestrate the pituitary hormone cascade; certain centres of memory; centres that encode emotional bonding to a specific other person \u2014 all of these activate together, in a single great chord across the brain. There is no other natural state in human biology that quite resembles it.<\/p><p>The chemistry that accompanies this neural orchestration is equally remarkable. In the seconds leading up to orgasm, the brain releases a surge of dopamine \u2014 the neurotransmitter associated with reward, motivation, and the experience of joy. In the moments that follow, a different cascade begins: the release of endogenous opioids, the brain&#8217;s own morphine-like compounds, including the endorphins that produce profound calm and well-being.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5023e07 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"5023e07\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32dcdd7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"32dcdd7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">\"The combination \u2014 dopamine and endorphins together \u2014 is responsible for the unique character of orgasmic experience: simultaneous excitement and dissolution, pleasure and peace, intensity and release.\"<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b426af2 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"b426af2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d6eb461 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d6eb461\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Amygdala Stands Down Too<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3a4eba3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3a4eba3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-label\"><p>The endorphins released during this state are powerful natural analgesics. Pain that was present before \u2014 even chronic pain, sometimes severe \u2014 is reduced or absent during sexual experience, and remains reduced for some hours afterward. This has been demonstrated in formal studies of patients with chronic pain syndromes. The relief is real, even if temporary. The body, it turns out, carries its own pharmacy. Sexual experience opens the dispensary.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-04a6e6c elementor-widget elementor-widget-elementskit-heading\" data-id=\"04a6e6c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"elementskit-heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ekit-wid-con\" ><div class=\"ekit-heading elementskit-section-title-wraper text_left   ekit_heading_tablet-   ekit_heading_mobile-text_center\"><h3 class=\"elementskit-section-subtitle  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBonding\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3><h2 class=\"ekit-heading--title elementskit-section-title \">The Bonding Aftermath<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<div class='ekit-heading__description'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>What Oxytocin Actually Does<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-544aa69 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"544aa69\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-label\"><p>In the period following orgasm \u2014 what Masters and Johnson called resolution \u2014 two further hormones are released in significant quantities: oxytocin and prolactin. These are sometimes called the bonding hormones, and the name captures something true. Oxytocin in particular is associated with feelings of attachment, affection, and trust. It is the hormone released in nursing mothers that drives the emotional bond with the infant. It is released in friendships and in long marriages during quiet moments of physical closeness. It is a fundamental ingredient of what we mean by love.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>It is deeply significant that the human brain has evolved to release these specific chemicals at this particular moment. Sexual experience, in our species, is followed automatically by a flood of bonding chemistry. The intended evolutionary purpose, presumably, is to attach two individuals to one another long enough to raise the offspring that may result. But the mechanism, having evolved for that purpose, also serves a broader one: it provides one of the few reliable means by which two adult human beings can form deep emotional connection \u2014 not through words, not through shared activity, but through a chemical event in the brain that draws them, neurologically, toward one another.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae57d9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-elementskit-heading\" data-id=\"3ae57d9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"elementskit-heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ekit-wid-con\" ><div class=\"ekit-heading elementskit-section-title-wraper text_left   ekit_heading_tablet-   ekit_heading_mobile-text_center\"><h3 class=\"elementskit-section-subtitle  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhy It Matters\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3><h2 class=\"ekit-heading--title elementskit-section-title \">Beyond the Biological<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<div class='ekit-heading__description'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Overlapping Neuroscience of Peak Experience<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d81142 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4d81142\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-label\"><p>The states that sexual experience can produce \u2014 joy, peace, fulfilment, connection, the dissolution of the boundaries of the self into the experience of another \u2014 are precisely the states that human beings spend their lives chasing through every other available means. We seek them in religion, in achievement, in nature, in music. They are rare, and they are precious. Sexual experience offers, for those who are able to receive it, a reliable and naturally occurring path to brief but genuine encounters with these states.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>The brain mechanisms underlying these states are not unique to sexual experience. The same neural and chemical signatures \u2014 the quieting of the lateral surveillance areas, the release of dopamine and endorphins, the dissolution of ordinary cognitive boundaries \u2014 appear in modified form during other peak experiences: music played and heard at a high level, the deep absorption of artistic creation, the flow states of athletes and craftsmen, the states reported by experienced meditators. A life rich in such experiences, across all available domains, is a life that uses the equipment we have been given.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>This also explains why excessively rigid or moralistic frameworks impair sexual function. The neurology requires a temporary release from internal surveillance. A worldview that maintains continuous moral evaluation of every act, every thought, every feeling cannot allow that release to occur. The result is not virtue. It is dysfunction \u2014 biological, measurable, and unnecessary.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51d0187 elementor-widget elementor-widget-elementskit-heading\" data-id=\"51d0187\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"elementskit-heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ekit-wid-con\" ><div class=\"ekit-heading elementskit-section-title-wraper text_center   ekit_heading_tablet-   ekit_heading_mobile-\"><h2 class=\"ekit-heading--title elementskit-section-title \">The Wisdom of Vatsyayana, Confirmed<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<div class='ekit-heading__description'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>The wisdom of Vatsyayana, and of the older traditions he drew upon, was not in the technical details of sexual practice. It was in a fundamental orientation: that this dimension of human life deserved attention, study, refinement, and care \u2014 that it was worth thinking about with the same seriousness one might bring to philosophy, to ethics, to art.<\/p>\n<p>We have spent several centuries trying to forget that. The neuroscience now suggests, in its own dispassionate language, that the older tradition was right. A clear-eyed engagement with this dimension of human experience \u2014 free of the inherited fears, the unnecessary shame, the cultivated misperceptions \u2014 is a legitimate path to depth, to connection, to the kind of richness that gives the years their meaning.<\/p>\n<p>The neurobiology suggests it. The ancient wisdom of multiple civilisations also suggested it. They are saying, in different languages, the same thing.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0d42dbe elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0d42dbe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Share This Post<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-05f1935 elementor-share-buttons--view-icon elementor-share-buttons--shape-circle elementor-share-buttons--color-custom elementor-share-buttons--skin-gradient elementor-grid-0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-share-buttons\" data-id=\"05f1935\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"share-buttons.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid\" role=\"list\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\" role=\"listitem\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div 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elementor-element elementor-element-7c14590\" data-id=\"7c14590\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-18e6a4b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no wpr-column-slider-no wpr-equal-height-no\" data-id=\"18e6a4b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;sticky&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;sticky_parent&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;sticky_on&quot;:[&quot;desktop&quot;,&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;mobile&quot;],&quot;sticky_offset&quot;:0,&quot;sticky_effects_offset&quot;:0,&quot;sticky_anchor_link_offset&quot;:0}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-683bf04\" data-id=\"683bf04\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2df717c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2df717c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">About the Author<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8a8f78b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"8a8f78b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"933\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/imgg-878x1024.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-35\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/imgg-878x1024.png 878w, https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/imgg-257x300.png 257w, https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/imgg-768x896.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/imgg.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fb9b98b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fb9b98b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A neurosurgeon by training, a writer by compulsion \u2014 and a student of the human condition by necessity. These essays explore what science, surgery, literature, and life have in common: the fragile, extraordinary act of paying attention.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ee60aef elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"ee60aef\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;No headings were found on this page.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;,&quot;h4&quot;,&quot;h5&quot;,&quot;h6&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;numbers&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\r\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h4>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__ee60aef\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__ee60aef\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__ee60aef\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4c3a213 elementor-button-align-stretch elementor-widget elementor-widget-form\" data-id=\"4c3a213\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;step_next_label&quot;:&quot;Next&quot;,&quot;step_previous_label&quot;:&quot;Previous&quot;,&quot;button_width&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;step_type&quot;:&quot;number_text&quot;,&quot;step_icon_shape&quot;:&quot;circle&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"form.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<form class=\"elementor-form\" method=\"post\" name=\"New Form\" aria-label=\"New Form\">\r\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"post_id\" value=\"326\"\/>\r\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"form_id\" value=\"4c3a213\"\/>\r\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"referer_title\" value=\"Eros in the Brain - Fine Lines \u2014 Dr. Jaydev Panchawagh&#039;s Neurosurgery Blog\" \/>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"queried_id\" value=\"326\"\/>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-form-fields-wrapper elementor-labels-\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-field-type-html elementor-field-group elementor-column elementor-field-group-field_99ae400 elementor-col-100\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<h6 style=\"color:#F2D060\";>Subscribe To Our Form<\/h6>\n<hr >\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-field-type-html elementor-field-group elementor-column elementor-field-group-field_65e901f elementor-col-100\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\tNew essays, fortnightly. 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data-widget_type=\"elementskit-blog-posts.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ekit-wid-con\" >        <div id=\"post-items--dd0ad88\" class=\"row post-items\">\n                    <div class=\"col-lg-4 col-md-6\">\n\n                                    <div class=\"elementskit-post-image-card\">\n                        <div class=\"elementskit-entry-header\">\n                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/01\/the-eye-that-winked-without-permission\/\" class=\"elementskit-entry-thumb\">\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The-Eye-That-Winked-Without-Permission.png\" alt=\"The Eye That Winked Without Permission\">\n                                <\/a><!-- .elementskit-entry-thumb END -->\n                                                                                                    <div class=\"elementskit-meta-lists\">\n                                        <div class=\"elementskit-single-meta\"><span class=\"elementskit-meta-wraper\"><strong>01<\/strong>Sep<\/span><\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n                                                                                            \n                            \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .elementskit-entry-header END -->\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementskit-post-body \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/01\/the-eye-that-winked-without-permission\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Eye That Winked Without Permission\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                                            <div 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href=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/the-mathematician-who-diagnosed-himself\/\" class=\"elementskit-entry-thumb\">\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tnhead.webp\" alt=\"The Mathematician Who Diagnosed Himself\">\n                                <\/a><!-- .elementskit-entry-thumb END -->\n                                                                                                    <div class=\"elementskit-meta-lists\">\n                                        <div class=\"elementskit-single-meta\"><span class=\"elementskit-meta-wraper\"><strong>04<\/strong>Aug<\/span><\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n                                                                                            \n                            \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .elementskit-entry-header END -->\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementskit-post-body \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/the-mathematician-who-diagnosed-himself\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Mathematician Who Diagnosed Himself\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                                            <div class=\"btn-wraper\">\n                                    \n                                                                            <a class=\"elementskit-btn whitespace--normal\" id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/the-mathematician-who-diagnosed-himself\/\">\n                                        \t                                            Read                                        <\/a>\n                                                            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             <div class=\"elementskit-single-meta\"><span class=\"elementskit-meta-wraper\"><strong>31<\/strong>Jul<\/span><\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n                                                                                            \n                            \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .elementskit-entry-header END -->\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementskit-post-body \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/31\/the-body-speaks-first\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Body Speaks First\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                                                            <div class=\"btn-wraper\">\n                                    \n                                                                            <a class=\"elementskit-btn whitespace--normal\" id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/31\/the-body-speaks-first\/\">\n                                        \t                                            Read                                        <\/a>\n                                                                    <\/div>\n                                                    <\/div><!-- .elementskit-post-body END -->\n                    <\/div>\n                \n            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n       <\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2014 Dr Jaydev Panchawagh \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 MVD Surgery Centre, Pune Your brain is designed for this experience \u2014 and the neuroscience of what happens inside it, moment by moment, is more extraordinary than anything the ancient texts imagined. The History A Subject We Have Never Stopped Thinking About From Ancient Treatises to the Scanning Room There is one experience we have not yet considered in our journey through the brain. It is, in some ways, the most fundamental of all \u2014 the one without which none of us would be here. It has been celebrated, suppressed, theorised about, written into poetry and sacred texts, hidden in the dark corners of human imagination, and elevated to the status of art. For as long as humans have been recording anything at all, it has commanded profound cultural attention. I am speaking of sexuality. Of what the modern neuroscientist calls the neurobiology of sexual experience. For much of recorded history, this subject was deliberately obscured. Medieval clerics across many traditions \u2014 Christian, Islamic, and in certain periods, Hindu \u2014 pushed the topic into shadow. They moralised it. They surrounded it with shame. They deployed the accusation of sexual impropriety as a weapon, and they cultivated, in the populations they governed, the conviction that this most natural of human experiences was something to be feared and apologised for, rather than understood. This was not always the case. The ancient Indian tradition treated sexuality as a legitimate domain of intellectual and aesthetic inquiry \u2014 even as a domain of craft and art. References appear in the Vedas and the Puranas. By the time Vatsyayana wrote his\u00a0Kamasutra\u00a0\u2014 sometime between 200 BCE and 200 CE \u2014 the subject already had a long scholarly tradition behind it. His book was not, as popular imagination sometimes has it, a mere catalogue of technique. It was a treatise on the conduct of an entire dimension of human life: its emotional texture, its ethical responsibilities, its place within the broader pursuit of a meaningful existence. A Telling Observation The mystic Osho once remarked that across all his hundreds of volumes \u2014 on the Bhagavad Gita, on Ashtavakra, on mystics from every tradition \u2014 the only book the world reliably remembered was\u00a0From Sex to Superconsciousness. The reason, he observed, lay not in his writing. It lay in the unconscious of the society receiving it. The reopening of sexuality as a domain of serious inquiry, in the modern West, dates only to the late nineteenth century. Havelock Ellis, Alfred Kinsey, Masters and Johnson \u2014 each pushed the subject further into the light. But these early researchers were largely confined to studying the body: what happened to the genitals, the heart rate, the breath. The brain was beyond their reach. The technologies that would allow scientists to watch the brain in the act of experiencing sexual arousal did not yet exist. Now they do. And what they have revealed deserves careful attention. The Neuroscience What Happens in the Brain During Arousal The Superego Steps Down Masters and Johnson identified four phases of the human sexual response: arousal, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. Each of these, we now know, corresponds to a distinct pattern of activity across the brain. Begin with arousal. The most striking finding from imaging studies of the past two decades is that, during sexual arousal, certain regions of the brain become\u00a0less\u00a0active, not more. Specifically, two regions in the front of the brain \u2014 the lateral orbitofrontal cortex and the lateral prefrontal cortex \u2014 show a marked reduction in activity. To understand why this matters, consider what these regions normally do. These are the parts of the brain that perform moral self-monitoring. They evaluate behaviour against internal standards of correctness, propriety, and ethical permissibility. They are, in essence, the neuroanatomical substrate of what Sigmund Freud called the\u00a0superego\u00a0\u2014 the internalised voice of every parent, teacher, religious authority, and social code that has ever shaped us. They are the parts of the brain that say:\u00a0not now. Not here. Not this way. Not at all. &#8220;During sexual arousal, these regions go quiet. The superego steps back.&#8221; The constant internal evaluation that accompanies our every action eases its grip, briefly, allowing the experience to unfold without the running commentary of self-judgement. This is not incidental. It is, almost certainly, a necessary feature of the system. Sexual experience, as nature has designed it, depends on a temporary release from the cognitive frame of moral surveillance. Without that release, the experience cannot occur in its full form. The Amygdala Stands Down Too A second region also relaxes during arousal: the amygdala, that small almond-shaped structure deep in the temporal lobe that governs anxiety, vigilance, and threat-detection. Modern life keeps the amygdala chronically activated in most of us \u2014 scanning for danger that, in our evolutionary past, was real and present, and that today arrives largely via news alerts and social comparison. Sexual arousal, in conditions of safety and genuine connection, produces a marked reduction in amygdala activity. The body&#8217;s threat-detection system, briefly, is permitted to stand down. Now consider what happens when these regions do\u00a0not\u00a0relax \u2014 when the superego does not loosen its hold, when the amygdala remains hypervigilant. This is the neurobiological signature of much sexual dysfunction. Patients who carry deep convictions of sexual shame often show, on imaging studies, persistent activity in the lateral prefrontal regions during attempts at intimacy. The superego refuses to step back. The experience is, neurologically speaking, prevented. Key finding The mystic Osho once remarked that across all his hundreds of volumes \u2014 on the Bhagavad Gita, on Ashtavakra, on mystics from every tradition \u2014 the only book the world reliably remembered was\u00a0From Sex to Superconsciousness. The reason, he observed, lay not in his writing. It lay in the unconscious of the society receiving it. Orgasm At the Moment of Orgasm \u2014 An Expansion The Chemical Symphony What happens at the moment of orgasm is among the most striking findings in all of neuroscience. It is, in a word,\u00a0expansion. Brain regions that in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":710,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miscellaneous"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Eros in the Brain - Fine Lines \u2014 Dr. Jaydev Panchawagh&#039;s Neurosurgery Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Eros in the Brain Fine Lines \u2014 Dr. Jaydev Panchawagh&#039;s Neurosurgery Blog Miscellaneous\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/eros-in-the-brain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Eros in the Brain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eros in the Brain Fine Lines \u2014 Dr. Jaydev Panchawagh&#039;s Neurosurgery Blog Miscellaneous\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/eros-in-the-brain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Fine Lines \u2014 Dr. Jaydev Panchawagh&#039;s Neurosurgery Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-02T07:57:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T11:45:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.drjaydev.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1-1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Jaydev Panchawagh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Jaydev Panchawagh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.drjaydev.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/02\\\/eros-in-the-brain\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.drjaydev.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/02\\\/eros-in-the-brain\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dr. Jaydev Panchawagh\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.drjaydev.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/421d86d8c7b55f11acc42be8429a69a7\"},\"headline\":\"Eros in the Brain\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-02T07:57:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-27T11:45:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.drjaydev.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/02\\\/eros-in-the-brain\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1935,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.drjaydev.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/421d86d8c7b55f11acc42be8429a69a7\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.drjaydev.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/02\\\/eros-in-the-brain\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.drjaydev.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/1-1.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Miscellaneous\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.drjaydev.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/02\\\/eros-in-the-brain\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.drjaydev.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/02\\\/eros-in-the-brain\\\/\",\"name\":\"Eros in the Brain - 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