La petite mort
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2008-07-13T22:31:11Z
Atomaton
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the "little death" is the english term most often used, not "small death"
{{otheruses}}
'''La petite mort''', [[French language|French]] for "the little death", is a reference for sexual [[orgasm]]. The term has generally been interpreted to describe the post-orgasmic [[faint]]ing spells<ref>The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 21, 1952, No. 2. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 34:353</ref> or [[unconsciousness]] some lovers experience.
Mentioned briefly in [[Jean Rhys]] 'Wide Sargasso Sea' as Rochester talks of his sexual relationship with his new wife.
"Then try, try, say die and watch me die.' 'Die then! Die! I watched her die many times"
More widely, it can refer to the spiritual release that comes with orgasm, or a short period of melancholy or transcendence, as a result of the expenditure of the "[[Energy (spirituality)|life force]]".
A recent study of brain activation patterns using [[Positron Emission Tomography]] (PET) give some support to the experience of a small death:
:''To some degree, the present results seem to be in accordance with this notion, because female orgasm is associated with decreased blood flow in the orbitofrontal cortex, a part of the brain that is crucial for behavioural control.''<ref>{{cite journal |author=Georgiadis J, Kortekaas R, Kuipers R, Nieuwenburg A, Pruim J, Reinders A, Holstege G |title=Regional cerebral blood flow changes associated with clitorally induced orgasm in healthy women |journal=Eur J Neurosci |volume=24 |issue=11 |pages=3305–16 |year=2006 |pmid=17156391 |doi=10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.05206.x}}</ref>
== See also ==
*[[Beautiful Agony]]
*"Electroencephalographic laterality changes during human sexual orgasm", Archives of Sexual Behavior, Springer Netherlands, Vol. 5, #3, May 1976. Abstract: "Left and right parietal EEGs were recorded while seven subjects experienced sexual climax through self-stimulation. "[http://www.springerlink.com/content/w580x14k0h15p38q/]
- *Psychobiology of altered states of consciousness, Psychological Bulletin 2005, Vol. 131, No. 1, 98-127
- *Orgasmic aura originates from the right hemisphere, Neurology 2002;58:302-304
- *EEG during masturbation and ejaculation , Archives of Sexual Behavior, Springer Netherlands, Vol. 14,#6,December 1985. Abstract: "...Examination of the literature shows little agreement among reported results of studies of EEG changes during orgasm."
==References==
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=== Further reading ===
* Psychobiology of altered states of consciousness, Psychological Bulletin 2005, Vol. 131, No. 1, 98-127
* Orgasmic aura originates from the right hemisphere, Neurology 2002;58:302-304
[[Category:Orgasm]]
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