Learn the Pressure Points for Maximum Sexual Arousal

Most people know good, satisfying sex goes beyond penetration and typically involves more than just the genitals. Seduction, foreplay, buildup—these are all integral elements of a memorable sex sesh.

Research indicates touch is a crucial part of physical and psychological well-being. Whether you're in the bedroom or out and about, touching someone in all the right places can relieve stress and increase pleasure, connection and intimacy, for both males and females.

One form of touch with ancient roots is called acupressure therapy, a practice that can yield amazing, perhaps orgasmic, results during sexual activity.

Penetrative sex is not always the most pleasurable sexual act, said Shaghayegh M. DeNoble, M.D., a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist in New Jersey.

"Exploring one's body and foreplay are important, and acupressure can help in that respect," she added.

Ancient roots and modern scientific clout

Acupressure is a form of complementary and alternative medicine that originated in ancient China as far back as 2000 B.C.E. The belief is that specific points on the body, called acupoints, sit across the body on meridians or life energy pathways. When practitioners believe this life energy—called "qi" or sometimes "chi" in the West—is imbalanced, it can be corrected by applying pressure on said specific points.

Even without a trained professional, you can activate these points by using your fingers. The claimed benefits include pain relief, decreased anxiety, relaxation and increased arousal.

"The physiologic response to stress is the 'fight-or-flight' response—the changes that happen in our bodies in response to life-threatening and dangerous situations—and the neurologic system evolved to react to danger with hormonal and physiologic responses," DeNoble explained.

Since feeling safe and anxiety-free is paramount to a satisfying sexual experience, sexual touch also makes it more likely to achieve and maintain an erection or lubricate the vagina. Day-to-day stress can mimic this fight-or-flight response, and one of the outcomes is to shut down bodily functions that aren't necessary for immediate survival, like sex and reproduction, DeNoble said. In this way, stress can inhibit sexual response.

"There are pressure points that can both stimulate arousal and relieve stress or anxiety to promote arousal more indirectly," said Jamie Bacharach, Dipl.Ac., head of the practice at the Acupuncture Jerusalem Clinic. "In other words, while some people may have trouble becoming aroused in a vacuum, others may suffer from the debilitating effects of stress, anxiety or pain, which inhibit arousal."

By relieving those symptoms, you can more easily achieve arousal. DeNoble said acupressure is one method that can help increase sexual response by encouraging mindfulness, heightening senses and reducing physiological response to stress.

In a direct sense, activation of these specific points by a professional acupuncturist is linked to increased lubrication, sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, orgasm and arousal, as well as reduced vaginal pain during intercourse.

How acupressure can work for sexual arousal

How can you tap into these benefits at home?

"There's a lot of overlap between acupuncture and pressure points," Bacharach said. "You can often target traditional acupuncture points with pressure from the fingers to achieve desired effects."

"Sexual arousal is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, which is the yin and yang of the body, also known as fight or flight and rest and digest," said Tsao-Lin Moy, L.Ac., an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner based in New York City's Union Square neighborhood.

The nervous system fluctuates throughout the day, and the balance of excitement and inhibition leads to healthy sexual arousal, she added.

"Sexual arousal and dopamine, a feel-good hormone, play a major role in the nervous system, which results in increased blood flow to the genitals, causing engorgement," she said.

Other sensations prompted by dopamine include increased body heat, perspiration, dilated pupils, increased skin sensitivity, flushing and heightened sensation. Boosts of blood flow cause vaginal walls and the clitoris to swell, increasing lubrication and sensitivity, as well as engorgement of the penis.

Conversely, Moy said frequent anxiety and stress destabilize the whole body and are significant factors in diminished libido, sexual arousal and performance. These are issues said to be helped by acupressure and other forms of sensual touch.

Acupressure isn't as simple as "press here for this function," said Tom Ingegno, L.Ac., a doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine with Charm City Integrative Health in Baltimore.

"Some points work locally to affect sexual arousal, like the lower back and abdomen, while other points might help improve the overall health of a person, which would lead to a normalized level of arousal if it was low," he added. "Some points specifically work on sexual performance by improving circulation and nerve impulses in those areas."

When choosing where to apply acupressure, consider how acupressure points work and why they can help you or your partner. While you can use many points to help with arousal, for home use, the ones you choose should be easy to locate and have the most likelihood of working for you.

Novices should start here…

"Start with mild to moderate pressure; no need to cause pain," Ingegno said. "You can hold the points statically for 30 seconds or more, or massage them in a circular motion."

If you're unsure of the proper location, look for a spot in the general area that "hurts so good," he added. You can do this act several minutes before sexual activity or make it part of foreplay.

"These points are relatively safe outside pregnancy and can be massaged daily if the condition warrants it," Ingegno said.

He recommended the following acupressure points and directions:

Spleen 6 (San Yin Jiao)

"This point is called 'Three Yin Crossing,'" Ingegno explained. "It's where the three meridians of the inside of the leg meet. All three of these channels play a role in human reproduction and run through the genitals or surrounding areas."

How to find it: This point is roughly three inches above the inner ankle bone (medial malleolus). You can use the width of four fingers above the bone to find the point in the middle of the ankle.

This point can be used by both males and females, but because it's on the yin channels, it is more frequently associated with female issues. Some practitioners like to use this point to increase blood flow to the uterus and help with uterine contractions, both of which should help with arousal and the ability to orgasm in females.

Warning: This point should be avoided by any woman who may be pregnant.

Stomach 36 (Zu San Li)

This point is called "Three Foot Mile."

"Its name implies that stimulating this point can help you sprint for three miles, technically, a li, which is an old Chinese measurement of distance," Ingegno said.

How to find it: This point is located roughly four finger widths below the knee on the lateral side of the shin, about one finger breadth away from the crest of the shin. This is sometimes referred to as the ginseng point because it helps with other energy as well. This can be a significant point in helping male libido, but you can often see Spleen 6 and Stomach 36 used on everyone for low energy and digestive disorders as well as sexual function.

Ren 4 (Guan Yuan)

This point is called the "Gate of Origin." In Chinese medical theory, the kidney meridians house life-cycle functions, including sexual function and the ability to reproduce.

"This point is classically considered where we store our essence, which in those with a penis is released with ejaculation," Ingegno said.

This point helps get the energy to the genitals and can be used to promote proper sexual function and arousal.

How to find it: Ren 4 is located roughly three inches below the navel.

Bladder 32 (Ci Liao)

This point is called the "Second Bone Hole" and is located in the second sacral foramen. As the name implies, this point is in the second hole of the sacrum. It is used for a variety of urogenital conditions, and works by activating the nerve that innervates the genitals from the spine.

"Pressing areas in the lower abdomen near the bladder can improve orgasm," DeNoble said. "This works for both men and women because this area is connected to the clitoral network as well as the prostate, which both play into sexual arousal and orgasm."

How to find it: For a novice, it's probably best to massage the whole sacrum rather than trying to differentiate the exact location. This motion should still increase nerve impulses and blood flow to stimulate arousal.

Warning: While this point isn't contraindicated in pregnancy, people in their third trimester should use caution as it can induce labor.

Adding acupressure to your sexual wellness routine

"Cultivating health and wellness is also cultivating a balanced and pleasurable sex life," Moy explained.

Techniques such as massage and acupressure can increase arousal, build sexual tension and broaden your go-to zones for pleasure. Learning new ways to build up arousal with or without the expectation of intercourse is an excellent way to bond and connect with another person, while also fulfilling the innate human need for touch.

It's essential to know the limitations of acupressure. Some people who struggle to get into an aroused state suffer from medical conditions that cannot improve with pressure points.

"Identifying the underlying cause of the inhibited arousal will help you not only target the correct pressure points but learn whether or not a more significant medical intervention is warranted," Bacharach advised.