Look, Honey, No Hands! I'm Syntribating

The term "syntribation" is a strange word that gives off complicated vibes, but in reality, it's something most women have probably tried sometime since they became aware of sexual sensation.

Syntribation refers to the process of stimulating the clitoris by pressing or rubbing the thighs together. This stimulation can feel similar to squeezing or friction and represents a gentle method that many people with vulvas use for solo pleasure.

However, the act is not necessarily limited to clitorises. While a bit more logistically complicated, people with penises can also stimulate the head by squeezing their thighs together.

As a hands-free, no-tools-needed form of self-pleasure, syntribation can be an accessible option for people who have disabilities and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) or assigned female at birth (AFAB) with presurgery gender dysphoria to experience sexual pleasure without needing to directly manipulate their genitals.

If you've never heard of syntribation, much less tried it, here's a fresh avenue for anyone seeking new ways to explore their bodies.

The original sexual 'loophole'

Stefani Goerlich, Ph.D., an author and a sex therapist in Michigan who is certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), considers syntribation one of the earliest forms of masturbation. While penetrative tools such as stone or ivory dildos have existed for millennia, they were mostly playthings for experienced sex workers or wealthier classes of people with money and leisure time on their hands. Back in those days, though, it was rare for everyday people to have access to such devices.

"As a result, most masturbation was a self-help situation," she said.

Goerlich noted that many cultures—particularly those rooted in Western Judeo-Christian beliefs—discouraged or even prohibited people from touching their genitals for pleasure. And that's a good reason a hands-free method of self-pleasure was likely popular in past centuries as it allowed women to stimulate themselves without violating social or religious taboos.

"Syntribation might be called the original loophole method of masturbation," she said.

How to do it: Tips and recommendations

The physical mechanics of syntribation are simple.

Goerlich broke it down in the following way: Press your thighs together or cross your legs and rub your top thigh against your bottom thigh. Anyone with a penis can stimulate the head (glans) of the penis by squeezing and rubbing their thighs together.

"Syntribation can be fun for all kinds of bodies," she explained.

When exploring different methods of syntribation, Goerlich recommended trying the technique while wearing different types of clothing to investigate how your body responds. For example, some people may notice coarser, more restrictive clothing like jeans reduces sensation, whereas others may enjoy the friction those same materials cause.

"Recognize that this is a form of indirect stimulation and don't get frustrated if it doesn't work for you," she said. "Different bodies respond to different degrees of intensity, and it doesn't mean you're broken if you can't syntribate yourself to climax."

Some people may also enjoy the mentally stimulating aspects of syntribation, such as the thrill of bringing yourself to pleasure while multitasking or having a little too much fun in public.

"There's something delightfully naughty about squeezing your fully-clothed thighs together under your desk while working on the latest spreadsheet report," Goerlich confessed.

For others, the rhythmic nature of syntribation lends itself more toward a mindfulness practice to connect with the body in a calming manner. You may want to try pulsing your thighs in time to relaxing music or even to your breathing patterns. She noted it's a great way to tease yourself and build sexual tension leading up to release or while participating in another sexual activity, such as reading an erotic story.

The benefits of syntribation

The biggest benefit of syntribation may be its accessibility to people with all types of bodies. As long as you have sensation in your genital region and some control of your lower limbs, you can enjoy indirect stimulation of your clitoris or penis.

Also, because syntribation doesn't require the use of hands to grip a toy, or any movement in the wrists or fingers the way that manual stimulation does, it's a great option for people with dexterity or mobility challenges such as arthritis. This includes people who may not have full use of their limbs, people who are older and unable to coordinate their hands, or folks unable to be vaginally penetrated or to get a full erection.

Plus, hands-free, tool-free masturbating isn't necessarily genital-focused. If an AFAB or AMAB person is pre-op transgender, they may experience mild to severe distress concerning their biological genitalia. For trans folks who don't feel comfortable directly touching their genitalia, syntribation can be pleasurable without needing to directly handle genitalia or requiring a focus on their biological sex.

Syntribation can also be a great strategy for people with vulvas who find direct clitoral stimulation overwhelming. The clitoris is rich with nerve endings, so rich, in fact, that not everybody can tolerate direct clitoral stimulation. It can be unpleasantly intense, and even painful, for some people, to the point they find it hard to orgasm through direct clitoral stimulation. In this case, syntribation may offer a form of indirect sensation that doesn't overwhelm their nervous system and allows them to control the speed and intensity of the movement against their genitals.

"Many of my clients feel broken, as if orgasm is outside of their reach because the process of getting there requires too much sensation," Goerlich said. "Syntribation is a great strategy for them."

Finally, she noted that experimenting with new types and degrees of sensation in new ways is part of connecting with and learning about your body and sexuality.

"Even if you're someone who keeps your magic wand on high, syntribation might offer a new and novel sensory experience you might not have considered before," Goerlich said.