Erotic electrostimulation (abbreviated e-stim and also known as electrosex) is a human sexual practice involving the application of electrical

Electricity

Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...

 stimulation to the nerve

Nerve

A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...

s of the body, with particular emphasis on the genitals, using a power source (such as a TENS, EMS

Electrical muscle stimulation

Electrical muscle stimulation , also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses...

, Violet wand

Violet wand

Violet wands are modern electrical sexual or kink stimulation toys. They are used for the application of low current, high voltage , high-frequency, electricity to the body...

, or made-for-play units) for purposes of sexual stimulation. Electrostimulation has been associated with BDSM

BDSM

BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...

 activities, and erotic electrostimulation is an evolution of that practice. Erotic electrostimulation is the use of electrostimulation in an erotic or sexual manner versus the more sadistic or painful applications in BDSM

BDSM

BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...

.

Safety

Electrostimulation, in general, can cause tissue

Tissue (biology)

Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...

 damage or even death

Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....

 if misused. The most common problems arising from electrostimulation tend to be burn

Burn

A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...

s from lack of lubrication

Lubrication

Lubrication is the process, or technique employed to reduce wear of one or both surfaces in close proximity, and moving relative to each another, by interposing a substance called lubricant between the surfaces to carry or to help carry the load between the opposing surfaces. The interposed...

 or bad contact between the electrode and the skin's surface. Even at relatively low current

Electric current

Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...

 and voltage

Voltage

Voltage, otherwise known as electrical potential difference or electric tension is the difference in electric potential between two points — or the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points...

, there is also risk of interference with normal heart function (potentially including cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...

), and this risk is higher for those who use an artificial pacemaker

Artificial pacemaker

A pacemaker is a medical device that uses electrical impulses, delivered by electrodes contacting the heart muscles, to regulate the beating of the heart...

 or similar device or who have heart conditions. Because of this, it is not advisable to place the electrical contacts in such a way that current passes through the chest cavity

Thoracic cavity

The thoracic cavity is the chamber of the human body that is protected by the thoracic wall ....

. Newcomers are encouraged to research the hazards, limitations, and techniques of electrostimulation and the devices used.

History

The use of electricity for entertainment purposes dates back at least as early as the 1740s. In the 1830s, insertable electrode attachments for small magnetos could be purchased. Later in the 1800s, various electric belts (some complete with "suspensory sack") were advertised as cures for impotence. In the 1920s, the American Medical Association

American Medical Association

The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...

 investigated such devices, and concluded that they provided "more or less mechanical masturbation".

Modern electrostimulation first became recognized during the 1950s with the introduction of a device called the Relaxacisor, which was originally designed to stimulate the muscles of a relaxing

Relaxation technique

A relaxation technique is any method, process, procedure, or activity that helps a person to relax; to attain a state of increased calmness; or otherwise reduce levels of anxiety, stress or anger...

 subject using electric currents as a means of "passive exercise." Such power sources are still in medical use today and are known as EMS (electrical muscle stimulation

Electrical muscle stimulation

Electrical muscle stimulation , also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses...

) units. Some people soon found alternative uses for the Relaxacisors by placing the contacts on sexual parts of the body.

By the 1970s, medical TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is the use of electric current produced by a device to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes...

) units were also being used for electrostimulation. However, neither the EMS nor medical TENS units were ideal for erotic purposes, and in the 1980s the first devices manufactured specifically for erotic electrostimulation became available, in particular the Titillator and the Pleasure Box, later known as the PES Power Box.

In the 1970s, experimenters noticed that bare speaker wires could deliver a jolt and began using recorded and live sound for electrostimulation. At that time, there were no professionally made attachments for such play, so people built their own out of copper plumbing parts and other metal pieces with attention to resistor

Resistor

A linear resistor is a linear, passive two-terminal electrical component that implements electrical resistance as a circuit element.The current through a resistor is in direct proportion to the voltage across the resistor's terminals. Thus, the ratio of the voltage applied across a resistor's...

s placed in series with the human parts to control the current for safety. Although early e-stim units used only a simple, pulsed

Pulse wave

A pulse wave or pulse train is a kind of non-sinusoidal waveform that is similar to a square wave, but does not have the symmetrical shape associated with a perfect square wave. It is a term common to synthesizer programming, and is a typical waveform available on many synths. The exact shape of...

, sinusoidal wave, newer units (such as the ErosTek 312) use more complex wave forms and also allow for the use of ambient sound or prerecorded wave forms like music or specially designed computer files for specific types of stimulation. There are now sites dedicated to the creation of MP3

MP3

MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...

 files specifically for erotic journeys or symphonies, which can include such routines as rewards, punishments, very strong, and pleasantly soft portions.

Research into general electrode massage units, using accupuncture points, has come up with the point SP6 (spleen 6) as a key point likely to stimulate a woman to orgasm, electronically.

Medical power sources

There are repackaged TENS and EMS

Electrical muscle stimulation

Electrical muscle stimulation , also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses...

 units marketed as erotic electrostimulation power sources. Medical TENS units are designed to desensitize nerves (for pain management), and though they can be used for sexual electrostimulation purposes, most people do not find the sensation they produce especially erotic. Medical EMS units are designed to cause muscle contraction and are also far from optimal for erotic use.

Body toning and massage units

An increasing number of "body toner" or "electromassage"-type power sources are being marketed directly to consumers. Like medical units, these types of power sources were not designed for sexual use. They vary widely in quality and capabilities and most have the incorrect power and frequency output for erotic electrostimulation.

Homemade power sources

Some people craft "homemade" electrostimulation power sources, or adapt or modify commercial products (such as a Hifi

High fidelity

High fidelity—or hi-fi—reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts to refer to high-quality reproduction of sound or images, to distinguish it from the poorer quality sound produced by inexpensive audio equipment...

 or DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 system) that were never intended for electrostimulation of the human body. These can be dangerous practices; such improvised devices not specifically designed for use on the human body can easily cause injury. The risk is mostly twofold. First the device can supply too much power. Second the isolation of most devices is not suited for medical equipment. For example a transient over-voltage on the mains input can damage the isolation of the transformer, resulting in the output terminals becoming live.

Deaths have been reported from using a power strip

Power strip

A power strip is a block of electrical sockets that attaches to the end of a flexible cable and allows multiple electrical devices to be plugged in. As such it can be considered a type of trailing socket though that term is more often used for single and double cable mounted sockets...

 (with switch) plugged into the mains

Mains electricity

Mains is the general-purpose alternating current electric power supply. In the US, electric power is referred to by several names including household power, household electricity, powerline, domestic power, wall power, line power, AC power, city power, street power, and grid power...

 and connected to the nipples.

Erotic electrostimulation power sources

Erotic electrostimulation power sources are specifically designed and manufactured for erotic use on the human body. The first analog

Analogue electronics

Analogue electronics are electronic systems with a continuously variable signal, in contrast to digital electronics where signals usually take only two different levels. The term "analogue" describes the proportional relationship between a signal and a voltage or current that represents the signal...

 devices became popular during the mid-1980s, and during the late 1990s digital

Digital

A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...

 devices also became available. Both types usually allow for adjustments of frequency and power output levels, some with complex preset "programs" and computer controls. The setups usually consist of a "box" and electrodes connected by wiring. Many of the boxes are portable and can be powered by batteries

Battery (electricity)

An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...

 or come with built-in rechargeable batteries

Rechargeable battery

A rechargeable battery or storage battery is a group of one or more electrochemical cells. They are known as secondary cells because their electrochemical reactions are electrically reversible. Rechargeable batteries come in many different shapes and sizes, ranging anything from a button cell to...

. Some units can be connected to remote operators via an Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

-connected computer

Computer

A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...

 or controlled via radio

Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

 frequency key fobs.

Other methods

There are other medical methods that have led to patent filings, such as the discovery that placing electrodes in the spinal cord can induce pleasurable feelings leading to orgasm. There are also various apparatuses, with external or internal stimulation.

• Method for artificially inducing sexual excitation
• Method and pacemaker for stimulating penile erection

Other kinds of apparatus use interferential currents with four surface electrodes to replace the internal electrodes.

Electrodes

An electrode

Electrode

An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit...

 is used to deliver the actual electrostimulation to the body.

For erotic electrostimulation, these are typically items designed to be applied to the genitals such as vaginal plugs and shields, anal plug

Butt plug

A butt plug is a sex toy designed to be inserted in the anus and rectum for sexual pleasure. In some ways, they are similar to a dildo, but they tend to be shorter, and must have a flanged end to prevent the device from being lost inside the rectum.- Basics :...

s, probes to directly stimulate the prostate, testicle rings, CBT boards, cock ring

Cock ring

A cock ring, or cockring, is a ring that is placed around a man's penis, usually at the base, primarily to slow the flow of blood from the erect penile tissue, thus maintaining erection for a much longer period of time....

s, urethral probes, and other items for penile

Penis

The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...

 application. The pads used with TENS units are also used in the sexual application of electrostimulation. There are also electrified nipple

Nipple

In its most general form, a nipple is a structure from which a fluid emanates. More specifically, it is the projection on the breasts or udder of a mammal by which breast milk is delivered to a mother's young. In this sense, it is often called a teat, especially when referring to non-humans, and...

 and breast

Breast

The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...

 electrodes available, but there is disagreement within the e-stim community about their safety.

The electrodes can be made of metal

Metal

A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...

s such as gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

, silver

Silver

Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...

, aluminum, and stainless steel

Stainless steel

In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....

. There are also electrodes made out of conductive silicone

Silicone

Silicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medical applications , cookware, and insulation....

. Conductive rubber is a cheap, flexible and efficient option.

Lubrication

Lubrication

Lubrication

Lubrication is the process, or technique employed to reduce wear of one or both surfaces in close proximity, and moving relative to each another, by interposing a substance called lubricant between the surfaces to carry or to help carry the load between the opposing surfaces. The interposed...

 plays an important role in the success of erotic electrostimulation since without it, there is a greater risk of high-frequency epidermal burn

Burn

A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...

ing. Water-based lubricants are generally recommended, although olive oil

Olive oil

Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...

 is popular because it does not dry out as water-based lubricants can. Typically it is recommended to avoid any lubricant that contains silicone

Silicone

Silicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medical applications , cookware, and insulation....

 since it is an insulator and hence reduces conductivity. Practitioners of electrostimulation select lubricants for compatibility with the material of the electrodes, as well as for desirable conductive properties, which can maximize the strength and quality of the signal.

See also

• TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)