The other day this email from someone I’ll call Beatrix arrived in my email. Will you help me answer it?
I have a fabulous, wonderful lover with whom I have been exploring new delights as well as being confronted by some faulty programming. Not to be too blunt but I’m having trouble with anal sex.
I never tried anal before but it’s great with this man. However, I’m really bothered by the sensation of the outward stroke because it feels so similar to … well, umm… pooping. I’m terrified that I’m going to be messy all over him! So far, knock wood, it’s been relatively clean. I try to be aware and err on the far side of caution but I also think that has limited my enjoyment and caused missed opportunities. I am extremely bathroom shy and feel really awkward about this. Will this sensation-confusion lessen with time?
I’ve been sexually active for over 20 years and have had many, many orgasms but with this guy? It’s awesome, and I want so badly to be comfortable in reality with all these things that I’m comfortable with in theory. Do you have any advice?
I’m not sure I’d call it faulty programming, Beatrix. I’d be more inclined to call it Tremendously Helpful Conditioning.
Nearly every time since you were two years old that your body has noted the combination of ass-ular fullness plus outward movement, it has sent along a signal to your brain that you should get to the bathroom right now. And nearly every time you’ve immediately trotted your fanny off to the toilet to take care of business in privacy, only returning when all traces of the …er…event were completely eradicated.
You’ve been perfecting this response for nearly your entire life because it’s expected by everyone from the person who toilet-trained you to the guy sitting next to you on the bus that you’ll get it right every single time. Chances are that you’ve grown pretty darn good at it, as the rewards for being good at it (and the corresponding punishments for being bad at it) are high.
When you have buttsex you’re asking your body to ignore nearly 40 years of conditioning. It’s going to take some time to unhook the connection in your mind between that feeling and needing to go right now. The good news is that eventually your ass will learn that the sensation of ass-ular fullness + outward movement does not necessarily mean only one thing. It will learn that it can in fact mean two things, and the longer you have buttsex without the arrival of a poo-pocalypse the easier it will be for your brain to distinguish the two.
Nevertheless, you go rooting around up there long enough and odds are good that something will eventually break free. For this reason it behooves you to speak up to your partner. “Lover,” you should say, sporting a big smile and as much playful chutzpah as you can muster, “I so enjoy anal sex with you. But I’m always worried that I’m going to crap all over your dick.” Or, if you’re feeling slightly less playful and chutzpahish you could substitute “make a mess” for the final five words above.
Either would work, because they both give him the chance to tell you that no good relationship ever fell apart over poo and that he would adore you just as much after the poo-pocalypse as before.
Readers, I feel quite certain that some of you have experienced worries similar to Beatrix’s. Will you contribute additional advice in the comments below?










