Book on sex technique draws controversy

By Susan Milius

WASHINGTON (UPI): The technique for sexual fulfillment nicknamed CAT, called "the G-spot of the 90's", proved controversial at a national meeting of the American Academy of Clinical Sexologists here Friday.

Edward Eichel, one of the authors of the book The Perfect Fit, described his recommendation for a technique that he says may be able to triple the number of women who experience orgasms.

"In the 70s it was The Joy of Sex, in the 80s it was the G spot, and in the 90s it's the Coital Alignment Technique (CAT)," Erica Jong has written of the cult following for Eichel's work.

Therapist Isadora Alman, who writes the Ask Isadora advice column for the Village Voice and 14 other papers, said "CAT has generated more interest in my readers than anything in 10 years."

Eichel advises that couples pay attention to their positions, striving for a good alignment and "a rocking motion, not thrusting" that provides continuous stimulation of female erogenous zones.

"There's a design to the body," he said. "In a sense there's a right way."

Using this technique, Eichel says, couples may achieve simultaneous orgasms, which he believes would enhance their relationships.

His presentation provoked concern from the audience of clinical sex therapists.

"If there's something new or better, even if it includes chandeliers, that's great, but what concerns me is let's not say this is the only way," said columnist Alman.

"I think it's a new name for an old practice that we can refer to as Tantric sex," said Roger Libby, who has a clinical practice in Atlanta and has published the book Sex from Aah to Zipper. "It works for some people, but I think we put too much emphasis on intercourse -- what about kissing, what about oral sex, what about vibrators."

"The controversy is about 'this is the one and only right way,'" said Vivian Davis, whose clinical practice is in Indianapolis.

"If it's a homosexual couple, or a woman who was abused in that position, I don't think it would be such a good idea," said Dr. Bonnie Saks, a psychiatrist from Tampa, Fla.

"People who are discovering this feel as if they've discovered ice cream, but in their excitement it's hard for them to appreciate how many flavors there are." Saks said.

"People are worried that this is undoing a lot of the principles of sex therapy," said Saks. "For example, we've been trying to defocus on orgasm, trying to take the pressure off."