There are two primary forms of arousal — subjective arousal and genital arousal.

Subjective arousal involves the emotional experience of sexual arousal. This experience varies from person to person and gives those involved a chance to perceive their own bodily responses and assign a unique, subjective meaning to that experience.

Genital arousal is the dilation of genital tissues, which leads to lubrication in women and erection in men.

Sexual Concordance occurs when there is a connection between the subjective aspect of sexual arousal, also known as being turned on, with the physiological or neurovascular arousal, which includes increased blood flow to the genitals.

Research has shown that these two types of arousal have varying degrees of compatibility. For example, some people may not be mentally turned on but still are able to lubricate for sex or become erect, which can beis typically considered low sexual desire. Vice versa, some people may feel mentally aroused but not have the genital arousal to match, which is considered dysfunction of sexual arousal.

If this sounds familiar to you, you aren’t alone. Approximately 31% of men and 43% of women experience temporary or chronic dysfunction in their lifetime. 

Mindfulness has been shown to improve how people with sexual dysfunctions experience sexual arousal and sexual satisfaction. Research has shown that even a single episode of mindfulness meditation can lead to greater orgasm function. 

Practicing mindfulness to impact your arousal can create something that’s referred to as sexual concordance. 

Download the free MendEd Guide to find an exclusive guided meditation and targeted reflection questions about sexual concordance to learn more about how you can use mindfulness to overcome your sexual dysfunctions.