Lasting Longer is a useful little self-help guide for men who suffer from premature ejaculation that was written decades ago, but is still relevant.
As you can see from the picture, it’s visibly lacking in appealing graphics compared to the more modern books on the topic. However, the content itself is worth a look.
The author, Dr. Sy Silverberg M.D. says that he originally wrote Lasting Longer in 1978, updating it in 2010 after 30 years of professional practice as a sex therapist.
Most of the other books on the topic are written by men who have personally experienced and (apparently) overcome premature ejaculation. They then use their knowledge and experience to create their own guides.
Dr. Silverberg trained with the famous sex therapists Masters and Johnson in the 1970s (they first had the idea for the squeeze technique). And what makes his book a bit different is that he has a relatively simple approach to learning ejaculation control that he developed over many years of treating many men.
So on the face of it, Dr. Silverberg would appear to be a trustworthy source of advice. It’s not clear whether he ever experienced premature ejaculation personally or not, but it’s clear that he has experience with helping men.
The background information
Dr. Silverberg says in the introduction that he intentionally kept a lot of background information out of the book. He believes that curing premature ejaculation is quite simple, though he does say early on that it’s not necessarily easy.
He gives an introduction to the possible causes of premature ejaculation, discussing evolutionary theories and the sexual behavior of men generally.
He then goes on to explain how ejaculation works, how you can learn to control the reflex, and the importance of learning arousal control. His simple explanation of these concepts makes a lot of sense, and provides a solid reason to want to learn the later techniques.
One of the best sections in the book is about the role of sexual performance anxiety. He has a nice way of helping you understand the role that it plays, and how to manage your expectations about your performance.
I also really like how he encourages you to look at your sex life in a different way, which could make a difference to both your and your partner’s satisfaction. This is where his experience as a sex therapist really shines through, and I was impressed with that section. I think it’s important to see the bigger picture of love making, and how it’s much more than just penetrative sex and ejaculation.
The techniques
The training program in Lasting Longer consists of two main elements, both fundamental in developing arousal and ejaculation control. Dr. Silverberg describes the methods in a very concise manner, with a specific focus on learning to recognize your arousal levels.
His intention is that you learn when your body is signaling that you’re approaching the point of no return. That way, you can learn to keep yourself at the plateau stage of arousal, and not ejaculate until you choose to.
His method is clear, succinct, and has two main steps: solo work and partner work, both of which he teaches you how to do. As a final word, he has a section dedicated to your partner. He gives her practical advice on how she can work with you to support you and help you through the process.
I liked the way he thinks about the partner in this inclusive way; he acknowledges the fact that she has an important role to play in your journey to learn control.
Criticisms
My main criticism is that the book feels a little short. I think it’s a shame that he decided to leave out the more detailed information and assume that one technique is enough for every man that reads it.
There isn’t a section outlining the techniques that can be used to immediately make a difference, for example. I think a lot of men would appreciate having some simple and practical ideas that will help them straight away.
Finally, like all the books on premature ejaculation, it’s not an instant cure and isn’t guaranteed to work for all men because the problem can be caused by different factors.
For those that can benefit from it, it will take some time and dedication to make the most of the technique in the book and see a real difference in your lasting time.
Conclusion
Lasting longer is a basic introduction to premature ejaculation, and is very easy to read and follow. The simplicity is also my main criticism though. There are books with more information, more detail, and more advanced techniques. And I personally think it’s important to know as much about the problem as possible.
The main technique is essentially just the stop and start method. So if you’re interested in that technique, you’ll find a very detailed explanation of how to do it.
If you’re hoping for some different exercises and tips to help you right away, you might find one of the more advanced sexual stamina guides suit you better though.
