Steve Brandl

A bold and intellectually rigorous exploration of human sexuality, The Masturbating Monkey reframes autosexual behavior as one of the oldest and most misunderstood features of human evolution. Drawing on primate research, neuroscience, and decades of somatic clinical experience, Steve Brandl investigates masturbation not as pathology or indulgence, but as an adaptive biological function, a cognitive training ground, and a gateway into altered states of consciousness.
From macaques in Vietnam to modern brain imaging studies, the book traces how pleasure, imagination, and self-awareness intertwine. It challenges deeply rooted cultural narratives of shame and proposes a radically different perspective: that autonomous sexual experience may reveal fundamental truths about the nature of the self. Blending science with phenomenology, this work invites readers to reconsider the relationship between body, mind, and identity-offering not just theory, but a contemplative framework for direct exploration.