"Until recently, scientists believed that its sole purpose was to nourish and protect sperm on their way to fertilization. But now it appears that semen spurs ovulation and makes women feel happier."
I am someone that has dealt with depression my entire life. Throughout my teen years, I was diagnosed with everything from Severe Depression to Bipolar to PTSD by the various therapists and psychologists that I visited. I have taken antidepressants, mood stabilizers, tried natural remedies, and a multitude of other “cures” to help me manage the sometimes debilitating moods. My body does not react positively to medical intervention, so I have been unmedicated for about 4 years. Finding a solution for my depression without medication has been a huge struggle.
Without getting into much detail on my family, I was raised by an aunt and uncle for a large part of my formative years. I was 4 when I went to live with them and 14 when I left. During the ten years that I lived with my aunt and uncle, I experienced every form of abuse that a child could endure. I was physically abused, mentally and emotionally berated, and the reason I left the home was because I reported my uncle for sexual abuse. The emotional and mental abuse left me with an extremely low self-esteem and self-worth. I turned to drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex to shield me from my many demons. None of these options worked for me, and in fact made things much worse. When I came down from the high or sobered up from being drunk, my problems were right there waiting for me. Promiscuity just served to further lower my self-esteem and self-worth. I was making myself worse, rather than healing in any way.
When I was 20 years old, I met and fell in love with the man that would become my husband. Through our love and his understanding and tenderness, I began to heal. No longer was I using my body to hide my pain, instead I was using my body (and his) to heal. With my husband, sex became more than just sex. It was a way for us to show our love for one another, to focus on each other and our pleasure in being together. I found that the more we had sex, the more he loved me for the way I looked and felt, the better I began to feel. My self-esteem began to increase and I found that battling the depression became easier. I found healing in being loved and cherished, by having my needs and desires placed first.
I still battle with depression and occasional manic episodes. I am still unmedicated (unless you count sex as a form of therapy) and mentally healthier than I have ever been before. Now, when I feel myself sinking into that dark abyss that is depression, I grab my husband, undress him, and make love to him until I am so wrapped up in ecstasy that we are the only beings that exist. Afterwards, bathed in the euphoria of our lovemaking, I can feel the dark thoughts drifting away. I have found my healing through sex, rather than chemicals. There are still days I have flashbacks to the abuse I endured, but knowing that I have someone that loves me more than life itself makes it so much easier to handle. I can only hope that others can find such a wonderful and natural solution to dealing with their own pain.
Please feel free to share your own solution to dealing with any mental health issues, or how sex has helped you overcome your own struggles. I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
Without getting into much detail on my family, I was raised by an aunt and uncle for a large part of my formative years. I was 4 when I went to live with them and 14 when I left. During the ten years that I lived with my aunt and uncle, I experienced every form of abuse that a child could endure. I was physically abused, mentally and emotionally berated, and the reason I left the home was because I reported my uncle for sexual abuse. The emotional and mental abuse left me with an extremely low self-esteem and self-worth. I turned to drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex to shield me from my many demons. None of these options worked for me, and in fact made things much worse. When I came down from the high or sobered up from being drunk, my problems were right there waiting for me. Promiscuity just served to further lower my self-esteem and self-worth. I was making myself worse, rather than healing in any way.
When I was 20 years old, I met and fell in love with the man that would become my husband. Through our love and his understanding and tenderness, I began to heal. No longer was I using my body to hide my pain, instead I was using my body (and his) to heal. With my husband, sex became more than just sex. It was a way for us to show our love for one another, to focus on each other and our pleasure in being together. I found that the more we had sex, the more he loved me for the way I looked and felt, the better I began to feel. My self-esteem began to increase and I found that battling the depression became easier. I found healing in being loved and cherished, by having my needs and desires placed first.
I still battle with depression and occasional manic episodes. I am still unmedicated (unless you count sex as a form of therapy) and mentally healthier than I have ever been before. Now, when I feel myself sinking into that dark abyss that is depression, I grab my husband, undress him, and make love to him until I am so wrapped up in ecstasy that we are the only beings that exist. Afterwards, bathed in the euphoria of our lovemaking, I can feel the dark thoughts drifting away. I have found my healing through sex, rather than chemicals. There are still days I have flashbacks to the abuse I endured, but knowing that I have someone that loves me more than life itself makes it so much easier to handle. I can only hope that others can find such a wonderful and natural solution to dealing with their own pain.
Please feel free to share your own solution to dealing with any mental health issues, or how sex has helped you overcome your own struggles. I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
I really enjoyed this piece, it must have taken a lot of courage to write and everything you say, I agree with. Even the best drugs only mask the real issues, and the human body... your own and a loving partner's... have a lot of what is needed to fix the problem for good. I'm so happy you found that out for yourself.
I appreciate your experiences, but I think we should be careful about advocating healing without medication. The things you listed are real diseases caused by chemical imbalances within the brain, and as such treatment should be taken very seriously. Medical intervention with medication and therapy is often very much needed. It is VERY dangerous for many people to go unmedicated, and there is nothing wrong with taking medication that you need. Again, I appreciate your experience, and am glad you found something that works for you. I just think others need to look at their situation individually to know what is right for them; this way isn't for everyone.
I agree that sex can be a major mood boost, but at a really low point, I've found it can make me feel worse when it's over. Maybe if I made more of an effort to have sex right before doing something active or distracting instead of having more time to think?
I've struggled with severe chronic depression for over 15 years. I tried quite a number of doctor prescribed anti-depressants and they did not work at all for me either. Most of them had literally zero effect. I now suspect that a large amount of my depression is actually hormonal and not so much related to serotonin. Although I had the surgery for other health reasons, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and PCOS, I found out that an unexpected side effect of my hysterectomy was a gigantic change in my average levels of depression - probably around 80% better for me. I no longer spend some days crying and thinking about suicide all day, unable to leave the house or break out of the negative thinking. I still have depression but it is no longer crippling. It's been a couple of years since the surgery now, so I feel like this is a long term change. I don't feel like I'm always on a emotional rollercoaster, like I often used to feel.
Admittedly, this is a very extreme solution, especially since I am in my early 30s. It's not something I would recommend just for depression, or even any condition where hysterectomy is a normal possible treatment, unless a person has tried every single possible solution. Although I feel like it was very necessary for me, there are negative consequences for me. My sex drive has also lowered since before hysterectomy. My sexual function is also different and I struggle more with dryness and other annoyances. And I cannot experience any orgasmic pleasure from my cervix or uterus because they are no longer there. But it's been an huge relief to not be in excruciating pain for weeks at a time anymore, and to have less severe depression. Since I never wanted children, I have no regrets on that point, and I wish I could have had the surgery when I was in my early 20s, but a lot of women would.