"I assess the power of a will by how much resistance, pain, torture it endures and knows how to turn to its advantage."
I have been kinky since I started having sex. My first boyfriend and I had rough sex. We switched for each other, but mostly I was his bottom. I will spare you the details, but we didn't know what we were doing. We were lucky. We could have seriously hurt each other, but there was something about his hand with a fist full of my hair yanking HARD that made me forget how I hurt everywhere else. When I was his play thing, I didn't feel awful. I felt alive.
I was sick, and it wasn't psychologically. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia six years later. From the age of 15, I had been in and out of doctor's offices desperately trying to know what was wrong with me. No one had any answers for years. Finally I had one. I have a condition that will never go away. One that leaves me in pain every day of my life.
So why do I seek out pain for pleasure?
From the outside, even I think I may be a little crazy, but from the inside it makes perfect sense. BDSM play releases a ton of chemicals in the brain, and all of them are feel good chemicals. See, when my boyfriend tans my backside so hard I can't sit down for three days, I don't hurt like I do every other day. Sure, my butt stings a lot, but my maddening nerve pain shuts up.
Many doctors are finding that fibromyalgia is an issue with the brain chemistry. They think that I don’t produce enough serotonin, GABA protein, and dopamine. This means that I don’t sleep. When I don’t sleep, my body cannot produce enough growth hormone to repair my body. Thus, I hurt. My body can’t keep up with the normal wear and tear placed on it, much less any injury or illness.
Long story short, Fibromyalgia sucks. But something magical happens when I get a good flogging. My brain kicks on. It produces all those lovely chemicals all on its own. Sure, flogging hurts, but it hurts the way it is supposed to. It hurt so good. I have relief better than any opiate they have prescribed me. I sleep. I sleep deeply and well. I have energy. But most of all, I don’t hurt as bad. I no longer feel that chewing off my limbs may just feel better than having them attached.
I played for a long time with in a relationship. I didn’t talk to others about it until I got together with my current partner. He, along with Edenfantasys.com, introduced me to the larger BDSM community. I joined fetlife.com, a social networking site for kinksters, and I found groups for fibro sufferers that enjoy BDSM. So many of them report the same affects that I found; BDSM gives them physical relief. The chemical reaction that happens during play gives them good days.
My boyfriend and dominate works hard to make sure that I have enough BDSM to function now. Who thought treatment could be so fun?
I was sick, and it wasn't psychologically. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia six years later. From the age of 15, I had been in and out of doctor's offices desperately trying to know what was wrong with me. No one had any answers for years. Finally I had one. I have a condition that will never go away. One that leaves me in pain every day of my life.
So why do I seek out pain for pleasure?
From the outside, even I think I may be a little crazy, but from the inside it makes perfect sense. BDSM play releases a ton of chemicals in the brain, and all of them are feel good chemicals. See, when my boyfriend tans my backside so hard I can't sit down for three days, I don't hurt like I do every other day. Sure, my butt stings a lot, but my maddening nerve pain shuts up.
Many doctors are finding that fibromyalgia is an issue with the brain chemistry. They think that I don’t produce enough serotonin, GABA protein, and dopamine. This means that I don’t sleep. When I don’t sleep, my body cannot produce enough growth hormone to repair my body. Thus, I hurt. My body can’t keep up with the normal wear and tear placed on it, much less any injury or illness.
Long story short, Fibromyalgia sucks. But something magical happens when I get a good flogging. My brain kicks on. It produces all those lovely chemicals all on its own. Sure, flogging hurts, but it hurts the way it is supposed to. It hurt so good. I have relief better than any opiate they have prescribed me. I sleep. I sleep deeply and well. I have energy. But most of all, I don’t hurt as bad. I no longer feel that chewing off my limbs may just feel better than having them attached.
I played for a long time with in a relationship. I didn’t talk to others about it until I got together with my current partner. He, along with Edenfantasys.com, introduced me to the larger BDSM community. I joined fetlife.com, a social networking site for kinksters, and I found groups for fibro sufferers that enjoy BDSM. So many of them report the same affects that I found; BDSM gives them physical relief. The chemical reaction that happens during play gives them good days.
My boyfriend and dominate works hard to make sure that I have enough BDSM to function now. Who thought treatment could be so fun?
Oh My God! You summed it up so well and it's so simple when you think about it. I don't sleep and I hurt, I have zero energy or will to actually accomplish anything. If I sleep my pain is much less and I have energy! Like you I tend to relax and enter a deep and restful sleep after a good flogging.
My therapist was quick to point out that the good feelings don't last after a flogging...as though this is supposed to be a magical cure. It's not! It's a jolt of chemistry for my brain.
Thank you for writing this article because I really was wondering what the hell was going on and why I always felt like the world had such brighter edges after a night of really rough sex. I'm not sick, I don't think that I deserve to be ill used or anything like that...but it does help! I am more cheerful, less dull, and more energetic. ...and now, quite possibly I know why!
Airen_wolf, some people's doctors who are kink friendly actually prescribe kink for them as treatment!
very well explained. I have fibro also. I never correlated the two. I have always been aware that BDSM has emotional benefits for me, but had not thought of the physical. Love the serotonin from sex in general, but this takes it a step further.
I can relate to this article; I have a rare pancreatic illness called Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction which really puts a dent in my life. I wasn't aware that there were some doctors that would prescribe kink activities to their patients. Why the Hell haven't I encountered any like that?!
While reading this article I had more than one "duh-oh" and "lightbulb" moment.
This explains so much in why I feel SO great after sub-space days. I am going to talk to my fibro specialist about this at my next appointment. (and suggest she set up a dungeon in the back of her clinic next to the myofacia treatment table.)
Thank you! This article sums it up so well, I am passing it on