For instance, if you’ve ever cut a nail too short and keep pressing on that spot, or enjoyed getting spanked during sex?
In: Biology
Pain and pleasure are similarly processed sensory inputs. Use the same systems and the same regions of the brain to make sense of what’s happening.
What separates the two is experience; is there some kind of “reward” (not only sexual) for enduring the pain and is repeatable
From a physical standpoint: when we are in pain, our body releases endorphins. Endorphins are sort of our natural pain killer, and they make us feel “good.” We also release endorphins when we have sex and orgasm. If we are in the middle of having sex, and endorphins are already being released, being hit can stimulate more release of them.
From a mental standpoint: pain as pleasure for a kink can have a lot of potential causes. It’s common for people to find pleasure in pain when it’s self inflicted or when it’s done by a partner because it’s pain that’s being inflicted while they’re in control of it. This typically stems from major events happening where someone wasn’t in control (SA, parents divorced as a child, etc.). There can also be degradation kinks that incorporate pain, which have a lot of potential causes as well.
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This can also help others to understand self harm, psychical pain releases endorphins like the commenter above explained well, but in addition “Therefore when someone self-injures they get a sense of calmness, numbing, and then pleasure”
I have never remotely derived any sort of pleasure from physical pain. This concept is fascinating because of how completely foreign it is to me. What a weird world we live in.
Veritasium did a whole video on this recently!
One pain can distract from another.
Thats a reason for self harm. Obviously a bad coping mechanism, but thats how it happens for a lot of people.
Its a graspable physical feeling in an ocean of nothingness mixed with psychological pain.
Not advocating for it at all here. Its not a good or healthy coping mechanism. If you are afflicted, there are ressources out there that can teach you how to better cope
Well as a retired Leather Master it all depends if you’re giving out or getting the pain. I thoroughly enjoy giving it out to clients who pay for this type of escape. For some it’s a fetish for others it’s a type of release from whatever is haunting them. You’ve been very bad and now only a Good oil paddling or a light whipping session will rectify the badness. A lot of Wall Street guys were my best customers that wanted badly to be painfully punished once or twice a week. My weekends were always booked solid. Lol, it was fun while it lasted, especially for me.
I used to self harm to the point of “exquisite tenderness”. It felt sublime. Like finding a true peace in a sanctuary. It was difficult to get to that point but even if I didn’t it would reset my thoughts and I’d have a short period after of pain slowly turning into comfort. I actually miss it but it did a lot of long term and possibly permanent damage. If anyone is on this path, please try to find some help. Peace can be found elsewhere.
Some people like their pleasure spiked with pain. And for those people, music is their aeroplane.
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