Pornography - unable to reach your full potential

[-=SS=-]

I've done two 6 month stints of celibacy before, with no fantasizing or anything. The first month is always difficult. The first two weeks seem more physiological in irritation, and weeks 3 onward is psychological in irritation. It feels like the process of quitting smoking does but an order of magnitude more vexing.

There is undoubtedly short term gains, I notice an immediate improvement in mental faculty. As someone who has no other vices either it feels like a booster function. I noticed I was able to make leaps in progress in any skill I was trying to learn or training for, like my brain was able to forge new connections more easily. Insights and inspiration seemed to come more easily. It's like a subtle brain fog had lifted.

Is it the pornography that is the real problem though, I don't know. Whilst I have a particular taste I have never taken it to extremes, it just seems ridiculous to me some of the stuff that is out there. I value sound as much as the visual component, and you know as soon as you hear it if it's just an act which is an instant turn off. Also the emotional component too. If there's no genuine energy there again it doesn't do it for me. That also translates to real sex for me too.. if all she can do is open her legs then I'd rather jerk off.

I'm not certain that masturbation isn't actually worse on its own vs using pornography too. If you have no visual stimulus then you are actively trying to create some with your imagination, which can lead to persistent thought forms, obsessions, and possibly even tulpas. If porn suddenly disappeared I wouldn't be bothered with masturbation and would probably spend much of my time and energy trying to bag some real pussy instead.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

That may be true for some people but it's not true for everyone. Honestly, I think it is the exception rather than the rule. I've looked at porn almost daily for 20 years and I don't feel the need for extreme material.

The porn industry is dying. It's been dying for a long time. I watch amateur porn for free. I haven't spent a cent on porn for well over a decade. I don't want to see some bimbo with fake tits pretending to enjoy herself.

Those two elements stood out to me too, when I read the OP. The more I considered them the more questionable they appear to me...

For the first one ("porn use leads to escalating extremity of content"), I hear a lot of people say this, and say this as if they're just stating a simple scientific fact or something (using the trappings of a scientific explanation like "depleted dopamine" etc), but I actually don't think it's true at all. It certainly hasn't been my experience, anyway...although I don't really think that pornography can ever truly capture human intimacy (because the act of observation changes that which is being observed, that's just physics yo lol) as I've gotten older if I choose to view pornography it's more often "naturalistic" varieties of it like amateur content, couples, "love making" as opposed to "fucking", that kind of thing, not quadruple penetration gangbangs or whatever. I'd go as far as to say that it's the same way with many other people too...if you don't believe me just look into what the most popular genres of porn are on streaming sites like Pornhub.

The second one ("decadent porno bourgeoisie") also rings false to me, for the exact reason you pointed out. One of the most popular genres of porn online, perhaps THE most popular, is "amateur", and between the decentralizing nature of the internet when it comes to this kind of content, piracy, streaming services etc, I doubt very much that the "Porn Industry", as conventionally understood, is enjoying a stress-free existence while the peons suffer.

Visual depictions of sex and sexuality have been around literally as long as there have been cameras and film. You can watch pornography from the birth of film, the kind of stuff that they were showing in brothels in the early 20th century or whatever, and it is just as "dirty" as porn is today. [Left-wing soapbox]The exploitation and transactional element that undermines the basis of our entire late-stage capitalist economy is certainly a factor in pornography, as it is in literally everything else, but that doesn't really have anything to do with the nature of pornography as such.[/left-wing soapbox]

 

[The Shadow Self]

Porn and Politics in Palestine

When Palestinian residents of the besieged West Bank town of Ramallah turned on their TVs over the weekend, what they...

reason.com

In the absence of any pearl-clutching or morality plays when it comes to pornography, it has been weaponized.

In many ways, for many reasons, like many other things have and will be weaponized. Even though this article is just a minor snapshot of using pornography was a weapon, upon deeper analysis of the potentially destructive nature of widespread consumption of pornography and its effects on the human psyche, and understanding long-game, globalist agendas, it should come as no surprise that it is through the limiting of real human potential by capturing humans using vice (and their own psychology) is the oldest trick in the book.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

What's the significance of that story regarding pornography (and related health effects) generally speaking?

Because it seems pretty clear what was going on there...in the midst of an armed conflict, one side conveyed disrespect to the other side using psychological warfare methods (that certainly seems like the intended effect of broadcasting such content to a conservative Muslim community). So if we extrapolate this incident out to our present circumstances...who exactly are the Israelis and who are the Palestinians in this analogy?

 

[Jerry Atrick]

Very interesting points made in this thread. What about the medical aspects of simply keeping your pipes clean? Isn't there research somewhere that orgasming is healthy for the prostate? Maybe it was just anecdotal but I thought I heard this somewhere.

I've found when I go without sex/masturbation/release for awhile, I end up waking up at night with a beaming hard on and sometimes on the verge of a wet dream, if not having a wet dream. Frankly, I'd rather masturbate and at least be in control of where my fluids land as opposed to having to change boxers in the middle of the night

I guess to keep on topic, I've found tasteful amateur porn or at least mild hardcore porn that includes kissing has worked for me over the years. I can't stand the POV stuff that is so popular these days. I'd rather see two people interact than miss half the show from the awkward camera angles.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

I've done two 6 month stints of celibacy before, with no fantasizing or anything. The first month is always difficult. The first two weeks seem more physiological in irritation, and weeks 3 onward is psychological in irritation. It feels like the process of quitting smoking does but an order of magnitude more vexing.

There is undoubtedly short term gains, I notice an immediate improvement in mental faculty. As someone who has no other vices either it feels like a booster function. I noticed I was able to make leaps in progress in any skill I was trying to learn or training for, like my brain was able to forge new connections more easily. Insights and inspiration seemed to come more easily. It's like a subtle brain fog had lifted.

Is it the pornography that is the real problem though, I don't know. Whilst I have a particular taste I have never taken it to extremes, it just seems ridiculous to me some of the stuff that is out there. I value sound as much as the visual component, and you know as soon as you hear it if it's just an act which is an instant turn off. Also the emotional component too. If there's no genuine energy there again it doesn't do it for me. That also translates to real sex for me too.. if all she can do is open her legs then I'd rather jerk off.

I'm not certain that masturbation isn't actually worse on its own vs using pornography too. If you have no visual stimulus then you are actively trying to create some with your imagination, which can lead to persistent thought forms, obsessions, and possibly even tulpas. If porn suddenly disappeared I wouldn't be bothered with masturbation and would probably spend much of my time and energy trying to bag some real pussy instead.

Sounds like something Costanza experienced during that one Seinfeld episode

 

[arrall]

Very interesting points made in this thread. What about the medical aspects of simply keeping your pipes clean? Isn't there research somewhere that orgasming is healthy for the prostate? Maybe it was just anecdotal but I thought I heard this somewhere.

I've found when I go without sex/masturbation/release for awhile, I end up waking up at night with a beaming hard on and sometimes on the verge of a wet dream, if not having a wet dream. Frankly, I'd rather masturbate and at least be in control of where my fluids land as opposed to having to change boxers in the middle of the night

Complete abstinence always fails for me due to this reason no matter how much self-control I have. I can't recall abstinence lasting more than 8 days or so (3-4 days is usually where I fail) since I turned 16. Last summer, I went a week without masturbation and -even a day or two after cumming twice from sex- I started getting wet dreams like I was 15 again. It's fucking annoying, but I guess my body's decided that it's going to get it out one way or another.

 

[Robi]

There are lots of horny ladies out there who've had their pussies locked down too.

Go get some.



Why is there no female ass emoji?

IKR?

 

[birdup]

@Robi

This is Bluelight. We should have hardcore emojis. I'm going to start developing some x-rated emojis and then pitch them to TLB.

Complete abstinence always fails for me due to this reason

Okay, I'm going to have to corner you here and connect some dots. You said there is no significant difference between sex and masturbation, so what is the point of abstaining from masturbation? This discussion, really, is about not ejaculating excessively.

Isn't there research somewhere that orgasming is healthy for the prostate?

Yeah, there's a growing amount of evidence that suggests sexual activity (in general) for men and women is a "use it or lose it" thing.

If women don't have any penetrative sex for a prolonged period of time, their vagina starts closing up shop. Men are more likely to develop psychological erectile dysfunction if they do not masturbate. Most physical erectile dysfunction is a result of circumcision.

 

[arrall]

Okay, I'm going to have to corner you here and connect some dots. You said there is no significant difference between sex and masturbation, so what is the point of abstaining from masturbation? This discussion, really, is about not ejaculating excessively.

I said there is no significant difference in the hormonal effects of orgasming for either. There is still the lack of physical contact (which would release hormones such as oxytocin). And there are major differences psychologically and in terms of pleasure. I personally just hate how masturbation feels, primarily psychologically. It lacks the fulfillment I get from sex and feels extremely artificial and fake to me compared to having sex.

 

[arrall]

Most physical erectile dysfunction is a result of circumcision.

While I personally oppose the practice of circumsision, there is zero evidence to support this claim as far as I can tell. I've seen links between circumsision and increased rates of mental illness/depression due to implicit memories storing the extreme trauma of experiencing the removal of the most sensitive part of your body as an infant, but nothing linking circumsision (outside of horrifically botched circumsisions) to ED.

 

[iridescentblack]

I have jumped onto the no fap train lately. My concentration and mindfulness has improved.

Personally, I noticed that people are laughing at my jokes more.

 

[birdup]

@arrall

Circumcision reduces sensation by up to 80%.

Over time, the glans of the penis starts to turn into a fingernail.

This is well documented.

Male circumcision isn't so different from female circumcision.

 

[arrall]

@arrall

Circumcision reduces sensation by up to 80%.

Over time, the glans of the penis starts to turn into a fingernail.

This is well documented.

Male circumcision isn't so different from female circumcision.

I don't disagree with the reduced sensation. Not really sure what you mean by fingernail. Circumcision is a barbaric practice with plenty of negative effects, but erectile dysfunction is not one of them; Even in adults.

Effects of circumcision on male sexual functions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This meta-analysis was performed to assess sexual functions following adult male circumcision. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PUBMED, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review and Web of Science from their inception ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[birdup]

If you are circumcised, the skin of the glans of your penis undergoes a process called keratinization.

Keratinization

en.intactiwiki.org

Uncircumcised men, even later in life, have soft glans.

The glans of circumcised men become scaly and rough over time.

This means the reduced sensation of circumcision continues to reduce over time.

I have had sexual experiences with numerous older men and my personal experiences have confirmed the same thing that numerous people I know have confirmed.

I attend a hippy festival in NSW called Confest. It isn't a musical festival. It is a conference festival. It's like a physical version of this website. Probably the closest thing in the world to it. You can go there and start a conference. You can teach whatever you like.

One year there was a guy who did a circumcision conference. He was a very strange guy. He reminded me, a lot, of Todd Solondz.

There is not an adequate amount of reliable studies comparing sexual dysfunction in circumcised versus uncircumcised people.

When I attended this circumcision conference at Confest, I already knew (from my personal experiences) that there was a big difference in older circumcised men in terms of erectile dysfunction. Everyone at the conference confirmed the same thing.

It makes sense.

The clitoral hood (like the foreskin) is a huge part of retaining sensitivity in that area. This is, largely, the point of the hood.

Circumcision is a barbaric practice with plenty of negative effects, but erectile dysfunction is not one of them; Even in adults.

I disagree. It depends which age you're talking about. The glans of a circumcised dick that is sixty plus years old looks like a lizards back in the hot sun.

 

[arrall]

The glans of circumcised men become scaly and rough over time.

This means the reduced sensation of circumcision continues to reduce over time.

Hopefully you are wrong and this study is right, because otherwise I'm ~25-45 years away from having to hit my doctor up for a Cialis prescription.

 

[birdup]

How old are the participants in the study?

It takes time for the glans to visibly become keratinized.

Younger men, also, generally don't have erectile dysfunction.

NSFW:

Keratinization of the glans penis

 

[arrall]

How old are the participants in the study?

18 to 37, so does not disprove your point at all. Fuck.

 

[jestersblood]

i g

@arrall

Circumcision reduces sensation by up to 80%.

Over time, the glans of the penis starts to turn into a fingernail.

This is well documented.

Male circumcision isn't so different from female circumcision.

Got to disagree with you on that,,,while it may be true over time a male may loss some feeling he still may be able to achieve orgasms', where in a females case once it's gone .......................not the same at all

 

[birdup]

It depends on what kind of circumcision is being performed on women. If the entire clitoris is removed, orgasm is basically impossible, but sometimes they just remove the hood or part of the hood.

Both male and female circumcision is wrong. They don't differ much in that department. Some men experience pain when having sex or getting erections due to circumcision. For men and women, it is a non consensual surgical procedure designed to ruin sex by reducing sensation.