Pain is a way for the body to communicate a problem that needs to be urgently addressed. As long as you do not eliminate the cause, the pain will be a vivid experience that cannot be ignored.
Because of this feature, people have learned to derive pleasure from pain and even enter a state of deep awareness and euphoria. We will discuss the mechanisms by which people manage to deceive the body and transform pain into a source of pleasure.
How pain delivers pleasure
The brain has a natural pain suppression mechanism. When you experience pain sensations, these mechanisms are activated to protect you from pain shock and help you endure this difficult trial.
The body has special substances for this — endorphins. This is a collection of 40 different neuropeptides that act on opioid receptors, suppress pain, and provide a sense of calm and euphoria.
Neurobiologist Hermes Solenzol, in his article Ask a Neuroscientist: The Physiology of BDSM (Part 2/2) – How The Brain Reduces Pain explains that there are two pathways for pain suppression in the body: adrenergic and endorphin. The first is activated when we can run away or fight, and the body prepares to tense the muscles. The second is triggered when the situation is hopeless, and we can do nothing to stop the pain.
During BDSM practice, a person who is experiencing pain (also called the submissive) finds themselves in a hopeless situation, for example, they are tied up or forced to obey the orders of another (the dominant). All this triggers the endorphin pain suppression mechanism. It is accompanied by a state of relaxation, and the person experiences a sense of peace and euphoria.
Moreover, the sensations from a sadomasochistic (SM) session coincide with such phenomena as runner's high or the state after meditation. Scientists became interested in what commonality might exist between such different practices and found that sadomasochists are in a flow state during their practice.
How BDSM puts a person in a flow state
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the founder of the flow state theory, described Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience several characteristics typical of flow: complete concentration on what is happening, loss of self-awareness (the merging of the person with their activity), and distortion of time.
All these traits are characteristic Power Struggles: Pain and Authenticity in SM Play for SM sessions. Sadomasochists describe their sensations as an ecstatic experience. They talk about a feeling of weightlessness, a sensation of flight, a cessation of thoughts, and the disappearance of the world around them.
After SM practices, a deep calmness, peace, and presence in the moment of "here and now" occurs.
Moreover, dominants and submissives achieve this state differently. Dominants enter the flow through mental concentration and unrelenting control needed for physical harm play: they need to focus so as not to injure the submissive more than necessary. Submissives experience a flow state due to the sensation of pain itself, constant concentration, and the effort required to endure the impact.
The external manifestations coincide with the runner's high, but what do they have in common, aside from the final effect? There is one theory that may explain this.
What induces awareness and tranquility
The state of flow and elevated awareness can be explained using the theory Functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness: the transient hypofrontality hypothesis. of hypofrontality. It asserts that the brain's resources are limited, and its structures and systems are constantly fighting for them.
Specific activities, such as physical exercises, increase the demands on the brain in the structures responsible for sensory processes and motor functions. Blood flow to these areas increases, while other structures not engaged in this activity are starved.
Long-distance running or extreme tricks reduce blood flow in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) — the area of the brain responsible for working memory and attention. Suppression of the DLPFC may cause time perception distortion, loosening of social constraints, and changes in attention focus.
In people with temporary hypofrontality, pain sensations decrease, memory and decision-making abilities are suppressed. At the same time, they experience a feeling of soaring, a sense of calmness, and presence in the moment of "here and now".
James K. Ambler from the University of Northern Illinois suggested that this is what induces feelings of euphoria and flow states during BDSM sessions. To prove this, he conducted a small study Consensual BDSM Facilitates Role-Specific Altered States of Consciousness: A Preliminary Study. involving 14 individuals of both genders.
They were randomly divided into dominants and submissives, asked to take the Stroop test on cognitive functions, and fill out special questionnaires before and after the SM experience.
It turned out that after the SM session, the DLPFC in submissive participants was functioning much worse: their results on the Stroop test were lower than before the session. Researchers concluded that by suppressing the DLPFC, individuals experience all the effects of the flow state, including euphoria and awareness. Moreover, scientists noted that all participants — dominants and submissives — showed a significant decrease in stress levels.
There is another study Psychological Characteristics of BDSM Practitioners that proved that sadomasochism calms. Surveying over a thousand people, scientists found that BDSM advocates are psychologically healthier than those unfamiliar with this practice. BDSM enthusiasts experience less anxiety, feel safe in their relationships with partners, and generally have a greater sense of well-being.
Read also
- Sex and mental health: is there a connection →
- BDSM: who practices it and is it worth trying →
- Role-playing games that will make sex passionate →
