Pain and pleasure - diametrically opposed?

It seems obvious that pain and pleasure are opposites, but why is it that some people derive pleasure from pain and others don't? I think this would be an excellent study for universities to pursue. It would be fascinating to learn how and why the brain interprets signals and sensations.

After reading the article below, I wonder if there is a connection between people that enjoy certain types of pain with thrill seeking behaviors such as roller coasters, sky-diving, spicy food, etc. I love roller coasters, spicy food, going to haunted houses and I have even seriously considered sky diving, although once that high I'm not sure I could actually make myself jump.

For submissives, if you don't like pain do you also not like things such as spicy food and sky diving? Or if you do enjoy pain do you also enjoy thrill rides and activities?

The Neurobiology of BDSM Sexual Practice

That link is not working for me.

Think it should work now. Thanks for letting me know.

I think the connection between these things for some subs is in the brain chemistry and stimulating dopamine releases, which gives you that euphoric feeling, and occurs with all these activities as well as psin. However, and I hate to play into stereotypes here, some painsluts are working out childhood issues rather than it being about using dopamine to access subspace and/or euphoria.

Personally, I hate pain... I accept it and therefore submit to a Domme's will by doing so but I freaking hate the sensation itself. However, I really love roller coasters (I have actually taken Dommes to both Cedar Point and Six Flags Magic Mountain on completely non-kinky day trips) as well as spicy foods that taste good (although I have no interest in hot challenges).

I guess my point is that there is a casual link between these things and you can find that chemical basis, but you can also ask about punk/metal music or goth/Halloween culture and find the same linkages.

I like pain (although it's not my primary motivator for femdom), love spicy food, hate roller coasters and sky diving. I boxed for many years and love combat sports, and also, terrified of public speaking and hate trying new foods.

So there you go, a complete mis-mosh of mixed signals on risk tolerance and adventurousness

I am a pretty heavy maso. I like very spicy food as a change of pace but not as my regular fare. I sort of liked roller coasters when I was much younger but have long since outgrown it. Never had any interest in skydiving.

The article is again making the neurochemical theory of masochism which I regard as being only partially true and incomplete.

However I give the article some credit for including humiliation as well as physical pain.

"How can one experience pain, either the physical pain of a smack on the tush or the emotional pain of humiliation, as pleasurable? "

I have been tempted to start a thread entitled "Humiliation Masochism"

What about forced (instructed) Karaoke?

Thomas,

As soon as I saw this I was really hoping you were gonna jump in... You have given the best explanations of nuerochemistry and BDSM of anyone I have ever read.

Was really tempted to pull up that old thread between you & Mistress Ayn since most people weren't around back then to treat it but then I saw a squirrel and forgot about it.

Asp,

I think you are referring to this thread.

http://domina.ms/~domroot/thebuzz/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2555&page=1

I read the article and found it interesting. It’s hard for me to put my own feelings and experience in the context of the article and your post. I don’t consider myself a risk taker but I probably am. I’m not sure why but I’ve always gone hard at things and to my detriment on a number of occasions. I also like sensation. Sexually I am definitely a submissive and a masochist but my relationship to pain is complicated. I don’t enjoy it but I need it.

Yup.. I think that's the one

Pain is necessary. Maybe not to pleasure, but to my scene. I don't get into whether it's the opposite of anything. That kind of construction doesn't connect for me.

Winter makes me want the spring. Spring wouldn't be nearly what it is without that midwestern winter. A long difficult run is what makes the ending great. Not simply seeing 13.1 on my gps watch. It needs to be difficult. Surmounting the desire to quit has to be part of it.

Someone will say that's our puritan mindset. But that's not worth any more to me than calling things opposites. I can only report and try to understand my own intuition in these matters.

A session without a flogging, without marks, without rope burns and cuff-marks, without chastity -- doesn't click for me. Much as I wish to fuck She'd give me a key to the device in the week (or 2 weeks... She's so mean...) beforehand or not insist on leaving marks, the session won't work without them. And we both know it.

So it doesn't really matter what an MD says is the opposite of what. What matters is that there's no spring without winter.

100% I'm calling my safeword

Absolutely agree!

Given my circumstances in life, pain has become one of the doorways, if not the primary, to pleasure and euphoric release for me.

I've never really seen myself as a risk taker, but when I look back on it, some of the activities I did as a younger person were certainly risky and dangerous. I avoided the "obvious" dangers like skydiving and mountain climbing and shopping on Black Friday, but I loved to partake in just about anything fast ... i.e. cars, off-road ATV's, etc.

I'm still learning about myself ... about my likes and interests in the world of BDSM ... but I can unequivocally say that pain and pleasure go hand-in-hand for me.

Oh, and yes ... I freaking *love* spicy food!

Thanks for all of the interesting replies.




This is why I find the topic so fascinating. In a BDSM context, some people hate pain, some love it, and some need it. I think I simultaneously hate it and love it. Which really doesnt seem to make sense, but I find myself craving it, in the moment(s) before it happens I'm fearful of it, and when I experience it, it's a cocktail of emotions that is hard to explain.



DemonVoxx: Black Friday shopping Now that is living on the edge!

I agree with you, even though I'm still very much learning, pain and pleasure go hand-in-hand.