What does your desire to experience pain during sex indicate?
Nobody likes real pain caused by a serious injury or illness. If a person experiences such pain, he will definitely look for painkillers.
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However, some people experience certain types of pain and want to feel and experience pleasure during sex. There are quite a lot of such people. The surprising relationship between pain and sexual pleasure has stimulated the imagination of writers, artists and filmmakers for centuries. Many works of art of different types have been created on this topic. Pain and pleasure are closely related and are not for everyone. Most people do everything they can to avoid pain. This is completely natural, since pain appeared during evolution to warn us of danger. Standard chain: If you experience pain, immediately stop whatever is causing it. However, this mechanism can fail and things can get very confusing.
Mechanism of action of nociceptors
In fact, the confusion between pain and pleasure is so deep that it is unclear how the brain can categorize these signals. The fact is that the same neural mechanisms are used to perceive pain and pleasure. The ability to feel pain is very important. Without it, the body will soon die. In the human body (as in all mammals), the pain perception mechanism involves specialized sensors called nociceptors and the central nervous system (CNS). In addition to pain caused by external factors affecting nociceptors, people may experience so-called neuropathic pain, which occurs when nociceptors or the central nervous system itself are damaged as a result of some disease. Nociceptors detect various damaging effects (mechanical, chemical, temperature) and transmit information about them to the nervous system using electrical signals. They are found in large quantities on the skin. They are also found in other parts of the body: some internal organs (liver, gastrointestinal tract, etc.), joints, muscles, meninges. There are two types of nociceptors: nociceptors with:
- . with C fibers;
- They have A-delta fibers.
C fibers are the most common. They have a small diameter and conduct signals relatively slowly. They function as follows. Protein molecules in the nociceptive membrane convert external stimuli into electrical impulses that travel throughout the nervous system. A-delta fibers function in the same way as C fibers, but are larger in diameter and covered in a myelin sheath, which responds to stimuli much more quickly and transmits pain signals to the brain more quickly. The body also has so-called “sleeping” nociceptors. They usually do not react to shocks, but can wake up under certain conditions.
Pain and neurotransmitters
Nociceptors send signals to the central nervous system in response to stimuli. However, a painful sensation in the brain is formed only when the signal intensity exceeds a certain threshold. Pain thresholds vary from person to person. The same shock can be perceived by some as quite tolerable pain, and by others as a severe shock.
Read also: Pain and sexual pleasure — opposites or a “sweet couple”? the connection between pain and sexual pleasure is a source of inspiration for many writers and artists. In 1954, an erotic film was released in France.
Pain signals are transmitted in three stages:
- Nociceptors transmit signals along their fibers to the spinal cord.
- Signals are transmitted from the spinal cord to the brain stem
The body secretes special substances that help the pain impulse overcome the synaptic cleft — neurotransmitters:
- Adenosine triphosphate;
- Glutamic acid;
- Bradykinin
- Nitric oxide, etc.
When pain impulses reach the brain, they are sent to many areas at once along different paths. The transmission of pain signals is carried out by a complex set of neurons and synaptic connections. It also depends on the individual. There is no single standard way for pain to be transmitted first to the spinal cord and then to the brain. Pain is perceived as a result of processing signals received in different areas of the brain. This explains the large differences in the emotional reactions of different people to almost identical stimuli. Painful stimuli can be caused by the release of various chemicals from affected cells. These chemicals are also neurotransmitters, which are substances that transmit information between neurons. There are many such substances: They are actively involved in the formation of pain impulses that are transmitted from the affected area to the brain.
How does a person derive pleasure from pain?
The perception of pain is the end product of complex neural and spinal cord and brain activity that characterizes each individual. Thus, pain is a conscious and multifaceted experience. Its perception includes sensory, motivational, emotional and behavioral aspects. The amount of neurotransmitters produced varies from person to person, which explains the wide variation in pain perception. Every person”s brain has a dopamine and opioid system that interacts with incoming pain impulses. Parts of the brain such as the globus pallidus and the amygdala are activated when processing signals of both pain and pleasure. For some people, this activation is so similar that the pain that occurs in certain situations is experienced as real pleasure. In any case, the perception of pain as pleasure depends greatly on the cause of the pain and the external conditions under which it occurs. For example, a person who experiences great pleasure from being burned by hot wax during sex will not experience the slightest pleasure if he accidentally grabs a hot frying pan while preparing breakfast, although the burn will be almost identical. No one perceives the pain of surgery or a work injury as pleasure. However, some people perceive whipping blows during sex (which can even injure the skin) as a piquant pleasure.
Rough sex that results in painful injuries is also very attractive to many. However, when the result of such sex becomes inflammation, all the pleasure goes away and the person no longer wants to experience this pain. Now she makes him suffer and he has to take painkillers. Partners who have sex while under the influence of various stimulants (such as alcohol or club drugs) may experience pleasure from pain. This is mainly due to the fact that such substances dull general sensitivity, and distorted pain sensations break through the veil of dope that covers the brain. There may be another specific aspect of wanting to experience pain during sex. Pain can distract you from existing problems and help you focus on what is happening in the present. Thus, for people experiencing difficulties in life and strong self-doubt, it really helps to relieve stress and feel more pleasure from sex, without being distracted by unpleasant thoughts. Angela Weaver, Ph. D., and Professor Ali Eber report this in their study. This pain helps to distract from the home routine and break out of the boring standard reality. However, the pleasure of pain has a hidden characteristic. In BDSM this state is called “sub-fence”. It is expressed in depression and sharply replaces the orgasm and arousal obtained during sexual life. Such an emotional breakdown is caused by a rapid drop in the level of pleasure hormones. Depression awaits the lover of pain during sex after several days of erotic games. To protect against this, BDSM pays special attention to one partner at a time after the session has been completed.
