My dilemma with Nofap and porn

[Shiva99]

I've known about NoFap for at least 5 years, but i'm still not sure what to think about it. The first time i tried quitting porn and masturbation, it was very very hard. I couldn't even last a day without it. It was very obvious i was using it to mask some kind of pain. I kept up with it and i've had plenty of streaks, my highest being around 130 days. I still remember it vividly, and i was feeling amazing. It always feels amazing after a while. It's like all the missing pieces come together, and it unlocks another "me", maybe who i am supposed to be all the time.

These last few weeks however, i fell of the horse with NoFap, and started using porn heavily again. Fapping away at it once a day is enough to suck all the motivation out of me. I feel totally and utterly shit, tired for at least a week. It's like a fire that extinguishes. I'm even starting to wonder if i have low T, and i might get it checked soon, since i'm such a different person after being on NoFap for a while. This is exactly why it's such a dilemma for me. On NoFap, hard things become much easier. Sticking to meditation, exercise etc is so much easier when i'm on NoFap. Conversations flow normally, i look people in the eyes much more and my anxiety is decreased by 70%. It's an extra burst of energy, but  i'm wondering after all this time if i'm not just fooling myself and using NoFap as an excuse to not take action/take action, and if this all is still placebo effect.

Maybe i just conditioned myself to feel good on a NoFap streak and feel bad when i "relapse"...

 

Edited September 22, 2020 by Shiva99

[Thestarguitarist14]

I think that no fap is just the placebo effect.  I have done it and what I have realized that it’s not pmoing that is the problem, it is your reaction to it that is the problem.

[Callum Aylott]

@Shiva99

Get back on retention, its as simple as that. like you said you felt like shit for a week, but when you was on your steak you felt amazing. Its not just placebo. But if that isn't what your resonating with for the moment. Then get on that pornhub and enjoy, Guilt free! 

Well done for doing any length of a streak, proud of you. 

[bobbyward]

There seems to be no drawbacks from your no fap from what you are saying, so y not stick with it.

Or have more of a balance, fap once every 2 weeks or once a month. Seman retention is a good thing, but more of a good thing doesnt necessarily mean better.

[Shiva99]

21 hours ago, Thestarguitarist14 said:

I think that no fap is just the placebo effect.  I have done it and what I have realized that it’s not pmoing that is the problem, it is your reaction to it that is the problem.

Hmm i don't know man. What about the loss of energy and foggy head i get after indulging in it? 

[Shiva99]

13 hours ago, bobbyward said:

fap once every 2 weeks or once a month. Seman retention is a good thing, but more of a good thing doesnt necessarily mean better.

I won't experience the good effects when i fap at this rate. Takes about  a week to start noticing a difference in my mood etc. From there it keeps getting better until like week 3. At week 3 i mostly hit a flatline and after that is gone i'm on top of the world.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Shiva99

[Shiva99]

22 hours ago, dflores321 said:

The whole nofap/porn thing imo is a morality issue, just look in the forums people are neurotic asf its ridiculous lol. "Oh dont look at a picture of a naked woman your dopamine will shoot up, My brain has too much dopamine dependency im also gonna quit this and quit that, I have to take a cold shower, Oh no I pmo'd im depressed now!!", Look at how much suffering these thoughts generate. 

It's true ur dopamine shoots up when u look at naked woman lol. Dopamine dependency is a real and legit thing. Try quitting all social media, electronic devices ,internet etc and see what happens. You are more dependant on dopamine highs than u expect. Cal Newport has a good book on it.

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by Shiva99

[LfcCharlie4]

Read Multi Orgasmic Man. 

Most of us do not really want to do Semen Retention / No Masturbation, we have high sex drives, and end up repressing them which creates conflict within us. Of course does that want to be celibate naturally (E.g. Ramana Maharshi) that's up to them, but it doesn't mean we have to be at all.

But, as you say 'releasing' too much, can drain us of energy & focus etc. 

This is where the Taoist methods of Mantak Chia's books can really help in allowing our sexual energy to truly flourish, and even having orgasms, without ejaculating (which is what really drains us), I'm not saying never ejaculate, but just not every time. 

[fridjonk]

1 hour ago, Shiva99 said:

Hmm i don't know man. What about the loss of energy and foggy head i get after indulging in it? 

You have to redirect the energy you gain from it. Such as meditation, yoga, exercise, or hobbies that take effort and time. When you get overloaded with energy it tends to cloud the mind if you're not letting it out constantly. Like George Leonard said in Mastery, the number one way to get energy is to spend energy. 

I just fell of a 12 day streak myself, and already noticed so many benefits there's no way I'm stopping nofap. 

This is obviously something almost all men are addicted to whether they admit it or not. 

Also what @LfcCharlie4 said. 

Edited September 23, 2020 by fridjonk

[bobbyward]

@Shiva99 do you think after a certain period of no fap, like 3 months just say, you stop getting extra benifits, or the longer you go the better it gets?

Did going on long no fap streaks have any negative impact on your sleep, finding it hard to get to sleep?

The longest I have gone is a month

Edited September 23, 2020 by bobbyward

[Danioover9000]

@Shiva99

On 9/22/2020 at 3:57 PM, Shiva99 said:

I've known about NoFap for at least 5 years, but i'm still not sure what to think about it. The first time i tried quitting porn and masturbation, it was very very hard. I couldn't even last a day without it. It was very obvious i was using it to mask some kind of pain. I kept up with it and i've had plenty of streaks, my highest being around 130 days. I still remember it vividly, and i was feeling amazing. It always feels amazing after a while. It's like all the missing pieces come together, and it unlocks another "me", maybe who i am supposed to be all the time.

These last few weeks however, i fell of the horse with NoFap, and started using porn heavily again. Fapping away at it once a day is enough to suck all the motivation out of me. I feel totally and utterly shit, tired for at least a week. It's like a fire that extinguishes. I'm even starting to wonder if i have low T, and i might get it checked soon, since i'm such a different person after being on NoFap for a while. This is exactly why it's such a dilemma for me. On NoFap, hard things become much easier. Sticking to meditation, exercise etc is so much easier when i'm on NoFap. Conversations flow normally, i look people in the eyes much more and my anxiety is decreased by 70%. It's an extra burst of energy, but  i'm wondering after all this time if i'm not just fooling myself and using NoFap as an excuse to not take action/take action, and if this all is still placebo effect.

Maybe i just conditioned myself to feel good on a NoFap streak and feel bad when i "relapse"...

 

   First off, hats to you for continuing this journey for 5 years, with your highest streak being 130! Most average males will not likely get to survive that number of days without relapsing a few times a month or so many times a week. Don't forget those memories of how much happier and how much productive and motivated you were while on Nofap, and treat this period in your life as a temporary remission.

   The good news is that while you have been fooling yourself on top of experiencing whatever experiences you've had in Nofap, ultimately you've been fooling yourself every time you take a direction in life. The bad news is that you still have to compare and contrast every type of foolery that goes on in you and outside you, like to what degree of foolery is greater: the fapping to porn daily, or fapping to imagination daily, or the abstaining from these excesses?

   While I'm here, there also some science to explain the negative experiences you might be having while in your relapsing period, and that's called P.O.I.S. What is P.O.I.S? That is an acronym for post orgasmic illness syndrome, which is a common occurrence for men mid 20's and up. It consists of a series of flu like symptoms , from feverish pain, to tiredness, headaches, drop in focus and cognition, dry eyes, weird sensations around throat and chest. These symptoms could last between 3-7 days, and rarely more than 2 weeks. This is good news, because you only need to power through a week after a relapse. Also beware how you decide what counts as a relapse, as getting a full or semi erection does not count as a relapse.

   It's also good to have some role modals to look up to. Mine are Bruce Lee, Nikola Tesla and Swami Vivekananda. These individuals, and many more legends, have practiced more severe forms of sexual abstinences and have achieved very great things most average people will find very difficult. Look for such people to count as an anchor for yourself.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Danioover9000

[Rolo]

pron can be a tricky thing to deal with, i would suggest looking into doing something different with your life if you want to quit watching porn. focus on love or even put that into your sexual practice. the key to sexual freedom is to love but not repress at the same time.

[Shiva99]

19 hours ago, bobbyward said:

@Shiva99 do you think after a certain period of no fap, like 3 months just say, you stop getting extra benifits, or the longer you go the better it gets?

Did going on long no fap streaks have any negative impact on your sleep, finding it hard to get to sleep?

The longest I have gone is a month

On my longest streak (130 days) the benefits became normal. It was not that obvious anymore that something had changed, until i relapsed.

I never had it impact my sleep.

[blankisomeone]

wait, what?

you felt much better doing nofap...

then you went back to porn...

and started feeling bad again...

Now you think you have to force yourself to feel bad because you think feeling good was an illusion?

what?

what?

what?

PS: placebo is a thing... it's scientific... it happens... its powerful. So placebo or not, who cares? as long as it's working bro..

Edited September 25, 2020 by blankisomeone