What's with NoFap?

[caspex]

Well, there are a lot of theories and information out there about this. Personally I see this as a great opportunity to practice letting go if you are a frequent fapper. 

But what about all this energy stuff? And what benefits do you think it has onto the spiritual/self-actualization process?

[BornToBoil]

I am not sure about energy stuff, but I think it can greatly imporve your willpower, discipline and self-control which will definitely be useful for self-actualization and life in general. 

Also it's an opportunity to learn more about your body and your sexuality.

[Osaid]

I do feel an energy boost at around day 7, but it seems to stay the same from there, I don't think it increases the longer you go. It is also a good dopamine-detox and a good test of temptation, so there is some spiritual advantage in that regard.

Something a lot of people don't seem to talk about is the flatline, which is a pretty scary thing to experience.

2 minutes ago, BornToBoil said:

Also it's an opportunity to learn more about your body and your sexuality.

This is also very true.

It's definitely worth doing for at least 30 days just to see what happens and what you discover.

[lmfao]

@Swarnim porn is a grey area for me. Its safe for me to say I'm addicted to it, but on the other hand, some degree of it is just nature. 

I've had a few, few week streaks of nofap in the past. I can definitely feel the testosterone peak after a week (but after that it drops). 

--

I feel as though I've accidentally let porn hijack my sexuality a little bit.  Since I discovered it when I was 12, and have had no relationships otherwise, I think it can distort things (but to be fair, I was also horny when I was as young as 5 or 6, but that's an irrelevant tangent. I swear, I wasn't sexually abused though ). But I don't think it's too much programming to undo. 

So I'd say to anyone young to not let it influence them too much, but on the other hand, you don't need to wage war on it. Its not a moral thing, shouldn't be guilt or shame. Moderation is key with this sort of thing.

Maybe if you're more saintly than me you can do nofap properly and use it transcend yourself. Just don't put expectations on the idea that abstaining from masturbating or porn alone will fix all your problems, it's just one puzzle piece, and if you want to make it transformative you have to do it consciously. 

Every human is different, but I'm not sure how practical or viable it is to transcend sexual urges consciously. It's a very strong drive. But hey, maybe I'm just in denial about my own compulsions and addictions. 

Maybe you can make it a goal to only release your sexual urges in real life with a partner or something, up to you. 

---

If you decide to keep watching porn. If you ever get to the point your dick is getting number, your tastes are escalating, be careful I say. It will happen, but don't let it get out of control. 

Edited December 3, 2020 by lmfao

[Carl-Richard]

The energy stuff comes from decreased levels of prolactin (anti-dopamine).

[lmfao]

13 minutes ago, Osaid said:

Something a lot of people don't seem to talk about is the flatline, which is a pretty scary thing to experience.

^^this. Its a very weird experience, I ended up getting scared and quitting nofap midway. Maybe next time I do nofap I'll push through

[BornToBoil]

@lmfao I honestly don't get why people worry about it that much. If you are aware that it will happen and that it will pass then what's the bid deal?

[Osaid]

20 minutes ago, lmfao said:

^^this. Its a very weird experience, I ended up getting scared and quitting nofap midway. Maybe next time I do nofap I'll push through

I'm going through it right now, apparently it is actually a form of PAWS (Post Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms) and one of the listed symptoms is loss of libido so it does make sense. But, they haven't found an actual solid reasoning for why it happens yet. I just hope my dick isn't broken lol.

14 minutes ago, BornToBoil said:

I honestly don't get why people worry about it that much. If you are aware that it will happen and that it will pass then what's the bid deal?

If you wake up one day with a complete loss of libido and difficulty getting erect your mind will scare the shit out of you. The mind is very good at doing that. All of sudden you've lost control over something you previously had control over and you have no clarity on how long it will last. Your mind will say: "What if this is different from a flatline? Maybe this is permanent?" etc. Most people don't even know flatlines exist before it happens to them cause no one talks to them about it.

I knew flatlines existed, but I didn't look into it because I didn't think it would be something that would happen to me. Also, it can last very long, and the amount of time it lasts is different for everyone.

Edited December 3, 2020 by Osaid

[hoodrow trillson]

Alright, honestly I’ve been holding on off posting about this topic... and I don’t mean any offense to anyone practicing NoFap and semen retention here:

I think it’s all broscience.  The scientific part of “your brain on porn” is a little insidious because there’s an internet addiction aspect to it as well that’s completely glossed over.  The internet addiction part needs to be addressed separately for each individual.

Masturbation is normal.  The fact that we have high speed porn at our finger tips, let’s you do your animal instincts (to cum and cum and cum x 1,000) much easier with content yes—but there also the aspect of we as men have a finite amount of time to use our dicks. That’s right—it won’t last forever.  Even if you use a boner pill when your older—it won’t be the same.  Your dick eventually will not work the same as when you were younger.

The last thing you want is to fully regret not jerking your meat as much as you could because of some internet movement that you took in as fact—which made you get to the “finish line” but as an older man with a dick that doesn’t work the same as when you were younger.

The “super power” part of it is bullshit and placebo.  Yes, I know placebo can be “real” and give you results but you’re just fooling yourself.  You have to fix yourself internally (meditation, self awareness, love) to actually get what NoFap really wants and will never attain.  It’s being grounded and in the present moment!  That’s what gets you laid.  Just BEing.  As bullshit as that sounds lmao.  Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too.

PLEASE reconsider doing NoFap because in this illusory dream life, we literally have a finite amount of orgasms until time runs out.  

I realized all of this on a shrooms trip and it really put sexuality on the map for me and I will always be grateful.  I just thought I’d drop my two cents.

Edited December 3, 2020 by hoodrow trillson

[TripleFly]

NoFap works great!

Masturbation is a normal habit for the human robot, once you discover you can please yourself at command, who wouldn't be masturbating?

Ahh, but this is the age old secret. 

Doing NoFap gives you: First you eliminate a distraction from your life. Masturbation is simply an exhaustion of energy, and some of us fool ourselves a long the process that they like it. Many will be outraged by NoFap's existence. Not all of us are ready for it.

So you eliminated a (great) distraction from your life, besides the added mental-emotional strength that you gain by simply not fapping, you will get power, or energy. You're not wasting your time masturbating, so there is more energy for you to go inside. Eventually awakening requires you to break out of your own self-built mental-emotional prison, the energy your reserve will help that process.

Second you're not watching porn. All the dopamine imbalances, all the cravings you have after porn and before porn. All of that is out of the window. You're not watching porn anymore!! This is a celebration everyday! Who wants to be watching porn?! Who would tell their kids, "Hey, I am watching porn, and I am proud of it, and you should do it too!", you already know how ridicules that sounds. You don't need No Fap, this knowledge comes before porn was invented.

Third, Brahamacharya. Nikola tesla did it. And that one famous indian mathematician, that invented a lot of the stuff we use today used it too. If you're interested google it, brahamacharya is great, and no-fap is only at its doorstep but it's there for you if you want it.

 

I hope this helps anyone who is doubting himself.

You already know what is natural and what is for you and what isn't. No fap is a plea to your deep inside innocence, to stop making excuses. Nobody is openly declaring to the public, "I WATCH PORN!!!" , because we all already deeply know how awful that habit is. How dreadful it feels after you finish.

 

Continue trying! I am on day 103 or something. I stopped counting because it's not in my habit to masturbate anymore.

You do become stronger. You do appreciate women better. You do have more energy. It's not placebo. Meditation and Yoga for me do a lot of internal energetic work. I have no idea what's happening, but it feels good, and it feels right. And I am not watching porn, I thank god for that.

 

TL:DR; you already know what is natural for you. you can quit it today if you desire. It's 100% in your control.

[BornToBoil]

@hoodrow trillson it's not about believing  in "broscience" or not. Why don't you try for yourself and see if it works. I assume that people are different and for some it will have no positive effects, but for someone else it can be a lifechanger.

Also, "not beating my meat enough" will be the last thing that I'll ever regret in my life, lol.

@Osaid I see, yeah, I can see how it could make you worried. My longest streak was 30 days without porn and masturbation so I probably haven't felt the full effects of a flatline.

I will do 100 days now. I am curious what the experience will be ))

[caspex]

Thanks for everyone replies! I am already about a week into NoFap. I don't even want to call it NoFap or anything, I was originally just practice letting go, but I guess I'll let go fapping for real. What I have seen is that it is less waste of a time. And also,, my dick feels new lmao. As far as the 'not fapping while i can' thing goes, I think I can achieve same (even greater ofc) bliss thorugh meditation and all that spiritual work. How I know this? Cuz I have been there done that before. It's better than sexual orgasm, so maybe I should just quit being such a slave to survival (always am, but I want to atleats quit some gross manifestation of that survival insitinct). I'll stop counting from now on, counting will only keep my focus on it.

[Raze]

 

[caspex]

Just another thing I want to say on this thread. 

Since NoFap amplifies sexual attraction in me (that is I am more easily attracted by other females, sorry for sloppy english.), It is all the more easier to inquire into what sexual attraction is all about by feeling even more into it! 

I'll probably say something here again if something interesting is discovered by me.

[Carl-Richard]

1 hour ago, Swarnim said:

what sexual attraction is all about

Depends who you ask. If you ask Freud, it's about everything  

[Javfly33]

@hoodrow trillson I partly agree with your message. There´s a lot of ideology and placebo effect on Nofap´s movement. Yet there are also physical facts (at least in my experience) about orgasming.

For example, I do NoFap firstly because I have observed I am more motivated to socialize. It does not . But also, seeing women and not orgasming can sometimes be frustrating, so it´s not always a comfortable state. When I begin to reach this state I end up masturbating. Because I don´t see the point.

On the second reason, and this might be more personal, I absolutely feel terrible (physically) after masturbating 90% of times. At first I was aware that this "terrible feeling" might be psychological, of self-guilt, self-judgement, etc. This was the case at first, and defintely I learned some time later than much of the social anxiety of the "day of the relapse" was totally psychological (self-judgement). I have "healed this/trascended this" and I can be totally social with no anxiety the same day I jerk off to porn (something I would never do when I was deep in the nofap ideology-self-nocevo effect). Although I am not motivated to socialize as I am in a 4-5 day streak.

As I have said, The terrible feeling comes from the physical side, I just feel absolutely tired, with 0 motivation to do anything, kind of "burning out" when you have been watching netflix for 8 hours. But with the difference that taking a walk outside it neither feels attractive.

Would love your personal experience in this two aspects. 

[AdamDiC]

Porn kills my vibe and my day. It's fine to use but just notice how you feel and why you use it. And I find I can't just do it once. 

I did NoFap for like 3 months in high-school and I actually felt crazy good. I had an insane amount of energy in my body and I did't really know what to do with it. It was really creative and energizing. But now I just kinda follow a cycle. 

There's not a lot to debate here, it's not that NoFap is a myth or broscience. It's that porn and masturbation brings your energy down. So if you want more energy, do Nofap, or at least do it a lot less.

[aurum]

19 hours ago, Swarnim said:

But what about all this energy stuff? And what benefits do you think it has onto the spiritual/self-actualization process?

My experience is it definitely can help. I have much more energy when I’m practicing semen retention. But you also want to make sure you’re channeling that extra energy into what you want and not just shoving it down.

Ideally, Nofap shouldn’t be challenging all. The energy should just circulate.

Also, most people fap with porn. And porn to me feels like shooting a drug. It pulls me out of being present. So if nofap helps you kick porn, that alone is worth it.

[Carl-Richard]

10 hours ago, AdamDiC said:

But now I just kinda follow a cycle.

IMO you should find a balance where you're following a cycle. Going too long makes adaptation and feedback mechanisms kick in and you start losing the juice (for me it's at the 1 week mark). You want to keep riding that upward curve and that requires pushing the reset button from time to time. Remember that ejaculation also has its benefits.

[Danioover9000]

@Swarnim

On 12/3/2020 at 2:32 AM, Swarnim said:

Well, there are a lot of theories and information out there about this. Personally I see this as a great opportunity to practice letting go if you are a frequent fapper. 

But what about all this energy stuff? And what benefits do you think it has onto the spiritual/self-actualization process?

   I would say it depends on the person and their upbringing. Speaking about me, I've been a bit sexual as early as 7 years old, and almost nothing stops me from training my ability to peek at adult films, and to designing my own body pillows. When the internet came up, and a random sex advert came up, that was the start of my porn watching journey, which I'll admit had some pros and cons. However, for me a specific con is the health of my dick and immune system, even for a teen I was getting sicker and succumbing to seasonal flus than the average teen. However, when I discovered the Nofap movement, and being a bit weird and open minded myself, I decided to try it out, and I experienced some changes to my health, mentality, well being, and energy stores.

   For me, I also experience that spike in energy around 7 days in, and another spike between 14-21 days, and my energy seems to stabilize 2 weeks or so in. However, I do experience energy spikes anywhere from a few weeks in or the start of a month.

   With this much energy in reserve, my meditation, concentration training, contemplation practice and visualization sessions (20-30 minutes of visualizing on each goal), exercises and focusing goes way more easier than doing these right after masturbating, or a few days after.

   If you are personally very hungry for sex, and it comes mostly from fapping to porn, and if you do have health related issues to it, then Nofap might be a good, short term practice. It really does vary from person to person, so great care in deciding to end or prolong your Nofap state is needed. I'm saying it's worth it, but really to myself, as a womanizer hearing that is poison to their ears, relatively speaking.