 | Drummond (54)
02/21/2006 |  Well, pain obviously releases endorphins, producing what is often referred to as the "runner's high." Apparently, this is one of the motivations for submissives in S&M, where they describe ecstatic experiences. A number of ancient rituals in various cultures involve pain and discomfort as part of the ritual.
Tatoo and body modification gury Fakir Musafar (not his real name, incidently) says this on pain (quoted from Disinfo Book of Lists):
"The negativity of pain only exists for people who are relatively undeveloped. If you have enough training, instruction, and practice, you can transcend, transmute, or change a sensation to anything you wish. That's what I do when I hang by fleshhooks. People say "That's incredibly painful!" I say, "No, it's ecstatic, it's beautiful."
Whatever dude.
Native American sweat lodge practice is said to work on a similar principle involving extreme heat, which I have to say sounds preferable to "fleshhooks" whatever they are, and believe me I really don't want to know.
Writer Patrick Califia has written in his book on S&M entitled "Shiny Sharp Things" that "There is this whole other reality beyond our flesh (it's called "the air" maybe? - Drum). But in this world, our flesh is our only way to gather information and to explain what is within and outside of ourselves. So we have to use flesh to get to that other place. These practices have become taboo."
I guess he was telling transcendentalists and other mystics that they don't know what they're talking about and don't know what they're experiencing. Not that I know either.
Anyway, that's the rationale.
(2 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
