no P, MO only with imagination. Opinions ?

Hi guys, i was wondering what are your toughts on masturbating to orgasm with your imagination for rebooting. Do you think it can slow the recovery of dopamine receptors ? And by imagination i dont mean thinking about porn, but real sexual encounters you had. Or simply forget about the imagination and focus on the physical sensation.

Obviously, i would not be doing a no PMO marathon, but a P one. And i would not be masturbating everyday, i was thinking every 15 days would be an healthy habbit. The thing is i dont think going no O for a long period of time is actually healthy, but i guess there are different school of thoughts about that.

Also, i don't consider myself as a severe porn addict, let's say that i was spending too much time on it, but i always had real sex on the side from time to time. But still, it led me to exhaustion and i am now suffering from emotional numbness right now ( can't really enjoy things like i used to, my dopamine receptors are a bit messed up) but i feel like i am getting better. Porn became an habbit more than an addiction, the problem is managing the libido in a healthy way.

Thank you for your time !

In terms of sheer efficacy towards a reboot, some report success, but most say that it doesn't quite work that well.  I'd say it is worth a shot as a weaning process, but another part of me says it probably isn't worth the effort.  If nothing else, if you try it and it doesn't work, don't feel discouraged.  Quitting porn has a lot of trial and error moments.

No O isn't unhealthy.  Your body may be very much used to regular O and it may fight you quitting, though.  It did for me... I had really, really bad groin pains because my body just thought it was going to O every time I came even close to being aroused or triggered.  Bit by bit it learned that not all arousal will be an O and it eventually adapted.  The body is good like that, though we mess it up with all the PMO.  There are a lot of soft science articles about how we need to ejaculate regularly or else our prostates blow up or something, but there is more than enough counter evidence to call that into question.  Soft news/click baity sites like stuff like that, so it is the sort of thing that resurfaces a lot.

The way I see it, if you focus on real sexual encounters that you've had, through the constant recollection and self-pleasuring, you're basically transforming it into your own little porno... it was real when it happened, but it isn't real when you try to remember it detail for detail and masturbate to it.  I know that is how it was with me.  I honestly barely remember the things I remembered... I remember the remembering more than the actual event.  At the end of the day, you're still having sex with your hand to something that is only imaginary.  This might be why MO with no P hasn't worked all that well for some, who knows.

You'll know if you were really addicted when you try to quit and see how hard it is.  Habits are a nuisance to change and take some focus, but you won't be left feeling broken if you try to eliminate it.  Getting rid of an addiction puts you through some serious stuff.  In either case, you have friends here to talk you through it.

Thank you for your answer full of knowledge !

I think you're right, MO with imagination might not be great for recovery,.

I am 11 days into reboot, I am still emotionnally numb but i dont feel the need to watch porn at all. I think numbness brings the flatline, most of the time i have 0 libido, sometimes the need to MO comes, but it goes away quickly. I think the need to O right now is to test if i still enjoy it, deep down i dont think i am doing it for the right reasons.

So i guess you would recommend having the next O with real sex. Should i wait at least at day 30 so my receptors can heal ? The more you wait for the real sexual encounter the better ?

Thanks !

I don't really have a particular recommendation in this regard, so maybe someone else can chime in.  My own personal lifestyle doesn't include hook ups, casual sex, or anything like that. 

My gut/experience on these boards tells me that our perspectives of sex are morphed by porn, and seeking sex while still in a porn mindset can reinforce those behaviors/desires.  Rebooting first will mean attractions and styles of sexual encounters will change for the better, so you only stand to gain by abstaining for a while.  In other words, you crave sex for the real contact with a human being that is not porn talking, but if you just need to O, then that isn't a great reason to seek it out.  You haven't talked about sexual tastes at all, but morphing sexual tastes can be a good tracker for this sort of thing.

DoneAtLast said:

  Rebooting first will mean attractions and styles of sexual encounters will change for the better, so you only stand to gain by abstaining for a while.

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This sentence resonate, that makes a lot of sense.

DoneAtLast said:

In other words, you crave sex for the real contact with a human being that is not porn talking, but if you just need to O, then that isn't a great reason to seek it out. 

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You are right, if i wanna have sex just to O, that means i am not doing sex for the right reasons. I need to have sex when the urge come in and to enjoy the whole process (foreplay, kisses, etc.) I need to nurture a ''healthy" libido so i can rewire to crave normal sex, i think.

From my experience MO with fantasy alone is a no go. Every time I try to do it, I start to fantasise about girl I know and few minutes later I find myself putting her in porn-like scenarios. Even if I don't orgasm or even edge I am feeling weird the rest of the day. Often when it happens it leads very quickly to full relapse with porn and fetishes.

Talking about emotional numbness and no libido, we are on the same boat. I quit porn to fix this issue and some PIED. After a week of abstinance I usually feel improvements in both things. So I see hope in the whole process.

RebooterOne said:

From my experience MO with fantasy alone is a no go. Every time I try to do it, I start to fantasise about girl I know and few minutes later I find myself putting her in porn-like scenarios. Even if I don't orgasm or even edge I am feeling weird the rest of the day. Often when it happens it leads very quickly to full relapse with porn and fetishes.

Talking about emotional numbness and no libido, we are on the same boat. I quit porn to fix this issue and some PIED. After a week of abstinance I usually feel improvements in both things. So I see hope in the whole process.

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thanks for sharing !
yea i'll try to not O as long as i can and i'll make sure the next time i do its with a real girl !
it feels good to know that i am not alone being emotionnaly numb, it is some scary stuff, all i can do now is maintain a healhty lifestyle and be patient.
I sent you a message in private !

From a scientific point of you, I don't know what it does but in my case it wouldn't work. This is not a fact, it's just me. I don't think I would be able to masturbate without porn or porn images in my mind. I don't think I could arouse myself to a satisfactory level without the surge that porn brings. I would want to watch porn and masturbate, instead. Also, I don't feel particularly good after I orgasm from masturbation to be honest. I don't feel any mood to do anything anymore, just lie down in bed. I lose that energy that I should use to put my life on track, actually. I want to add that masturbation makes me feel like a loser, having "sex" with my hand all alone in my room. It makes me feel pathetic. There is a reason why "wanker" is an insult though. But this is just my opinion. I'm talking for everyone who feels this way.

In my experience, plain old masturbation doesn't work as a deterrent to porn. Not only that, but I've found that it actually increases my urge to PMO. This is likely because MO feeds the brain dopamine but still doesn't fulfill the needs that PMO does. So it's like a gateway drug to porn use. I'd avoid at all costs if I were you. I've tried the soft reboot many times and it hasn't ever worked once.

WoundedSparrow said:

In my experience, plain old masturbation doesn't work as a deterrent to porn. Not only that, but I've found that it actually increases my urge to PMO. This is likely because MO feeds the brain dopamine but still doesn't fulfill the needs that PMO does. So it's like a gateway drug to porn use. I'd avoid at all costs if I were you. I've tried the soft reboot many times and it hasn't ever worked once.

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I am so hooked on porn that I couldn't masturbate without fantasies and even masturbating to fantasies wouldn't do shit, the "high" wouldn't be enough. This would push me to look for that porn to achieve this "high".

rebootingForGood said:

Hi guys, i was wondering what are your toughts on masturbating to orgasm with your imagination for rebooting. Do you think it can slow the recovery of dopamine receptors ? And by imagination i dont mean thinking about porn, but real sexual encounters you had. Or simply forget about the imagination and focus on the physical sensation.

Obviously, i would not be doing a no PMO marathon, but a P one. And i would not be masturbating everyday, i was thinking every 15 days would be an healthy habbit. The thing is i dont think going no O for a long period of time is actually healthy, but i guess there are different school of thoughts about that.

Also, i don't consider myself as a severe porn addict, let's say that i was spending too much time on it, but i always had real sex on the side from time to time. But still, it led me to exhaustion and i am now suffering from emotional numbness right now ( can't really enjoy things like i used to, my dopamine receptors are a bit messed up) but i feel like i am getting better. Porn became an habbit more than an addiction, the problem is managing the libido in a healthy way.

Thank you for your time !

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That's pretty much my boat too. I have a very high libido and it gets in the way if I don't have someone that can help me out with that. When I'm in a sexually satisfying relationship porn is a non-issue because I always opt for the real thing if given the choice. Anyway, I personally don't think MO to sexual fantasies that you make up is a problem. I think that is normal sexual expression when it is directed towards someone you are attracted to so long as it is a real person that you personally could pursue. My personal opinion is to avoid porn, memories of porn, and the inclusion of pornstars in some way in my own sexual fantasies. As long as nothing porn related is involved, I think that is healthy.

THAT BEING SAID, before you start to play around with MO boundaries, know the risks and know what is healthy for you. The chaser effect permeates all aspects of this if the addiction. If you MO you might have the urge to PMO. You may want to make sure you are in a clear, post-reboot headspace before you experiment. From personal experience, MO can easily lead you back to PMO. Just beware of the pitfalls.

I love this site so much. I am so happy Infound it!!!!

I?m on day 8. I just started this process. I finally realized this was destroying my life and really warping brain in absolutely ridiculous ways. My final porn encounters were actually listening to audio erotic hypnosis. This was finally my rock bottom and wake up call.

I?ve only had Had 3 MOs in the 8 days. Once was with my spouse and Twice thinking and fantisizing only about my spouse. For me personally the encounter with my wife was Faaaaaaaaarrrrr more gratifying then regular MO. So for me I?m going to try my best to reserve my Os for time with her. I have what I?d call an intermittent pied problem with real sex. In the last 5 or so years sometimes its worked without problems, other times it wasn?t working at all. The only times it worked without issues were when I would refrain from any kind of O for about 5-7 days before having an encounter with my spouse.

One thing is for certain. I?m done with this porn junk. It?s absolute garbage and in all reality at the core its e-masculating all of us!

The irony here is. I am using some daily hypnotherapy audio files to help me with the P cravings. So I am taking my last negative experience and turning into something positive. And I strongly suggest anybody struggling with cravings to give hypnotherapy and honnest shot as well. It seems to be helping me out and I?m not one bit ashamed to admit I?m a pretty serious addict.

thenickelphoenix said:

I love this site so much. I am so happy Infound it!!!!

I?m on day 8. I just started this process. I finally realized this was destroying my life and really warping brain in absolutely ridiculous ways. My final porn encounters were actually listening to audio erotic hypnosis. This was finally my rock bottom and wake up call.

I?ve only had Had 3 MOs in the 8 days. Once was with my spouse and Twice thinking and fantisizing only about my spouse. For me personally the encounter with my wife was Faaaaaaaaarrrrr more gratifying then regular MO. So for me I?m going to try my best to reserve my Os for time with her. I have what I?d call an intermittent pied problem with real sex. In the last 5 or so years sometimes its worked without problems, other times it wasn?t working at all. The only times it worked without issues were when I would refrain from any kind of O for about 5-7 days before having an encounter with my spouse.

One thing is for certain. I?m done with this porn junk. It?s absolute garbage and in all reality at the core its e-masculating all of us!

The irony here is. I am using some daily hypnotherapy audio files to help me with the P cravings. So I am taking my last negative experience and turning into something positive. And I strongly suggest anybody struggling with cravings to give hypnotherapy and honnest shot as well. It seems to be helping me out and I?m not one bit ashamed to admit I?m a pretty serious addict.

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Nice. Keep it going.

I'm glad I found this thread. I agree with people that a reboot with MO is probably the better way to go, but I just can't seem to do it. It doesn't seem possible for me.

I think we should listen to our body's signals from time to time. If we don't feel that masturbation is positive for our recovery, then probably our body tells us to avoid it. But at the end of the day, masturbation or no masturbation, we need to see the light. If we accomplish that and become free men, then that's all.