It hurts good !
Let’s try to understand the paradox of why the pain can be so pleasurable.
When taking a serious treatment, after a break-in period where the experienced dominant will “heat” the skin, pain starts to increase... When the strength of the punishment moves up, the pain can be transformed into a pleasurable energy, sending the sub into another dimension.
The capacity to transform this pain into pleasure is caused by endorphins and is changing from every individuals. This is the capacity of the Dominant to bring and keep the sub into this state which will make the difference between bad and good pain.
So here a small collection of articles found on the net to try to better understand the :
“Chemistry of the pleasurable pain”…
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from:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dh75en.html
Role of endorphins discovered 1975
In the 1960s, nuerochemist Choh Hao Li at the University of California in San Francisco was investigating the pituitary gland for substances that aided in the metabolism of fat. It was hard to get enough of this substance, though, so he acquired about 500 dried camel pituitaries. But the camels had none of this fat-metaboliser. Li isolated another amino acid substance from the camel pituitary, beta-endorphin, but it didn't play into the questions he was asking and he put it in storage. In 1973, research teams in Sweden, Baltimore, and New York independently found that the brain has special receptors that interact with opiates such as morphine. Strong opiates tended to bind better to these sites than weak ones. This seemed odd. Why would human brains around the world have a receptor for morphine, the product of flowers that originated in the Middle East? In 1975, John Hughes and Hans Kosterlitz published their discovery of a small amino-acid molecule in the brains of pigs. They called this molecule "enkephalin"(meaning "in the head"). It had some of the qualities of morphine, which helped answer the question of why the brain had receptors for morphine. Hughes thought they might be able to use enkephalin in painkillers that were not as addictive as morphine. They tried this idea out in the lab and were disheartened to find that the reverse was true: The painkilling power was weak, but it was extremely addictive. Back in San Francisco, Li realized that the beta-endorphin he had isolated contained enkephalin. Now he had a question to ask about it: Did it have something to do with pain perception? When Li injected the substance into the brain, he found it was 48 times more powerful than morphine; injected in the vein it was 3 times as powerful. And also addictive. This research allowed neuroscientists to conclude that the brain has receptors for painkillers which the pituitary releases under great stress. If an artificial painkiller such as morphine is given, it occupies more of the pain receptors in the brain; however, less natural painkiller is released. Then, when the artificial source is taken away, there are more empty pain receptors, causing the craving for narcotics and a withdrawal response.
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Endorphins and Analgesia by
Terry Todd
Chemical painkillers known as endorphins and enkephalins are produced naturally in the body. They are polypeptides, able to bind to the neuro-receptors in the brain to give relief from pain. This effect appears to be responsible for the so called runner's high, the temporary loss of pain when severe injury occurs, and the analgesic effects that acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments of the spine offer. (1)
Four groups of endorphins, alpha, beta, gamma, and sigma, have so far been identified. Alpha-endorphin contains 16 amino acids, beta-endorphin, another polypeptide ( long chains of amino acids) contains 31 amino acids, gamma endorphin contains 17, and sigma-endorphin has 27. Polypeptides with greater than 50 amino acids in their chain are called proteins. (7)
The enkephalins are pentapeptides, the smallest of the molecules with pain killing or opiate activity. The enkephalins are found in the thalamus of the brain and in parts of the spinal cord that transmit pain impulses. (4) The amino acid sequence of enkephalin is found in the longer amino acid sequence of the endorphin. A chemical called substance P, a polypeptide with 11 amino acids, has been found to transmit pain impulses to the brain. Endorphins may act to prevent the release of substance P, which may account for the sedating effects of endogenous endorphins and narcotics given exogeneously, such as heroin and morphine. A rise in blood levels of endorphins is measurable after exercise, and sexual activity. Our own opiates may explain how someone severely wounded in battle can continue to fight or have the strength to save someone else. Some scientists feel that endorphin release may be another reason some people pursue dangerous activities such as bungee jumping. So called thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies may not just be addicted to the rush of adrenaline. (2)
Pleasant memories such as our first bike, or a great vacation, or bad memories, as when a loved one or a pet dies are also linked to the autonomic nervous system and the brain stem. Endorphin research suggest a link between our emotional state of well being and the health of our immune systems. Endorphins and other neurotransmitters that are flooded into our bloodstream during stressful, as well as good times, are often felt "physically" as we get a queasy or nervous feeling in our stomachs. That "gut feeling" most people, at one time or another have felt, is our second brain talking to us, according to Jeff Cohen, M.D., a Kaiser Permanente neurologist. (4) The placebo effect is also attributed to endorphin and enkephalin release, as the emotional component of receiving a sugar pill. Many types of therapies such as massage or hydrotherapy's have also been shown to release endorphins and enkephalins. (2).
Exercise, meditation , relaxation and a good sense of humor may be more helpful than what those in the medical communities once believed. Laughter may help modern therapies and medicine as an adjunctive therapy that cost little or nothing to obtain. Norman Cousins reported that 10 minutes of solid belly laughter gave him two hours of pain-free sleep when he was battling a painful degenerative disease. Several studies have shown that pain perception is reduced after exposure to comedy. Perhaps this reflects higher levels of endorphins. Further research is needed to learn if the healing power of a comic who can make one break down into extreme laughter, is as beneficial as taking a pain pill. (5)
For years it had been suspected that opiates had specific binding sites in the brain. There were several attempts to locate these sites. Technological limitations of the early days made it impossible to distinguish the receptors. The first attempt to isolate endorphins and the receptor sites was done by Dr. Vincent Dole in 1970. By the early seventies technology evolved to a point where the discovery was inevitable. The first to shake the scientific community was Solomon Snyder, and his student, Candace Pert, at Johns Hopkins University in 1973. Using a technique developed at Stanford University by Dr.Avram Goldstein, Snyder and Pert located the difficult to find receptors using Dr.Goldsteins bio-chemical research. The existence of endorphins could not be proven until receptors on nervous tissue could be proved. With the discovery of the receptor sites, Dr. Goldstein asked "why would God have made opiate receptors unless he had also made an endogenous morphine-like substance". (3) In the mid 60's, it was discovered that a chemist at Berkeley, Choh Li, had isolated a pituitary hormone which he named B- lipotropin. Li noted that one portion of this hormone had analgesic properties. One year after the receptor sites had been discovered John Hughes in Scotland reported the existence of a morphine-like substance which was later purified and named Enkaphalin meaning "in the head". The Scottish group recognized the peptide sequence as being the same as the B-lipotropin hormone discovered at Berkeley. Dr.Choh Li would later isolate the chemical from his earlier discovered pituitary hormone and named this chemical ":Endorphin" which means "the morphine within".(6)
Today the term opioid is used for all endorphins and morphine-like chemicals, including Dynorphin another brain opioid peptide later found by Dr.Goldstein in 1979. Other psychoactive peptides have been discovered and isolated using the techniques developed in these early laboratories. These shared discoveries have advanced the knowledge, and led to many other discoveries of modern pain relieving analgesics that are less addictive, have greater potencies and fewer side effects. Other drugs related to the opiates have generated new interest in the function of the brain, making way for a new era in our understanding of the brain and human behavior as a whole. (6)
A recent clinical use of another opioid has led to new theories concerning Autism. One theory states that autistic individuals may have too much beta-endorphin in their central nervous system. This theory goes on to postulate that a synthetic enkephalin called Naltrexone may effectively block opiate receptor sites reducing levels of endorphin uptake at the receptor sites. These high levels of endorphins are thought to be responsible for the trance like state that many of those afflicted with this little understood disease, Autism, exhibit. Some of the clinical improvements noted after Naltrexone therapy in autistic patients are increased socialization, eye contact, general happiness, normalized pain sensitivity; and a reduction in self-injury and stereotypic (self-stimulatory) behaviors.(5)
Endogenous opioids have made up the bulk of this discussion and we have even seen how symptoms of autism may be reduced by opiate blockers. How and why scientist became engaged with endorphin research, is answered by the fact that scientist have known the physical effects of drugs like morphine and heroin for many years. Even before we understood their chemical makeup and mechanism of action, (much is still unknown) the mystery of the botanical origin of all the modern narcotic analgesics perplexed those involved in pharmacology. Enter the opium poppy, papaver somniferum. This flower cultivated in Asia and other countries was known to possess analgesic qualities by the ancient Chinese, who smoked it in its raw form. It is important here that we distinguish the difference between an analgesic and an anesthetic. Analgesics reduce the perception of pain without a loss of consciousness,while anesthetics reduce pain by inducing a loss of consciousness. Opium contains morphine, codeine, noscapine, papaverine and thebaine. Thebaine is a convulsant drug and produces no analgesia, as such, it is not used clinically but is important in the production of other semisynthetic opioids. Opium is a less effective analgesic than morphine, because it is slowly absorbed, and has been historically used for its constipating action (paregoric). Morphine itself was discovered in 1809, and has a variety of useful effects, among those of which are analgesia, euphoria, and cough suppression. The drawback is its high addictability. The modern chemist works now to create derivatives of morphine, that retain the analgesic or other medically useful qualities, while reducing the addictive or constipating effects. The chemical structure of morphine is responsible for its addictive, and other undesirable side effects. The Ring structure of morphine can be modified chemically and its analgesic effects increased to 100 to 1000 times greater than morphine by acetylation and by hydrogenation at double bonds. If the nitrogen substituent is changed to a bulky alkyl group, the compound produced is a narcotic antagonist. These antagonistic drugs created by modern chemistry are used as antidotes for overdose of heroin and similar drugs that may be abused in our society. Astoundingly, chemically and structurally the drug heroin, and the narcotic antagonist used to reverse the opiate effects, are virtually identical. The rapid (almost instantaneous when injected intravenously) , onset of action of the antagonist has saved many lives. This quick onset of action responsible for saving the lives of accidental overdose, as outrageous as this may seem , has also been known to infuriate hard core addicts, who as they regained consciousness, complain violently demanding to know who ruined their high! (7)
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The Pain Threshold and Endorphins
from :
http://www.frugaldomme.com/dangers/default.htm#endorphins
The Pain Threshold and Endorphins or, "No Pain, No Gain" The pain threshold is the level of pain which the bottom can no longer voluntarily endure. This is the point at which your bottom will safe out. Learning where that point lies for your bottom is very important if you wish to maximize the experience for both partners. This is because once that point is identified, it can be manipulated. Endorphins are neurotransmitters (chemicals which are directly involved in the brain's electrochemical workings). They are also natural painkillers. High endorphin levels cause a feeling of euphoria. Of course, SM is not the only way to achieve this state. Long-distance runners refer to it as "runner's high." The sensitive, careful and methodical application of pain can move the pain threshold higher, enabling the bottom to tolerate higher levels of pain, thereby receiving the benefits of higher endorphin levels. To the bottom, the pain will not seem to increase, even though the physical trauma upon the body does. This is because as endorphin levels rise, the pain becomes deadened. Safety Note: The fact that the pain is deadened must never make you lose sight of the physical trauma you are causing. Don't abuse your responsibility for your bottom's safety just because the euphoria of a endorphin rush makes your bottom a little giddy. In order to stimulate the release of endorphins, the top should gradually increase the pain level until it nears the pain threshold. After reaching the threshold, lower the intensity and allow the endorphins which the pain released to work their magic, nullifying the pain. When the top once again begins to increase the pain, the endorphins which the previous cycle released allow the bottom to tolerate a higher level of pain. The now higher level of pain releases even more endorphins, and the cycle begins again . Patience is a virtue here. There are several difficulties you may run into. They can discourage you, but don't let them! Keep them in mind, watch for them, and when they occur, alter your technique until you find that unique formula that works for you and your bottom. Sometimes subtle changes in technique can produce dramatic results. Sometimes the pain threshold will hit a plateau, refusing to rise further. If this happens, a complete break in activity for a few moments, a few minutes or longer might be in order. Every bottom has a certain point beyond which even the best technique cannot take them. This point can vary from day to day. Just because the bottom hit a new high yesterday doesn't mean he or she will hit it again today. If you try every technique you can think of to get beyond the plateau, but to no avail, it's just not the right day. Accept what comes. Another common problem is hypersensitivity, which causes the pain threshold to drop dramatically. Those of you who have had large tattoos done know how it works. Believe me, it's no fun. You are playing, having a great time - the bottom is on a major endorphin high and you're loving it. Suddenly the bottom safes out. You take a break and then get back into it, but after the break even love taps are too painful. What went wrong? Hypersensitivity seems to happen most often when you have been pushing too far, too fast. Playing right around the threshold is physically and mentally stressful, and too much of it will wear the bottom out. Make sure when you bring him or her back down, you leave plenty of time for rest. Endorphin highs are a great reward, but they take hard work. If you are not successful after a few attempts, don't give up. Even an experienced player takes time to learn a new bottom, and as a novice you have to learn the bottom while learning the technique. Just work slowly, stay determined, and look for small signs of success. These small successes will tell you what works for the bottom. Eventually, with patience, you will get it.
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