P.A.W.S. - what are they, cure, duration

Yes it has resolved several times to varying degrees because I experienced kindling symptoms with some of my relapses where it returned in full force. Yes I would say there was a correlation. Not immediate though. For example after an O I would feel a bit off for 4 or 5 days, then over the course of a month where I would MO several times that period would be 3 days, then 2 etc. It’s not an exact science but I can say for sure that between 1 and 2 weeks after O I don’t just feel normal, I feel great.

 

Just my 02 cents here on the recent ongoing discussion in the thread...

In the beginning I tried my reboot/rewiring process by abstaining from porn only because I figured through all the research that porn is the only thing that is screwing my brain with all all dopamine rush etc and masturbation or orgasm is fine and natural. Guess what? It didn't work. I wasn't even able to cure my PIED. It was only after doing hardmode, that I was able to beat PIED and "jumpstart" my libido or whatever.

Now, coming to PAWS. After curing PIED, I started having regular sex and it didn't do a single dime to improve any of my PAWS symptoms. After 03 months of regular sex, I switched back to hardmode because sth inside me was telling me that I need to abstain from O as well to cure this crap. 3 months forward and I am finally seeing some improvement in PAWS for the first time in 15 months.

Masturbation and Orgasm didn't work for me. And I tried rewiring with sex and not just M, it didn't work. As to why it doesn't work, there are two theories out there and I have been discussing about it on this forum and elsewhere with people from both groups. The first one is that you need to give your brain a break from all sorts of stimulation (esp the sexual ones since same addictive pathways are activated) while its in the reboot/rewiring process to get it into a homeostasis phase etc etc. Almost everyone here knows about this so I am not getting into details. The second one which really interests me is of semen retention/sexual transmutation. This theory states that semen retention is necessary to heal your brain and will eventually get you out of the woods (Could take upto 30 months in worst case scenario)

Now, I don't know which theory is correct or maybe both are, but hard mode is the only thing that has worked for me. It takes time and patience and I see people here discrediting hardmode after 6 months, 1 year etc which unfortunately is not a long enough timeline. I also believe that a relapse during a reboot sets you back considerably. Its playing with fire and chemical release during relapse is way different than the normal session when you were already hooked. I have joined the semenretention group over reddit and there are some interesting things to explore there. Now, I am not advocating semen retention or celibacy over here but I do feel that there is some price to pay for all the excessive ejaculations we have been doing over the years. Especially after my personal experience with hardmode, I am ONLY losing my semen to a real blood and flesh woman and that too in moderation.

After 15 months of normal mode, the only time I felt real benefits were when I practiced hardmode. I only wish that I knew this at the beginning of my streak so that today, my progress would have been much further than where I am right now. Anyone losing their semen to just M is a real loss in my opinion and neither is it a long term solution for PAWS.

 

From 2016-2020 this was the camp I was in. Still am to an extent. All I can do is offer my anecdote and each one of us offer our own. At the end of the day I have to live with my decisions and my recovery and each of you must do the same. I am on my path and my path alone. I only stopped back to this site to offer the account of my experiences over the past few months

 

Yes I would say it is different in that it is not a one day boost in energy, mood, and libido. I wouldn’t say anything about any part of this process is spontaneous. In my experience it is like being in hell for what seems like forever with ever so slight improvement over the course of several months to where you don’t appreciate any of the improvement because it is so gradual other than the random glimpses of normalcy along the way. It’s super hard to pinpoint what is happening and when, especially since I didn’t journal along the way. One thing I do know is that when you are feeling good it’s very easy to think that you are completely out of the woods and to forget just how bad your situation was and conversely when you have a resurgence of paws it gives you a glimpse of how good you were actually feeling before the paws re-emerged. Hope this helps

 

Just a thanks to everyone who is keeping this thread going in search of answers. Doesnt matter what the post is, its great to hear of other peoples thoughts and solutions. Its especially nice to hear of people like @Don Quixote who is coming out the other side. This at least gives me a small amount of hope for my own case. So please if we can keep up the updates!

very strong morning wood this morning, i haven't had it this strong in a long time. Could this mean a drop off in symptoms soon for me? Maybe, who knows? Its nice to at least see some sort of change.

 

No I also have severe cognitive impairment, but consider yourself lucky as severe cognitive impairment is the least of most our worries. Crippling anxiety & depression 24/7 take away the awareness on not being a smart as I used to

 

Just want to be transparent, I had sex on Friday, and MO'd 4 times in total this weekend. My PAWs symptoms seem to be somewhat unaffected or consistent, although the last MO made my brain ache strongly again.

The sex or MO wasn't worth it in anyway independent of PAWS or not, complete waste of time.

I hope this hasn't reset my recovery and just stalled it, really felt I was making some progress recently. Going to do another 90 days from today and see how I feel.

One thing to note, over the past 6 moths especially I have had times of sexting or at least even talking to opposite sex, and been plaguged by sexual fantasy, and it is my opinion after just having had sex and MO'd, that the fantasy and craving is just as bad if not worse than the orgasm.

The times I have felt the best during past 16 months is when I havent been thinking about sex at all. Longest no sex think streak has been 90 days

 

It seems the reason we feel like shit is because the body has to work twice harder to produce or overcompensate for the loss semen. For example, somebody who hasn't reach sexual prime or maturity might be more affected due to less ability to produce semen faster.

 

It's quite confusing...
If I'm watching a bit of P, I still feel fine. However the moment I started losing fluid, I began to feel like shit again after a bit of progress.

 

Im not convinced semen retention itself is the benefit. But the lack of sexual craving thats the real benefit with all this. Peace of mind, inner peace, low stress etc

I went months without ejaculating or wet dreams (3 months no wet dream), and when I was sexting and thinking of sex I felt like shit. Conversely when I don't think too much about sex but MO'd recently, didn't feel too bad at all

 

I totally believe we all have to find our own way. At the end of the day, there are no experts, and very little science to guide us. This thread, and one or two others like it, are pretty much all we have.

Having said that, from my own experience it does seem that any O is a setback. I've not managed to hook up any really long streaks, hardmode or not, but by way of an example, in the last year I had a 48 day hardmode streak and a 49 day no P streak with 2 or 3 quick MOs. The difference between them was pretty big - I saw a significant improvement over the 48 day hardmode streak, whereas with the 49 day streak I was probably worse at the end. This is consistent with my overall experience.

I am kicking myself for not seeing this earlier, although I was starting to realise back in 2016 (oh how time flies). I knew P was bad 12 years ago and started trying to cut back (with limited success), but didn't appreciate for soooo long how badly MO, especially when using P style fantasies, nullifies the effort. I still accept MO occasionally as the price I pay for staying away from P - some days I am out of my mind with urges, and can't think straight, so on those days I accept a quick MO as a price I have to pay in terms of damage limitation. Now at least an MO is something I can measure in seconds, and not minutes or hours. But in the last 12 months I have got better at hardmode, and for me, it is the only way I'm going to make progress.

And as I've said before, it is a vital source of inspiration to read accounts here from people who have gone through the same thing and come out the other side. It really helps keep me honest on my worst days.

 

I think we have to be clear; any type of MO is pointless essentially is a quick empty high.

Any type of sexual fantasy is a complete waste of time, distracts you, and drains your central nervous system, has no end, as it's not real.

 

In my case semen retention has nothing to do with it. I believe if that were the case we would all be recovered after a few weeks or months. In fact some of us on here, including myself, dont even care about the orgasm part and will continue to edge to porn rather than finish. For me its 100% a porn addiction.

 

I believe there are definitely benefits to retaining semen, as a man our sex drive propels us towards achievement and the opposite sex. I have definitely experienced an undoubted increase in attention from females while retaining. All of that said it is beside the point. Busting nuts does not at all account for all of the horrible side effects of addictive porn use. Do I believe there is a benefit to not busting nuts everyday? Sure, not even in a “superpower” or “mystical” way, just in a biological way. Do I think it will ruin your life if you bust all the time without ever having a porn addiction? Probably not, you might not be reaching your full potential but that’s your prerogative. I think finding a healthy balance(the middle way) is probably ideal and it would also probably be ideal to only bust with real partners, except perhaps sporadically MO’ing once a month or so if you feel like you need a release and don’t have a partner and you consider yourself sufficiently recovered enough to do so. I think there is possibly a point of diminishing returns with long term abstinence although I am not 100% convinced one way or the other. Having busted everyday at one point in my life and having gone over a year abstinent recently, I think for a completely healthy person it shouldn’t be a problem but hey, we aren’t exactly “healthy” people and that’s why we’re here.

 

I just think the whole topic of 'semen retention' can muddy the waters on whats actually going on with our reboots. In my opinion people are getting confused on where their symptoms are coming from and i think that this matter a lot. I think there is a reason why all these websites like nofap.com and yourbrainonporn.com all point to porn as the problem and have barely anything on semen retention. I think if i remember correctly there is a section on semen retention @ yourbrainonporn.com if anyone wants to check that out.

 

Day 95 Hardmode. Low so low. Low grade tinnitus. Feel so sad lost helpless. Stuck in bed all day. I git up to go on a walk, I started crying after 5 minutes and came home. I’m just empty with few thoughts no emotions. When will
It ever end

anyone else get this feeling of restlessness when trying to reject in bed. I can’t keep still and I shake my legs like restless legs but it isn’t involuntary but I just do it feel comforting somehow.

 

Im exactly 16 months in, and I have MO'd 6 times over the past 5 days. The predecessor to all these times was p-subs or sexting to girls.

I really believe the issue isnt orgasm but the dopamine related to sexual acitivity, whatever form that takes. During my 16 months giving up the sexual fantasy and lust has been by far the hardest thing. I've made alot of recovery since the intiial 3 months hell, but still have around 6-9 months to go if I can get on a streak.

 

On month 3.5 now hard mode. Have had many 3-5 month streaks without binging and still stuck in anhedonia, social anxiety, depression, etc. I felt the superpowers in the beginning of my journey so i believe its paws, but man does it ever end? Do you guys feel like you have extremely low testosterone in your flatline? I dont know what to do honestly. Its either suicide or keep going and see if there is another side of this. Its like i have been stuck in hell ever since i quit PMO

 

Not only you feel like you're in hell but it's a bumpy one.

 

you said you never binged between streaks. But did you try introducing regular o? Did it make you feel any better like the guy hisself said the other day in this thread?

Although I’m only on like 96 day’s I’m starting to question if some of us are needlessly putting ourselves through torture. The only solution is to keep going till like 3 years it seems!?

Or is all this miserable hopelessness just an addiction talking?