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I feel completely asexual – will NOFAP fix this?

Discussion in 'Rebooting - Porn Addiction Recovery' started by Deleted Account, Jul 24, 2022.

  1. So... the classic problem: I've been on and off this journey for a long time. And I'm sure many of you can agree that when you go through months/years of feeling asexual, you become very cynical and can't help but get a bit doom and gloom about your situation.

    (My first spell years ago, I was still edging (and didn't know this was bad...), my second spell I was using porn substitutes and occasionally relapsed) and now I'm 29 days and haven't cheated for a single second, and it's friggin easy as I feel entirely asexual.)

    Once you've had a few gorgeous women naked in front of you, waiting for you – but you feel nothing downstairs... once this happens a few times, you feel awful. It's hard to believe that NOFAP can fix it.

    So even though I managed to have sex a few weeks ago (after taking a long time to get it up), I still feel completely asexual around women that I like.

    After having sex a few weeks ago, I said to myself that it's time to start dating again. So I've used Hinge (a dating app) sensibly:
    • Phone on greyscale mode to decrease excitement and dopamine
    • I set my filters, send my likes within 5 minutes
    • Then leave it alone! Wait for some likes to come my way
    • Pause profile and don't look it again
    Then I chat and arrange a date.

    What troubles me is that I'm a basic bro on these dates because I don't have the eye of the tiger, no libido, I feel like a conman!

    Have you gone through this?

    What do you do: keep dating while feeling asexual and trying to get sexual when it's time or abstaining from dating altogether until libido comes back?

    I can just sense that women are picking up that there's something going on with me. And it's stressing me out.
     
  2. FocusIsLove

    FocusIsLove Fapstronaut

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    I think you need to be honest with yourself and figure out what you really want out of these outings. Sex alone isn't a deep motive, but it does move things along. You don't have that right now, so why are you going? Figure that out and make that the focus. If your trying to get to know the women for long term dating, then have fun and try to connect. If it's something else, well figure that out and still have fun.

    Just my thoughts from the outside looking in.
     
    wlx3 likes this.
  3. Thanks man, I want both to be honest: an exciting relationship with great sex. But I feel like women get bored of me after a few fates as it's clear when being around me that I'm not dying to take their clothes off. I know it's NOT all about sex but it is a big part for many women in my age group. I worry that they don't feel I'm into them, like I don't find them desirable.
     
  4. Vanguard76

    Vanguard76 Fapstronaut

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    Sounds to me like you're experiencing a Flatline. I know it's thrown around a lot, but that's because it is ever-so-common and seemingly random when someone abstains from PMO for sometime. You're giving your brain a break from the extreme hyperstimulating content it is used to. While it's great you've managed as far as you have so far, keep in mind it will take some time to fully recover. During this period, the Flatline will be a present ordeal that you go through on occasion. It is not permanent, and it could last for some time or be gone within a week or two.

    It's one of the more evidence backed reasons for the 90-day mark. But it's not a one size fits all deal. Some men who've wired completely to P in terms of sexual satisfaction will often require a longer recovery period to reach normal brain function in that area of life. It's nothing to fret over - that's like getting upset over finally getting stitches in a gash. Take the victories slowly and small, one day at a time. It's great that you have the confidence to start dating, but don't feel like you need to rush into anything, especially while you're recovering an area of your brain that will be important in later intimacy.

    I would ask what else you are doing besides NoFap to better yourself. Are you exercising? Do you have any hobbies? If you're a student, are you studying and keeping up with your grades?

    Attraction doesn't come from sexual satisfaction alone, there's a lot more to it. There are many ways you can show someone you desire them, and I've heard some men who've begun practicing non-O related intimacy techniques so they can still satisfy their partner (after explaining their predicament.) There are ways. Of course, I'd also say that if they're trying to get you in the sack after two dates, you may have different priorities entirely - and you may feel unfulfilled whether you could do the deed or not. It sounds to me like you want a good relationship, with all the facets it entails - not just the physical. Nothing on NoFap prevents you from doing that, thankfully, as we know thanks to many reboot / recovery reports from users over the years.

    Personally, you might want to try a different app. That's completely up to you - I've heard OKCupid and Match are better for long-term relationships, where as faster apps such as Tinder more often attract people looking for a one night stand. No evidence for this on my end, that's just what I've heard down the grapevine.
     
    hsb0617 likes this.
  5. Thanks for detailed response. The hardest part of this is that I feel I've been doing everything right: I mediate 10 mins a day and have done for 8 years, I play football once a week, have a well-paid job that I love, go the gym 4 times a week, sleep well, eat well, etc. I'll just have to keep going.

    Funnily enough, today I had about a 30-minute spell while sitting down at work that I felt like the brain and "willy" were talking to each other again. This is BIG. As I wrote in an earlier post that this is the worse thing that porn addiction does – it severs the brain-penis connection. This gave me a big confidence boost that I'm on the right track.
     
  6. Vanguard76

    Vanguard76 Fapstronaut

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    That's nothing to scoff at either. You're making a lot of progress, whether you know it or not. You're active, meditating, and you're successfully removing PMO from your life. One of the things I've noticed is that it's really easy to forget this when things turn difficult. It helps to take a step back and look at the progress you've made so far.

    Now, keep in mind the amount of time you were addicted to PMO. Our brains have remarkable capabilities to heal themselves, but it does take time. You play football, so imagine it to be similar to someone just getting off the couch and joining a team. They started working out in the last month, they've done excellent on their diet, and they're confident enough to start playing and have a decent understanding of the rules and etiquette / all that jazz. They're not going to be the next Kurt Warner, and they might feel discouraged by this. But, you know for one thing that it takes time, physically and mentally, right? You also know that if they keep this routine up, they eventually will get much better. But they won't see this right away, it'll take quite a lot of time and effort.

    Our brain is a complicated device, but like any muscle it can be trained. It just takes time for us to notice and while it's easy to look at people's before and after shots with amazing dietary / training success, it's often easy to forget that for them that transition wasn't as direct. They still saw the same person every day in the mirror, and still dealt with all the same issues they had in the first place. I've lost a massive amount of weight but I don't 'see' the difference, for instance. I'm still the same conscious self I've always been, and the only real reason I know I've lost as much weight as I have for sure is that I now wear several sizes smaller clothes. Otherwise? I'd probably think I was still just starting out.

    We often put really high expectations on ourselves. It's best to sometimes take a step back, and recognize that we've got a good thing going, and we're doing alright if that's appropriate for our situation.
     
    wlx3 likes this.

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