1. Welcome to NoFap! We have disabled new forum accounts from being registered for the time being. In the meantime, you can join our weekly accountability groups.
    Dismiss Notice

What exactly is ED

Discussion in 'Porn-Induced Sexual Dysfunctions' started by AlohaKoala, Aug 23, 2020.

  1. AlohaKoala

    AlohaKoala Fapstronaut

    19
    18
    3
    I know the clinical definition of ED but it is nebulous at best. I get that difficulty getting an erection is declared ED but erectile performance seems to be more on a spectrum than a definitive binary thing. Mechanically speaking, if something is broken then it doesn't work. It doesn't work some of the time, or when the moon is full. It just doesn't work. A broken hydraulic cylinder will just not do its job if it is broken. So what if you can still get erections, and even maintain them for several minutes but they are few and far between? And seem to only come under the most optimal of situations? This would imply that it is not the mechanism of an erection that is the problem, since it is doing its job, but more along the lines of the signalling system not getting the system to activate. And what is it about the signalling system that makes its functionality to erratic? If the signalling system is broken wouldn't it too just not work at all? why the intermittency?

    I understand that the erection process is ridiculously complex and any foul up at any of the hundreds of steps can stop the whole process, but I just don't understand what causes you to, one day wake up with a rock hard erection, and the next several days wake up completely limp. What made that one day special?

    This is my problem. my erections are few, lucky if I manage one a day. I try different things at different times but get the same results. And sometimes I try the same things over and over and get different results. The antithesis of insanity. There is no rhyme or reason for this. I can't figure it out. Am I broken or is this emotional? and how do I tell??
     
    alexander11 and domasfernandez like this.
  2. domasfernandez

    domasfernandez Fapstronaut

    152
    501
    93
    It's all okay bro, relax some of us might have experienced the same as what you're experiencing and it's good to talk about. First of all I would like to know how you get erections, like irregular? And you're right because I'm also facing the same issue with erections. It gets hard suddenly with little rough stimulation but other times I feel like dead down there. So i really want to know what is it actually? Well, feel free to text me and if you would like to talk about in private chat.
     
  3. dodot007

    dodot007 Fapstronaut

    56
    4
    8
  4. TantraMan

    TantraMan Fapstronaut

    100
    41
    28
    You made a good question, we could say there are 2 types of ED:
    1. Physical ED: this is what you described about the broken hydraulic cylinder.
    2. Psychological ED: this is when you can, actually, get erected, but the erection quality is maybe not the best, or sometimes you can get a good erection and sometimes not.

    We can divide Psychological ED in:
    1. PIED: due to porn abuse.
    2. Performance anxiety: due to anxiety/nerves of your performing skills.

    The most usual when someone suffers some kind of ED is that there is a mix between all these subtypes.
    Now, reading your post I'd say yours comes from psychological, so let me ask you do you abuse porn and masturbation?
     
    amine13 likes this.
  5. AlohaKoala

    AlohaKoala Fapstronaut

    19
    18
    3
    I have been addicted to porn for a good while and have an extraodinarily difficult time giving it up. But I do believe that it is a multifaceted problem. For example, I believe my poor or inconsistent erection quality is due to pelvic floor problems. I determined this due to reading about hard flaccid and pelvic floor tension and found that by doing some pelvic floor stretches, I could help to relax the muscles. I tried this one night before going to bed a couple of weeks ago and woke up early the next morning totally surprised in that I not only had a hard erection but it was fully engorged, and lasted over 20 minutes before I decided I needed to piss and get back to sleep. Then I was able to walk around to the bathroom with it and had to wait for it to deflate before I could even urinate. It was probably the best boner Ive had in years. But, and this is another problem with the inconsistency, after doing those exercises the next day, I got nothing. totally limp the next morning. So Im not sure if the stretches helped the problem, or if it even was the problem, or maybe everything just happened to line up by coincidence that night and I got a perfect erection. I do believe tight pelvic floor is part of the problem. But im having a difficult time piecing out the other parts to it.

    Like I said in my OP though, clearly it still works and can work at peak performance, but there is something hindering it. What that is though is the mystery that can't be solved. I can't just blame my issues on porn, and after being on this site for awhile and seeing what others have experienced I have a hard time believing that porn is the root of everyones problems here. its easy to blame porn and rightfully so, I believe it is a piece of the puzzle. however I think we are focusing too much on one part and not the whole problem which can be quite detrimental to those who keep doing nofap and not seeing any results. What we really need is to do some solid research and determine what things actually work consistently and determine if our ED is actually due to porn use or something else. Erections are far too complex to widdle down to just too much jerking. The jerking itself may have caused a cascade effect that effected multiple systems but simply giving up PMO isn't going to resolve those issues by itself.
     
    iwanttoheal likes this.
  6. iwanttoheal

    iwanttoheal Fapstronaut

    61
    53
    18
    It is a multifaceted problem. Performance anxiety can come from a history of watching porn and masturbating and previous experiences of not being able to get an erection.

    Factors to consider are how many years have you been masturbating to porn and did you do it a lot during those years?

    In your previous reboot experiences, did you avoid porn and masturbation, but allowed yourself to have sex with a real person?
    If that didn't work, did you do hard mode, where you just went completely abstinent?

    Some people need to go abstinent all together for a while. Some people need to slowly train their mind to rewire to a real person. It does take some time to figure out which category you are in.

    Getting erections is a parasympathetic function, you can't just force it by command. Just like you can't force yourself to be hungry.

    Your penis has an intelligence of its own, and it WILL figure itself out on its own if you are patient with it.


    As far as physical concerns, if you are generally healthy, you don't have physical problems. If you are generally interested in sex, you do not have a low testosterone problem neither.
     
    Nahi matlab nahi likes this.
  7. TantraMan

    TantraMan Fapstronaut

    100
    41
    28
    Yes, most people here think that everyone got ED by jerking off, and they recommend just stop watching porn and masturbating, but all of these people who recommend that haven't recovered themselves, so most of the tips are kind of useful.

    Like you said, you work well, it's only some situations that don't allow you to have the better erection quality. Now that you elaborate a bit more on your situation, we could say that your ED may be motivated by the psychological factor and tight pelvic floor, maybe not too tight, but not as soft as it should be.

    Recovering is a process, it doesn't happen from a day to the next one, it's something that needs to be worked on.
    How is it the situation when you're with a partner?
    Do you notice your pelvic floor clenched on a daily basis?
     
  8. AlohaKoala

    AlohaKoala Fapstronaut

    19
    18
    3
    It seems that giving up PMO is just the quickest and probably most comforting answer when people find themselves with ED. Which is why everyone seems to focus on it even though some people claim to have 100+ days free and still have no improvement. That can be very discouraging especially when so many are relying on nofap alone to solve their problem. I do believe that pelvic floor issues are a main cause myself. Considering that those of us addicted to porn also masturbate excessively, the very process of orgasming causes the pelvic floor to spasm and over time this can cause the muscles to tighten and make it more difficult for blood to flow into the penis. The porn itself can cause problems with dopamine of course and possibly lower testosterone levels, and the ED caused by these factors can cause psychological issues which then creates ED problems on its own. What I wonder is has anyone else here ever addressed all these issues and corrected the problem or is everyone simply NoFap and hoping that is the answer? We all seem to be running in circles.
     
  9. AlohaKoala

    AlohaKoala Fapstronaut

    19
    18
    3
    many years but never had an issue until late 2016, but this was after a major depressive episode, a break up and subsequent mindfuck from it, along with other things. Porn was an outlet.

    in my previous attempts, ive only had 1 sexual partner and we didn't have sex all that often so pretty much hard mode for me. and hard mode ever since but ive not managed a streak longer than 3 weeks. My main issue is I will try something new, and it will work and then not work anymore. like doing pelvic floor stretches I got a full hardon the next morning but nothing the following day. So for me there is no rhyme or reason therefore, no way to determine what the problem is. Im generally healthy, all my blood work is normal and I can still get erections, but they are infrequent and usually only morning wood anymore. but it does still work mechanically speaking. the quality varies day to day but I still can get full on erections. All this tends to point to a mix of psychological problems along with a tight pelvic floor, which is what I mainly focus on. The no PMO thing may help bring my libido back up and fix the dopamine problem but I think my main concerns are depression and related stuff. But like I said, I find a solution one day and it stops working the next, so back to the drawing board.
     
    EdSucks likes this.
  10. iwanttoheal

    iwanttoheal Fapstronaut

    61
    53
    18
    Yes, you've had this issue for a few years now, but as far as your healing process, I don't think you've committed to a path long enough yet... How I see it is, if you're single right now, don't even worry about your dick right now. Focus more on the semen retention. Transmute that energy. Pay attention on how you could add value to other areas of your life to bring yourself out of depression. Maybe you have anxiety in your day to day life where you unconsciously tighten your PC muscles? Learn to relax it if you find yourself tightening it.

    If you unexpectedly get into a relationship or fling any time soon, this is something you gotta talk to her about. It will relieve a lot of the performance anxiety. Also, there are ways to enjoy sexual activity that doesn't involve your penis and its ejaculation.

    Some people do need to learn how to re-wire their brain to an actual person, and you won't find out if that's you until you meet someone. But doing hard mode will definitely help while you're still single.
     
  11. Younameit

    Younameit Fapstronaut

    502
    580
    93
    do you have libido?
     
  12. AlohaKoala

    AlohaKoala Fapstronaut

    19
    18
    3
    Thats hard to say. Im not sure if what I feel is actually being horny or just the compulsion to masturbate.
     
  13. I honestly feel like this won't work for me that I am beyond hope. I'm 32 and at Day 40. I have no morning wood and many days I feel just dead. I don't look at porn now as much as I do dating apps/dating sites. Its there that I view images of women in floods. If I see a woman I have liked from looking at her on an app, yeah I can feel an erection happen. But now I'm sitting at my house alone and I have no one around me. My brain does feel dead in some ways.

    At 18 I was a fucking bull in bed and then PMO started. What the fuck happened? This is horrible.
     
  14. Nahi matlab nahi

    Nahi matlab nahi Fapstronaut

    10
    2
    3
    Same problem . And getting really frustrated day by day
     

Share This Page