But the best replies were the ones that touched on the idea that there are different kinds of pain. There were those who were dealing with chronic pain or arthritis and those kinds of pain are absolutely different than the kinds one might encounter in a BDSM scene.
The VlogBrothers have a good video of the different kinds of pain humans can experience. Basically, temporary pain is meant to get you to focus and move away from the source of pain before you get seriously injured. The pain releases endorphins that make you feel good and adrenaline gives you a boost of energy that helps you escape your doom. In the right setting, with the right partner (even if you're your own partner), that rush of chemicals can kick over from "sensual" -- having to do with the senses, and the sense of pain, specifically -- into sexual feelings. Not always, and not everyone who's into pain finds it sexy, they might just like the natural chemical high without equating it with sex.
Chronic pain is not about avoiding death, it's about one's body, or a part of one's body, being unhealthy in some way. Endorphins and adrenaline don't come into play, you can't run away from the cause. But people with chronic pain might find temporary pain and, more specifically, the resulting rush, to be a temporary relief from chronic pain. In other words, it can be a management tool.
I'm not saying that everyone with arthritis should seek out the nearest dominatrix, but it is fascinating that we can use small doses of pain -- spanking, pinching, or scratching, for example -- to manage larger "background" pain. We can also use hypnosis, but that's for another post, I think.
Warmly,
The Author
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