" FLATLINE " for 20 months and counting : - (

Yes sir I can. I felt dead for a long time, with no sexual energy. However, when we tried to have sex and I felt more and more horny I found out that I had awoken my libido. After the successful sex attempt I wanted to have sex more and more and my libido returned.

If you convince yourself that you are in a flatline and you have no libido, you essentially block all horniness inside you. After a while just try to have sex and see what happens. If you are not comfortable with this try some kissing or hugging or other things.

 

Why do you think this?

 

It does make sense, worked for me.

 

If sex or relapse takes you out of the flatline then I would suggest that you're not a severe case. It also says to me that you will slip back into flatline again once you stop sexual activity, so all you're really doing is kicking the can down the road.

 

Day 165 for me and I’ve been in a flatline pretty much whole time..zero interest in anything sexual. I’ve started to bring in just M/O to just physical sensation and touch and starting to feel 100000x better all around..I think going completely nofap for too long can really cause more harm in my opinion and cause everything to “shut down” in a sense. Idk definitely an interesting debate but everyone is different…

 

True, everytime I had sex I experienced a flatline period, like sex, flatline for a week, sex, flatline for a week.

However, as my reboot continued these flatline periods between sex became shorter and shorter and acter a while they disappeared.

 

I had genital numbness and shrikage during my flatline which made sex more difficult

 

you are playing with fire by so casually going back to m/o. Could be a path to disaster.

The last part is correct, everyone is different. There is no one way to go through recovery. The best and only way for a true addict to recover is through trial and error. Experience and failure.

 

I see it like you do.

 

You are probably resetting your progress with PMO.

I am day 148, in flatline. But feels like libido is slowly coming back.

In my experience any PMO just extends the flatline.

There are guys on this forum who claim to be in flatline for years but they keep relapsing with PMO. I believe that you may never get past flatline unless abstain from PMO for long enough time.

 

Reading this point I agree that this is an interesting topic to debate/discuss. Based on what you have said here, I reckon one of two things will happen next:

Either a) you will continue to see improvements until you fully recover or b) you will gradually lose the benefits and enter PAWS/flatline. I think it also depends on your history with PMO.

How long have you been using PMO if you don't mind me asking. Less than 10 years?

 

Is there an end to PAWS? Is there a life after flatline?

 

Yes, 100%.

But I think recovery is a lot deeper than neurochemicals in our brain and avoiding PMO for some of us.

 

It's not that simple in my experience.
The PMO was a misguided attempt to mask the real problem. With time the PMO started creating problems of its own. But the original issues remained that the PMO was used to mask. And I need to address those and to learn how to live happily and usefully whole. Otherwise, life is going to be a sad existence without my favorite drug.
Just ceasing the drug does not fix the problems that the drug was used to address.

 

@Be Inspired is correct in what he is saying. PAWS is different from those who recover in 90 or 180 days.

I thought PMO was directly the problem too, but it has been 4.5 years without PMO for me and I am still waiting for my symptoms to be relieved.

I PMO'd for 20 years and did so 3 to 4 times a day. If I was stressed, I PMOd. If I was bored, I PMOd. If I was pissed off, I PMOd. PMO seemed like a hobby all those years ago, but it was actually a crutch. Fast forward to my adult life, and now instead of just PMO I used junk food, Netflix, YouTube, Social Media, alcohol and drugs.

Personally I think PAWS occurs because the nervous system becomes overwhelmed and begins to shut down. Flatline is the shut down of your nervous system, but also the process that allows your body to gradually recover.

The body goes into flatline after a wet dream because the nervous system is already depleted. Notice that the same happens if you drink alcohol, coffee, binge watching Netflix or eat junk food. These are all substances that deplete the nervous system further prolonging your recovery. Orgasm is simply the activity that takes the biggest toll on the nervous system, hence why we avoid it or see it as a relapse.

Most will read past this response and it will not register (which I totally get) but after 4.5 years of clean recovery I can guarantee that PAWS is much deeper than just avoiding PMO.

 

no porn just thoughts and sensations..Gary Wilson talked about natural masturbation can help with getting out of this flatline