Focusing On Pain

[Quint]

I got my bellybutton pierced yesterday. With the exception of shots, this is the first instance of needle-into-flesh that I've experienced since oh, 7, when I got my ears done.

T holding my hand, looking into my eyes. Deep breathing. I was completely focused. Dunno how to describe that eternal instance--I was completely in the pain and in T as well. He owned it through me. It was wild.

I don't quite think I'm up for regular piercing but oh, I can see how people are. Intense doesn't come close. I think I did the best thing by focusing on it and fully experiencing the moment.

(My friend R came with to get her nose done, and the poor girl was singing an aria the entire time, she was so terrified. The tattoo artists were immensely amused.)

 

[shy slave]

Thanks for giving this a bump catalina

Cyms' first post on pain struck a chord with me.
When I first joined the boards I asked about how to take the pain and allow myself to increase my ability to take pain.

I am lucky to have found such a patient Master.

I continue to be frustrated that I cannot process as much pain as I wish to.
cymbidia said
I think of intense sensation play (aka, the consensual application of intense pain for erotic gratification) as something into which i immerse my *self*. I focus on it and concentrate on it. My present play partner knew immediately what others have known: it's a good thing to use words to focus me into the sensations, into the pain. Tell me to focus on it. Instruct me to process it. Use the words if i'm fighting the sensations. Use your dominance over me, the real power i've given you over my responses, to focus me into the pain, into the sensations, into the eroticism of the second by second intensity.

If i can find a way to *not* fight the pain, i am rewarded. If i can lose myself in it, if i can find a way to let it fill me so there's no room for coherency - only response - then i drop. And when i drop, the world changes and becomes something of crystalline immediacy and transcendant rapture.

I don't drop every time i play.
I don't drop with the same kind of play, reliably.
Dropping is always a thing of energy flow and mood and the moment.

But it's worth everything, that dropping. It's worth the fear and hesitancy and pushing the edges. It's worth the pain and tears. It's worth the immeasureable trust that has to be learned, earned, given, and accepted.

I recently had a tattoo of a bound fairy on my thigh, this is my 3rd tattoo and the largest so far.

I focused on the initial pain of the needle, and once I realised how much it would hurt was able to make the pain 'background noise.'

I did not lose myself in it, but processed it to be the least significant part of that moment in time.

It was the least painful tattoo I have had and it healed very quickly.

The technique I used, would, (i imagine), be more difficult if He were using the cane, crop or clamps. Simply because the nature of each stroke differs slightly from the previous in intensity and depth. Clamps can be pulled/added to without warning, so each stroke of the cane or pull of the clamp needs to be made 'background noise' on a stroke by stroke basis (if that makes sense).

I plan to try to use cyms' advice to focus into the pain and each sensation it gives.

I have a whole week with Him from Monday, so will post how I coped on my return.

Much of the week will be 'vanilla' but at least we will have time together

 

[AngelicAssassin]

Good one kittycat.

Might take it beyond pain, concentration/isolation on other sensations: tickling, pleasure, etc. turning them into something else proactively.