Lost in the Fog

I got lost on my way to school this morning. A route I've driven hundreds of times, was as opaque to me as the metal doors of the car I was driving. Before I knew it, I was headed in exactly the opposite direction from where I needed to be.



Blame it on endorphins. Wickipedia explains that endorphins are endogenous opioid polypeptide compounds. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during strenuous exercise, excitement, pain, and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a sense of well-being. Endorphins work as "natural pain relievers", whose effects may be enhanced by other medications.



It is generally understood, within the BDSM community, that one of the effects of heavy BDSM play is an elevation in the levels of endorphins in the blood stream. It is this natural physiologic response to pain that allows some to process pain in ways that we might not typically expect under other circumstances. I am sure, that following the session in the dungeon on Friday night, my system was entirely awash in endorphins.



I do not know the half-life on naturally produced endorphins. I only know that still today, I am fuzzy headed and loopy and feeling completely out of focus -- lost in the fog still. I am remembering that after both of my abdominal surgeries, I was banned from driving until I'd been off of all pain medications for at least 24 hours. There was a clear expectation that I was not capable of managing the operation of an automobile under the influence of the drugs. Perhaps we ought to begin to pay attention to the fact that a recently beaten bottom partner may be similarly impaired for a good long while.



swan