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Restrictive Bondage
- A Form Of Meditation?
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Some people find it very difficult to sit still. They seem to always need something happening around them so they have some stimulus to keep their minds distracted. Many people just feel that part of living is interacting constantly with their environment. How many people order automobiles without radios or CD players in them? Not many! In fact, not many people can tolerate driving without music, talk radio, or some other stimulation happening while they drive. They may explain that they use the radio to "calm their nerves" or "fight boredom with".
We seem to be on the move and interacting with someone or something in our environment almost constantly. Yes, it may be relaxing to just sit in the dark enjoying silence, but how often do you do that and how long will you sit still? I'm not saying that we are always jumping around the room bouncing off the walls, but in today's world of instant communication and the
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information super highway, we don't just don't seem to find the time nor make a priority out of sitting still and experiencing nothingness. I believe it is good for the soul and body to do so on occasion. In fact, I believe it is necessary to have these calm moments on a regular basis to maintain sanity!
What many people like about being trussed up in very restrictive bondage, is that they are forced to be still. When their will to move is taken away from them, there is no alternative but to relax and accept that they are here for an indefinite period of time, so enjoy the quiet! As they lie still, bound completely from head to toe, gagged and blindfolded, their minds will wander to many different places. Much of the time is spent in pure excitement of being bound up and anticipating what will happen next! They also find themselves thinking about the office or some other place completely away from the dungeon. Sometimes the mind just focuses on being bound up and how it is so different from the normal state of being mobile and free. The point is that the longer they stay restrained, the more thoughts are expended, and the closer they get to letting their mind wander off completely unrestrained by stimulus of the environment.
This mental state is very close to that which is known as the meditative state. In fact, it is a meditative state, but not one that subscribes to the use of a mantra or other organized structure. The mind is simply allowed to be free and uninhibited with thoughts of action. It has a chance to explore all of the things that are stored away in it's memory in a way that it wants to. A way that it needs to and doesn't have time to when we are so busy interacting with someone or something in our environment. There is simply no issue that an answer needs to be provided, nor an action made, on any timetable. This is, simply, time alone with only thoughts to be had. Put differently, meditation time!
Why one would enjoy this is simple. What happens in our brain when we are able to rest has been the study of medicine and science for some time. What we know is that the chemistry of the brain produces electronic waves depending on the amount of activity and the kind of activity the brain is performing. If you have ever been to the doctor and had an EEG (Electroencephalogram), then you have had your brain wave activity measured. Brain waves are the electrical frequencies in the brain associated with various states of cortical arousal (thinking, learning, relaxing, recuperating etc.). brain waves are measured in terms of Hertz (Hz).
There are four measured brain wave states that we know of: Beta, Alpha, Theta & Delta. Some researchers claim that there is also a fifth state, Gamma. Beta,14 - 40 HZ, waves are found when the brain is at an alert state, where we actively perceive and evaluate data. Gamma waves,40 HZ, are also found when we are in an alert state, mostly associated with the learning process or when there is a high level of stimulation. When the Gamma waves are between 40 - 60 HZ, there is usually associate anxiolytic effects and stimulation to release beta-endorphins (see page on pain mechanics). Alpha waves, 8 - 14 HZ, is a state where we experience relaxation, visualization, creativity, expanded awareness and a sense of peace and well-being. Theta waves, 4 - 8 HZ, is where the brain exercises meditation, intuition, heightened receptivity , and is where the brain retreats to in hypnosis or self-hypnosis. Delta, 0.5 - 3 HZ, is a state of detached awareness, sleep, and where we access unconscious activity.
It has been shown through research that meditation produces brain waves in the Alpha state and as low as the Theta state, but always above the Delta state, which is essential sleep. So when we are in a meditative state, our brain slows down, but yet does not fall off to sleep.
Bondage that is prolonged, without intense tactile stimulation, is claimed to produce similar brain activity as does meditation. Many people that meditate and have also experienced prolonged and restrictive bondage, note that they feel as if they have been meditating after a good bondage session.
I am not aware of any specific studies that have been performed to validate this, but from simple conclusions drawn from the individuals I mentioned above, I would say that at the least, there is a connection between meditation and bondage. It might be interesting to use the tools of science to test this assertion at some time in the future.
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