Ray Peat On Euphoria

[KyleKingsly]

The best euphoria I experience is before, during and after sex, especially the non-orgasmic type sex that I practice. There is nothing in the world like it, and I have recently discovered how to make it last and last. It is just an amazing feeling that cannot be described even before or after sex.

I do also feel that euphoria = good feelings, rather than drug-like "high". And those good feelings can continue throughout our lives, in the form of real genuine gratitude, real genuine love, real genuine just "being". It can be practiced and learned.

Living up to your username, I see . Mind sharing how you make it "last and last?" That sounds frickin amazing! I've been getting incredibly fascinated by the potential of tantric sex to induce all the glory of sex without the euphoria (prolactin-induced, among other things) depletion that comes right after ejaculation. I think tantra is a huge key to euphoria, definitely one of the best out there.

I've been trying to figure out if it's possible to do tantric masturbation too, as a healthy and even energizing alternative to the unhealthy porn-fueled masturbation I tend to rely on (and am trying to quit). Do you think that would be possible/healthy to do regularly, and how can I get started with it if so? Kegels?

 

[Peatogenic]

Espresso, pregnenolone, aspirin, and when I'm in creative flow. Also lamb (weirdly) and liver.

Question: how does one distinguish healthy euphoria from a euphoria that is not grounded...like mania. How would you describe your euphoria?

 

[Frankdee20]

Vitamin B6, Zinc, Vitamin D, all help with mood and affect.

 

[Arnold Grape]

5 raw oysters on Sundays from the Oyster Bar; Red Bull; magnesium bicarbonate mixed with lemonade; espresso on a good day -- sitting in the sun all day combined with the aforementioned things.

 

[frant26]

@Arnold Grape so true, love all those things especially when basking in the sun! Hard to beat a double espresso and a cigarette in a sunny day.

 

[lampofred]

A manic euphoria is very different from a sedated euphoria, I think only the 2nd is healthy. The first is a sign of way too much estrogen-induced catecholamine activity whereas the second is a sign of good CO2/progesterone imo.

 

[Arnold Grape]

@Arnold Grape so true, love all those things especially when basking in the sun! Hard to beat a double espresso and a cigarette in a sunny day.

I left off the cigarette, but yea ,,

 

[Cirion]

Espresso, pregnenolone, aspirin, and when I'm in creative flow. Also lamb (weirdly) and liver.

Question: how does one distinguish healthy euphoria from a euphoria that is not grounded...like mania. How would you describe your euphoria?

It's a little hard to explain without experiencing it. Manic euphoria is usually an absolute insatiable need to "go go go" while feeling good, a good example is taking pre-workout and then having an intense lifting experience. You feel amazing, but also crazily driven and "intense". Healthy euphoria still you have lots of motivation and feel great, but you have a more "calm" energy that isn't as "intense".

 

[ebs]

It's a little hard to explain without experiencing it. Manic euphoria is usually an absolute insatiable need to "go go go" while feeling good, a good example is taking pre-workout and then having an intense lifting experience. You feel amazing, but also crazily driven and "intense". Healthy euphoria still you have lots of motivation and feel great, but you have a more "calm" energy that isn't as "intense".

What you describe is basically adrenaline vs. dopamine.

I think norepinephrine is mostly associated with manic euphoria. It's basically dopamine on steroids.

It's interesting I've seen mention here of norephinephrine increasing aromatase. I believe on personal experience that this is true.

 

[ebs]

For quick euphoria:

(dl) Phenylananine
Niacinamide
B6 P5P
Coffee + sugar + taurine
Black tea
Mucuna Pruriens
Dark chololate

Less quick but more potent:

Progesterone (stable subtle increase in euphoria and general wellbeing)
Phenibut (peak euphoria at 4-5 hours)

Contributing imo:

Glycine on a daily basis
Orange(juice) with salt as mentioned

 

[Peatogenic]

@Arnold Grape so true, love all those things especially when basking in the sun! Hard to beat a double espresso and a cigarette in a sunny day.

It's a little hard to explain without experiencing it. Manic euphoria is usually an absolute insatiable need to "go go go" while feeling good, a good example is taking pre-workout and then having an intense lifting experience. You feel amazing, but also crazily driven and "intense". Healthy euphoria still you have lots of motivation and feel great, but you have a more "calm" energy that isn't as "intense".

Ok, then I think I'm tapping into dopamine...it feels driven at times, but not "crazily". In some ways, it's a feeling of wholeness in body and mind. Bit it has this extra element of creative drive..

I have a history of dissociation, which creates overactive endorphin system....so things always feel more intense and drug-like.

 

[Lokzo]

Beta-alanine I used to like, but it worsened my tremors so I don't take it anymore

Ummm why would B.A Worsen tremors?!?! @Hans any ideas?!

 

[Collden]

Getting that euphoric state yesterday after a particularly successful bout of exercise, feeling like you are walking on clouds and do not have a single care in the world. It struck me, the exercise-induced endorphins are responsible for this sensation, but what do endorphins do? The are basically just very powerful painkillers. Is euphoria simply the complete absence of pain? It seems then one way to get your body closer to a chronic state of euphoria would be to address all the sources of chronic pain and inflammation in your body, whether they be PUFAs, VA, endotoxins, other accumulated toxins, etc.

 

[Peatogenic]

Getting that euphoric state yesterday after a particularly successful bout of exercise, feeling like you are walking on clouds and do not have a single care in the world. It struck me, the exercise-induced endorphins are responsible for this sensation, but what do endorphins do? The are basically just very powerful painkillers. Is euphoria simply the complete absence of pain? It seems then one way to get your body closer to a chronic state of euphoria would be to address all the sources of chronic pain and inflammation in your body, whether they be PUFAs, VA, endotoxins, other accumulated toxins, etc.

Are endorphins really the euphoria Peat speaks of? I heard that massage activates the endorphin system, which just masks pain....not sure if accurate. Also, that the runners high, for example, is a stress response.

 

[Collden]

Are endorphins really the euphoria Peat speaks of? I heard that massage activates the endorphin system, which just masks pain....not sure if accurate. Also, that the runners high, for example, is a stress response.

Yeah endorphins are part of the stress response that together with cortisol and dopamine suppress inflammation and pain thus resulting in a feeling of well-being that is however short-lived. Peats idea on euphoria no doubt involves that produced by a perpetual high thyroid/high energy state, but there is an intimate connection between pain and inflammation and also between inflammation and thyroid. So eliminating ones sources of pain would eliminate the chronic inflammation and thus help to restore thyroid to optimal function, given sufficient nutrition. I think properly implemented exercise can help to reduce overall pain/inflammation over time by purging the body of toxins and stimulating tissue regeneration.

 

[LUH 3417]

Yeah endorphins are part of the stress response that together with cortisol and dopamine suppress inflammation and pain thus resulting in a feeling of well-being that is however short-lived. Peats idea on euphoria no doubt involves that produced by a perpetual high thyroid/high energy state, but there is an intimate connection between pain and inflammation and also between inflammation and thyroid. So eliminating ones sources of pain would eliminate the chronic inflammation and thus help to restore thyroid to optimal function, given sufficient nutrition. I think properly implemented exercise can help to reduce overall pain/inflammation over time by purging the body of toxins and stimulating tissue regeneration.

I feel euphoric taking a gram of aspirin. Do you think it’s endorphins or the suppression of inflammation at work?

 

[Arnold Grape]

I feel euphoric taking a gram of aspirin. Do you think it’s endorphins or the suppression of inflammation at work?

I think it's a drastic reduction of estrogen, which is a trick that used best sporadically and not every day. This may vary.

 

[Hans]

Ummm why would B.A Worsen tremors?!?! @Hans any ideas?!

I don't really know. BA can reduce tremors in animals due to inhibiting GABA uptake (1).

It could be that: "Carnosine can increase the sensitivity of the calcium (Ca2+) release channels in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and/or the sensitivity of the contractile apparatus in chemically skinned muscle fibres from frogs". (2)

and also
"Carnosine increased contractility in a dose-dependent manner (1-10 mM) in isolated perfused rat hearts. and it also increased free intracellular calcium levels in isolated myocytes. Carnosine increased myocyte tension via calcium release from the ryanodine receptor calcium release channel in skinned myocardial fibers and increased open-state probability and dwell time of the isolated ryanodine receptor calcium release channel in lipid bilayers. In addition. we report that carnosine sensitizes the contractile proteins so calcium. These results suggest a novel role for carnosine as a modulator of intracellular calcium and contractility in cardiac tissue." (3)

Beta-alanine also appears to have some nerve excitability properties which can cause this.

Maybe this is prone to occur in people with low magnesium or low ATP production that's needed to transport the calcium back out, thus resulting in tremors.

 

[golder]

I think it's a drastic reduction of estrogen, which is a trick that used best sporadically and not every day. This may vary.

What more sustainable forms of estrogen suppression would you recommend other than vitamin E. Thanks Arnold!

 

[LUH 3417]

I think it's a drastic reduction of estrogen, which is a trick that used best sporadically and not every day. This may vary.

I do it 3-4 days a week. Why do you say not everyday?