There is a movement of a sort that started sometime back which is in a way, “Say no to porn and masturbation.” There are people who are becoming part of this movement and it is growing all over the world. People are making videos, writing blog posts about benefits of No-fap, which basically means deciding not to masturbate for a set duration of time, usually 90 days. The aim of No-fap is to stop the detrimental effects of watching porn and masturbation on physical and mental health. People report benefits ranging from getting cured of erectile dysfunction to increase in social confidence, energy etc. I got to know about No-fap two months ago and I decided to be a part of it. I started right away and didn’t masturbate for 10 days. But eventually I did. Not only that, when I relapsed, I started watching porn which I rarely used to do(I usually relied on my imagination.) I started and relapsed again for a few times before I finally realised the mistake. There is a sort of loophole. And it is in the very name the movement is given. It’s called No-fap, which is negative in a way. No-fap/No-PMO is a negation. Which means, every time you say No-fap or No-PMO, you are thinking about fapping or porn and masturbation. So every time one utter those words, the image that is formed in the mind is of the very thing that one is avoiding. This concept is popularly known as ‘focus on what you want instead of focusing on what you don’t want’. Also when you say No-fap or No-PMO, you are focusing on what you don’t want, fine, but what do you want to replace it with. Habits can not be eliminated, they can only be changed to new habits. So trying to eliminate masturbation or porn will not work. What is the intention if it is not to do those things? Is there a sense of clarity on what will be done instead of masturbation or watching porn? That’s why, I came up with a new name for it. I call it Transmutation. It gives me a sense of clarity on what I want. I intend to transmute my sexual desires into a different form like creativity or into physical exercise etc. So every time a craving arises, I replace that with another form of expression; either into creativity or some sort of physical exercise. And it is working better for me in this form as compared to its earlier version. Even though I am just 8 days into this journey and it might be too early to say anything, I feel this sense of absolute certainty that this is a much better perspective on the issue. Transmutation seems much more positive and clear as compared to No-fap or No-PMO. Positive and clear intentions lead us to positive and clear outcomes.

• published: 15 Sep 2015
• views: 14