I wonder how domination and submission relate to these concepts.
Note that d/s doesn’t necessarily need to have a sexual connotation, although it nearly always does.
My understanding of the appeal of submission is that the ideal submissive state is one where the dominant partner is anticipating the needs and desires of the submissive partner, supplies these needs and desires, and reassures or otherwise convinces the submissive that they are capable of doing so, and will actively do so for the duration of the scene.
After reading your series, I’d assume what is happening here is a number of things all related to the belief in the homunculus and the constant valence calculations that the brain performs in order to survive and thrive in society.
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You have no need to try to fight for dominance or be ‘liked’ or ‘admired’. The dominant partner is your superior, and the dominant partner likes and admires you completely.
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You have no need to plan things and determine their valence—the dominant will anticipate any needs, desires and responsibilities, and take care of them for you.
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You have no need to maintain a belief in your own ‘willpower’, ‘identity’, ‘ego’, etc… for the duration of the scene, you wear the mask of ‘the obedient submissive’.
All things considered, it’s absolutely no surprise that ‘subspace’ is an appealing place to be, it’s sort of a shortcut to the truth you’re describing. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people even have an experience bordering on nirodha samapatti during a particularly deep, extensive scene, where they have little memory of the experience afterwards. I’m also not surprised that hypnodomination, a combination of d/s and trance, is so common, given that the two states are so similar.
I think this post brought up some interesting discussion and I’m glad I made it. Not sure if it’s ‘best of 2023’ material but I liked the comments/responses quite a bit and found them enlightening.