Is retention real?

Was chatting with my best friend yesterday.

We can talk about just about anything... which is something I definitely take advantage of.

This email might feel a little different from my usual ones... but it's something important I've learned on my journey. Essentially an experiment I've been running for years. So I'm going to talk about something that most men never discuss out loud.

Bear with me, because at a minimum it's an interesting idea.

I don't know how it came up, but we started talking about my journey with semen retention.

How important it's been for my growth.

And some of the conclusions we drew feel worth sharing.

Firstly, the reason it's been so important for my growth. I don't know if there's some mystical woo-woo energetic power contained in a man's seed like the Taoist texts seem to suggest, but I do know the neuroscience... and that every time we "release" so to say, we also release a massive amount of dopamine.

Dopamine which has consequences.

Because huge rushes of dopamine cause downregulation of our dopamine receptors, which directly impacts mental clarity, decision making, motivation, mojo, emotional stability, and generally how well we're showing up in our lives.

A release every once in a while?

No biggie.

A release every day?

Starts to be a much bigger issue.

And some people's brains are much more sensitive to it than others.

Take myself, for example.

With an ADHD-type brain, I'm very sensitive to dopamine fluctuations. So I have to guard my dopamine reward center a lot more carefully than other people, or else I can severely impact how I'm showing up in numerous "buckets" of my life that are very important to me. It literally takes... probably at least a week, for me to recover fully from one release.

So I try to make sure I don't do it often at all.

Might sound weird, but after years of self-observation... it's the truth.

Also worth noting that I'm not talking about release from porn or masturbation, but even releasing with a woman can be draining, which is where more advanced practices such as Karezza can be extremely useful if we want to enjoy the best of both worlds... a practice that recently allowed me to go over 2 months without releasing while enjoying all the benefits of retention and the love of a woman who adores me.

Perhaps I'll share more about that later, but it's beyond the scope of this particular email.

Anyways...

Then you have guys like my friend.

He does not have an ADHD-type brain. In fact, he has very high baseline dopamine. So for him, perhaps 24-48 hours after a release, he feels back to normal.

But even for him he notices the "dip."

The day after a release, he just isn't as sharp.

He still performs well and is taking in well over 6 figures every month.

But he has a growing awareness that when he doesn't release as often, it pours quite a bit of extra energy, drive, and creativity into his already high-performing system, like the difference between going from slightly watered down Mexican 87-octane gas to putting pure 93-octane in your Lamborghini.

Interesting stuff.

And a dynamic that's important to understand.

Because your dopamine reward center directly impacts many of the things you care about most.

And for the record, I'm not suggesting being abstinent.

Not even a little bit.

Part of what we're here for is to enjoy life, enjoy intimacy, and enjoy the beauty of a woman who loves us dearly.

But the fact is...

Releasing our seed costs us.

And doing so too often, or carelessly, can be... very draining.

Even if it's happening in a healthy way.

Though the problem is made much worse if it's happening in an unhealthy way.

Which most men are probably doing far too often.

Before a man can even consider semen retention seriously, he has to learn how to take better control over his own impulses.

In other words, porn and masturbation have to go, because the impact of compulsively engaging in those behaviors absolutely ruins a man's dopamine reward center and leaves him with a brain that's essentially crippled... even if he doesn't realize it because he's simply adapted to that being his "normal," and even if he's performing at a high level already despite that handicap.

And for most guys, who don't have brains as sensitive as mine?

Even just that change will be enough to create a night-and-day difference in how they feel, their mental clarity and creativity, and how they're showing up in their relationship.

But of course, if like I did, you begin to notice that you feel quite a bit better when you release less...

There's plenty more to explore.

Food for thought on this fine Tuesday morning.

Catch you later.

Devin M.