What is Subdrop & How to Avoid
I don’t like to see any experience as right or wrong, good or bad, they are just simply--experiences. After intense scenes or body play sessions where people go into subspace (refer to this blog post for more about subspace) one can experience what is referred to as subdrop. My opinion is that the more we educate ourselves and are ensured that what we are feeling is common, subdrop doesn’t have to be seen as a negative consequence, yet it can be seen as a necessary outcome that the body and spirit must experience as a comedown from such a magically high space.
So what exactly is subdrop?
As one starts to come down from subspace the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in and the body stops producing the morphine-like chemicals that activated the prior high. This can crash the body and mind in a way that may be perceived as negative or scary but is actually just your body physically and emotionally recovering.
Symptoms can include:
(Immediate)
Incoherence
Out-of-body feeling
Dizziness
Lethargy
Drop in temperature
Lack of coordination
(Later)
Exhaustion
Depression
Guilt
Loneliness
It is important to remember that this is a natural chemical response that your body may go through and to take proper measurements to give yourself plenty of self-care and love until you are feeling balanced again.
How to Avoid Subdrop
Again, I hate to use the word avoid, as it indicates that one must avoid the above-mentioned symptoms but I do put practices into place to reduce or eliminate such effects when possible.
First, it is important to know that much of what I do will not send you into an emotional upheaval. Most of my sessions are more relaxing and meditative in nature, which can incite a gentler subspace followed by little to no subdrop at all. However, I believe that everyone gets the experience that they need and some people may be called to go higher. As the laws of physics exist on this plane, what goes up must come down.
Steps I take to reduce or eliminate Subdrop
After a session, I bring the client down very slowly, giving them time to integrate back into their body and the space around them.
I try not to encourage too much talking as many people feel incoherent and aren’t able to fully process what is going on.
I encourage a nice, cool shower to give you a sense of feeling refreshed and cleansed.
I offer dark chocolate as the body often craves sugar after such an experience.
After a slow transition, a nice shower, and some chocolate most people are refreshed and able to go on with their day as usual. However, I do recommend leaving the rest of your day open after an exciting session to give your body and mind time to relax and integrate. Also, I am always available for processing, questions, concerns or feedback if you are feeling any sort of discomfort after a session.
Subdrop is possible and again, not something to be concerned or worried about. It is possible that this chemical phenomenon can cause a bit of discomfort but because of the great care I take with my clients before, during and after a session, I can almost guarantee you that what you are most likely to experience is just feeling damn good! Whatever experience you have, that experience was meant just for you and will be perfect, just as you are!
