[You can follow me on Twitter @creatorvilla.] On this blog, I’ve written about celebrities who practiced semen retention and documented a potential scientific explanation for its powerful benefits. In this post, I am going to share my personal experience with the discipline. I am not among those who treat retention as a cure-all, but I can say my experience has been altogether positive. I place retention in the same category as the disciplines of fitness, fasting, and meditation. It’s a tool in the toolkit of those wishing to become the best version of themselves. Whether or not it is your tool of choice, I think you will find this article fascinating. I’ve distilled my main takeaways into 7 pithy observations.

Observation #1: My Energy Levels Soared

By day 7, I could notice a spike in my overall energy levels. My energy seemed to increase for a couple more weeks before leveling off at about the one-month mark. This increase did not surprise me given how energetically taxing on the body I know the act of climaxing to be. Increased energy is, in fact, a commonly reported benefit of retainers. More energy is usually a good thing but not all energy is created equal. Observations #2-6 all involve different manifestations of greater energy, most but not all of which were positive.

Observation #2: My Libido Went Through The Roof

This effect was perhaps the most noteworthy. I observed a strong correlation between libido and overall energy levels during the first month. At day 7, my libido was quite high and continued to increase for a couple weeks. In months 2 and 3, there were many days on which I was so absorbed with other things that it wasn’t much of a distraction. However, there were other days, especially during month 3, when the desire for an outlet was extremely powerful. Libido is literally a force of nature that gains might over time. I imagine that if I had harnessed this impulse and gone beyond the 100-day mark I would have made even greater gains in the gym and in my various other intellectual pursuits.

Observation #3: I Relished Social Interaction

I observed after about day 14 that my desire for social interaction had noticeably increased. I suspect that dopamine may be responsible. After climaxing, dopamine levels rise mirroring the same increase brought about by positive social interactions. I have noticed in the past that my interest in socializing diminished in the days following climax. During retention, I believe that my brain sought out dopamine release by any other means, the primary one being socialization with other people. Many people who practice retention claim that women are more attracted to them. I personally observed the opposite of that–me being more attracted to women. This attraction manifested in a desire to be more social. However, the fact that I also wanted to be more social with my guy friends evidences that the desire wasn’t merely motivated by an increase in sexual tension.

Observation #4: I Invented Creative Ideas

Nikola Tesla famously attributed his productivity as an inventor to his celibate lifestyle. While I was retaining, creative ideas and impulses would come to me seemingly out of the blue. I thought of ways to make more money, build better relationships, and express myself more creatively. The biggest creative idea of all was www.creatorvilla.com Indeed, it was during my 100-day experiment that I developed the idea of starting a blog through which I could share the discoveries that have improved my life. Several weeks later it materialized.

Observation #5: I Asserted Myself More

I didn’t really notice this one until someone else pointed it out. But they didn’t describe it as me being assertive, they described it as me being confrontational. And in that particular instance I agreed with them. During the 100 days I felt a strong urge to express feelings that I would otherwise have held back. Others who retain have mentioned an increase in self-respect as the driving force of greater assertion. I think that is a piece of the puzzle. But I also think Observations #1-3 were exerting an influence as well. On balance, I believe that greater assertion is a good thing, especially when it results in greater authenticity.

Observation #6: I Experienced Mood Swings

Retention is not a cure-all. It’s not a silver bullet. And it doesn’t make you feel good all of the time. However, in my experience it does make you feel more. I recall experiencing stronger emotions of both the good and bad variety. I believe that climaxing, especially when it’s not done in the context of a committed relationship, can have a numbing effect on the mind. All of that goes away within weeks of retaining. There were moments and days of high irritability. There were moments and days of downright anger. I view these heightened emotions as raw expressions of my authentic self. Before I would have repressed them in my subconscious mind, where they would influence my life in subtle but powerful ways. While retaining, negative emotions were out in the open where I could experience, analyze, and process them more fully. Greater emotional sensitivity was not all bad. Some of the biggest emotional highs of the year took place during the 100 days.

Observation #7: I Eventually Relapsed

Owing largely to Observations #2 and #6, I eventually relapsed. In fact, I relapsed on day 99, prior to reaching the 100-day milestone. I initially did not intend to stop at day 100. My goal was to go as long as I could, whether that was weeks, months, or years. But all of that changed in a moment of indiscipline. In the days leading up to that moment, my energy levels and emotions were extremely elevated, and ultimately out of control. Had I exercised a little more discipline, I suspect the positive energy I had built up would have continued to soar.

Retention is a sacrifice. It involves forgoing instant gratification for the medium- and long-term gratification of living better in other areas of life. Retention also requires self-discipline. It takes days and weeks to build up enough momentum to start noticing a difference.