Subspace, subdrop and aftercare

Before you read this, you must appreciate that this is an “overview” that some will identify with completely, and there are others who won’t experience ANYTHING at all, and of course, all the in-betweens.

This paper is produced for those submissives who MAY experience subspace, and to those Dominants who are unsure about subspace. Some submissives do not experience anything at all like what you are about to read.
Just because you don’t experience any of the following, does NOT mean that there is anything wrong with you, OR that your Dom/me is performing “badly”. It is a “personal and Individual" reaction to hormones, endorphins and enkephalins. For example :- in some cases of Hay fever, one spec of dust leads to uncontrollable sneezing, whereas in another case of hay fever, a high pollen count just causes a sniffle, and of course all of the different reactions to dust and pollen in-between.

What is subspace ?
subspace is an altered state of consciousness, one that varies from one individual to another, but the awareness of that person is altered dramatically, some submissives become immersed in sensations to the point of becoming unaware of anything else ! Where they are, what the time is and in some cases they lose their own identity! Some can even shut off completely entering a trance like state in which they are no longer conscious of their own actions, experience or surroundings. A dissociated state generally caused by intense stimulation, physical and/or emotional, from a “scene” perhaps, and partly related to biochemical release of endorphins. When out of subspace, generally the feeling isn’t unpleasant and many are aware that “something” happened, but they aren’t aware of the details of that experience. Some submissives absolutely love going into subspace, so much so that the Dominant has extreme difficulty in getting their submissive back from it, they just want to stay in subspace. But on the other extreme, some submissives will not allow themselves to go into subspace, they despise that feeling of dissociation, as well as some, or all, of the other feelings that subspace can cause, you could say that for some, it's a 'Hard Limit'.

What is subdrop ?
Sometimes coming out of subspace can be distressing as the endorphins and other body chemicals stop being produced (Lack of stimulus), it can produce a sudden feeling of depression, clinginess, and dependency, this is usually referred to as “subdrop” and is generally unwelcome. The effects of subdrop (it's usually referred to as subdrop when these are "bad" effects) are manifestly similar to a kind of depressive state. This can sometimes effect the submissive days after a scene.
After the submissive has rested, and even after sleeping, there can be spontaneous outbursts of emotion: tears, fear, happiness etc. Dominants should see these as a need to be comforted, and looked after, to be held, told how much the submissive is needed, and how important the submissive is. submissives can crave attention, and often the sub psyche feels that they have lost the massive attention which they had before (during the scene) from their Dominant, and this can cause the unease, and charged emotions that may occur in a sub drop situation. Added to this of course, are the hugely elevated amounts of naturally produced hormones (endorphins adrenaline etc) that are still flowing around the sub's body. These may take some time to return to normal levels, varying from hours to sometimes days. The exact psychological impact varies from person to person and the interplay between mechanisms is not well understood. All of the information on this subject is based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis. Also, for some submissives that experience subdrop, the above care is actually repellent to them, they just want to be left alone to recover on their own.
So as you can see by the reactions of the submissive to subspace and subdrop, this is a very personal and individual experience that can only be assessed by the people involved.

Physiological Processes
During the scene, the intense experiences of both pain and pleasure trigger a sympathetic nervous system response, which causes a release of epinephrine ( Adrenaline ) from the suprarenal glands, as well as a dump of endorphins and enkephalins produced by the pituitary gland and Hypothalamus areas of the brain. These natural chemicals, part of the fight or flight response, produce the same effect as a morphine-like drug, increasing the pain tolerance of the submissive as the scene becomes more intense. Producing a sort of trance-like state due to the increase of hormones and chemicals, the submissive starts to feel out-of-body, detached from reality, and as the high comes down, and the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in, a deep exhaustion, as well as incoherence. Many submissives once reaching a height of subspace will lose all sensation of pain, as any stimulus causes the period to prolong.

Enkephalin :-
either of two pentapeptides with opioid and analgesic activity that occur naturally especially in the brain and have a marked affinity for opiate/opioid receptors.
Endorphins :-
are a group of small proteins naturally occurring in the brain around nerve endings that bind to opiate receptors and thus can raise the pain threshold. Enkephalins are included in this group of compounds.

Epinephrine:-
is a naturally occurring hormone, also called adrenaline. It is one of two chemicals (the other is norepinephrine) released by the adrenal gland. Epinephrine increases the speed and force of heart beats and thereby the work that can be done by the heart. It dilates the airways to improve breathing and narrows blood vessels in the skin and intestine so that an increased flow of blood reaches the muscles and allows them to cope with the demands of exercise.
Other hormones include Oxytocin, Dopamine and Serotonin, but these really only have a very minor part to play within the realms of subspace and subdrop. but this is one particular area that I am uncertain of my opinion, so if you know more, I'd be grateful to hear from you.

Subspace “Recovery”
This is a very ambiguous subject, so I will endeavour to try to give a broad spectrum program of Aftercare that I have received from many various sources. You may have your own way to give your submissive subspace aftercare that either I haven’t included here, or that you find contradictory. Either way, I am very open to correction/additional information and I welcome it.
Sleep helps, and the submissive may want to nap for a while to relieve some of the feelings of subspace. Drinking plenty of water, staying warm, and having their Dominant there with them will help a lot in this situation. Sometimes, a warm shower will also help the submissive to feel better.
Don't be surprised if the submissive seems clingy during this time it is only their way of seeking comfort and security in the arms of their Dominant, and will usually pass within a day or two.
The only thing You, as a Dominant can do is to be there for Your submissive when they hit subspace, a high caused by the raised endorphin levels. During subspace, the submissive may actually be unconscious for a bit, or at least somewhat incoherent, and unable to think properly, or even walk without falling. This is a dangerous time for the submissive to be alone, as their ability to think or act rationally may be impaired. This will slowly dissipate over a short time, but when in this state, they must be taken care of, and protected, as they haven't the ability to do this for themselves When in this trance like state, talking caringly to Your submissive and asking very simple questions requiring basic yes and no answers, would be advised, as more intricate questions may not be understood. To bring them out of subspace can be an area that the submissive may not want to come out of, it is that "heavenly" for some, so focus their attentions on You, and make sure they respond to Your commands WITHOUT giving “extra stimulus” !! but make those commands VERY simple, “squeeze My hand” “can you hear Me?” easy commands but requiring answers, however simple. Sometimes all they can do is lightly squeeze your hand, so use that to identify that they hear you. The submissive can become almost child like and when in this state, the submissive may giggle, laugh, speak things not clearly understood due to their inability to formulate sentences requiring of a more complex nature. It is indeed a state of bliss, one that cannot be adequately expressed with mere words, but is better understood by actually experiencing it.
Subspace can last for several hours, to several days in various levels, but in most cases, the submissive will be able to take care of themselves within 30 minutes to an hour. Be sure to offer them water, or a light snack, or both when they seem able to maneuver on their own, right after a scene.
This is only a collation of information that I have received, and worked into, HOPEFULLY, a broader understanding of subspace recovery, it is NOT the “Be all and end all” nor is it a RULE, it is just one Man’s attempt to try to help those who wish to know.

UPDATE

Well, I have now got some "hands on" experience and I'd like to pass on what I have observed. PLEASE note that this is just based on observation of My lady and obviously, may NOT be applicable to you or what you have found.

My girl has gone into subspace a few times now, sometimes with Me giving her a good spanking and sometimes just because of multiple orgasms, but each time she has been "tough" to bring out of. At this time I have tried being gentle with her and sometimes stroked her to re-assure, but each time she's acted as though she's just had a mild electric shock ! she has been Hyper sensitive. So obviously, I've had to bring her out with just a re-assuring voice only. NO shouting, just tender re-assurance, also I've tried asking questions such as "What are you feeling"? "Tell Me what's going on" all of which I have stated before as not to ask !! and I found out why, when no answer was her "reply"!! I found simple questions to work best, such as "open your eyes", “Squeeze My hand” and "I'm here, you know that don't you?" these were met with difficulty in opening her eyes, and just "mmm" as a general reply !! But she DID squeeze My hand. Just be patient and caring and DON'T leave them alone until YOU feel that Your submissive is now "with it"
Another thing I have found with My girl is afterwards, she has a tendency to cry for NO "apparent" reason. I have asked her later about subspace, and she commented about how seems to be in a "white space" that is calm, euphoric, addictive and it's certainly a place where she doesn't want to come out of, she can't explain exactly why, apart from it's just so fantastic, all she knows is that she wants to stay there. Why she cries, she couldn't explain, she just can't hold back the tears !

As I said at the start, this is just an observation of My girl ONLY !!
Hope this helps out even more, and I'd be pleased to hear about Your submissive's reactions.

As I also said, this is not the be all and end all, it’s just what I’ve gleaned from many sources to try to help those less informed, so if you find ANY of this incorrect please, don’t “flame” it, just tell Me where you think it’s wrong, or what you disagree with.