One subject I want to explore in my practice is non-substance addiction and generally our relationship to our bodies. Researching the notion of pleasure I found out there is a whole literature on the matter and how related its’ study is with that of religious practices.
In the article In pursuit of the study of pleasure: implications for health research and practice [1] there are four forms of pleasure described:
- carnal pleasure: ‘Rituals of the flesh and physicality, invoking and inflaming the senses, were important practices in Catholic worship and penitence’.
- disciplined pleasure: civilizing of the body; has its’ roots in evangelical, often highly disciplined religious movements – replace one form of pleasure (hedonistic, carnal, libidinal) with another (aesthetic, ascetic, civilized).
- ascetic pleasure: conquering and domination of the body, creating feelings of total control and safety; almost always a solitary pursuit.
- ecstatic pleasure: derived from collective spirituality, often accompanied by recreational drugs.
‘Pleasure now does not result merely from the enjoyment of gastronomic riches, but also, paradoxically, from a refusal of them. The ascetic appreciation that comes from attaining a slim, toned body and regulated lifestyle – in the midst of plenty and pressures to consume – demonstrates that pleasures are situated within specific social discourses and practices.’
‘ascetic approaches to eating carry their own pleasures through a sense of self-control and self-discipline’
self-policing, self-managing – available for higher, economically active classes
uses the example of opioids which used to be popular among artists?
pleasure in abstinence
‘This volatile body, which refuses to be disciplined, is highly considered disordered, dangerous and polluting.’
Future reads: Re-forming the Body: Religion, Community and Modernity, Chris Shilling and Philip A. Mellor The History of Sexuality, Michel Foucault
Re-forming the body – ‘the meaning was to be found through the body, not in spite of it.’ (p.65)