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Published by The Vampire Network on the 8th of July 2017Triggering, Cravings, and the "Beast"
Recently Blood Vampires participated in a number of discussions targeting one of the most common instances of the vampire condition - what is commonly referred to as "The Beast".
Put simply the beast is the intense, pleasurable, and often painful process the body and mind undergoes when the suggestion of blood is made to an Blood Vampire. While fable and popular culture exaggerate the concept into a violent "beasting out", the reality is much less sensational and much more biologically complex.
Many Blood Vampires liken the experience to the mythical "beast" from fable and popular culture. Popular role-playing games like Vampire: The Masquerade (see video below) characterize it as an inner predator that strives for control over a vampire.
But what is it really?
Addiction: Latin for 'enslaved by' or 'bound to'
In most Blood Vampires the drinking of blood produces an immediate and intense burst of dopamine and other neurotransmitters that creates a rush and activates the limbic system or reward center of the brain. This usually translates as a flood of adrenaline, euphoria, and - following the ingestion - a "theta" state brought on by other neurochemical states that produce intense focus and awareness. Some Blood Vampires have described this after state as being "hyper-focused", being free of anxieties, enhanced clarity, and general uplifting feeling of well-being - for a limited time. Eventually the feelings disappear and the brain is left wanting more - the vampire's brain is chemically addicted.
Like conventional addiction, with every instance of feeding the brain "learns" or imprints the behavior. It 'remembers' the rush and release of those neurotransmitters and wants it again. This leads to a traditional loop of addiction. Once addicted, the brain will respond in the same way every time to drinking blood. More than that, and also like conventional addiction, it will also respond in the same way to the mere suggestion of blood. This is known as triggering.
"When it comes down to it, memories are really the brain re-experiencing an event, so it makes sense that reliving a drug, sex, or other past-compulsive experience would cause a serious emotional reaction. When one remembers, cortical areas associated with the sights, sounds, smells, and thoughts related to the event are activated in a manner very similar to the initial experience."
If, as a Blood Vampire, you've ever gotten excited watching blood splash across a movie screen, or watched a vampire movie and felt hungry, or felt the stirrings of the beast at the mere suggestion of a feed, you are experiencing triggering.
This is because once the brain experiences the trigger or suggestion of what it wants, it begins a series of biological actions that mimic the act of drinking blood itself - a rush of dopamine and other NTs which results in your flash of adrenaline and hunger. Your brain has been tricked into believing it is drinking blood.
"The hippocampus and the amygdala store information about environmental cues associated with the desired substance, so that it can be located again. These memories help create a conditioned response—intense craving—whenever the person encounters those environmental cues."
The cruel loop of triggering is what dooms most drug addicts to relapse and why in the past addicts were counseled to avoid all people, things, and places that reminded them of consuming drugs. It's only recently more doctors and addiction specialists have begun counseling their patients to indulge and treat cravings as they would if it were the experience of actually taking drugs - to enjoy the 'beast' and the release of chemicals it produces without engaging in the habit itself.
"When you have a craving, recognize it for what it is. You might as well enjoy the rush, it's like a freebie you don't get to control."
This is because although it mimics it, as long as the substance isn't being taken the craving process itself won't perpetuate the addiction. For an addiction to escalate the substance must be taken in by the body. If the addict is able to negotiate their cravings without succumbing to the addiction itself, he will eventually be healed of the addiction.
Some Blood Vampires have attempted to use the same approach as 'conversion therapy' or during periods of abstaining from blood. We at the Network condemn that approach as dangerous, however we recognize that if a Blood Vampire is desperate, intentional triggering can provide temporary mental relief. By the same token, many vampires engage in the same triggering using bloodless practices - energy manipulation, sex, alcohol, drugs etc to endure dry times, as while not nourishing to the body, all produce the same initial rush of dopamine and relief to the brain that drinking blood does.
However: it's called the "Beast" for a reason.
Overcoming the beast/cravings is not easy. While intentional triggering can offer some relief to a Blood Vampire, it's important to note that unless fully satisfied by blood the brain will find ways to whittle down the pleasure factor of substitutes. Energy will eventually not be satisfying. Replacements like sex, food, alcohol and drugs will gradually become less and less effective. The beast wants what it wants, and what it wants is blood.
For more information on addiction and the brain:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/all-about-addiction/201002/craving(...)
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction(...)
Video:
The Gentleman's Guide to Vampires: The Beast
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This article is the property of
The Vampire Network (2017)
