how to know when sex is a form of self harm?

[chaosdrifter]

how to know when sex is "disfunctional" - where are the lines between healthy (promiscuous) behaviour and harmful behaviour or a damaging coping tool for emotional pain/self-destructive thoughts in a world where it's normal for people to feel empty or shameful and drained afterwords?

 

[Hvergelmir]

in a world where it's normal for people to feel empty or shameful and drained afterwords

I don't believe that's the world we live in. Sex shouldn't leave you ashamed or "empty".

What kind of sex life is appropriate, is entirely up to you. If it's having a negative impact on your emotional wellbeing, I would consider it unhealthy.

 

[lionetta12]

how to know when sex is "disfunctional" - where are the lines between healthy (promiscuous) behaviour and harmful behaviour or a damaging coping tool for emotional pain/self-destructive thoughts in a world where it's normal for people to feel empty or shameful and drained afterwords?

If you are having sex with people that make you feel bad or that treat you poorly, I think that would count as using sex as a form of self-harm. Also, having unprotected sex with an untrustworthy person or with several people might also be another form of self-harm and might potentionally be self-destructive, if you do not know if the person(s) are clean or not, seem overall sketchy or don't care. That's mostly because certain STI's/STD's are uncureable and might leave you infertile depending on your gender and if you were to have a kid, that kid could potentionally be born with that STI/STD.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

If you are purposely having sex (especially risky sex) to harm yourself, then it's self-harm. It all comes down to intention at the end of the day. Somebody who engages in sex healthily goes out of their way to ensure that both they and their partner(s) feel safe and comfortable.