HAVEING LUST IS AN EMOTION. HAVEING AN ERECTIOL IS A PHISICAL STATE . AND THERE IS A LARGE DIFFRINCE

I think horny is an emotion, tied to lust and it causes the erection. I don't understand the difference. What I struggle with more is what I read here about "arousal templates". It's like our abuse programmed us to be aroused by what happened to us, and I don't understand that either. Will have to talk to my T about it as I don't understand now what is the right way to think. It seems like it is yet another sucky side effect of abuse. I'm new at T so maybe there are a lot of side effects I don't know about yet and that kind of scares me.

I don't think horny is an emotion. Lust or need i think of as emotions. The difference between a desire to get my rocks off and my need for touch, safety, acknowledgement is obvious.

My horniness starts in my mind and will either motivate me to acheive an orgasm or serve as a short term distraction like a passing thought. The physical experience of arousal has nothing to do with emotion. It can be caused by feeling myself or being felt by another. Some parts of my body respond with arousal more intensly than others.

However, when my mind is stimulated I can also respond with arousal as when I was being photographed naked when I was 12.

I have no idea if this is helpful, but It is what I believe.

Horniness comes from our primitive mammalian brain. It's an impulse that triggers the release of dopamine. Dopamine is part of our reward circuitry and drives to eat, and mate.

When we want to feel close to someone that is oxytocin being secreted in the brain. This happens when we touch another human being. This interplay of Neuro chemicals constitutes physical attraction. It's all about brain chemistry.

From Collins English Dictionary"

horny [ˈhɔːnɪ]
adj hornier, horniest
1. of, like, or hard as horn
2. having a horn or horns
3. Slang
a. sexually aroused
b. provoking or intended to provoke sexual arousal
c. sexually eager or lustful
hornily adv
horniness n

I think being horny isn't an emotion. It's a shield that hides other emotions, like pain, sadness and loneliness. Also, it's a habit.

Too often, we take feelings at face value, and that would be fine if we hadn't been sexually used and abused.

If I were you, I'd think hard about how you feel and what you avoid when you're feeling horny. Also, I'd relax overall about it, because, hey, it's just sex. Plus, I'd try to accept your sexuality as it is... with an easy heart. I'm trying to do this for myself. It's not always easy, but I think it's important to do.

Good luck.
Bob