Why do wet dreams occur?

[Polak]

I was wondering why wet dreams occur?

Masturbation is wrong for a number of reasons, and I believe one of those reasons is that you waste sperm that is supposed to go into your wife during intercourse in order to at least have the possibility of creating life.

When you have a wet dream, you are also wasting sperm. If it is sinful to do this, why do some men’s bodies sometimes release sperm in a wet dream? This is something that happens by itself when you are asleep and you can’t prevent yourself from doing it, like you can with masturbation. This is what confuses me, hence my question.

I’ve seen people explaining in other threads on the topic that it is involuntary, and therefore not a sin. I understand that, but I’m wondering why they even occur in the first place.

 

[RolandThompsonGunner]

Like, physiologically why do they occur?

 

[Polak]

Well more like, why would God allow such a process to take place with your body when releasing sperm without the possibility of fertilising an egg is sinful isn’t it?

 

[HomeschoolDad]

They occur because that is just the way the male body is made. Not to be crude, but raw, unbridled nature intends for the male of the species to have sex, and to have it often. We men, as free agents with reason and a capacity for discipline according to higher moral norms (as well as just common sense), all the better informed by divine grace, do not have to do everything that our nature inclines us towards. All men who are not in a valid marriage are called to abstinence and perhaps even total lifelong celibacy. Yet our animal bodies don’t get this memo. They keep producing the element. It may get partially absorbed into the body, its production may slow down as a result of nonactivity, or it may accumulate until it can accumulate no more. It all depends upon the individual male, his age, and so on. Then, putting it as delicately as possible, things overflow. We cannot help what happens during sleep — it’s involuntary. Almighty God has made our bodies the way they are made, and it is not something we should question.

It is no more of a “fail” than it is a “fail” for a woman to have her period because she didn’t get pregnant the month before. In raw nature, in an animal state, women of childbearing age, who are not nursing, would just stay pregnant all the time. But obviously that doesn’t happen, because rational human agents normally don’t live their lives in that fashion.

 

[Polak]

We men, as free agents with reason and a capacity for discipline according to higher moral norms (as well as just common sense), all the better informed by divine grace, do not have to do everything that our nature inclines us towards.

It’s interesting because it’s almost like God has created the human body and human soul/spirit to conflict with each other, at least some of the time. While we have been given our body by God and it is up to us to look after it, there are times when you really feel like you are fighting your own body.

On average, each time a man ejaculates he releases nearly 100 million sperm .

This is actually another thing that for instance makes the teaching that in vitro is bad because so much sperm is wasted, problematic. I suppose that’s for another topic though.

 

[edward_george1]

Masturbation is not disordered because of the waste of sperm. Masturbation is disordered because it uses sexual pleasure apart from its proper context in the marital act. It turns an act of self giving love into a selfish act.

Nocturnal emissions can’t be sinful since they don’t occur wilfully. There isn’t really a comparison. Some people will try to say nocturnal emissions are the same as masturbation because of the end result, and therefore masturbation shouldn’t be wrong, but this reasoning is flawed.

-Fr ACEGC

 

[Polak]

I appreciate the reply.

Nocturnal emissions do also cause sexual pleasure though. The dream leading up to the emission is normally erotic. The only difference seems to be that rather than the person doing it through choice, the body seems to bring this about on its own. I am wondering why.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

Your father or pediatrician should have explained this to you

Nocturnal emission - Wikipedia

 

[Polak]

I know how to use wikipedia. I wasn’t asking how they work or what they are, I was wondering why they occur in respect of our Catholic belief system.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

It’s not a theological issue. It’s a biological one

 

[Polak]

I don’t think you get what I am saying.

 

[porthos11]

I know how to use wikipedia. I wasn’t asking how they work or what they are, I was wondering why they occur in respect of our Catholic belief system.

The Catholic belief system does not care because nocturnal emissions are morally neutral.

You already said it: masturbation is by choice, it’s an act of the will. Nocturnal emissions are not, so they can NEVER, EVER be sinful. The only reason they occur is because God made men that way, a natural method of expelling old sperm and fluids to allow the body to refresh them.

As said, this is not a theological issue; it’s a biological one, and a normal process, something no Catholic, and heck, no human being ever needs to overthink and overanalyze.

I think the posters DO get what you’re saying. And also know that you’ve started off from a flawed premise to begin with. “Wasted sperm” has NOTHING to do with the sinfulness of masturbation or invitro fertilization.

There is really nothing else to say here.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

I appreciate the reply.

Nocturnal emissions do also cause sexual pleasure though. The dream leading up to the emission is normally erotic. The only difference seems to be that rather than the person doing it through choice, the body seems to bring this about on its own. I am wondering why.

Any sexual pleasure that occurs in sleep cannot be helped. It is nobody’s fault. There is nothing evil about sexual pleasure, it is just that it needs to be confined to marriage and ordered to procreation. Your free will knows this. Your body doesn’t. When you are sleeping, you have no free will — the body and natural instinct take over. It’s not your fault.

MasterHaster:

On average, each time a man ejaculates he releases nearly 100 million sperm .

This is actually another thing that for instance makes the teaching that in vitro is bad because so much sperm is wasted, problematic. I suppose that’s for another topic though.

Abundance of the male seed is part of nature — you need look no further than tree pollen in the spring. Nature creates a massive flood of the “male” aspect in pursuit of a comparatively small amount of the “female” aspect. It’s just the way nature is.

In vitro is immoral because it is a total perversion of natural generation. We can arrange it for animals because we have dominion over them. We cannot do it ourselves, because we are not in charge of the matter — God is — and whether science has progressed to allow us to “figure it out” or not, is beside the point, because He doesn’t want human procreation to take place this way.

 

[Polak]

Your free will knows this. Your body doesn’t. When you are sleeping, you have no free will — the body and natural instinct take over. It’s not your fault.

And that causes me to ask the question why? According to Catholic Church teaching, it would seem that sexual pleasure is really only supposed to take place between husband and wife. This is one of the reasons masturbation is sinful, because the person provides themself with sexual pleasure. It’s a selfish act with zero chance of procreation.

Of course the sexual pleasure occuring during a wet dream cannot be helped. I do wonder though, why it even occurs? If it’s God’s design that the body needs to get rid of excess sperm from time to time, why does it normally occur in such a way that you have an erotic dream? Isn’t this lustful, even if not through your own choice? Why would God design it in such a way if sexual thoughts are generally lustful unless in the confines of a marriage?

 

[Wesrock]

Well more like, why would God allow such a process to take place with your body when releasing sperm without the possibility of fertilising an egg is sinful isn’t it?

The release itself isn’t sinful. The deliberate misuse of your sexual faculties is.

 

[porthos11]

HomeschoolDad:

Your free will knows this. Your body doesn’t. When you are sleeping, you have no free will — the body and natural instinct take over. It’s not your fault.

And that causes me to ask the question why? According to Catholic Church teaching, it would seem that sexual pleasure is really only supposed to take place between husband and wife. This is one of the reasons masturbation is sinful, because the person provides themself with sexual pleasure. It’s a selfish act with zero chance of procreation.

Of course the sexual pleasure occuring during a wet dream cannot be helped. I do wonder though, why it even occurs? If it’s God’s design that the body needs to get rid of excess sperm from time to time, why does it normally occur in such a way that you have an erotic dream? Isn’t this lustful, even if not through your own choice? Why would God design it in such a way if sexual thoughts are generally lustful unless in the confines of a marriage?

No! Lust, like any sin, includes the will, which is inoperative when asleep.

Again, false premises. That sexual pleasure is licit only within the marital act. Willful sexual pleasure is licit only within the marital act. Obviously, if you have a wet dream and pleasure accompanies that, then that is also within a natural bodily function and is therefore NOT sinful and NOT lustful.

 

[Theosis]

Fear not, as long as you didn’t “encourage it” or help it along or entertain the undeniably uncontrollable process of this… there is no sin. Sin is in your free-will of said offense.

 

[Rau]

The only difference seems to be that rather than the person doing it through choice,

The presence or absence of choice is pivotal in the matter of sin (or no sin)…

the body seems to bring this about on its own. I am wondering why.

This is a medical/physiological question, right? Or are u asking why did God “choose” such a bodily design?

 

[Polak]

Obviously, if you have a wet dream and pleasure accompanies that, then that is also within a natural bodily function and is therefore NOT sinful and NOT lustful.

Have you ever had a dream where you feel you are conscious enough in the dream to make certain decisions?

This is a medical/physiological question, right? Or are u asking why did God “choose” such a bodily design?

The latter.

 

[porthos11]

porthos11:

Obviously, if you have a wet dream and pleasure accompanies that, then that is also within a natural bodily function and is therefore NOT sinful and NOT lustful.

Have you ever had a dream where you feel you are conscious enough in the dream to make certain decisions?

This is a medical/physiological question, right? Or are u asking why did God “choose” such a bodily design?

The latter.

If I had a dream, no matter how “lucid” it seemed, then it was a dream, not conscious. You cannot sin in your sleep, period, full stop. Not even if the dream is so-called “lucid” because your will is inoperative. It may seem conscious or vivid at the time, but you know it is not, because when you wake up, you recognize that “it was just a dream” after all.

There are no ifs or buts here and I will not engage you in your pursuit of sin within sleep. It’s simply not possible.