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Barely anyone is comfortable with the idea of publicly talking about sexual or psychological problems. The inhibition threshold to disclose one's weaknesses and vulnerabilities is high. Many are not even able to overcome the shame face to face with their family, friends or doctors.
In the USA, several groups have been campaigning against the usual routine (non-therapeutic) infant [[circumcision]] for over 30 years; in Europe, the debate, which had previously hardly come to public attention, gained a significant boost in the wake of the [[Cologne circumcision court judgment| Cologne judgement of 2012]], and found its way into the spotlight of public attention. Since then, more and more negatively affected men have spoken out, and documented their ordeal. The number of unidentified cases must be considerable, since the image of the tough "superman", who is expected to be free from mental and bodily problems, is still very much present in people's consciousness.
Many overcome their problems or blame their symptoms on other causes, to avoid having to face the unpleasant truth that they are suffering from the consequences of an operation their parents caused on the assumption of doing the best for their child. The subconscious refusal to comprehend parts of their upbringing as something negative can be observed in many childhood traumas. Especially in the context of religious [[circumcision]], dealing with with the consequences of the [[circumcision]] often also means a critical examination of the religion itself, because, when a ritual that was praised as good and important - that is meant to be a blessing and a gift for the circumcised - is the cause of personal grief, it may put the validity of religious commandments in question. Often religious families and communities lack the understanding and willingness to scrutinize the ritual critically, and those affected are met with little or no empathy.
I was circumcised at 8 days old during a Jewish bris ceremony. My family is Orthodox Jewish, and they believe that [[circumcision]] is a requirement. I witnessed many [[circumcision]] ceremonies in my extended family. I always felt very uncomfortable, and some of my uncles would leave the room when the cutting took place. When I started masturbating, I didn't understand that I needed to use lubrication, and so I injured myself. I experienced frequent chafing and bleeding. This still happens if I do not use proper lubrication. I have tight erections. Sometimes when I get erections only the top end of my [[penis]] gets erect, starting from the scar midway along my shaft. This condition is known as lymphedema. A few times it has been really painful and it stayed bloated for hours.
I have no [[frenulum]], just scar tissue on the underside of my glans, and therefore no sensitivity under the glans. Unless my glans is moist (which requires external lubrication), I experience virtually no pleasurable touch sensation on my [[penis]]. I started restoring almost a year ago, but I have not been doing it regularly because of my active lifestyle. I bike a lot and do lots other activities that require me to be mobile. I think in the near future when I grow more skin I will be able to wear my device while doing such activities. Now I wear my device only 1 to 3 hours per day, and not every day, although I am working on making it more of a habit. One positive result so far is that my shaft skin is more mobile. There are also psychological benefits; doing something to help myself feels really empowering.