hello there! I hope its okay to send this because i do agree with your post, i really do! I do agree that it shouldn't be seen as impure or pure, a lot of things should not be seen that way, and age regression should also should not have ties to anything mature.
But i hope its okay to explain why i, and some others do say impure instead of vent, and this is not to say you are wrong nor argue, nor is it to say people should use impure too or instead. And i will not go in full detail either because i do not wish to trigger or upset anyone either.
I, have dealt with heavy trauma ( RAMCOA and other things ), i have never had childhood innocence. The yearning to feel innocent, and thus pure, is a strong want or need. I'm not saying its right, or that thats okay, but i just wish people trying to encourage others to not say impure, would acknowledge that sometimes, people with extreme traumas, cannot unsee themselves as impure or well, dirty or unclean.
These people of course deserve to heal, of course they deserve alternatives, of course they deserve ro acknowledge their worth.
But myself and an ex friend identified as impure more, because we are still "at the bottom of the barrel" feeling filthy and nasty when we involuntarily regress. Its not because our regression is nasty, or that all regression is nasty, its because certain trauma just sticks like a grime you cannot rid of.
Its not that we saw regression as a mature topic or that regressors are nasty or pure or impure, we ourselves just didn't feel, clean.
While i understand people feeling upset by that term, i feel like more people need to also realize if someone is calling themselves that, they are feeling bad or yucky and telling them that its bad is not helpful.
Yes use alternate terms, yes help others. Yes keep agere out of mature topics.
Again, i don't mean this as an arguement or discourse starter, i just am saying why SOME people may use impure. If people are using it for mature topics that is disgusting and not welcomed.
Thank you for taking the time to explain this so thoughtfully. I really appreciate the care you put into your message, and I want to be clear that I understand why some people may use the term “impure” to describe how regression feels to them internally. The experience of feeling unclean, disconnected from innocence, or unable to access a sense of ‘purity’ is very real. Having endured significant trauma as well (OEA and ITBPC), we understand and relate to that feeling personally.
The concern isn’t exactly with how individuals describe their own experiences. People should be able to name their feelings in whatever way makes sense to them. The issue I’m raising is more about how the term functions at a community level. When “impure” is used as a general category, it can unintentionally frame negative regression as something inherently wrong or shameful.
From an outside perspective, purity-based language can also suggest a moral hierarchy, where play regression is seen as “better,” and involuntary or distress-heavy regression is seen as lesser. That framing can increase guilt around having normal emotional reactions and can make people feel worse about these experiences.
That’s why I personally advocate for “vent regression". It describes regression that involves distress/emotional release without assigning moral value to it. At the same time, I respect that “impure” may resonate with some people as a way of expressing how trauma has shaped their self-perception. I don’t think those perspectives are mutually exclusive!
