I've never drunk very much water whilst fasting, and never wanted to drink any, really; but this is the first time I have had the "courage" to listen to my body and say no to the water that so many ppl (fearfully, it seems) push on one in such large quantities during a fast. What a relief and an achievement to say no. It has been very hard at times just the past couple of days that I've been in this fast, because at times I have wanted to drink water in the same way one addictively wants to eat food -- just to escape yourself, to vainly try to contain your emotional squirreliness or discomfort or even great emotional agony. You know that ingesting the food/water is going to hurt and leave you feeling disgusting, strongly violated/humiliated since in ingesting it you so flatly contravened the clearest desire not to ingest things (which you violently suppressed); and horrible and in pain; but you do it anyway. But this time I have not done it. I've experienced my false desire for water/food, and I've had the assertiveness to illuminate to myself for the first time its falseness. I've had the courage and assertiveness to acknowledge to myself how wrong an idea it actually would be to drink/eat, and how horrible it would in fact make me feel, and I've said no. It is an amazing victory for me. It is a great victory. It has been so hard to make this decision not to eat/not to drink water, each time I've had to make it, but I have. I (hope I')'ve gotten out from under an horrific oppression that forced me for decades to sit there cramming myself with food/water that was poisoning me. I was in some sense, as I ate/drank, racing, running, frantic, squirrel-like (again), terrified, by, I think, what was originally my mother's brutal intimidation and force-feeding of me during my formative years. I internalized this force-feeding parent. After years of making myself sick and sicker with food and, when fasting, sick on water -- I have suddenly said no. Feel a little bit like crap right now since I unthinkingly ingested a drop or two of water after washing off my nightguard (anti-bruxism thing) and putting it in. Though this is an improvement over compulsively or fearfully downing tons of water during a fast, I am quite pissed off about having ingested that water and cannot wait for its nasty effects to subside (I can distinctly feel it interfering with the fasting process and with the building up of my agni, inner fire, sanskrit term for a concept I learned in my yoga studies/experiences at ashrams -- water does extinguish this vital inner fire that it is the purpose of fasting to rebuild -- a kind of digestive inner fire). I really feel the disgusting horrible effects of the tiny bit of water, and I really need to stay angry about it and remember and take action/be vigilant: no more drops. I wish everyone well. Thank you for this forum. No discouragement or "cautions" or hate, please. If you feel the need to do that, go to the Water Fasting forum or whatever. Do not reply here and traumatize me and demoralize me and destroy my great victory and healing. If you must must spread your poison to me, do so in a private message that I can erase without reading, haha. Thank you. And P.S. I met a guy once who had gone for 28 days on a solo camping trip in the Australian Outback with no food or water. i so wish i had asked him whether he meant that he had taken a 28-day dry fast. I have to admit that remained unclear to me. But I do believe for some people it may be possible. Obviously it is highly possible for just about everyone to Water Fast for a long time... actually that is all that really matters to me... I will convert this fast to a Water Fast at whatever point my body signals me to do that. Just a Water Fast of some length is going to be a huge cause for celebration for me. OK, happy day to all. Again, do not comment with hate or "caution," or fear (as in, "oh, I am so glad you're going to drink water eventually" -- fear fear fear and really actually total disrespect). I need respect please, thank you.