I’ve no expertise on this topic – but it interests me. So this blog is just links to articles I have found. I’ll add to it from time to time (Please note, a number of the articles below are reactions to the same Dutch study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. The original paper relating to that can be found here.
- Kinky people are mentally and emotionally healthy: Article summarising a University of Alabama and University of Central Florida study for the US National Coalition For Sexual Freedom. The full study (August 2015) is based on responses from more than 800 kinky people and has lots of information about who we are and what we do, as well as looking at personality traits, attitudes to aggressive sexual behaviour and capacity for healthy relationships. The summary says: “Indicators of poor psychological functioning or high violence perpetration were few and far between. There were no overwhelming concerns within a range of mental and emotional factors. Further, although most individuals had been victims of various forms of violence and/or aggression, extremely few had perpetrated such themselves. Collectively, all results undermine the equation of BDSM to mental illness and/or violence. It is alternatively suggested BDSM is a specialized phenomenon that variously presents itself in some individuals’ fantasies, activities, identities, and culture. Across the specifics, for many, the interest appears to be deep-seated, long-standing, but possibly most importantly, enjoyed with no apparent detrimental results. “
- S&M may be the new yoga: This article, from “Medical Daily” reports a paper delivered to the Society of Personality and Social Psychology that says that people receiving pain enter into an altered state of consciousness similar to meditation (based on getting 14 volunteers to give and receive pain). I’m not sure that’ll be news to many subs/bottoms, but it’s nice to see our anecdotal evidence backed up by research and shared in the wider world. A further article, giving more details of this and a similar study, from “Live Science”, is here. I also managed to find the Powerpoint that goes with the paper, which was written by Brad Sagarin, James Ambler, Ellen Lee, & Kathryn Klement of Northern Illinois University ( CLAW 2013 Science of SM ).
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BDSM Disclosure and Stigma Management:Identifying opportunities for sex education (from the American Journal of Sexuality Education – March 2012, by Tanya Bezrah, Thomas S Weinberg, Timothy Edgar). Especially interesting on telling a partner about kinky interests.
- BDSM and Your Mental health (wevib.wordpress.com)
- Interview with Dr Charley Ferrer, America’s BDSM Expert – BDSM Writers Convention August 21-24, 2014 – NYC (marymenage.wordpress.com)
- BDSM: Perception versus Reality – Distinguishing Between Healthy Practitioners and Paraphilia (paigeconnors.wordpress.com)
- When a client is kinky: A response to an article in ‘therapy today’ (traineetherapist.wordpress.com)
- When family recommends sex therapy OR BDSM Stigma (masochistmusing.wordpress.com)
- Break Out The Chains, BDSM Fetishists Have A Stronger Sense Of Well-Being (refinery29.com)
- BDSM is Good For Your Brain, Says Study with Giant Asterisk (misanthropology101.wordpress.com)
- BDSM: A Healthy Amount of Control (doubleife.wordpress.com)
- Fetishes – a healthy way to explore sexuality (beyond50shades.com)
- BDSM, Personality and Mental Health (from Psychology Today, by Scott A, McGreal, July 2013)
- What’s Dangerous about BDSM (from Psychology Today, by Dr Jennifer Sweeton, April 2009)
- Sexual Masochism (from Psychology Today, by Stephen J. Betchen, March 2014)
- The Pleasure of Pain (From Psychology Today, by Marianne Apostolides, September 1999)
If you have recommendations to add to this list then please let me know. Please do the BDSM & Money Survey. Thank you!
