BDSM
CEUs/OPD/CPD for this presentation can be found at allceus.com for clinicians in the US or Australia.allceus.com for clinicians in Australia.
Trigger Warning and Cautions
~ The following presentation involves frank discussions of BDSM and sexuality.
~ While not graphic, some of the content might be triggering for some people.
~ This series is meant to provide an overview to help clinicians to understand kink, BDSM and Poly, but is by no means all inclusive. It is designed to increase awareness of common issues and help clinicians identify areas where they may need further training.
Objectives
~ Review the benefits of BDSM
~ Explore the prevalence of BDSM
~ Learn about BDSM relationship structures
~ Identify possible areas of physical and psychological injury that therapists need to be aware of
~ Dispel some common BDSM myths
~ Identify danger signs of abuse in BDSM
~ Explore the concept of consent and the impact of mental illness on the ability to consent



Benefits of BDSM (When done right)
~ Improves communication and increases intimacy
~ Encourages fidelity
~ Many who embrace the lifestyle are not interested in sabotaging the safety and trust that is imperative to its success.
~ Improved mental health
~ 2013 study from the Journal of Sexual Medicine, Medical Daily claims “people who practiced BDSM scored better on certain mental health indicators than those who had vanilla sex. The BDSM-friendly participants were less neurotic, more open, more aware of and sensitive to rejection, more secure in their relationships, and had a better overall well-being.”
Benefits of BDSM (When done right)
~ Reduced cortisol (Cutler, 2003, Sagarin et Al 2009)
~ Endorphin rush an “altered state of consciousness” akin to a runner’s high
~ Consensual BDSM Facilitates Role-Specific Altered States of Consciousness: A Preliminary Study. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research and Practice 4 (1). Sept 2016
~ Increases confidence
~ Increases mindfulness. Participants enter a ‘flow state' of mindfulness, similar to the mindset athletes report when they're ‘in the zone'
BDSM Facts
~ No evidence that BDSM orientation is caused by childhood trauma or a history of abuse BDSM is simply a sexual interest or subculture attractive to a minority, and for most participants not a pathological symptom of past abuse or difficulty with “normal” sex.
~ Demographic and psychosocial features of participants in bondage and discipline, “sadomasochism” or dominance and submission (BDSM): data from a national survey. J Sex Med. 2008 Jul;5(7):1660-8.
~ BDSM does not [necessarily] cause distress and dysfunction, but sociocultural and political persecutions do. (Kleinplatz & Moser 2006; Richters, 2003)



BDSM Facts
~ Psychological characteristics of BDSM practitioners.
~ The results mostly suggest favorable psychological characteristics of BDSM practitioners compared with the control group
~ BDSM practitioners were less neurotic, more extraverted, more open to new experiences, more conscientious, less rejection sensitive, had higher subjective well-being, yet were less agreeable.
~ Comparing the groups, if differences were observed, BDSM scores were generally more favorably for those with a dominant than a submissive role, with least favorable scores for controls.
J Sex Med. 2013 Aug;10(8):1943-52.



BDSM Facts
~ Many BDSM participants perceive sexual BDSM experiences as not only significantly different from but also better than mainstream or “vanilla” sex.
~ BDSM participants construct sex as requiring genital contact, while fr