How does BDSM affect Mental Health?
How does BDSM affect Mental Health?
Adventurous sexual acts are no longer uncommon or taboos in modern society. Exploring your sex fantasies is a perfectly healthy approach to discovering your sexuality as long as you ensure safety in every act. BDSM is popular kinky sex that encompasses bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism. A recent study found that one-third of men and women in America have tried BDSM. Also, extensive research proves kinky sex can be a healthy component in relationships. A recent study has shown that partners who practice BDSM were more open to new experiences, more extroverted, less neurotic and less sensitive to rejections. However, it is important to mind some key aspects for maintaining your mental and physical health when integrating BDSM into your intimacy. This post reveals it all to those who have been asking how does BDSM affect mental health.
Negative Mental Impacts
Anxiety and Depression
Practicing BDSM triggers the production of cortisol hormone that the brain releases during sky diving and other extreme sports. The release of this stress hormone by the submissive partner stimulates the brain to enhance the feelings of euphoria and increased connection with the dominant partner. The partner in the subspace tolerates more sensations and pain than usual, intensifying the bond between couples in kinky sex.
However, the downside of this euphoria is too common after hours and days following extreme sexual experiences, especially with submissive partners. In addition to the increased cortisol levels, participants in BDSM experience an increase in endorphins that attach to opiate receptors. The sudden drop in these neurochemicals and hormones subjects the submissive participants to a condition known as sub-drop.
This chemical drop leads to adverse physical and emotional reactions in the subject. Physically, partners may feel body aches, fatigue and drowsiness. Mentally, the partners may undergo various emotional changes ranging from shame, guilt, disconnection, and numbness to sadness, leading to depression.
Paraphilia
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) categorizes BDSM practices among mental issues that are medically significant. The current DSM lists BDSM fetishes as a paraphilia, which essentially comprises every unusual sexual preference.
However, fetish members in society have argued that harmless sexual preferences should not be anywhere close to the list of mental disorders. They claim to have received major boosts from researchers who found that BDSM participants scored higher on several indicators of improved mental health than those who never practiced it.
Positive Mental Impacts
Reduced Stress Levels
Several studies have shown that practicing BDSM can trigger the release of neurotransmitters and hormones that decrease stress. The participants experience physiological effects similar to those people get during or after a complete yoga session. The activities in kinky sex lead to the reduction of cortisol, which is a stress hormone.
Studies by researchers at Northern Illinois University investigated saliva samples from several dominant and submissive partners during sadomasochistic encounters. The dominant participants showed reduced cortisol levels after the session. The reduced cortisol levels indicate decreased stress and diminish the chances of depression.
BDSM can help Heal Trauma
BDSM can allow sex trauma survivors to regain some levels of control that perpetrators robbed from them. Participants who take up the submissive part in kinky sex find a way of controlling the outcome of whatever happens to them throughout the scene. This active involvement enables them to release the anxiety and fear by surrendering the control to the dominant partner, knowing they are in a controlled and safe environment.
Partners in BDSM negotiate the limits to ensure complete boundaries and consent. Such negotiation allows the participants to create the scenes they want in every encounter. They can reenact their assault scene, which helps them rewrite their traumatic experiences afresh and reframe the story that they are no longer victims. Others may use impact toys, restraints, pain play and other BDSM gadgets to allow them to heal from Trauma and vent out pain. Physical pain helps move the emotional and mental Trauma from the body, leading to improved overall mental health.
Though some people misunderstand BDSM, the practices that fall under its umbrella can bring extreme pleasures under the right circumstances. Research has shown that it can positively impact your physical and mental health in ways that intensify your intimate relationships. It is important to discuss adequately with your partner whenever you intend to explore BDSM to reap its benefits and avoid the adverse impacts.