Top and bottom
The world of BDSM is a closed one where the practitioners whisper their desires and exercise their actions behind closed doors. They feel a need to do this because of the feelings of euphoria that it procures them. The book ‘fifty shades of grey’ about the practice of BDSM brought it out into the daylight. But not all…
I will try to elucidate. The Master or Mistress who controls the BDSM scene does it because they like the feeling of control it gives them. Many say it is about ‘top space’ where they are feeling like they are on top of the world; and it is about ‘flow’. This is an idea that is “ behind Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s theory that people are much happier when they enter a state of “flow”. This happens when you do something that completely captures your attention. A lot of people would call this “being in the zone,” in other words: full absorption in something and complete happiness while you’re doing it. (It helps if you are a sadist)
Here’s how Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described the state of flow: “being completely involved in an acitivty for its own sake. The ego falls away. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”
On the other hand, the bottom, slave or one who is dominated also feels they are being taken care of in ‘subspace’. The bottoms speak of ’escape from self’. The bottom may experiences transient hypofrontality. “Here’s how Dietrich puts it: The prolonged disengagement of higher cognitive centers in the prefrontal cortex offers a neural mechanism that provides insight into the alteration of consciousness known as the runner’s high. Some of the phenomenologically unique features of this state, such as experiences of timelessness, living in the here and now, reduced awareness of one’s surroundings, peacefulness (being less analytical), and floating (diminished working memory and attentional capacities), are consistent with a state of frontal hypo-function.”
The morality of BDSM is questionable, at best, even though it is done between consenting adults. Though the idea of consent is debatable.
The infliction of pain is central to BDSM. Or at least the semblance of it is; bondage, whipping and control of one person over another ( a TOP and a bottom). There is also a sexual element, though again it isn’t always obvious and some some relationships in BDSM are sexual and others are not. It depends what each person decides.
A reminder of what happens in BDSM’
Bondage: Restricting a partner’s freedom of movement, for example, with ropes, handcuffs, or other restraints
Discipline: Agreed upon rules and punishments for a dominant partner to exert control over a submissive partner
Dominance: The act of showing dominance over a physical partner, either during sex or outside of the bedroom
Submission: The act of showing submission to the dominant partner's actions and wishes
Sadism and Masochism (or Sadomasochism): Pleasure that a partner may feel from either inflicting pain (sadism) or receiving pain (masochism), either physical or emotional
There is a disorder of submission
