If you’ve ever played in a hard and rough BDSM scene, you might already know this, but BDSM can be good for you! James Ambler, a graduate student, performed a study at Northwestern University which proves that BDSM activities — specifically sadomasochism — can lead to an altered state of consciousness and health benefits, similar to those seen from meditation.
“Mr. Ambler’s study shows what we have known for years,” stated John Burns, a popular top at BDSMdate.com and BDSM community leader. “S&M feels good. The joyful and calm feeling of ‘subspace‘ is often considered a goal for subs to reach in a session of punishment. ‘Topspace’ is a term used less frequently, but with similar benefits.”
The study consisted of 14 switches from the local BDSM community. Participants rolled a dice to find out who would play which role. The members of the study took a test before and after their BDSM play sessions that would test the part of the brain that is in charge of higher functions like running memory (i.e., the RAM of your brain). The participants also wrote a few responses to questions about their state of flow, which is a condition that arises when someone is completely engrossed in a task. It is suggested that people need a few hours of flow a day to feel completely satisfied.
The submissives in the study performed markedly lower on the test after the sex session, as did the dominants, showing that BDSM does affect your brain functions in a similar way to other more spiritual activities. Scientists who worked on this and similar studies suggest that after a good BDSM session, participants might feel similar to those who participate in intense meditations or yoga practices, a concept that will make sense to those who relate that energy exchange and BDSM play to spirituality.
What do you feel like when you get into subspace or topspace? Let us know and if you give us permission to publish your point of view it just may be the next thing you read here on Kink Lovers!
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