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Physiology
Demonstration of caning at the Folsom Street Fair 2004 in San FranciscoOn a
physical level, BDSM "sensation play" often involves inflicting pain, even if
without actual injury. This releases endorphins, creating a sensation somewhat
like runner's high or the afterglow of orgasm, sometimes called "subspace",
which many find enjoyable. Some use the term "body stress" to describe this
physiological sensation. More eloquently, the philosopher Edmund Burke defines
this sensation of pleasure derived from pain by the word sublime. The regions of
the brain that manage sexual stimuli and pain overlap, resulting in some
individuals associating pain with sexual pleasure as the neurological reactions
are intertwined.
Various practices
Strappado bondage
Ponygirl Ivy pulling the cart Petplay at the Folsom Street Fair 2005BDSM may
encompass the following practices:
erotic spanking,
bastinado,
flagellation such as flogging (see cat o' nine tails),
whipping (see bullwhip),
paddling,
breast bondage and breast-oriented BDSM,
sensory deprivation,
movement restriction,
Scatological humiliation,
suspension,
sensation play (i.e. the use of such objects as fur, ice, Wartenberg wheels,
TENS devices, etc to induce desired sensations in the bottom),
medical submission (i.e. a submissive partner that submits to medical procedures
which may or may not be humiliating and/or painful).
BDSM activities are practised by people of all sexualities. Many practise their
BDSM activities exclusively in private, and do not share their predilections
with others. Others socialize with other BDSM practitioners. One relatively new
phenomenon is the practice of BDSM within the MMO Red Light Center in which
users of the virtual reality software make use of avatars in the fully equipped
dungeon and BDSM rooms to practice the activities on other live users in a
virtual way.
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