One of the great joys of the kink community is that everyone comes at things from a different angle. At a munch you might talk to someone who sees things in terms of energy and spirit, or someone who finds their joy in the sensate. One discussion you’re likely to come across is “the science…
Tag: neurochemicals
Ask a Neuroscientist: Pain Physiology, Explained to a Bottom
by Hermes Solenzol Imagine that you are being spanked… Stop getting so excited! This is supposed to be a scientific explanation! As I was saying, imagine that you are being spanked, and you are feeling that familiar stinging, warm pain in your behind. In reality, you don’t feel the pain in your bottom. You feel…
Panic Attacks in BDSM Scenes
by Hermes Solenzol Among the many problems that can happen in a scene, panic attacks can be a serious one, especially if the Top doesn’t know how to handle them. They are more common than you may think. Last month, during a talk I gave at Threshold (the BDSM organization of Los Angeles), I asked…
Endorphins and Adrenaline – What Science Really Says
By Hermes Solenzol There is an article that has been doing the rounds of BDSM community websites since at least 2013 and has been posted and reposted on blogs, tumblrs and forum boards, with titles such as “How to Get Your Sub into Subspace, a Guide for Beginners”. Here’s a small snip of it: “The…
Ask a Neuroscientist: Altered States of Consciousness in BDSM
by Hermes Solenzol One of the most fascinating aspects of BDSM is its ability to induce altered states of consciousness. Unfortunately it has also generated a series of pseudoscience myths and dubious techniques to induce endorphin release and attain that coveted sub-space. In this article I want to use my experience as both a BDSM…
Subspace and the Magical Mix of Mind and Chemistry
by Waepen Ess Subspace is experienced differently by different people and for different reasons. Headspace is one variable in the equation and a very significant part of the experience of subspace. That is the state of mind of the person experiencing subspace. THE MIND Headspace is about the belief, focus, intensity, reaction to the environment…
Seeing Ourselves in the Mirror of subspace and Topspace
We try our best to understand subspace and topspace, but what are these spaces that we are talking about? Many people talk about them in terms of neurochemicals. The pain induced during a scene triggers the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in releasing epinephrine from adrenal glands, and the flushing of endorphins into the blood system….
What is Subdrop?
BDSM, SUBSPACE AND SUBDROP You may have already came across the term subdrop, or you may have felt the downward swing after a session. If you haven’t yet, it doesn’t mean you’re immune. Subdrop is neurochemical (biological) as well as mental, and we are all bombarded by neurochemicals during BDSM. Reactions to this can be…
Subspace versus Bottomspace
Subspace is actually a mashup of two shortened words: sub – short for submissive, which can be generally defined as “person who consensually gives up control either all the time or for a specified period” space – short for headspace, slang for mental state The Merriam-Webster Dictionary might offer a better definition of submissive as…