Abstract

Bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM; “kink”) are frequently pathologized as derivatives of abuse. Although the link is unsubstantiated, some kink-identified people who happen to be survivors of trauma may engage in kink, or trauma play, to heal from, cope with, and transform childhood abuse or adolescent maltreatment. The present study sought a thematic model (Braun & Clarke, Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101, 2006) of trauma recovery through kink using a critical realist, inductive approach to inquiry. Participants were eligible if they had experienced early abuse, were adults, and practiced kink. Six superordinate themes were generated from semi-structured interviews with 20 participants from five countries: cultural context of healing (e.g. using BDSM norms and previous therapy to reframe kink and trauma), restructuring the self-concept (e.g. strengthening internal characteristics which had been harmed or distorted), liberation through relationship (e.g. learning to be valued by intimate others), reclaiming power (e.g. setting and maintaining personal boundaries), repurposing behaviors (e.g. engaging in aspects of prolonged exposure), and redefining pain (e.g. transcending painful memories through masochism). Notably, participants only reported retraumatizing experiences prior to learning about the structural safeguards of BDSM. Research and clinical implications are discussed by drawing on general models of trauma recovery.

摘要

束缚/纪律、支配/服从和施虐/受虐（BDSM；“扭结”）经常被病态地视为虐待的衍生物。尽管这种联系未经证实，但一些恰好是创伤幸存者的扭结者可能会参与扭结或创伤游戏，以治愈、应对和改变童年虐待或青少年虐待。本研究寻求一种主题模型（Braun & Clarke, Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3 (2), 77-101, 2006），使用批判现实主义、归纳法进行探究，通过扭结进行创伤恢复。如果参与者早期经历过虐待、是成年人并且有性癖，那么他们就有资格。对来自五个国家的 20 名参与者进行半结构化访谈，产生了六个重要主题：治疗的文化背景（例如，使用 BDSM 规范和以前的治疗来重新构建扭结和创伤），重建自我概念（例如，强化受到伤害或扭曲的内部特征），通过关系获得解放（例如，学习被亲密他人重视），夺回权力（例如设定和维持个人界限），重新调整行为的目的（例如参与长期暴露的方面），以及重新定义痛苦（例如通过受虐超越痛苦的记忆）。值得注意的是，参与者在了解 BDSM 的结构性保障之前仅报告了再次遭受创伤的经历。通过利用创伤恢复的一般模型来讨论研究和临床意义。