This is a topic I have thought a lot about since starting my kink journey. As someone who has struggled with depression for over 10 years, I am very familiar with self-harm, particularly with my own unique ways of hurting myself. I’ve come to be mindful of what is kink vs what is actually self-harm. The line? Intent.
There are many people here who enjoy pain: spanking, nipple clamps, CBT, etc. What distinguishes this from self-harm is the intention behind the behavior and what you get out of it. When you spank someone during a scene, it’s because the person fans pleasure from it and undergoes it for sexual arousal. Self-harm on the other hand, is done with the sole purpose of being harmful.
Self-harm is not solely limited to cutting. Other forms include: scratching, sleep deprivation, starvation, purposefully being unhygienic, limiting fluid intake, skipping doses of medication, etc.
I bring up spanking because while spanking hurts, I find it arousing, so spanking is done with the intention of pleasure. Conversely, my “favorite” form of self-harm, obsessive scratching and skin picking is done to inflict pain.
There is nothing wrong with deriving pleasure from pain, but it is important to know when something crosses the line from masochism to self-harm.
There are many people here who enjoy pain: spanking, nipple clamps, CBT, etc. What distinguishes this from self-harm is the intention behind the behavior and what you get out of it. When you spank someone during a scene, it’s because the person fans pleasure from it and undergoes it for sexual arousal. Self-harm on the other hand, is done with the sole purpose of being harmful.
Self-harm is not solely limited to cutting. Other forms include: scratching, sleep deprivation, starvation, purposefully being unhygienic, limiting fluid intake, skipping doses of medication, etc.
I bring up spanking because while spanking hurts, I find it arousing, so spanking is done with the intention of pleasure. Conversely, my “favorite” form of self-harm, obsessive scratching and skin picking is done to inflict pain.
There is nothing wrong with deriving pleasure from pain, but it is important to know when something crosses the line from masochism to self-harm.
