Spanking the Stigma Away: Mental Health Benefits of BDSM and Kink

I once came across a Huffington Post article titled: "BDSM Correlated With Better Mental Health." It referenced the scientific study, "Psychological Characteristics of BDSM Practitioners" by Andreas A.J. Wismeijer, Ph.D.* and Marcel A.L.M. van Assen, Ph.D. Based on the research findings, BDSM and Kink enthusiasts had better mental health on a number of well-established measures of mental health than their non-BDSM/Kink counterparts.

According to the article, they “were found to be less neurotic, more open, more aware of and sensitive to rejection, more secure in their relationships and have better overall well-being” when compared to a non-BDSM or Kink control group (the “vanilla” group.) They also found that dominants scored better than switches, switches scored better than submissives, and submissives scored better than the vanilla control group.

They went on the theorize that this could be because “they tend to be more communicative and aware of their sexual desires, or because they have done some 'hard psychological work' to accept and live with sexual needs that are beyond the scope of what is often considered socially acceptable to discuss in the mainstream.” This last part refers to coping with and overcoming the negative internal and external effects of oppression.

I can happily attest that communication and oppression/acceptance have been prominent topics at the Sex Down South conference every time I’ve gone. If you ever get the chance to go to a Sex Down South conference, I highly recommend it. Here are some of the workshops I attended a few years ago.

Become a Sexual Communication Ninja - This was a great seminar by Amy Jo Goddard that talked about the importance of communication and how to effectively talk to your sexual partners to get the most out of your sex life.

Introduction to Play Parties - The Sexual Liberation Collective hosted a workshop on communicating sexual desires, enthusiastic consent, discussing safe sex practices, and negotiating sexual and/or BDSM activities. There was also some great discussion on good communication of your preferred gender pronouns and more. 

Making Open Relationships Work - This was about the more challenging side of communication, such as doing psychological “hard work.” It was hosted by Tristan Taormino, author of Opening Up.

Navigating Kink Within Oppression - This was a wonderful workshop hosted by Yosenio V Lewis, Ignacio G Rivera, and Hussain Turk that covered many forms of oppression in-depth, as well as what we can do to address oppression constructively. 

Asexuality in a World of Sex - In this workshop, Melissa Avery-Weir hosted a fun, informative session that promoted acceptance and positive attitudes toward diversity, specifically toward the asexual identity.

Our Intimate Selves - Lee Harrington hosted this provocative and informative seminar that closely examined the human experience and things like sex, gender, orientation, intimacy, relationship styles, and sexual behavior.
It’s very clear to me that communication skills and overcoming oppression are central topics in the kink and BDSM community. As research also indicated, it may explain the better mental health scores for BDSM and Kink enthusiasts.