Theories and Data: Measurable Changes in Body and Mind

during SM

Ellen LeeJames Ambler

Northern Illinois University

Goals and Overview

• Academic views of SM• Our data collection and

results• Theories • Future directions• Questions!

• Bridge Academia and SM

• Share findings• Inform future directions

Historical Perspective• Sadism is pathological in nature• Masochism is inwardly directed Sadism

-Thus, all SM activities are the behaviors of damaged individuals

ConsensualSM

PathologicalSM

Historical Perspective• Sadism is pathological in nature• Masochism is inwardly directed Sadism

-Thus, all SM activities are the behaviors of damaged individuals

Connolly’s (2006): Psychological Functioning of BDSM Practitioners

• 132 respondents

• 56 women, 73 men, 3 transgendered individuals

• Ages 25-74

• Recruited in Southern California via e-mail through BDSM clubs and organizations

• Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2, 567 items)

• Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III, 175 items)

• Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI, 100 items)• Postraumatic Stress Disorder Scale (PDS, 49 items)• Multiscale Dissociation Inventory (MDI, 30 items)• Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II, 21 items)• Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI, 21 items)

Connolly’s (2006): Psychological Functioning of BDSM Practitioners

DepressionAnxiety

Obsessive-compulsionPTSD

DissociationPsychological sadism

Psychological masochismNarcissism

Borderline pathologyParanoia

Psychoanalytic theorizing

BDSM practitioners vs. normative samples

BDSM practitioners lower than normative samples

BDSM practitioners not statistically different

BDSM practitioners higher than normative samples

Depression Obsessive-compulsion Dissociation

Anxiety Narcissism

PTSD

Psychological sadism

Psychological masochism

Borderline pathology

Paranoia

Out of body experiences

Missing one’s freeway exit because one’s mind is elsewhere

Ego self-involvement

Damon 2002Prediction:

Dominant men would have lower self-esteem than submissive men

Dominant men would have higher rates of sexism than submissive men

Findings: Dominant men displayed higher self-esteem than

submissive men Dominant men had lower rates of sexism than

submissive men

ConsensualSM

PathologicalSM

ConsensualSM

PathologicalSM

PathologicalSM

ConsensualSM

EmpathySelf-RegulationSocial NormsSocial Bonds

Anticipated GuiltRationality

Hypothesis Testing• Hypothesis testing is used to determine the likelihood of

there being group differences• A p value represents the chance, given that the null

hypothesis is true, that you would obtain these results or results more extreme– For example, a p = .03 means that 3% of the time, when there are

no group differences, we would obtain these results or results more extreme

– Another way of looking at this, when there are no group differences, 97% of the time we wouldn’t obtain results this extreme

– In psychology, we use a 5% cut-off (p = .05); this number is arbitrary but represents what we consider to be acceptable risk

Correlation Coefficient• The relationship between two standard variables

– They range from -1 to +1-1=negative relationship 0=no relationship

+1=positive relationship– Indicates a strength of a relationship (larger number

indicates stronger relationship)– Just because there is a correlation between two

variables does not mean that one causes the other• For example, the positive relationship between shark

attacks and ice cream sales

Types of Correlations

Perfect positivecorrelation (+1.00)

Perfect negativecorrelation (-1.00)

No relationship (0.00)

Thunder in the Mountains

• Hormonal changes before, during, and after scenes – Testosterone – Cortisol

• Relationship closeness• Scene success

Testosterone

0102030405060708090

100

Baseline 10 min before scene

Tes

tost

eron

e (p

g/m

l)

TopsBottoms

Sagarin et al. (2009)

Cortisol

00.050.1

0.150.2

0.250.3

0.35

Baseline 20 min afterscene

40 min afterscene

Cor

tisol

(ug/

dl)

TopsBottoms

Sagarin et al. (2009)

Relationship closeness

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Baseline After sceneTo

wha

t ext

ent w

ould

you

use

the

wor

d "w

e" to

des

crib

e yo

ur r

elat

ions

hip?

Scene went poorlyScene went well

Sagarin et al. (2009)

Southwest Leather Conference

• SM without sex?

Materials• Surveys (before, during, after)

– PANAS– Self/Other Overlap– We Relationship– Open-ended questions

• Why participate• Expectations of Dance

• Saliva Samples• Behavioral observations

Participant Demographics• Gender

– Males: 20, Females: 26, Transgender: 3• Sexual Orientation

– Straight: 15, Gay: 8, Heteroflexible: 9, Bisexual: 9, Other: 8

• BDSM Roles– Top: 18, Bottom: 16, Switch: 14

• Age– Mean: 49 years old, SD: 10.34 years– Range: 23-71 years old

Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

Straight Gay Heteroflex Bisexual Other0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

TransgenderFemaleMale

Sexual Orientation and BDSM Roles

Straight Gay Heteroflex Bisexual Other0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

SwitchBottomTop

Sexual vs. SM

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

How SexualHow SM

p =.09

Not at all

Extremely

Sexual vs. SM vs. Spiritual

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

How SexualHow SMHow Spiritual

p =.01Extremely

Not at all

Correlations – Sexual, SM, Spiritual

• Spiritual– And pre self/other overlap = .527 (p = .01)– And during self/other overlap = .423 ( p = .007)

• Sexual– And pre sexual arousal = .487 (p = .016)– And during sexual arousal = .758 (p = .001)

• SM– And pre sexual arousal = .647 (p = .001)– And during sexual arousal = .342 (p = .031)

Sexual Arousal

Before Dance During Dance1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Sexual Arousal

p <.001

Extremely

Not at all

Self/Other Overlap, Relationship with Others

"We" Relationship Self/Other Overlap1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Before DanceDuring Dance

p = .85

p = .005

PANAS

Positive Affect Negative Affect10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Pre-DanceDuring-Dance

p = .175

p = .014

Extremely

Not at all

Stressed

Pre-Dance During-Dance1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Stressed

p = .14

Extremely

Not at all

Cortisol

Time 1 Time 20

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

0.5

Cortisol

p = .064

SM Role x Sexual

Top Bottom Switch1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

How sexual was the Dance?

p = .036 p = .046

SM Role x Spiritual

Top Bottom Switch1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

How spiritual was the Dance?

p = .031

p = .057

Pre-Dance Qualitative Data• Why are you participating in the Dance of Souls?

What do you hope to get from the experience?– “It is a wonderful way to exchange energy not just with my

owner but with my tribe. It is transcendental & amazing. It is also a great way to release the negative.”

– “I find peace, power, and well-being at these events.”– “To participate in high energetic levels and feel the

transformation that can occur in myself and others.”– “I have had visions and deep spiritual experiences. Or not.

But it's fun anyway.”

During-Dance Qualitative Data

• Any current thoughts or feelings during the Dance– “I am in an amazing happy place. Serene yet joyous.”– “Connection through the drums and the tribe and the

shared energy that overrides any pain and opens my heart and mind to a focus beyond the physical.”

– “Just very high!!!” – “Pleasantly exhausted”– “I'm very happy and aroused. I feel strong and

beautiful.”

Post-Dance Qualitative Data• Please write down any thoughts or feelings:

– “All throughout the dance, I felt very present and connected with everyone else there, but also recognized the work I was doing was my own work and needed my attention. I also felt closer to the spirits of those who have walked this earth before us and the Universe's energy abuzz inside me. It was beautiful and powerful.”

– “Observed energetic releases of others, saw emotions stir in many; tears, anger, screaming, laughter, pure joy. Many had variety of different experiences. I got to share in all of them, and feel their release.”

Spirit

uality

Connected

Altered co

nsciousn

ess

Positive

affect

Release

Transfo

rmEnergy

To learn

Celebration

To serve

To grow

Negative

affect

Unmet exp

ectations

Generalize

d affect

Met exp

ectations

Sexu

ality

Future exp

ectations

29

2321

17 16 15 1412 12

8 7 64 3 3 2 2

Frequency of Qualitative Data Codes

Major Conclusions• Mainly spiritual, less sexual or SM• Increase in connectedness to others• Reduction in negative affect• Higher body stress response, but reported

reduction in psychological stress

Spirit

uality

Connected

Altered co

nsciousn

ess

Positive

affect

Release

Transfo

rmEnergy

To learn

Celebration

To serve

To grow

Negative

affect

Unmet exp

ectations

Generalize

d affect

Met exp

ectations

Sexu

ality

Future exp

ectations

29

2321

17 16 15 1412 12

8 7 64 3 3 2 2

Why is this happening?

Why?

• Community• Intimate relationships• Subjectively enjoyable• Altered States

– Domspace– Subspace

Flow

Conditions Under Which Flow Happens

1. Engagement in activity chosen for its own sake (not necessary but a facilitative condition)

2. Perceived challenges are high while skill level is also high

3. Clear goals that are regarded important

4. Immediate feedback indicating success at task

5. Highly focused attention

Characteristics of Flow State

1. Intense concentration on task

2. Deep sense of involvement and merging of action and awareness

3. Sense of control over one’s actions

4. Enjoyment in activity

5. Distorted sense of time

Subspace“With my girl, she was punishing me, and I felt a deep sense of pain and

pleasure, sort of a one with nature and my environment, it was incredible.”

“It’s very dreamlike. I knew that I felt good, and I was aware of my partner, but I was not paying attention to anything else.”

“I felt intense pleasure and pain, I almost felt like I was flying and for a moment I thought I would pass out. I felt like I was separating from my own body.”

“An almost trance like state. Pain didn’t exist in any form.”“While bottoming with my partner, I was able to let go to the point of

losing touch with reality while my partner spanked me.”“While being dominated I stepped back inside myself. After getting the

rush from playing I lost track of what was going on, nothing seemed to affect me while I was down inside myself.”

Transient Hypofrontality States-Runner’s High -Meditation -Dreaming -Day dreaming -Hypnosis -Various Drug Highs

Subjective experience• time distortions• changes in focused

attention• reduction of pain• feelings of floating• feelings of peacefulness• little consistent logic• difficulty with memory• feeling of living in the

here and now• little active decision

making

Transient Hypofrontality Hypothesis

Dietrich (2003)

Limited Resources• “The human brain has limited resources”

• Specific structures receive more blood flow as other structures receive less blood flow

• “A minimum level of intensity is required to force the redistribution of resources in the brain.”

Dietrich (2003)

Consciousness as a Process

Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DL): • Important for directed attention,

temporal integration, and working memory

Working memory deficits cause:• Less abstract thinking• Less access to memory• Less self-reflective consciousness• Less cognitive flexibility

These lead to subjective changes in consciousness

Transient Hypofrontality Hypothesis

Dietrich (2003)

• Motivational; the self is sometimes burdensome

• BDSM play• Pain• Bondage• Humiliation• Sex as a reinforcer

• “Pain gradually obliterates psychological content, eventually leaving only the awareness of pain. One’s knowledge of the world is temporarily forgotten, and attention is narrowed to the immediate present, both spatially and temporally.” (Scarry, 1985)

• Pain, interrupted action and failure feedback focus people’s attention

Escape from the Self

Baumeister (1988)Vallacher & Wegner (1987, 1989)

• Technique• fMRI• Cognitive tests

• Timing & Intensity• Runner’s high• Distance in time

Challenges & Feedback

The Stroop Test

Measuring Transient Hypofrontality

•Benefits•No practice effects•Very accessible•Take home

•Smartphone apps

Tentative Support?• Transient Hypofrontality

– Feelings of oneness with others, with the universe– Feelings of transcendence– Feelings of peacefulness– Spirituality, connectedness, altered consciousness– Rating the Dance as more spiritual than sexual or SM– Increase in ratings of self/other overlap

• Escape from Self– Reduction in negative affect– Increase in physiological stress, decrease in psychological

stress

Correlation does not imply causation!

Next Steps

• Problems?– These studies were not direct tests of these

theories• We can only interpret results cautiously

– N size– The context and framing elements of the

conference may influence the way participants perceived the Dance

APEX Switch Study

• An experiment to test the causal effects of topping and bottoming

• Recruited switches were randomly assigned to the top or bottom role

• With generous support from:

Participants• 14 participants, 10 women, 4 men

• Mean age= 40.86, SD=12.46, Range: 23-64

• Sexual Orientation– 1 gay/lesbian– 10 bisexual/pansexual – 3 heterosexual

• Race – All participants were Caucasian

Participants

• BDSM experience (years)– M=6.86, SD= 5.07, Range: 1-17

• BDSM experience (# scenes)– M=386.65, SD= 510.67, Range: 18-1500

• Experience with study partner (# scenes)– M= 39.64, SD= 79.73, Range: 0-250

Procedure

• Informed consent• Baseline measures• Role assignment• Pre-scene measures

Scene Post-scene measures

How well did the scene go?

Top Bottom1

2

3

4

5

6

7

How well did the scene go?Very Well

Very Poorly

Open-ended thoughts

• “It went better than I expected since it was random I did not know how well it would go.”

• “It was fun and since I had never played with (#6) before it was nice the variety and different style.”

• “Incredibly sensual and sexually charged, less about pain than sensuality and sensation.”

• “He got my masochist to come out then fed her pain. I liked it.”

Impact of observation

Top Bottom1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Impact of ObservationVery strongly affected

Not at all affected

Self-other overlap

Baseline Post-scene1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Tops and bottoms

How intense was tonight’s scene?

Top Bottom1

2

3

4

5

6

7

How intense

What activities were most intense?

• “the connection between us.” • “heavy flogging at end.”• “Being bitten on the tender sides of my

stomach and ribs.”• “Biting the spot where her heart chakra is.” • “no one thing. It all added up to a very

intense/gratifying scene.”

Sexual, Spiritual, SM

Top Bottom1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

SexualSpiritualSM

What activities were sexual?

• “Watching my partner as I brought her to orgasm!”

• “the sounds she made, the element of control” • “Being bitten on the nape of the neck and having

full body contact. There was also full chakra contact that was sexual in the energy exchanged.”

• “using toys on my partner's breasts and genitals.”

What activities were spiritual?

• “The connection between us.”• “the music drums/beat”• “laughter”

What activities were sadomasochistic?

• “Some intense cane strokes” • “It was an impact/sensation scene. The bristle

brush on the nipples and clit and caning.” • “paddles and floggers used hard” • “Being bitten and scratched.” • “Spanking”

Testosterone by role

Baseline Pre-Scene Post-Scene 1 Post-Scene 2 Post-Scene 30

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

TopsBottoms

Cortisol by role

Baseline Pre-Scene Post-Scene 1

Post-Scene 2

Post-Scene 3

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.2

TopsBottoms

Psychological Stress

Baseline Pre-scene End of scene Post-scene1

2

3

4

5

TopsBottoms

Sexual arousal

Baseline Pre-scene End of scene Post-scene1

2

3

4

5

TopsBottoms

Positive affect(excited, determined, attentive, …)

Baseline Pre-scene End of scene Post-scene20

30

40

50

TopsBottoms

Negative affect(distressed, irritable, nervous, …)

Baseline Pre-scene End of scene Post-scene10

20

30

40

TopsBottoms

Altered states (Stroop)

Baseline Pre-scene Post-scene0

100

200

300

400

500

600

TopsBottoms

• 36 items (1-5 plus “not applicable” option)

• “I was challenged, but I believed my skills would allow me to meet the challenge”

• “I did things correctly without thinking about trying to do so”

• “Time seemed to alter (either slowed down or speeded up)”

• “I really enjoyed the experience of what I was doing”

Altered states (flow)

Altered states (flow)

Top Bottom1

2

3

4

5

Flow

Altered states (flow)

Top Bottom1

2

3

4

5Flow

Yoga: 3.85

Sports: 3.68

Exercise: 3.88

Conclusions

• SM activities– Increases intimacy– Decrease stress and negative affect– Increases then decreases positive affect– Isn’t always sexual– Facilitates flow– Inhibits working memory in bottoms

Future Directions

• Leather Levi Weekend – Hook pull in a different context– Social norms about sexual activity

• Effect of psychological stress on sexual activity within intimate relationships– Tension vs. depletion – Difference between BDSM and non-BDSM

practitioners

Thank you!

• Ways to get involved: – Research participation– Our email mailing list – Our website: http://www.niu.edu/user/tj0bjs1/bdsm.html

– On FetLife: NIU SM Research Team