Survivors of Sexual Victimization and the Negotiation of BDSM Play

Abstract This chapter explores the meanings and experiences of sexual victimization among five individuals who identify as BDSM participants in a kink community in the Midwest region of the United States. The author explores how a history of sexual victimization affects BDSM play and the ways in which these individuals understand, define, and experience BDSM. Those who report abuse histories have unique BDSM experiences and construct their practices differently, relying more on therapeutic narratives. The author draws from the literature on sexual victimization, constructions of consent, and BDSM as therapy and trauma play to describe how forms of erotic practice are used by the participants to make sense of their past victimization and their present BDSM activities. Implications of the research for practice and treatment as well as future avenues for exploration are discussed.