Torture

Torture in BDSM is a collective name for a wide range of consensual scenarios related to the deliberate infliction of severe pain and suffering, often for no other purpose than the pure sexual pleasure of the act of cruelty.

Torture typically involves the use of techniques and methods that result in severe pain or significant discomfort, accompanied by stress and intense psychological strain. This can include physical beatings with rubber hoses or cables, electric shocks, sexual abuse, forced stress positions, confinement in tight spaces, psychological pressure, intimidation, and other forms of targeted cruelty.

Torture scenes in BDSM are usually associated with sadomasochism as a sexual practice and its inherent role-playing games, in which the intentional infliction of pain is not only permissible but desired by partners. Although rare, the use of torture in BDSM can also pursue broader goals such as coercion within agreed limits, instilling fear, exerting control, etc.

In the BDSM community, there is no consensus on whether torture can be used for punitive purposes, as well as whether punishment filled with intentional cruelty and unusually actually serves the needs of the discipline.

The application of torture in BDSM implies the presence of an active party who organizes the scene and applies the torture and a passive party who is forced to endure it. The conventional name of the active party is Torturer or Tormentor and of the passive party - victim.

The Torturer derives a sense of pleasure, power, or control from the act of torturing their partner. This sense of joy is sexual in nature and usually implies sadistic tendencies, regardless of the formal circumstances surrounding the torture. In the context of BDSM, the active party is most often a Sadist who can have both a D/s and a fully egalitarian relationship with the victim, and less frequently situational relations involving the torture scene. In cases of D/s relationship, the Torturer would act from their positions of Dom or Domme, respectively Master or Mistress.

The victim, in turn, is drawn to the thought of their own suffering and humiliation and in the face of the Torturer, they see a partner who will fulfill their cruel fantasies. By accepting to be tortured, often in situations where they are powerless to resist, the victim willingly agrees that they may be forced to endure rough treatment, violence, and pain within the pre-agreed limits. This pain can be excruciating and/or mentally unbearable and if it exceeds what was agreed upon or the victim's ability to endure it, the Torturer must immediately end the scene.

In some cases, the victim may pre-agree in advance that the pain of the torture will exceed their tolerance and that the Torturer not only can but must continue the scene against their will (see Consensual non-consent). Outside of that hypothesis, the victim usually has a very specific idea of ??the suffering he wants or is willing to endure and is rarely willing to go beyond those limits. In practice, the victim and her Torturer not only pre-negotiate the scene but also carefully plan the details, including the possible techniques and methods, as well as the permissible level of improvisation.

In the context of BDSM, the passive party is usually a masochist who, outside of the torture scenario, may have an equal relationship with the Torturer or be in the position of submissive or slave.

In some cases the active party may be a professional dominant — Pro-Dom or Pro-Domme who offers the torture as a service and in this case the passive party is a client, who pays to be tortured.

Although the typical BDSM torture scene involves two parties and hence two participants, there is no limit to the number of partners. Sometimes scenarios deliberately include third parties in the role of participants or audience to enhance the impact or expand the possibilities.

In multi-participant scenarios, one victim can be tortured by multiple Torturers, and one Torturer can torture different victims. It is also possible for the role of the Torturer to be divided between several persons who divide his functions among themselves, with one of them organizing and directing the scene (usually called the Inquisitor) and another person (Torturer, Executioner) applying the torture. There is also no obstacle in the same scene for several victims to be subjected to different treatments depending on the agreed limits or how each of them endures the torture. Sometimes the different treatment can be intended to heighten the intrigue by pitting the victims against each other.

In popular culture, torture is usually associated with dungeons and specially adapted spaces where the victim can be isolated and tortured in a controlled environment. This is a scenario that many torture enthusiasts fantasize about. In reality, most practitioners play at home and less often in special conditions or isolated outdoor locations. An exception is made by some professional dominants who arrange or rent specially equipped rooms in which they receive clients.

Applying torture in a domestic setting can be challenging, both psychologically and practically. Torture requires a special psychological attitude, and the everyday appearance of the living room or bedroom can defeat even the best intentions. There is also the purely practical problem of the noise and sounds that usually accompany torture. Their application is often associated with pain, which can be excruciating and overwhelming, leading to cries, screams, and writhing in agony. The victim's attempt to contain the outbursts of suffering is not always possible, moreover, it deprives the scene of its inherent drama, impairing the experience of both partners. Some partners solve the problem by playing in isolated outdoor locations, while others search for and rent suitable premises to use in their play.

Creating a suitable environment within the available space is usually easier. In some cases, it is enough to free up space in the room and place a sturdy chair on which the victim can be fixed. More complex scenarios would require more sophisticated equipment or more ingenuity.

The intensity of torture as a BDSM practice implies the need to immobilize the victim. Torture scenes often include popular restraints such as leather cuffs, handcuffs, or ropes, as well as blindfolds or bondage hoods to restrict sight and/or hearing. The purpose of restraints is usually not only to keep the partner in the desired position but also to enhance his feeling of helplessness and vulnerability during the scene. Using more diverse or expensive BDSM equipment can expand the possibilities, but does not guarantee a better result.

There is no consensus in BDSM circles as to what activities can be defined as torture. Very often the term is used to arouse sexually and not so much to characterize the actions performed (see Interrogation play). In some cases, the BDSM practices themselves contain the word torture in their name - electrotorture, Cock and Ball Torture, tit torture, etc., describing everything from light play to severe and torturous sessions.

Prevailing opinion tends to define as torture only those actions or practices which are usually (or at least in the popular imagination) associated with a relatively high level of pain such as piercing the nipples with needles, applying intense or prolonged electric shocks, causing burns, e.g. with a cigarette, etc. However, following the same opinion, the term does not include classic BDSM practices such as paddling, caning, or flogging, although each of these implies multiple opportunities for a high level of painful stimulation (see pain training).

Usually, the separation of torture from other BDSM practices requires that pain and the humiliation of it be caused intentionally, by different methods used in combination and with a high level of creativity and with no other purpose than to make the passive party suffer. Developing these elements into an overall concept and applying them systematically during a scene to push a partner to the limit is usually enough to turn even routine BDSM practices into torture. In some cases, this may be desired by both partners and in others, it may constitute abuse, no matter what it is called.

Regardless of whether an action in BDSM can be defined as torture, it should be done sensibly, safely, and within the limits agreed upon by the partners. Otherwise, it would be a manifestation of violence, and in many cases a crime under the laws of most countries around the world.