As common bdsm practices can imply actions that bring pain, restrict movement, etc. and thus are potentially dangerous for the people engaged, observing bdsm safety rules is an important precondition of any bdsm interaction.
Bdsm can bring immense satisfaction as well as deep distress, so before actually practicing bdsm the following bdsm safety principles should be considered.
Based upon the main bdsm credo, all bdsm activities are to be Safe, Sane and Consensual. This trinity is reflected in bdsm artwork and the bdsm safety issues that are interconnected and indispensable.
The first bdsm safety concept is common sense. It means that whatever fantasy may be lived out, bdsm safety is above all. Bondage, physical torture or servitude play should not endanger life of partners, so, actions that can result in permanent injury or other health problems like disease-transmission must be avoided (do not hit the head, the back of the neck, temples or apply self-bondage). It is also strongly advised that bdsm, especially extreme bdsm be practiced in trusted relationship only.
To define bdsm safety limits it is important to stick to the next bdsm safety rule, namely, negotiation. Desires, needs, taboos discussed all help to better understand the partner and ensure greater satisfaction. Here, agreeing upon certain bdsm safety terminology is absolutely essential. Bdsm safety words are used when the situation becomes unacceptable for any of the partners in terms of mental or physical discomfort, and immediately stop the action. Bdsm safety words should be known to all of the bdsm scene participants and easily recognizable. In case it is for some reason impossible to speak during the bdsm session (submissive's mouth is gagged, etc.), non-verbal signals are adopted. Common bdsm safety words are based on color separation: in multiple-level bdsm safety vocabulary green may call for increase in stimulus intensity, yellow would ask the pitcher (see bdsm concepts) to pause or not to go further, and red is the common sign for aborting the play.
Next bdsm safety concept requires sharing responsibility among participants, no matter what roles are performed by whom, and this is the responsibility both towards oneself and the partner.
To ensure bdsm safety it is also necessary to disinfect bdsm toys that contact with body fluids before applying them to a different person as they can transfer infectious diseases, including HIV, Hepatitis B, etc.
Finally, the last, but not the least important bdsm safety concept concerns freedom of choice. The term RACK (Risk-Aware Consensual Risk) emphasizes that going into bdsm should only be done with full understanding of the consequences. |