BDSM as therapy?

Abstract

While I was conducting field research on professional dominatrices (‘pro-dommes’), an unexpected discourse emerged: respondents repeatedly characterized themselves as ‘therapists’, speaking about their work as a form of psychological treatment for their clients. This article examines the way they speak about BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, Sadism, Masochism) as therapeutic. Data are derived from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 66 female pro-dommes. The rhetoric used by participants in this form of commercial eroticism ‘on the ground’ has implications for feminist theoretical claims about the potential value of classifying erotic labor as ‘sex therapy’ as well as resonance with other socially stigmatized erotic practices.