The Case for Consensual Impact Play as Emotional Regulation
Impact play is generally considered an umbrella term used to encase consensual acts that involve hitting or being hit with various objects. Sometimes this is for the sexual gratification of either, both or all parties involved but not always.
Both in my experiences as a sex therapist working with clients and as a member of a BDSM community I have noticed a pattern where folks talking about the stress relief and relaxation that they experience as a result of impact play. There are likely a multitude of reasons why we see this, from escapism to a sense of acceptance and being seen, and physical release that can be associated with pain and pleasure. I, however, would like to plant a flag firmly in a claim that there is something more going on here that relates back to our autonomic nervous system.
To further understand this, we have to take a neuroscience pitstop.
Photo by Anna Shvets: https://www.pexels.com/photo/hand-holding-a-whip-5187590/
Bilateral stimulation is a technique that involves stimulating each side of the brain. It is shown to reduce anxiety, improve emotional regulation and is often used in therapy to facilitate memory processing related to trauma in interventions like EMDR.
Research has been able to find evidence of an increase in levels of certain neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, through bilateral stimulation. There is also ongoing research looking at how bilateral stimulation may help a person transition to the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for a function you might have heard called rest-and-digest, from a fight-or-flight state.
I believe that it is through this function, via bilateral stimulation, that both givers and receivers of impact play may notice stress reduction and emotional processing and regulation as a result of said play.
Impact play can both represent tactile stimulation as well as bilateral stimulation through body movement. Imagine, you are in this particular kinky zone, receiving those smacks or thuds on whatever part of your body you like, and if those smacks are on each side of your body, you are receiving that back-and-forth movement or stimulation.
If you have had the pleasure of seeing someone skilled with a flogger wield this tool, you might have witnessed a rhythmic flow to the impact, a textbook example of that bilateral stimulation we’re talking about.
I would even be curious about what we could measure when it comes to those satisfying smacks and thuds. We might find here that it could be an example of auditory bilateral stimulation. Who knows!?
It is worth noting that bilateral stimulation in mental health spaces leans heavily on the scientific studies that have been completed as evidence of its effectiveness. However, it is an example of indigenous wisdom. Drumming and dancing are both bilateral practices with their roots in many indigenous cultures as healing practices.
With healing in mind, consider this your invitation to examine your own or your clients' consensual impact play practices with a broader sense of curiosity. There may in fact be a measurable emotional benefit to impact play, we just have to be open to seeing its benefits.
Maybe one day we will have access research that validates this theory.
If you are exploring impact play for the first time or find yourself interested in exploring it, safety is paramount and can be increased through education on safe zones on the body for impact play as well as its risks. Learn before you play, safety is sexy.
