Emergency Factor
At best life is unpredictable--this makes life exciting, exasperating and at times unbearable. Emergencies factor into our every day lives whether they are medical or environmental in nature. Eventhough the chances of medical or environmental emergencies infringing upon your bondage and SM role play may seem minute, take the time to discuss your options with your partner if an emergency should occur. In light of this necessity, it is also crucial for you not to give your partner false information about your medical, emotional, sexual or bondage experience as this may harm you in the long run or ruin your BDSM relationship.
Risk Factor Number Seven: Withholding information from your partner or giving them false information. Your teachers knew, your doctor knows, your family knows and (some of) your close friends know. If you are engaging in bondage or SM play and you have a serious medical condition, such as a heart problem or a seizure disorder, your partner should know as it may make the difference between your receiving the proper care or dying if the condition should arise during bondage or SM play. Likewise, if you have a sexually transmitted disease to which your partner may be exposed during bondage or SM play, it is common courtesy to inform your partner and to make sure that the proper protection is used—condoms, oral dams, female condom etc. Unfortunately, keeping one's bondage or SM partner in the dark about serious medical issues is fairly common for a number of reasons. Another frequent oversight is overstating the amount of experience in bondage or SM play which one has had. This is dangerous because BDSM play pushes each player's mental and/or physical limits and if comfort boundaries are pushed too far, lasting physical and emotional pain may result. Bondage and SM play are ultimately designed to be pleasurable, not to be a breeding ground for emotional and physical trauma. Do yourself and your prospective BDSM partner(s) a favor; discuss important issues before you engage in BDSM play—it will make the bondage or SM experience far richer and safer for all parties involved!
Risk Factor Number Eight: A medical emergency occurring during bondage or SM play. Medical emergencies may occur unexpectedly at anytime or anyplace, including during bondage and SM play. When a medical emergency arises during bondage or SM play, the emergency could have been inadvertently caused by the BDSM play—more often than not the most common medical emergency is a bottom who fainted while in a standing position. However, other medical emergencies—falls, burns, respiratory failure, serious loss of circulation—can occur if the players are not attentive during all stages of BDSM play. It is important to also note that other more serious medical emergencies unrelated to bondage or SM play may arise, such as heart attacks or seizures, which reaffirms the importance of alerting any prospective partner to any potential medical complications. Taking a First Aid or CPR course is a wise investment especially if you enjoy BDSM edge play.
Risk Factor Number Nine: Environmental emergency. It seems that every day one flips open a newspaper or tunes into the news an environmental emergency is unfolding—earthquakes, forest fires, electricity blackouts, tornados, floods, house fires etc. Environmental emergencies are a very real, albeit unlikely, occurrence that may arise while bondage or SM play is in progress. If such an emergency should occur, the dominant party should have a clear, workable plan for releasing the submissive that is both quick and safe (Wiseman, 79). Although the chance of an environmental emergency happening while you are engaged in bondage or SM play is slight, power failures occur without notice and often independently of environmental situations. Having access to a powerful flashlight or having your bedroom and BDSM playroom equipped with power-failure lights could be helpful for releasing the submissive if a power failure should haphazardly occur.
All weighty issues, but next we'll get the scoop on "bad" pain versus "good" pain and dip into emotional breakdowns during bondage and SM play.