CallaFirestormBW -> RE: "No harm" limits (7/27/2008 1:54:19 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: IvyMorgan My question was; what do people who say "My only limit is 'No harm'." mean by the statement "no harm", a list of examples or actions is what I am seeking. I don't think there -is- a comprehensive list. 'Harm' is a subjective state where a person believes that their existence has been compromised by some externally-applied force. To me, 'harm' in a kink relationship would be anything that meets the above criteria. If you freak out around blood/needles, and even -watching- needle play or cutting is going to cause someone to puke and/or faint, I sure as heck am not going to involve them in a blood-play or cutting scene. If humiliation sends someone into a deep depression, it is completely senseless for me to use humiliation as a discipline for that person. So much of this is simple common sense. If you want to have any kind of long-term, consentual relationship, it makes no sense to totally screw up the person you're going to be in a relationship with. It's a little less clear-cut if you're participating with someone on a "casual play" basis. Unless it is a known partner, you have to ask the questions about what you will and won't be doing. I've done an intense flogging (duration and strike speed/intensity) with my 'gentle' moose-hide flogger without negotiating terms, but once I get beyond that or a foot massage, I want to know specifics -- can I break the skin? Can I break the skin intentionally using a blade or needle? What if I break the skin unintentionally, because a cane, crop or flogger gets that intense? What if I want to use a truly vicious flogger (yes, I've used vampire floggers on occasion)? I don't do a lot of mindplay, but my Darling loves the 'mindfuck', including all kinds of sensation play from ice to blades to... She also does humiliation and cruelty. Some folks just can't handle those things (there are some that even consider them 'edge play'). Before we accept someone for casual play, she wants to know if they have any issues with sensory deprivation, light bondage or being trapped, and 'fear escalating' play like blindfolded/gagged sensation play, etc. She also wants to know if the person's psyche will handle humiliation or if the person has the tendency to shatter under the strain -- same with cruelty. If you're discussing harm, it comes down to what the person you are with considers "harmful". There are some things I don't do because I don't like them -- those are -my- limits. I don't do what I don't enjoy. On the other end of the fence, though, I depend on the other person to tell me what they can or can't handle -- or, if they've never experienced something and find out that it's too much, their capacity to open their mouths and say "Uh... NO MORE!" or the like. The only thing that I believe causes harm in every case is when you start talking about non-consent. I can't think of a single time when it is not harmful or in any way ok to do something to someone that xhe hasn't either said xhe wants done, or at least said "Ok, I'll try it." That includes 'forcing' hard limits just because someone has entered into a 'slavery' relationship and trusts you (IMO). Calla Firestorm
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