Throughout much of history and across many cultures, spiritual rituals involving pain (some of which are identical to common BDSM activities) have been used for the express purpose of oneness with a higher power or universal force. Certain religious practices and philosophies grounded in meditation also intentionally confront pain and suffering.
While the overall BDSM community isn't tied to any religious ideology, the practice does share an important commonality with some spiritual meditation traditions that involve pain. Both embrace the idea of accepting pain, or even finding peace and pleasure in surrendering to it.
"There are a variety of reasons people do BDSM," said Brad Sagarin, a professor of social psychology at Northern Illinois University who also leads The Science of BDSM research group. Some go to BDSM for just your standard sexual arousal. But others seek it out for the sheer thrill and excitement, deeper connections to partners, and even stress release. "Some even pursue BDSM primarily for spiritual reasons. In particular, our research team looked into the altered states of consciousness that BDSM activities can facilitate in both Bottoms and Tops."
Their study found that both roles can experience unique states of mind during BDSM. Bottoms in particular describe entering a headspace that sounds a lot like what many longtime, spirituality-based meditators experience.
