Divine kink: A consideration of the evidence for BDSM as spiritual ritual
S. Greenberg
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies September 1, 2019 DOI: 10.24972/ijts.2019.38.1.220 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | BDSM bears commonalities with spiritual ritual, including elements of pain or ordeal, spiritual meaning, and transformative potential, and warrants further research in transpersonal psychology. |
Abstract
This paper reviews the limited empirical research supporting BDSM as a spiritual ritual that enables distinct altered states of consciousness. It expands upon Sagarin, Lee, and Klement’s (2015) preliminary comparison of BDSM to extreme ritual by suggesting that BDSM bears in common with spiritual ritual elements of pain or ordeal, spiritual meaning, and transformative potential. An increasing interest in BDSM in the West is considered in light of the spiritual and ritual roles BDSM fulfills for many practitioners. The relevance of BDSM to transpersonal psychology is discussed and BDSM is considered as an area for further research in transpersonal psychology.
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- Functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness: The transient hypofrontality hypothesis Consciousness and Cognition May 19, 2003
- Shadow, Self, Spirit: Essays in Transpersonal Psychology Transpersonal Psychology Review 2021
- Altered States of Consciousness during an Extreme Ritual PLoS One May 13, 2016
- The Cross‐Cultural Evidence on “Extreme Behaviors” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences August 1, 2009