Counsellors' Reflections on Harm in Bdsm Pain
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COUNSELLORS’ REFLECTIONS ON HARM IN BDSM PAIN PLAY: CONTAINING AND MAINTAINING CLIENTS A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Education In the Department of Educational Psychology And Special Education University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Meaghan Baker © Copyright Meaghan Baker. October 2018. All rights reserved PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the libraries of this university may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work, or in their absence, by the head of the department or the dean of the college in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Department Head Educational Psychology and Special Education College of Education University of Saskatchewan 28 Campus Drive Saskatoon, SK S7N 5X1 Canada Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i ABSTRACT People who participate in BDSM (bondage/discipline, Dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism) activities have reported some instances of stigmatization and ethical violations from mental health care providers (e.g., Bezrreh, Weinberg & Edgar, 2012; Kolmes, Stock, & Moser, 2006). However, the literature pertaining to counsellor’s understandings of clients who participate in BDSM is limited to a handful of studies (e.g., Garrott, 2008; Kelsey, Stiles, Spiller, & Diekhoff, 2013; Kolmes, et al., 2006; Lawrence & Love-Crowell, 2008). Given the potential for ethical violations, such as breach of confidentiality (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], 2017), when kink play is interpreted as bodily harm (Garrott, 2008) this topic warrants more attention. From the few studies investigating counsellors’ views of BDSM- oriented clients, pain play has surfaced as one particular area of contention (Garrott, 2008). However, it has not been explored sufficiently due to both a general lack of inquiry specific to pain play and a reluctance of participants to discuss this sensitive topic in-depth (Garrott, 2008). This research examined how counsellors understood harm (CPA, 2017) in need of therapeutic remediation as well as serious harm (CPA, 2017) in need of reporting for clients who participate in pain play. This study was designed to specifically elicit counsellors’ understandings about particular painful activities using vignettes as well as to recruit counsellors using an anonymous, online platform in an effort to facilitate participant comfort in voicing opinions on sensitive topics. One global theme, containing and maintaining the individual, and six supporting organizing themes were generated: bodily integrity, selfhood, presence of consent, social connectedness, mental health and healing, and threat and safety are vague. The findings from this project contributed to this budding area of literature, deepening the description of harm and health as understood by counsellors and, hopefully, contributing to discussions of ethics while working with this sexual minority population. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to give credit to those who have provided me with all kinds of support throughout this project. I would like to start by thanking the respondents who took the time and effort to complete my survey. Many thanks also to all the friends and professional networks who helped to advertise. I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Stephanie Martin, for not only being approachable, but also open to taking on a new topic of inquiry. Her encouragement, support, responsiveness, and guidance throughout this project have made this thesis (and my wellbeing for its duration) possible! I would also like to thank my committee member, Dr. Laureen McIntyre, for her time, encouragement, and invaluable feedback. My appreciation also goes to my external examiner, Dr. Melanie Morrison for her thought-provoking questions and observations. Thanks also to the wider staff, faculty, and students at the Educational Psychology Department, who have made the program feel welcoming both generally as a student, and, more specifically, as a researcher of a controversial topic! My appreciation goes out to my funder, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. My gratitude also extends to my other funder, and all-around benefactor, my loving husband. Thank you for all that you do, honey! Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for their support throughout my entire university journey. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE ................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 Researcher Interest, Beliefs, and Biases ......................................................................................... 5 Statement of Purpose ...................................................................................................................... 7 Explanation of Terms .................................................................................................................. 8 BDSM ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Edge play. ................................................................................................................................ 8 Harm ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Kink ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Play .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Person who participates in BDSM ........................................................................................... 9 Counsellor/psychotherapist/therapist/mental health professional ........................................... 9 Safeword ................................................................................................................................ 10 SM ......................................................................................................................................... 10 Scene. ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Serious harm .......................................................................................................................... 10 Vanilla. .................................................................................................................................. 10 Overview of Thesis ....................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 12 Historical Perspectives of SM: Perversions of the Sexual Aim .................................................... 12 The Psychology of SM in the Late 1900’s: The Pathology Debate .......................................... 15 Early research blunders ......................................................................................................... 15 SM: an illness according to the DSM .................................................................................... 18 Moving away from a pathology paradigm ............................................................................ 20 Psychology, Morality, and State of the Law for Kinksters ........................................................... 21 iv Deconstructing the Moral Policing of the Sexual Body ............................................................ 23 Further Confusion: BDSM or Abuse? ....................................................................................... 24 Contemporary Psychological Interpretations ................................................................................ 25 Non-Pathologizing Research Findings .....................................................................................