INTRODUCTION TO IMPACT PLAY
by Lady Azelle
Safety First – A Disclaimer
This manual is designed as a guide for impact play between two consenting adults. It has been created with the intention of viewing the subject in a sex positive manner. It is with this warning that it must be clarified that there is no intention to support any violence from one human to another outside this realm of pleasure that so many find to be intoxicating and a means to freedom of self expression. This document is also not a substitute for medical advice and any recommendations
should be discussed with a medical professional.
Impact play is something that should not be practiced by intoxicated persons. It is of the utmost importance that both parties are in a clear state of mind and able to communicate effectively in order to ensure the encounter is safe and mutually pleasurable. You should not engage in BDSM play while under the influence of substances that inhibit reception of pain or motor function, affect your ability to communicate or impact your dopamine system. Any kind of play, be it psychological or physical, will put great stress on your dopamine system, as you will see as we move forward.
Ensure that you are aware of any medical conditions which could cause complications during play. It is of prime importance that you understand the physical limits of your partner. Engaging in impact play with someone without knowing this is reckless and could lead to unfortunate outcomes.
With that said, safety starts with safe words. Make sure to communicate clearly on what method will be used to ensure there is a means of establishing continuing consent. You may have your own safe words, but as a rule it is commonly accepted that the following these safe words are universally applicable:
RED: Stop what you're doing immediately and allow a pause.
As a person in control hearing this word should give you cause to check in with your partner and determine what caused them to request the ceasing of the activity.
YELLOW: Slow down or use less force in order to allow recovery.
As a person in control hearing this word should prompt a less forceful approach in whatever activity is being performed.
GREEN: Intensify the activity.
As a person in control hearing this word, it is an invitation to intensify the experience through increasing the level of force used or pushing your partner further.
There may be times where the use of words is not particularly useful, for example if the person being played with is gagged, or bound in some way that prevents them from speaking. In these circumstances a visual cue is the most effective approach. Having a partner tap their hand twice to signal RED is certainly viable, but make sure the signal is something that can be easily interpreted. It is not effective to use a signal that could be considered a normal response to painful stimuli.
Other options are to hold two fingers up or hold a tennis ball that can be dropped or squeaky toy that can be squeezed to indicate “RED”. The top in a BDSM scene cannot always rely on safe words alone. It is common for someone to be unable to talk while in subspace. When playing with someone new it is always a good idea to check in with the bottom on a regular basis (let them know this in advance), ask if they remember their safe words/signals and pay close attention to their body language. The better you know your partner, the further you will be able to push them.
It is always recommended that tops be trained in CPR and first aid. Always have a first aid kit accessible during play.
Brain Chemistry and Pleasure
What is the reason people enjoy receiving impact play and other forms of pain play? It’ simple. Chemical release.
A study published in The Journal of Neurosciences by the University of Michigan Health System on October 18th, 2006 titled 'Pleasure and Pain' offers great insight into this phenomenon.
There is a natural human response to pain that seems to be stronger in some persons, involving dopamine being released as a natural pain inhibitor. What is interesting about this is that dopamine is the chemical associated with pleasure. Senior Author, Jon-Kar Zubieta, M.D., Ph.D., states "it appears from our study that dopamine acts as an interface between stress, pain and emotions, or between physical and emotional events, and that it's activated with both positive and negative stimuli."
This explains why some people experience intense pain as an increased sense of euphoria which could be comparable to a drug high, or a marathon runner's high. Think of this as a natural human response to pain in order to make pain manageable. Essentially, pain play trips this system into elevating dopamine levels in the brain to the point of an intense high. As wonderful as this sounds, there is a legitimate downside which must be noted. This is called drop.
Now let's look at how this system can be overused. Essentially, it's important to explore the consequences of not resting between intense sessions. Playing too often
is vital in order to recover neurochemically. To assess the impact of drop, it is important to understand the concept of dopamine depletion. In order to examine we will be referring to a publication released by Solomon H. Snyder on September 20th, 2011, entitled 'What Dopamine Does In The Brain'.
Dopamine depletion is the brains adaptation to being overly saturated with dopamine. It causes the dopamine receptors in the brain to stop receiving the chemical, which essentially causes the pleasure response to become diminished or non-existent for a time. The result is a temporary chemical depression. While the effect is harmless in moderation, playing too often and refusing to rest in between play will lead to legitimate chemical imbalances. Further to this, there is a noticeable increase in pain sensitivity in every day life during dopamine depletion. This is especially important when a partner may suffer from chronic pain. This is noted previously in the statement on dopamine as a natural pain inhibitor. Playing too often and failing to rest reduces the brain's ability to deal with pain naturally. It can not be understated that you must rest between play sessions, and not play so often that it causes prolonged dopamine depletion.
It is generally accepted in the medical community that a period of fourteen days between intense sessions is required in a healthy adult to ensure there isn't a permanent alteration of brain chemistry. This conclusion was reached through understanding the effects of overstimulation of the dopamine system in those who suffer from addiction and commonly deplete dopamine through substance abuse. Keep in mind that this kind of play is not far removed from that realm in that we are forcefully exploiting our dopamine system in order to achieve an altered state. Whether you like it or not, this fact is an undeniable truth and should not be ignored.
Drop can consist of any thing from a general lack of interest, mood swings, fatigue, inability to feel pleasure, increased pain, to lack of focus. Be aware of this and have someone you can talk to.
Self-Care - Avoiding Dopamine Depletion
What can we do to heal more quickly is a viable question. Let's explore lifestyle impacts on dopamine production and determine what one can do to ensure a functional dopamine system.
1. Reduce your Sugar Intake. Sugar disrupts dopamine regulation and causes a similar state of depletion. Sugar is comparable to alcohol and cocaine in terms of it's impact on dopamine receptors. Avoid it. If you have a sweet tooth and crave sugar, chromium picolinate supplements will reduce your sugar cravings.
2. Eat foods that contain high levels of l-phenylalanine amino acid, which is a key building block in dopamine production such as bananas, almonds, apples, watermelon, cherries, plain yogurt, beans, eggs and meat proteins.. The body metabolises this amino acid into tyrosine, which is then converted into dopamine. In the event of extreme play over prolonged periods it may be advisable to take a tyrosine supplement as dietary intake will be inadequate by itself.
3. Reduce your caffeine intake. Caffeine and sugar are very similar in their impact on dopamine receptors.
4. Exercise regularly in order to promote chemical reactions and process amino acids. Failing to increase blood flow to the brain and body through physical exercise will reduce your hormone levels in the brain and inhibit creation of new neurotransmitters.
5. Get adequate rest. Sleep at least 8 hours a day. Prolonged sleep deprivation is devastating to the brain’s ability to create new neuro-transmissive chemicals. Sleep also increases hormone levels in the brain, which assist in processing amino acids into usable compounds.
6. Decrease your daily stress through meditative contemplation and relaxing activities. Enjoy a long bath with some lavender oil or get a massage. Whatever it is you do to unwind, practice the activity regularly.
7. Make sure your diet is giving you an adequate supply of magnesium. If you eat lots of junk food and processed foods you'll likely need to re-evaluate your diet if you intend on playing regularly and not doing harm to your wellbeing.
8. Take vitamins E and C and intake anti-oxidants regularly. Dopamine is easily oxidized, so in order to protect your dopamine receptor neurons from free radical damage caused from the uptake of oxidized dopamine this point should not be undermined in importance.
9. Stay well hydrated. Make sure to consume adequate water prior to a play session, sip throughout play and rehydrate after a scene.
It is the responsibility of both partners to know how to care for your body's chemical well being. Failure to do so can result a myriad of problems and is frankly irresponsible.
The Body - Areas to Avoid
It should be noted that you should never hit a person on a joint or area that has bone without muscle. This includes shins, elbows, knees, collar bone, tail bone, and hip bones. It should also be noted that impact play in areas containing lymph nodes can do serious damage to a person's immune system over time. Further to that no impact should jar the head.
Hitting these clusters on the body can cause permanent nerve damage. In no circumstance should you hit someone in any of these areas. It is very important to understand that organs and bones aren't the only vital points. It is not advised to hit anyone in the face in any circumstance.
The Body - Levels of Pain Mapped
The Body - Levels of Pain Mapped
The way to inflict more or less pain on a person is easiest to explain using a tattoo pain diagram. Impact play will produce similar pain levels. This is your map to inflicting effective impact on your partner. Remember, when you play with someone you will want to slowly increase intensity in order to warm up their dopamine system as well as decreasing intensity gradually at the end of play to bring them back down. Inflicting severe pain without a warm up can result in a stunted dopamine response and ruin your play session.
There may be areas of the body that your partner knows they don't enjoy being struck. This comes back to communication being of the utmost importance. It should also be noted that women will in almost all cases be able to withstand heavier impact than men due to having a naturally higher tolerance to pain. While there is some denial of biological differences in men and women in certain ideologies, this document does not acknowledge those ideologies.
So now that the areas of where not to hit someone and where the most painful spots on the body are, it is time to look into the tools with which we can push our partner with.
The Tools
Let's break down the tools into their categories and discuss their potential for inflicting pain, as well as some concerns with each implement.
Bare hands: This tool is not to be undervalued. You will always have it on you and it will make for a safe tool to inflict pain. It is one of two tools which should strike the face (with an open palm) and one of the least damaging tools you can use for impact play. Great on the bottom, face (lower jaw), breasts, stomach, thighs, soles of the feet. A bare hand can sting and be impactful.
Paddles: This tool is one of the easiest to use. It has a very simple method of striking. Paddles come in many weights, and it's recommended that you use a lighter paddle to start, and work your way up as you gain comfort using one. Light paddles (leather) can be used without restricting force on safe areas without worry of doing any real damage. Moderate/Heavy paddles (wood, plexiglass) require far more control of force to use as they can cause deep tissue damage if used with excessive force. Great on the bottom, breasts, stomach, thighs, cock and balls, palms of the hands. Less sting and very impactful.
Crops: This toolset is very safe, and allows for you to hit the jaw at an advanced level of accuracy. Can be flailed back and forth using the wrist in order to create a rapid succession of softer blows which build in intensity the longer it is continued. Very simple to use. Great on the bottom, face (lower jaw), breasts, stomach, thighs, soles of the feet. Heavy sting and low impact.
Floggers: Floggers are great for pain or sensation play. This toolset comes in all kinds of lengths and weights. The longer the flogger, the more difficult it is to use.
You can use a short, light flogger without restricting force on safe areas without any worry of real damage. A heavier flogger will require more control of force and will be more difficult to be accurate with. It is highly recommended that you practice on an inanimate object (such as a door knob) with flogger in order to gain
experience and understand how to wield it accurately. Great on the bottom, breasts, thighs, soles of the feed. Can sting and be impactful.
Whips: This toolset requires great skill to effectively wield. It will break skin without careful use of force, and requires high accuracy to safely wield. Once again, the shorter and lighter the whip, the more beginner friendly it will be. It is not recommended that you use a long whip without extensive practice on an inanimate object. Great on the bottom. Not recommended for other areas of the body. Heavy sting and high impact.
Canes/Sticks: This toolset can break skin if used with excessive force. Straight forward to use and beginner friendly. Requires accuracy as hitting on the spine or tailbone can cause significant damage. High pain level with minimal force requirement. A good toolset to break someone down really quickly. Great on the bottom, thighs, cock, palms of the hands, calves. Heavy sting, and moderate to heavy impact.
Household Items: Don’t be afraid to get creative. Shoe horns, wooden hair brush, spatulas, wooden spoons, belts, frying pans are all fun options.
When playing with multiple partners (or breaking skin) it is important to sanitize all tools after each play session.
Physical Self Care
Given that intense impact play will cause bruising at the very least, it is important to understand the simple ways we can care for a bruise as well as the different types of bruising.
The first type of bruise is skin bruising, or surface bruising. Small blood vessels, called capillaries, are broken and leak blood under the skin. Generally the bruise will start off as a reddening of the skin. Within a few hours to two days the bruise will turn a bluish-purple or even black due to the breakdown of hemoglobins in the blood leaked under the skin. A bruise can last for months if it is severe enough. Ideally, you do not want to bruise you partner any worse than what will heal within two weeks. The body will break down and reabsorb the blood in this time transitioning from a dark bluish purple to a pale greenish brown. Resting the injured area, applying ice, compressing the injury and elevating the injury above the heart will greatly accellerate the healing process. Applying an aftercare cream after play may assist in preventing marks as it increases the skin’s elasticity.
The second type is muscle bruising. It is a similar response by tissue in muscle mass. Any tools which have a moderate to high impact level has the potential to bruise muscle. Muscle bruising is more painful, and will take longer to heal overall. It should be said that severe muscle bruising can be dangerous. In severe muscle bruising you can expect swelling, pain, a limited range of motion and if the bruises is severe enough it can lead to the body going into shock due to blood loss. It is advisable that any heavy impact tools not be used for excessive periods of time for this reason. Once again, resting the injured area, applying ice, compressing the injury and elevating the injury above the heart will greatly accelerate the healing process.
The third type of bruising is bone bruising. To be very clear, bone bruising should never occur during BDSM play. There are three types of bone bruises, each of which can cause permanent loss of motor function.
Sub-Periosteal Hematoma: Bleeding caused by high-force trauma to the bone, which is more common in lower extremities (shins, knees, hip bones). Moderate injury. Can cause high pain levels long after the inciting force. If injury persists, seek medical attention.
Inter-Osseous Bruising: Bleeding caused by a repetitive high compression force. Bone marrow is damaged which limits the blood supply to the bone. This can substantially damaging and often results in chronic pain. Moderate to high severity injury. Seek medical attention. This is why we do not hit on unmuscled bone.
Subchondral Lesion: In this injury, an extreme compressive force separates the cartilage from the bone, causing internal bleeding and nerve damage. This type of injury can result in severe chronic pain. Never hit a person on the joints or tops of the hands or feet for this reason. To do so is not acceptable. In the event of an injury it is safe to say you will likely seek medical attention of your own accord.
As with any other bruising, resting the injured area, applying ice, compressing the injury and elevating the injury will greatly accelerate the healing process. It should however be noted that with bone bruising, there is substantial risk of permanent, irreversible injury.
If you do break skin, you will need to disinfect the wound and cover it, however it should be said that breaking skin and releasing blood into the air is not safe for many different reasons. Avoid doing so.
After Care
Interdependence: A reciprocal relation between interdependent entities.
The key word here is reciprocal. As the giver of impact you reciprocate the chemical response. You are responsible for being alert to your partner's signals. In the same sense, your partner is responsible for communicating their needs as the receiver of impact, through verbal or visual cues.
Understand that drop can occur in both parties. The chemical price must be paid for our ecstacy, whether we acknowledge it or not. Be kind to your partner and to yourself when you feel the effects of dopamine depletion. You may be depressed, or feel like life lacks pleasure for up to a week after an intense play session, depending on your age and biological make up. It is important that your partner understands this, as well as yourself. As we discussed earlier, it is important to take action to remedy dopamine depletion, but you may feel lethargic or unmotivated to do the things which will benefit your mindstate. Having a good partner to play with who will ensure you are taking care of yourself between sessions is a definite asset. It can not be stressed enough that personal responsibility is the first line of defence, but playing with someone who genuinely wants to improve your quality of life will ensure that both parties care for themselves properly during the healing and come down of intense play. Aftercare is equally important and the responsibility of both partners when engaging in casual or professional play. Aftercare requirements will look differently for each individual and will vary depending on the relationship between play partners. This is a conversation that should take place when play is being negotiated. Aftercare is predominantly the responsibility of the top in a scene. It may involve providing water and food, cuddling, resting, sexual or non-sexual touch. Some bottoms may need time alone for their aftercare or may have someone else such as a partner that will attend to their post play needs. It is always a good idea to have water, juice, heathy snacks and blankets available during a scene. Aftercare should take place immediately after play with a check in 3 to 5 days after play when sub drop commonly occurs. It will take time and experience to learn what your aftercare needs are.
When your partner uses a safe word, comfort them and ensure they are not being pushed further than they can go. Ask questions about what made them say their safeword. Avoid repeating the action that causes the safeword if it is determined that the action is not enjoyable for either party. A bottom should never be made to feel guilty or punished for using a safe word!
If they say GREEN, push slowly to ensure you don't cross into the threshold of over intensity before your partner is ready. Always keep communication open.
Never go further than what was negotiated. Interdependence between play partners is the difference between safe, fun play and an unfortunate situation. This relates to not playing under the influence of substances as much as it does to communicating effectively. BDSM should be a fun, intimate experience which is mutually pleasurable. Do not undervalue the need for clear, concise communication before, during and after play.