Some time ago I came across a girl who claimed she received an erotic charge from fear. This was not just a result of play scenes where she would be bound helpless and a master entered the room with a whip. It included fairground rides and horror movies. I guess the lesson is, do not sit in the seat on a rollercoaster just utilised by a girl with a dreamy smile.
The memory came back to me because in Book Two of The Club Zero Nine I realised that the club indices both obedience and arousal using fear.
So many bdsm books these situations are brought about with the use of bondage or physical punishment. From memory The Story of O seemed to centre on increasingly more sadistic physical punishments. I do not recall the author playing on ‘O’s fears at all. Though it might be time I reacquainted myself with that extraordinary, sensual novel.
Looking into this I have discovered that the Amygdala maybe the reason behind this link of arousal and fear. The amygdala is an area of the brain fired up when we become aroused. There are other areas of the brain that are stimulated but the amygdala clearly is aroused when a person is erotically charged.
Interestingly fear is also ‘felt’ in the amygdala. Some psychologists have then moved forward a step to suggest there is a link between fear/safety and arousal.
In BDSM terms it is referred to as Fear Play, and is well established by experienced users. In a Deborah Ford novel it is part of the erotic charge the victim experiences as he undergoes conditioning and being forced into the role for which we all know he was intended.
Other scientists have demonstrated that oestrogen, the major sexual hormone for women, is also a key player in fear. Mice whose oestrogen was limited displayed fear but to far less of an extent than those with normal levels.
Let’s just hypothecate here. Does this mean that masculine males feel fear far less than girly girls who will have a heightened sense of fear? Is that why sissies lean also towards these feelings?
Is this why women are aroused by strong fearless males, and males in turn by girls in need of protecting. As each gender seeks ‘gender opposites’ in mates?
But does it also mean that girls will have a greater sense of fear and erotic stimulation. Other experiments have shown that women have stronger memories of these feelings than males.
On the other hand you might feel, why both rationalising it? Let’s just get on with the ‘fun’ fear induces and not give a care as to the whys and hows.
A doctor writes:
By the way in case anyone thinks they can pick up a girl by leaping out in front of them and getting them to wee their pants in fear …erm it doesn’t work that way. There appears to be a link between feeling scared yet safe. Subs need to trust the dom before anything gets going.