Tips on Safe CBT

From KnaveBB

As with all play of this nature, communication is key! I've got about 14 years of CBT experience under my belt (below my belt? ha ha) and I've seen the good the bad and the ugly. There are really only a few things to avoid altogether, and they primarily deal with the cords that attach the ball to his body:

1. Don't twist the balls, try to keep them facing the direction they want to naturally be facing. Sometimes they kind of want to flip around on you if you're squishing them or walking on them. Your boy will be more aware of this than you are, so make sure he checks in and communicates if they need to be realigned. Simply wobbling the scrotum around will usually accomplish this easily.

2. Avoid yanking on them sharply. You can give them a nice slow tug, and stretching is a fun feeling for everyone involved. There are even ball stretchers and stuff intended to serve this purpose, but sharp yanking is a risk you probably shouldn't take.

3. Avoid putting too much weight directly on a single ball while it has nowhere to go. Balls are pretty durable and can take full-weight trampling and vice pressing and stuff like that most of the time, but pressure should always be applied slowly so, again, your boy can tell you when it's too much. Again, he will have a much better gauge of what's going on, so make sure he communicates with you.

Communication is where his experience is crucial. If he's been doing this for awhile and has tuned into what his body feels like when it's undergoing stress of this nature, then he will be more capable of communicating accurately. If he's also new, then you should both take it nice and slow. Start with all hand stuff, most people have much more physical control over their hands then for example their feet or legs. A great introduction would be to just have him give you access to his balls and let you explore and have fun with your hands. Squeezing, massaging, tickling, poking and slapping are all safe, slow ways for you both to learn what's going on down there.

Really enjoy yourself and pay attention to what his body and face do while you play. Even if he's not 100% verbally communicative, his body will react and give you all sorts of clues as to what is mild play to him and what really hurts.

After you're comfortable with your hands, and you're both feeling adventurous, then of course the next logical step is toys! Crops, clothespins, rope, stretchers, floggers and paddles are all your friends. When tying the cock and balls, really the only safety precaution to be aware of is blood flow, as with all tying. Just keep an eye on 2 factors:

1. How purple is his junk?

2. Are his balls cold to the touch?

If his nuts have gotten cold, untie him and massage the area to get the juices flowing again.

If his scrotum starts to swell up, don't be too alarmed. It's normal for the body to flood the region with fluids to address the activities going on. You only need to really worry about swelling if it's bigger than an orange, or if all the swelling appears on only one side of his scrotum. Also, if his sac is still its typical color and swollen, he's probably fine. If the scrotum has taken on a much darker color and is unevenly swollen, that's not good. But again, don't be afraid to really let him have it with striking. Balls can take it, trust me.

When playing with his cock, be aware of the pressure you're putting on it if he's hard. A soft cock can take a lot of abuse, an erect one is much more fragile. Best to avoid bending it, twisting it or putting a lot of weight on it.

After you've both gotten experience with hands and toys and you want to up the ante, then you can move into trampling, kicking, kneeing, stomping etc. Again, his having experience in those areas will really help you. Again, it's all about communicating, learning limits and starting nice and slow. Getting your aim and controlling the power with which you're striking is the difficult part, and also part of the fun! So long as you start slow and give and get feedback, you'll be fine :) Sorry if this ballooned into an essay. It's a topic that's near and dear to my heart and I've been teaching people hands-on how to do rough CBT and BB play for a long time.

Most importantly, don't worry! Just take it slow and remember to enjoy yourself in the moment!

Safety and Risk Awareness in Electro Play

From OZGAGA https://ozgaga.com.au

Integrating Electroplay Safely in BDSM Practices

Electroplay is a form of sensation play that uses mild electric current to stimulate the body’s nerve endings and induce pleasure.

The sensations from electroplay can vary from a mild tingling to intense bursts of energy, leading to increased sexual pleasure. These sensations are controlled through adjustable intensity settings on the device, which can be tailored to individual preferences and tolerances.

Electroplay offers a unique opportunity to explore your partner's body in new ways or to push the boundaries of pleasure. However, it's important to recognize that electroplay might not be for everyone; it's a definite limit for some. Despite its potential for intense enjoyment, the idea of electrical currents can be daunting. Therefore, it’s crucial to establish your own comfort and consent levels, particularly when integrating electroplay into your BDSM activities.

Important Things to Consider During Electro Play

Electro Play is unsuitable for the following individuals and conditions:

• Health Conditions: Avoid Electro Play if you have heart issues, epilepsy, nerve damage, or are pregnant.

• Implanted Devices: It is not suitable for those with any implanted electronic devices or fluid implants, such as pacemakers, insulin pumps, or cochlear implants.

• Skin Conditions: Do not use Electro Play on sunburned skin, melanoma, or open wounds.

• Metallic Objects: Avoid using Electro Play near any metal piercings, implants, or plates, as these can conduct electricity.

• Water Exposure: Electro Play should not be used in water.

• Sensitive Areas: Avoid using Electro Play near the heart or on any part of the head.

To ensure safe use of the Electro Play device, it is essential to test it on yourself first:

• Start Low: Begin at the lowest setting to understand the intensity of the current. Since sensitivity can vary greatly from person to person, it's important to increase the intensity gradually to find a comfortable level.

• Check Skin Condition: Make sure that the area of skin where the device will be used is healthy. The skin should be free from cuts, burns, or bruises, and should not have moles or particularly sensitive spots. This will help prevent discomfort and potential skin damage during use.

The 10 Kink Commandments:

Posted with Permission from Oondragur on Fetlife from Iserlohn, North Rhine-Westphalia Germany

* All activity must be safe (we do not cause true harm), sane (we only engage in activity when we are clear of mind), and consensual.

* We must always be respectful of our partner’s safe word (red/yellow/green) and their hard limits.

* We only enter into activities after we have gained trust, education, and an open mind.

* We must always be polite and ask questions.

* We must not touch other people's equipment without permission.

* We must always be clean, hygienic, and mindful of our own equipment.

* We must always be mindful of aftercare.

* We do not engage in humiliating and degrading scenes for solely our own amusement.

* We always protect each others anonymity from the harsh eyes of the vanilla world.

* Most importantly, we do not forget to have a good time.

From our friends at SIGMA DC

The Basics of Flogging

by Keith L Kendrick

To the novice flogging may look easy, and actually it's not that difficult, but it does require concentration and physical exertion along with some practice. However, knowledge of some basic guidelines can greatly enhance the learning curve and enrich the experience for both the top and the bottom. And a beginner would do well to practice on a wall or pillow, focusing on the intended striking point.

1. Before any flogging, the participants should negotiate what is desired and what isn't, along with what safe-word or other indication the bottom is to use to slowdown or stop the flogging. Does the bottom like stinging or thud sensations? How open is he or she to new experiences? Has this person had much experience with flogging? Novices may think they can take lots of pain, and then be surprised at what a good flogging actually feels like. In addition, pertinent medical or physical problems should be made known before beginning.

2. The basic area to flog is the upper back on each side of the spine. Try to stay off the spine to prevent injury to the vertebrae and related tissues, and the skinnier the person is the more important this is. Also avoid swinging the tails down the back onto the hips or upper butt, or else this may cause a different kind of pain that is undesirable. Rather than a full swinging motion (this isn't golf) that carries the tails down the back, stop the flogger immediately after it hits or even pull it backwards in a snapping motion right before it hits. By varying this motion, you can control how much of the tails connect with the back; more will cause greater thud while hitting with just the tips will be stingier.

3. Generally speaking, avoid unintentional wrapping, which is when the tips of the tails wrap around a curved part of the body such as the shoulders, torso, butt or legs. In wrapping the tips accelerate tremendously and the resulting excessive force at the tips almost always causes an undesirable increase in pain. One difficulty in avoiding wrapping is that the tips can fly so fast that you may have trouble seeing them--a person sometimes has to estimate where the tails are hitting, especially in darker environments. In addition, when throwing a flogger people often have a tendency to lunge forward, which can cause wrapping if it's not compensated for. On rare occasions a bottom may desire wrapping, but then this should be done by mutual agreement and with care to not overdo it.

4. Other targets: the butt is very inviting, yet because of its smaller size and roundness it requires greater accuracy to avoid excessive wrapping onto the hips or into the especially sensitive inner areas; also avoid hitting the tailbone. When flogged well, though, the butt can be very rewarding. The thighs can be flogged but should be done with extra attention to the power in wrapping. Female breasts should be flogged relatively lightly to avoid later medical problems, and this may be more important if they are flogged often; males can usually safely take more in this area. Generally other parts of the body, especially the kidney area, shouldn't be flogged except maybe with very light, miniature floggers. Stay away from all joints of the legs and arms, and the head and neck should never be flogged. Also be aware that there is a big difference in flogging someone in the standing position versus lying down.

5. Start with softer blows and work up gradually to harder ones--this way the bottom will be able to take more as well as get more out of the session. Similarly, if you have more than one flogger, use the lighter one before going to the heavier one. In addition, varying the pace and alternating heavier blows with softer ones (or using just the tips), can make the difference between a good flogging and a great one. During a flogging the top also needs to be sensitive to the nuances of how the bottom is handling the experience and when to vary the strokes. And after the bottom has recuperated from the flogging, the top can learn valuable information by obtaining the bottom's perspective on what it was like.

6. The top should understand that softer/heavier tails will generally cause thud, while harder or narrower tails will cause more sting--rubber or braided leather tails are usually the most stingy. And these differences are best understood by experiencing them on one's own skin. A flogger also needs to be thrown fast enough so the tails don't fly apart and land inaccurately--because of this it's very difficult to use a heavier flogger in place of a lighter one to achieve the blows that a lighter flogger would deliver. This is why people often have more than one flogger.

7. Occasionally during a flogging, a small amount of blood may appear on the skin as a result (usually) of a blemish being broken open. How blood and other body fluids on a flogger should be dealt with is controversial; disinfectants and leather conditioners can alter the leather and having different floggers for every bottom isn't practical. Furthermore, dealing with leather tails is different with rubber or other synthetics. First of all, have band-aids available and apply one as soon as any break in the skin is noticed. Most blood or body secretions on leather will quickly be absorbed, but any that is still wet should be wiped with a dry cloth while wearing a glove (there shouldn't be much and it will probably be hard to find). Then before using the flogger on another person it should be hung to air-dry in a warm, dry place for at least one week--the drying action will kill any AIDS and hepatitis viruses. Some would suggest cleaning the tails with a cloth moistened with a fresh solution of bleach mixed 1 part to 10 parts and then waiting 10 minutes before using the flogger on someone else, though it's difficult to do thoroughly water (and this is how to clean secretions from rubber tails). A few may suggest both the bleach solution and then drying for one week, but this may be more than is needed. On the other hand, we are talking about AIDS and hepatitis.

The best approach is to avoid getting blood and other body fluids on your floggers. However, the flogging action will tend to wipe blood away and make a tiny skin break difficult to see. Therefore, checking a bottom's skin after a flogging for signs that any blood may have gotten on the flogger would be wise. A few would even say that the same flogger should never be used on more than one person per day, but that actually is not a sufficient length of time to be safe from hepatitis. Others say that the risk of catching AIDS or hepatitis from floggers is very minimal, but this is almost impossible to verify with certainty.

Finally though, always remember: If someone is trusting you enough to let you flog them, you owe it to him or her to be sensitive and careful; and secondly, flogging is ultimately supposed to be gratifying to both parties.

Copyright © 1998 by Keith L. Kendrick

Keith is now deceased. He gave permission to reprint this in its entirety, in fact, it is encouraged. We thank him for his wisdom.