cheska calayag of tv5's pilipinas news and action program visited my clinic to discuss about the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey.
the "grey" in the title refers to Christian Grey who has a relationship with Anastacia Steele with whom he has sado-masochistic sex.
a cartographic sketch of Christian Grey
sado-masochism, which goes by the acronym S & M or plainly SM, is sex play which involves the infliction of pain or humiliation. sado-masochism comes from 2 words, sadism and masochism. the sadist is the one who feels sexual pleasure in inflicting pain. while the masochist is the one who derives sexual gratification from receiving the pain. sometimes, sadists and masochists are able to switch roles.
if the sadist is a woman, she may take on the stereotypical image of a dominatrix (or female dominator) picture as a woman wearing black leather underwear and high-heeled boots lashing out a whip on her partner helpless tied up in bed.
many will quickly associate the dominatrix's get-up with the costume worn by none other than the ferocious feline, the catwoman.
as a psychiatrist who does sex therapy, it is protocol for me to ask about the sex lives of my clients. i find out that some of the couples who consult me really do enjoy rough sex play during their intimate moments- "karinyong brutal," they call it. in interviewing couples who engage in sado-masochism, i evaluate whether their sado-masochistic practices border on sexual violence that can result in serious physical injury or, at worst, death.
