Need for Needles

For most people, needles, syringes and shots are some of the scariest things on the planet, and many would do almost anything to avoid them (including neglecting their health or teeth to the point of serious risk to their life). For many BDSM practitioners, however, needles are delightful instruments of amusement. Are they insane?

Needles are a device designed to break the skin and pull or push liquids beneath it…and that usually hurts. For most people, avoiding pain is permanently on the “to do” list, but if you are a BDSM masochist, experiencing pain is pretty much routine. Receiving that pain from needles, then, is quite a logical leap, isn’t it? Indeed...though I have to admit that even within the BDSM community, most folks don’t like needles, and hardcore fans are fairly rare. But what is it that draws people to needles?

Well, for most people, dealing with needles is unavoidable at some point. We need to get our vaccination shots, we need to have our blood drawn for testing, and when undergoing painful medical procedures, we sure as hell want to get proper anesthesia (usually via a shot or IV). Those experiences typically start with childhood, where the needles seem larger, and where we have little control over when and where do we get poked and prodded. As a result, most of us reach adulthood with a crippling fear of needles, even though compared to other forms of pain administered as part of BDSM scenes, needles don’t really hurt a lot.

When it comes to BDSM play, the major fear of needles is often time the motivation for playing with them, as the fear triggers the endorphin release that is what BDSM is mostly about. For others, there is the pain itself, but also the coolness factor of being able to show off to others how you handled what’s perceived to be so scary, and how awesome it looks (needles are often-times placed in the skin in nicely organized rows or circles). Another thing that’s unique to needles is that once they have been placed, there’s a special sensation to caressing them with a finger. That motion moves the skin and ‘rattles’ the nerves in a way that’s not quite painful, but very interesting and unique.

Is that for everyone? Certainly not. Playing with needles requires a lot of knowledge and experience about anatomy, so as to avoid puncturing an artery by mistake (this could lead to excessive bleeding that may be hard to control). It also requires care when inserting and removing the needles so as to avoid infection. Thirdly, the needle top needs to be careful not to accidentally stab him or herself, as that would be not only unpleasant, but also risks getting infected by bacteria or virus carried by the bottom. If you have an interest in being a needle bottom, I’d advise discussing this with tops that frequent your local dungeon, and negotiating carefully with them. Make sure whoever it is has enough understanding of this unique expertise, and experience applying it. The top would also need to be an expert with after-care, as Needle play can trigger the most extreme endorphin release, which can be accompanied by just-as-extreme crash afterwards. Find the right top, and needles could be a great gateway to heaven for you too!

See you on the operating table!