Tomorrow is World Metal Health day so I wanted to take a minute just to raise awareness for that. At work we are saying hello yellow by wearing a ‘touch of yellow’ in order to highlight this as there are growing numbers of young people in schools who are managing with mental health issues. Since joining the wonderful world of Domination and submission I have made loads of amazing friends but I have been surprised by the numbers of those who are managing, or who have managed, mental health issues of some sort. Clearly I do not believe that there is a link between D/s and mental health issues, quite the opposite in fact. In reality a large number of then people who I have spoken to actually feel that the D/s has helped them to manage their difficulties in a positive way.
Good emotional and mental health is something that can be a real struggle in today’s fast paced, high demand society and I think that anything that allows you to think and feel positively is going to be a helpful tool. I have seen articles written about D/s and managing anxiety, D/s and managing depression and D/s and positive body image to name but a few. I have also spoken to victims of sexual assault who have found that it has helped them to recover and to move forward from what happened to them, so really I wanted to take the time to highlight the positives that a Dominant and submissive lifestyle can have on managing mental health.
I think that whether we have experienced a mental health issue or not, we can all understand the stigma that being ‘different’ can place upon us. We have probably all felt misunderstood and a lack of acceptance at some point in time and I feel that in finding this community and these friends I have found a place which is accepting and empathetic to the differing wants and needs of others. I think that is partly the reason why people here feel able to be more open and honest about the sort of emotional issues that they encounter and that has to be a huge positive. So happy Mental Health Day for tomorrow – say Hello Yellow!
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I agree, Sir himself did a lot of his own healing by playing as a bottom for many years. The way he tells it, he made more progress in one play session than weeks of counselling. I suspect he needed to overcome a lot of those blockages just to be *ready* for counselling. More recently, he’s been on the “giving end” of some of that play, which he also sometimes combines with energy work when he feels called to it. He’s seen a lot of growth in a short time with some of his play partners, much quicker than you ever see in counselling. That’s not to say therapy doesn’t have its place — obviously at some point, you do have to confront your demons — but I think play and Ds relationships can be very useful to overcome some of the mental barriers people have that prevent them from seeking that kind of help.
Thank you for the reminder! My mom has bipolar with a side order of psychosis. Bipolar is a really cruel disorder, you never know when it’s going to flare up and it really messes with her relationships, and the psychosis just eats away at her sense of reality.
Wow thank you for such an open and honest response. I was thinking it is probably worth a longer post at some point. I am glad that D/s has been helpful for your Sir. Bi polar and psychosis. That must be incredibly tough for your mum and for the rest of the family as it is a hard thing to watch someone suffer like that.
I don’t have much yellow in my wardrobe, but I will wear something today to work. I meant, I’ll wear clothes….
Funny though, I’ve never considered my being a multiple personality a mental illness, only being depressed to the point of needed medication and therapy in the past to being ill.
I do agree that mental illness and D/s don’t have a causal link, even though many who practice D/s are prone to or have mental illnesses. D/s can both help and hinder healing, but that is true of more traditional therapies as well. I do know that D/s can bring out the best and worst in people, but mental illness is not a prerequisite for entering into D/s and enjoying the sensations.
I am a firm proponent of the healing powers of D/s done right, whether or not the participants have mental illnesses or not.
Yes I agree. I think that ‘illness’ is not the right word for many of the conditions actually as they don’t all make you ill but they do affect the way you think. Better to focus on good mental health lol. I hope you managed to dig out something yellow. It was great to see the kids take it on actually. Not all did but it certainly raised awareness and the fact that they felt different in their yellow item seemed fitting somehow.