Abstract
The core of this thesis is the therapeutic impact of rope bondage, for how it has been reported to me by people who attend the space where I conducted my fieldwork – the Garden. The findings show that psychological and social benefits result from joining and being part of a community perceived as an inclusive, welcoming, and non-judgmental. I approach rope bondage as an inter-corporeal practice, through the lenses provided by phenomenology. This methodology allows me to gain an insight of the practitioners lived experiences. Here, I appreciate that the Garden is a community based not only on shared values, but also on the materiality of the space and the bodily experiences incorporated in it. The welcoming atmosphere, elicited from the Garden look and organisation, is central in creating a sense of belonging. The lack of judgement as for one’s gender, sexual orientation, skin colour and sexual appetites is also fundamental in positively framing my informants’ experiences. Still, it is rope bondage, a practice done by and on the body, which primarily brings the practitioners into the community. Further, all these elements cooperate in increasing the sense of well-being of the practitioners I engaged my fieldwork with; in this work, I will refer to this result as a therapeutic effect.
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BDSM het echte verhaal 