Forms of confinement are not uncommon in erotic power exchange. They may vary from being locked up for fifteen or so minutes to serious (solitary) confinement for several hours or even longer. Like all forms of advanced or edge play, there is nothing wrong with this, provided it is – as always – safe, sane, voluntary and consensual.

Consent when it comes to longer periods of confinement is paramount. Given the huge possible impact of confinement for longer periods of time – mainly psychological – it can not be done when either of the partners has his or her doubts about it, since this may leave him or her with a serious traumatic experience that may have repercussions on the trust between partners and may have very bad effects on your entire relationship.

A very good example of what – in the fantasies of many – seems simple and not very important or mentally tough is letting the submissive sleep on the floor. The idea usually is to give her a good feel for her place. The effects, especially mental, almost always are huge and quite a few subs will never make it through the night.

Sleeping on the floor – chained or in bondage or even just being ordered to stay there – is a form of confinement. Some of her physical freedom is taken away and she is confined to a restricted area, in this case the bedroom floor. Apart from the discomfort, the important part here is that her freedom to move about is limited to a certain area (as opposed to limited because she simply cannot move or leave because she has been tied to a cross, chair, bed or table) and for a specified time (in this case the night. It is the combination of being confined and the (slow) ticking of the clock that makes confinement both difficult as well as mentally straining.

There are many different forms and ways to lock up your partner. This may be a room, the attic, the basement, the old-fashioned coal hole (if you have one, that is), a shed, a cell or a cage. Some will prefer a convent type of room where nuns sleep, others will want a real cage.

Much of this depends on the form of role play you have chosen and the atmosphere required. It is obvious you do not lock a “puppy” in a convent cell or a nun in a coal hole. Often forms of confinement will be part of another form of role-play or psychodrama, such as interrogation or prisoner fantasies, gothic play or the relatively simple daddy/little girl atmosphere (“you’re grounded and will stay in your room until I decide you can get out again”). It may also be a play form on its own and as such often resembles the effects of solitary bondage, either a search for safety, soul-searching and meditation aspects.

In this section we will try to cover the basics of confinement, safety issues, things to consider and some hints and tips for design or purchase of cages as well as the more or less obvious traps you may run into.

MOTIVATION & TESTING

The first thing to establish, when it comes to any form of confinement, is the background motivation of BOTH partners, since these may not only be very different but are also important. For both partners (dominant or submissive) these may be things like exercising/feeling the power, pushing limits, using “real” methods with very limited or no ways out. It may also be it fits nicely into the fantasy of both partners – such as gothic, medieval or Gorean fantasies or fantasies about confinement, interrogation, imprisonment – and brings about a great possibility to create a big extra when it comes to atmosphere.

The “pushing limits” one is something that requires some further investigation, to find out if confinement will be the right method to push a certain limit. Given the huge possible impact, you may want to reconsider your motivation if you are not entirely certain about your motivation.

To the sub other motivations may be a need to “live” her fantasy on her own, without being disturbed. It may also be she needs the meditation and the possibility to re-examine herself or maybe relive certain aspects of her life in a relatively safe environment.

“Crawling back into the womb” may also be a motive. If any of these motivations are behind this, it is likely you will have spotted them before, for example during bondage.

To the dominant motivations like the feel of control and power may be very important, especially since in this case he literally holds the key to the release of his partner. He may also introduce this as a test of her ability and willingness to submit, especially when it comes to longer confinement. If this is the case, you do need to establish whether or not this is an acceptable form of testing.

Another motivation – often valid for both partners – is the “I’ll lock you up until I have further use for you” argument, which may form a (big) part of objectification games and fantasies. Alternatively, to the dom it may have the effect of really getting her out of the way, for example to deal with sassiness.

Finally, it may of course be a punishment.

ROLE-SPECIFIC CONFINEMNT

A very specific form of confinement is where the submissive is confined as part of her role. This is usually best illustrated in forms of animal-role play, such as pony or puppy play. The pony is – sometimes – confined to a stall in an effort to create a situation hat comes close to actually being a pony.

Just what the impact of this can be is probably best illustrated by the example of a Dutch submissive who lived in a total power exchange pony relationship for close to ten years with a German dominant. The pony role was taken seriously, among other things she DID sleep, and stay, in a stall when not used for anything all the time. That – although probably too much for most – was a consensual situation, one that both partners deeply wanted.

However, the dominant died and the submissive was left without a fall back situation. Deprogramming her took several years and especially being in a room, or a bedroom, and in fact in a house was alien to her for a long time and made her feel very uncertain.

In other words, the impact of confinement – especially when combined with other forms of role-specific conditioning – can be huge and should not be underestimated.

To Be Continued…

All articles are provided for informational or entertainment purposes only. We are NOT responsible for any injures or other results that participating or partaking in such activities might cause. Everything you read on this page is based on the personal opinion of the author and does not always reflect those of the owners and / or staff of Wasteland. If you try anything found in this article, you do so at your OWN risk!

Always remember! SAFETY FIRST! and please use common sense.

The above article is a reprint from our information/educational site Kink Culture.
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