Bondage is a major part of the lifestyle, forming as it does one of the four elements of BDSM. Over the years, enthusiasts have looked at ever more complex and elaborate ways to restrain someone. I’ve already covered the art of Shibari in this blog. This is a practise I am very much in love with as it represents a very refined and elegant way to achieve control and sensual pleasure over a submissive. Another practise I enjoy is predicament bondage.
Predicament bondage is different to Shibari in several ways. Shibari is about sensual pleasure and the ritual of binding. It is a gentle and sensual art. Whereas putting a submissive into a predicament is more about the adrenaline rush of an impossible choice.
There are many ways to put a sub in a predicament. The use of weights and pulleys to give a choice of two or more stress positions is one option. Which do they choose? The use of clamps and weights are also common. Giving a sub the option of which part of their body will be pinched or pulled. You can also play with electrics and vibrators, giving the sub a good reason not to sit in a restful position. Or make them choose between uncomfortable pleasure or pain.
The process can be passive – the sub is the one who has to choose. Or it can involve me actively intervening to force a choice – using crops or other tools to help the sub make the right choice. It can even be as simple as letting the sub choose which of two devices is used on them in a particular part of the scene, knowing full well that the other will be used later.
Like Shibari, however this does involve a lot of preparation. As a Domme, I need to make a plan and have everything ready for the sub when they arrive. Then there can be a lot of time to set up – getting the sub into just the right position for the predicament to take effect, the right length of rope and all the other things that need to be in place. However, this process of planning and set up is part of the fun. The careful laying out of equipment, the anticipation as the sub tries to work out what is happening. As each restraint and device is carefully put in place, their fate becomes more apparent and they begin to wonder how they will cope.
A single blog post cannot cover all options of predicament bondage but there are a wealth of ideas out there and the best way to learn about it is to try it.