Mistress Ariachne's BDSM Workshop: The Titillating Torture of Tickling

While most people don't automatically associate tickling with the strange, dark realms of BDSM, one might be surprised to know how many people's first "bondage and torture" experience was being held down/tied up and tickled (this happened to me, I can assure you!). Tickling may seem innocent and light, but it has great potential as real torture in a BDSM scene. Your sub can end up with as many or more endorphins after tickling than those caused by a heavy pain scene.

The True Submission of Tickling

Sure, your sub will take all kinds of torture and pain to prove their loyalty to you. I have pierced, cut, whipped, and set subs on fire and they have taken the sensations without complaint. But tickling is a whole different matter. The staunchest pain sluts might run the other way when you bring out the feather tickler.

Why is this? Why is tickling such a potential limit-breaker for so many people? It's true that there are fair number of people out there who claim to be non-ticklish (just try some of the techniques I describe here and see if they can maintain their non-ticklish status!). But for many subs, tickling is the ultimate torture. I believe this to be linked to the amount of control a sub has over his or her reactions to the sensations the top is giving.

Many subs can handle intense pain (after a decent workup, of course) without losing control. A great example of this is ordering a sub to stay in position, unbound, for a hard caning or whipping. While the sub's instincts are directing him or her to run, move, or otherwise escape the pain, the sub's conscious mind can override that directive and obey his or top by staying in place and accepting more strokes.

If you are truly ticklish, however, it takes supreme effort and willpower to stay put for a tickling session. It takes a lot of willpower not to use your safeword if you are bound. And even if your mind is bent on obeying your top and staying in place, your body might betray you and kick, wriggle, or try to get you out of the situation any way possible. Maintaining your control is much harder with tickling than with pain or humiliation, in my opinion--which of course makes it a wonderful way to stretch the limits of your bottom's submission without running the risk of major physical damage.

Bound or Unbound?

The decision as to whether or not you should bind your submissive for a tickling session is a difficult one. It is easier for the sub in some ways to be bound, because then he or she cannot escape and thus must submit to the tickling torture no matter what. However, being bound can add immensely to the feeling of helplessness and even terror that a tickle session, especially a long one, can induce. A blindfold will definitely increase that helpless feeling and give your sub the wonderfully terrible feeling of anticipation as to where you are going to tickle them next.

If you want to give your sub's willpower a real workout, command them to stay put in a single position while you tickle them. I enjoy playing a game called "stay," in which the sub must remain motionless while I tickle them over and over. If they move, they get punished in some way (a cane stroke, something humiliating, more minutes of tickling, etc.). Or if your sub absolutely cannot stay still, their punishment can be to be bound for an extended session of tickling.

Implements of Torture

So many things can be "perverted" into tools of tickling torture. The best place to start, in my opinion, is with your fingers. Tickling takes a gentle touch; don't gouge your fingers into your sub's armpits.

Feathers, of course, are the classic tickle toy. Don't spend a bundle on a pricey feather toy at a sex shop; just go to your local pet store for the same thing without the big price tag. Craft stores and some fabric shops also have a good selection of different kinds of feathers, from ostrich to pheasant.

The ultimate tickling toy? A Sonicare toothbrush! It will send your sub through the roof. Use this one last in your arsenal, however, because once you have tickled an area of your sub with the Sonicare, they won't respond as well to less ticklish things like your fingers (at least for that session; the sensitivity returns fairly quickly).

Tickling Safety

One of the best things about tickling is that the act itself should cause no damage. In this respect, it's even better than spanking as a first introduction to sensation play. However, you do need to be aware of a few potential issues.

First, make sure your nails are smooth and don't have any snags on them. Check your toys for any sharp edges as well. And don't use a feather cat toy that your cat has been chewing on--the cat's saliva and dander can cause irritation and allergy (I had someone in my house start tickling her sub with one of my cat's bedraggled feather toys until I noticed and put a stop to it; the poor sub was sneezing his head off).

The most common way for injury to occur during a tickling scene is for a sub to hurt him or herself during involuntary struggle against bindings. This is especially risky for the shoulders or wrists. I find it safer to bind my subs tightly for a tickling session, going beyond the four-point wrist-ankle spread-eagle binding and immobilizing the arms, shoulders, and torso. I especially enjoy binding my sub tightly to a table, face down (make sure they can breathe!), with their arms above their head. This really adds to the feelings of helplessness and cuts down on the danger of pulling a muscle from unconstrained writhing.

Make sure to give your sub all the aftercare they need after a tickling session. The feeling of being out of control can be hard psychologically, and your sub needs lots of reassurance and tender touch. Sex may be in order, especially with so many endorphins and excitement whizzing around. Both of you will probably feel a bit high and hopefully happy after a good tickling session.