It is not enough for a submissive to just feel PDR. It must be applied in such a way that satisfies or stimulates the submissive. It is a positive reaction that is sought, not a negative one, so the PDR must be just right.
The immediate submissive, particularly she who is looking for BDSM as a type of sexual foreplay, will most likely be looking for superficial PDR. It is not these that the submissive responds to directly; they are, instead, symbols which form part of her fantasy. Too much PDR and she will begin to suffer, be distracted and then the effect will be lost.
Where the PDR serve in themselves, eg. to satiate feelings of guilt, then intense pain may be required to cause the physical or emotional suffering or stimulation needed.
In general the immediate submissive requires very different types of PDR than the psychological submissive or the slave.
The psychological submissive and the slave seek to "lose themselves", or surrender to the PDR. It must be applied continuously (or regularly) over an (extended) period of time to allow the submissive to acclimatise herself somewhat to it, to feel it, focus on it and immerse, or lose, herself in it.
This is not to say that the PDR is constant. This is not so. It will generally be applied slowly, maintained and then withdrawn in such a way that the submissive is not, at any time, shocked or startled by its application.
The submissive reaction (to PDR)
Each type of submissive "processes" their PDR differently. However, at any particular time the submissive's response will be tempered by their own emotional and spiritual state. Thus worries, nervousness and anxiety may serve to dampen their experience while feelings of excitement, anticipation and fear may serve to heighten it. To some extent these feelings may be completely internal, or may be inspired in the submissive by the dominant.
The immediate submissive often uses the PDR to feed a fantasy or satiate some feeling, such as guilt. Her reaction is indirect in that the consequence of the PDR is generally not logically related to the stimulus; or, to put it another way, the PDR is a key that unlocks the reaction rather than creating it.
This reaction then, will be something like sexual arousal, a release of emotional tension or an endorphin-inspired state of euphoria.
The psychological submissive instead reacts directly to the PDR. Her reaction might also include reactions typical of the immediate submissive, but will mainly--as far as the submissive is concerned--consist of emotional or spiritual feelings such as loss of identity, floating, feelings of belonging, being protected and desires to please her dominant. Note that these cited feelings are sometimes collectively called sub-space.
A more long-term consequence for the psychological submissive or slave is a growing emotional attachment to the dominant due to the increased emotional intimacy between them.
The slave reaction may be one of simple release (from the pressure of the slave's need). There will likely be gratitude as the slave is aware that she cannot satisfy her need herself and knows that the dominant is making a sacrifice for her.
At the same time it is possible that the slave will also experience the same reactions (and pleasures) as the other two types of submissive, although while the slave's need is "active" the primary concern of the slave, and primary source of satisfaction, will be the satiation of, and subsequent release from, the need.
The three types of submissive each have different levels of "commitment" to submission. This ranges from practically no commitment on the part of the immediate submissive through to potentially vital or life-saving commitment on the part of the slave.
The submissive's response to their own level of commitment may also see other reactions, such as love, the desire to "feel submissive" or the "service ethic" appearing.
The service ethic--the desire to please and serve the dominant within a scene, or as part of the submissive's out-of-scene relationship with the dominant--is likely a combination of:
1. the emotional intensity experienced by the submissive,
2. a manifestation, outside of scene, of the desire to be controlled. This occurs as a consequence of the pleasure experienced "in-scene" when the submissive is under the control of the dominant, a sort of pavlovian response,
3. possibly gratefulness,
4. possibly something else
The submissive's self-image
The submissive's participation in BDSM activities may change her perception of herself. Immediate submissives into the kinky-sex side of BDSM may not think of themselves as more than sexually adventurous.
As their involvement, and pleasure/satisfaction, from PDR grows they may begin to question their moral and social values. This will likely come from a realization that what they are doing "isn't normal". They may feel confused or guilty and their own self-image may be lowered if they think that they are doing something "bad."
Alternatively, as they realize that they do achieve a significant amount of satisfaction from their act of submission they may enter a phase of self-denial, denying how satisfying, pleasurable or even necessary it really is to them. Slave's, particularly, are prone to this, denying that they are truly experiencing a need as opposed to a simple desire.
A submissive, when experiencing any of these negative self-image reactions to her involvement with BDSM will recover best when she has the support of others with similar interests. This will help her accept her desires and activities. Left alone or isolated she will find no community support and her feelings may turn to guilt and lowered self-worth.
With the support of a caring dominant a submissive can also feel pride in her achievements as a submissive. The physical and emotional skills that she must learn, the discipline that she must master, all give her skills that she can recognize as making her "better" and making her grow as a person.
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