David M. Ortmann - Sexual Outsiders: Understanding BDSM Sexualities and Communities

Praise for Sexual Outsiders

Written by a psychotherapist who specializes in kink-friendly sex therapy and a research psychologist, this book offers a nonjudgmental glimpse into the world of BDSM (Bondage/Discipline, Dominance/submission, Sadism/Masochism). In a supportive tone, David M. Ortmann and Richard A. Sprott discuss the way society misunderstands a potentially healthy set of sexual behaviors, employing largely Jungian analysis to explain the appeal of kinky play and including a generous selection of fascinating case studies drawn from Ortmanns private practice. The book provides encouragement for people who feel marginalized by their sexual preferences (and includes a guide to finding a sex therapist). The authors definitively dismiss popular claims that BDSM practitioners are mentally unwell or that their behaviors result from abusive childhoods. Instead, they describe the eroticism of power, the playacting of shame, and even show how this kind of play can serve as its own form of therapy. Ortmann and Sprott highlight the difference between the appearance of a behavior and its psychological meaning and impact. The heart of the work is the individual stories of Ortmanns clients, chief among them the moving stories of BDSM practitioners coming out as kinky to the people in their lives. Publishers Weekly

This is the book I needed fifteen years ago when I started stumbling my way through treating the Kink community. Its answered all my questions. It should be mandatory reading for all ethical clinicians who should know something about treating alternative sexualities by now. The clinical community needs to stop retraumatizing, marginalizing, pathologizing, and trying to fix the people who come to them for help. Either they need to learn the skills taught in this book or refer sexual outsiders out to someone educated, trained, and willing to give these individuals the treatment they need and deserve. This book is for anyone who practices BDSM, treats patients struggling with related issues, and for anyone interested in further understanding this lifestyle and its community. Dorothy Hayden, LCSW, Manhattan Center for Sex Addiction Therapy, Kink Aware psychotherapist, speaker, and author

In Sexual Outsiders, authors David M. Ortmann and Richard A. Sprott perfectly complement each other writing about research, theory, and therapeutic practice with clients who are sexual adventurers. In an excellent and thoughtful deconstruction of the mainstream sexual culture, they explore the question of How did we get here? and, further, How can we get somewhere better? They propose the acceptance and honoring of the rich complexities of sexual diversity as a path for escaping the imposed shame that can constrict our lives, as they offer a wonderful guidebook to outsider sex and understanding power as an erotic resource. Read and learn from these warriors for sexual freedom as they show us how to explore our precious inner wilderness. Dossie Easton, licensed marriage and family therapist; coauthor, Radical Ecstasy: SM Journeys to Transcendence and The Ethical Slut

David Ortmann and Richard Sprott are pioneers in developing this roadmap for kink-affirmative psychotherapy. People in the BDSM community, or those practicing in secrecy, will read this book, especially the moving personal stories, and feel like they are in a support group. Professionals will have their mindsand knowledge baseopened and expanded. Sexual Outsiders breaks new ground. Margie Nichols, PhD, executive director of Institute for Personal Growth Psychotherapy for the LGBT and Alternative Sexuality Communities

As a sex therapist who specializes in sexual minority practices, I have read virtually every book written on BDSM in the past thirty years. Sexual Outsiders is truly one of a kind. The way the authors have woven in Richard Sprotts background in science with David Ortmanns clinical practice made for a very compelling read. The case studies were brilliant and kept me turning the pages in anticipation of how each story would turn out. This book is a wonderful contribution to our field. Neil Cannon, PhD, certified sex therapist and couples counselor, Denver, CO

Sexual Outsiders

Understanding BDSM Sexualities
and Communities

David M. Ortmann and
Richard A. Sprott

Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

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Copyright 2013 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

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