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Exactly what you need to know about experimenting with rough sex

Experts say there are legit physiological and psychological explanations for our love of whips and spanking.

Exactly what you need to know about experimenting with rough sex

And why you shouldn’t be embarrassed if you’re into it.

The Art of Scratching. Blows and Sighs. Biting. These may sound like chapter titles in a BDSM manual. But they’re actually from the world’s oldest and most revered guide to sex—the Kama Sutra, an ancient Indian Hindu text written around 400 B.C.

Yeah, apparently people have been having rough sex since the dawn of time. And experts say there are legit physiological and psychological explanations for our love of whips and spanking.

One such reason is known as the “excitation transfer theory,” says sex researcher Nicole Prause, Ph.D.

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If you’re bitten, scratched, or spanked, your blood pressure goes up and your heart races in response to that pain, Prause says. If that happens during sex, “you interpret it as sexual excitement.”

Another explanation has to do with the brain’s “pain matrix.” Prause says there are areas in the human brain that respond to pain, and these areas overlap with areas that respond to sexual arousal.

This overlap might play a little trick on your brain, causing it to confuse pain and pleasure when you’re experiencing them at the same time, she says.

Spontaneity and surprise are fun in romance—but not in rough sex. You need to discuss things in advance to ensure you and your partner feel safe.

Foreplay—when you’re both relaxed and aroused—is a good time to talk about what rough stuff you might enjoy, says Psalm Isadora, a sex coach based in Los Angeles.

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“Be open-minded,” urges Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., an associate professor at Indiana University and author of Because It Feels Good.

Understand that your partner’s desires don’t necessarily mean anything about his or her background or past experiences, Herbenick says. “Rough is just one of many ways to have sex.”

Safe words are also a good idea.

“I always recommend the ‘yellow, green, and red’ method,” says Moushumi Ghose, a licensed marriage therapist and author of Classic Sex Positions Reinvented. “You need a word for ‘no’ or ‘stop,’ of course, but it’s also good to have a word for when you like what’s happening, but you want (your partner) to take it down a notch.”

If you and your partner are both interested in trying rougher sex after discussing it, here are some places to start.

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1. SPANKING

Have him spank with an open palm on the fleshier, lower part of your butt, closest to your vagina, Isadora says. When he hits you in this spot, it sends vibrations through your clitoris and your whole body that lights a sexual fire. The ancient Tantra texts say that spanking awakens your kundalini, which is your sexual chi or energy. Start with a medium spank and work up to a harder spank if you're into it.

Don’t be afraid to five him a spank, too. You might be surprised how much he likes it.

2. HAIR PULLING

Some women like having their hair pulled during sex. It’s a move that works well when in reverse cowgirl.  “It creates a surge of adrenaline and endorphins,” Isadora explains.  Just be sure that he grabs your hair near the scalp—as if he's doing a scalp massage—or at the nape of your neck.

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Make sure he isn't grabbing your hair by the ends. That’s often too painful to be pleasurable, and he's more likely to rip your hair out.

3. BITING

“Biting definitely brings out more of our primal, animalistic side,” Ghose says. Start with the lower lip and move down from there, biting each new body part gently at first and working up to a stronger bite—with his permission!

4. TAKING CONTROL

Being picked up, thrown over a man’s shoulder, and tossed on a bed can bring out your primal side. “For women with powerful jobs, a type-A personality, or even moms who are always in control of everything, it can be nice for her not to be in charge,” Ghose says. “Sex is about losing inhibitions and surrendering, and sometimes it's easiest to surrender when somebody is totally pushing you around.”

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Again, talk through this first. But if you have the green light, have him pin you down while talking raunchy to you, Ghose suggests.

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