BDSM FAQ: Your Antidote to Fifty Shades of Grey

Microcosm bestseller Dr. Faith is a counselor who helps a lot of people figure out their big questions in life. And one of the biggest ones she gets, like all the time, is from people who saw or read 50 Shades and think "that sounds hot AF" and want to try out some of the stuff in it but don't know where to start. Or they're worried about what it says about them that they think it sounds sexy to get tied up or tie up their partner. Or they want to do it and their partner doesn't or vice versa.  So she wrote this guide answering all her most frequently asked questions about BDSM—which, by the way, stands for a few different things, including Bondage & Discipline, Domination & Submission, Sadism & Masochism. There's a lot of other lifestyle lingo in there too, and science-based knowledge about kink play and why people are into it, and a ton of good, solid advice for deciding if and how to explore this side of your sexuality. At the end, there's a little life snippet from an anonymous friend who describes healthy and unhealthy BDSM relationships she's experienced and seen. This is all essential stuff to know, whether you've been trying this out on your own casually, are starting to get into a scene, or even if you're just curious what it's all about! Be safe, respect yourself and others, and communicate, communicate, communicate!