Anal torture is the BDSM practice of inflicting pain or pleasure-pain through anal stimulation. A dominant leads an anal torture scene and stimulates the anus of a submissive person or slave. Anal torture is a type of anal play. It is sometimes called anus torture or ass torture.
Anal Torture as a BDSM Practice
Dominants can inflict BDSM ass torture with a variety of sex toys designed to penetrate the anus, everyday items and their own bodies. While penetration is a common element of anal torture, it is not essential. Dominants may choose to stimulate the area around the anus without penetrating it. This prolonged stimulation can be a kind of torture for submissives longing for penetration. Dominants may incorporate other BDSM techniques into a torture anal scene, including bondage, blindfolding and spanking, to heighten the sensations the submissive feels and further assert the dominant’s authority.
Anal torture is generally considered to be more intense and painful than other types of anal play. However, anal torture can also be pain-free, as it is in sensual domination. For example, a dominant may stimulate their submissive’s anus with a feather. This stimulation doesn’t hurt, but it can be torturous for a submissive who feels turned on and is longing for more intense stimulation.
Members of the BDSM community may use anal torture to reinforce their relationship roles. Torture may be an element of anal punishment or part of a regular scene. A dominant feels powerful as they torture their submissive’s anus in whatever way, and for however long, they see fit. While an ethical dominant will never abuse their submissive or take advantage of them, knowing that they could can be intensely arousing. At the same time, the submissive feels vulnerable as they must submit to their dominant’s will. It can be incredibly arousing for the submissive to hand over control of their anus to their dominant; withstanding the torture can be a good way to show they are an excellent submissive.
While BDSM anal torture may be intense, it should never become abusive. If it does, then it becomes assault, and consent is not a reasonable defense in the eyes of the law. Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Dominants and submissives in committed relationships may push these boundaries during anal torture scenes in private, confident that their partner will not truly degrade or hurt them. According to Cassie Mørch, a sex and BDSM/kink expert at BedBible.com with experiences in the BDSM community, when anal torture is done right, it will not cross ethical lines.
“While it is in fact called anal ‘torture’ within the BDSM community, this practice has very little to do with actual torture. ‘Torture’ is often used, in the BDSM community, to refer to certain practices that often will involve intense pain or extreme sensations. These extreme practices are, however, always part of consensual agreements made beforehand,” she said. “Consent in the world of BDSM is often built after the FRIES model. Consent should always be Freely Given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, and Specific. So, when it comes to practices like anal torture, any and every action that takes place in your session will be enthusiastically performed and received by all parties. The extreme pain and ‘torturous’ aspects of the session will be something that’s highly desired by the receiver.
“Even in scenarios involving CNC (consensual non-consent) dynamics, this extreme power play will then be a desired part of the scene. Every aspect of the practice has to stay within the boundaries of anyone involved in the scene. It is only when something deliberately crosses those boundaries that certain BDSM practices can turn into something unsafe and dangerous. Essentially, any extreme BDSM practices done right will never enter this space of potentially violating any human rights.”
