SubSpace.

Subspace is a very personal thing… even to a Master and a sub together the experience seems to be very different, due to the roles each has within achieving it.
One of the most important things to stress to anyone who may be involved in taking another to subspace is safety. The fact that an individual trusts enough to submit their well-being and safety to another is responsibility enough but when that person is in a state where they have little or no control, and are absolutely open to whatever another may wish to inflict upon them is awesome. As one who has held the gift of that submission, I cannot tell you just how powerful that makes me. At no time will I ever forget that her safety is paramount. I will never do anything at all that compromises that. Nor should anyone. Remember that there are times in subspace when a safeword cannot be used. The sub is often so far away that they have no control over their actions at all. That is why the safety of the sub is totally in the hands of the Dom. I urge all those who find themselves in this position never to forget this.

I have watched my cleo carefully, and although one can tell when sub is "flying" as it were, the reactions and specifics are not always the same. One has to be mindful of this, and expect the unexpected from the sub. We don't always know quite where we are going. Be ready for all eventualities.

So what is "Sub Space" or "Head Space" as it is also called?
Subspace is a reaction that is a response to intense stimulation, and is at least partly related to biochemical changes (endorphin release, for example) triggered by physical and emotional stimulation. The sub is very aware, in general, of how they got there and that something major happened, though they may not be able to recall details and generally don't remember much of what occurred while they were in subspace.
Subspace is an altered state of awareness, one that varies from person to person but in which one's awareness is changed considerably. Some submissives become so wrapped up in the feelings, to the point that they become unaware of anything else (their surroundings, their individuality, time); others shut off completely, entering a dreamlike state in which they are no longer in control of their actions.
During a scene as the sub concentrates on absorbing each touch of their Master's hand, crop, or cane, they become carried away on the high that is created by the attention, the pain, and the feelings of total submission and trust. As they relax into the scene, fully trusting in the skill of the one they are playing with, with no concern for their safety, the body's natural chemicals kick in, in response to the stimuli. As the stimulation is increased, the body tenses, the breathing becomes deeper, faster; that's when the adrenaline rush happens and the endorphins take over. Talk about flying!
Depending on the speed at which one gets there, and the intensity of the high, there seem to be several almost unmanageable factors that one needs to be aware of. Things like how far into subspace has she gone, how well is she reacting to it, are there any physiological signs that should be noticed? Things like breathing rate, sounds, sweating, the possibility of fitting should all be in the mind at this time.

If you have a good relationship and know what "makes your sub tick" as it were, and providing she is prepared to take the journey, achieving subspace is possible reasonably easily…however…a note of caution. In each journey into subspace every little nuance of the sub must be watched, and noted…as the unmanageable may always come to the fore…The application of stimuli is really twofold. There is of course the sexual one, achieved through stimulation in erogenous areas. Allied to this we then have the D/s stimuli; separate and distinct I feel, but equally as important. These D/s stimuli might be pain, bondage, removal of senses (such as blindfolding), along with the use of other sensory factors like ice, heat or similar, as well as equally important ones like use of voice, and sounds. The dilemma is to achieve a good balance between them all. It is important that the sexual stimulation is there, but the journey into subspace would probably not happen successfully without the D/s as well.

It is also essential that you know your partner well as their reactions are vitally important. Once the lift to subspace is achieved one then has to decide just how long to stay there. Providing the sub is willingly taken there, Master then has the control and power to prolong the journey or not. It is worth remembering though that once in this state the sub will not simply drop out of subspace if stimuli are not applied. Similarly when in subspace, fewer stimuli are needed to keep sub there as are required to get there in the first place.

The levels of subspace, once achieved seem to follow a regular pattern, allowing for the odd unexpected blip, when things don't go as expected. The massive high comes first, as subspace is reached, and then a settling into a euphoric state, where communication is impossible. I liken them to some kind of hallucinogenic trance.

For those of us who use computers the best analogy seems to be a "run time error". Open too many windows at once, and although the pc still works, externally there is no user control. Individual programs don't work, or do silly things. The processor just cannot handle simultaneously all the stuff it is being asked to do…so it goes into a shutdown or standby mode. All the windows are still open; it's just that we cannot do anything with them.

Again I would like to stress that throughout the subspace experience the submissive has little or no control over their actions. It is therefore so important to be aware of this. If they encounter a problem or get into difficulty remember they will not be able to help themselves. Their trust has been placed in the Dom/me and therefore if action is needed we should not hesitate to take it. However drastic this may be, the safety of the sub must always come first. This is not a debatable point.

There is one other issue that is worth mentioning here: again which seems to manifest itself in many different ways, and that is sub drop. There is a separate article about my experiences regarding sub drop, but I will say that when dealing with the emotions at the levels and intensity that D/s and BDSM can create the coming down from that intensity can be traumatic sometimes. Again the Dom/me has to be aware of this, and further thoughts are discussed in greater detail elsewhere.

© D/s Seekers