Domination & submission _ the BDSM relationship handbook ( PDFDrive )

subject. Anyone who has ever gotten a skinned knee as a child knows that even
a small abrasion can create some pretty intense sensations. Abrasion play
generally falls into two basic categories. There’s abrasion play that is done
purely for the sake of producing pain or sensitivity in a localized region, and
there’s the kind of abrasion play that is pleasurable or even therapeutic. Of
course, most masochists would argue that pain and sensitivity are the very
definition of pleasurable and therapeutic.
Similarly to heat and cold sensation play, abrasion play requires little or no
specialized equipment or toys. For the most part, the only thing needed is an
adequately rough surface to rub against your subject’s skin. Examples can
include sandpaper, steel wool, pot scrubbers, cleaning brushes, toothbrushes,
Emory boards, nail files, rasps, or even your own fingernails. The concept is
really quite simple: rub, rasp or scratch the subject’s skin until it becomes
sensitive, raw, or painful. This can be an end in itself, or a means to other ends,
such as serving as a precursor to impact play, violet wand play, or other
activities.
A therapeutic form of abrasion play that I happen to enjoy is one that is
practiced widely in Asia to treat aches and pains, chills, and various minor
illnesses. Since the practice lacks an English-language name that I’m aware of, I
simply refer to it as “coin striping.” It typically consists of having a subject lie
on his or her stomach, disrobed from the waist up. The Top takes a quarter, and
applies a small dab of mentholated oil or muscle rub (such as Ben Gay or Icy
Hot) to either the coin or to a spot on the subject’s back. Then, gripping the coin
firmly, he rubs the dab of liniment into the skin using the corrugated edge of the
quarter. The quarter is drawn repeatedly in a long steady motion across the skin
in one direction only, along the same path in such a way that, after about a dozen
passes, a bright red line begins to appear on the skin. Stop abrading that line
when it’s glowing red, but before it begins to rupture the skin. Choose another
spot about an inch from the first line, and repeat the process, creating another
parallel red stripe across the back in the same fashion. Continue until the entire
back is covered in glowing red stripes. The visual effect of the stripes can last
anywhere from one to four days, depending on the subject’s skin type and
resiliency.
Some people enjoy creating intricate and attractive patterns in this fashion. The
edge of the quarter forces the mentholated oils through the skin, and each stripe