BDSM emblem

BDSM is a complex acronym derived from the terms extreme bondage and rough discipline, dominance and extreme submission, sadism and masochism. Extreme BDSM includes a wide spectrum of activities and forms of interpersonal relationships. While not ever overtly sexual in nature, the activities and relationships within a extreme BDSM context are almost always eroticized by the participants in some fashion. A lot of these practices fall outside of commonly held social norms regarding sexuality and human relationships.

Many activities can be found under the umbrella of extreme BDSM, which include - but are not limited to — forms of dominance, extreme submission, strict discipline, punishment, sexy bondage, sexual roleplaying, sexual fetishism, sadomasochism, and force exchange, as very well as the full spectrum of mainstream personal and sexual interactions.

An critical distinction is that rough BDSM is not a form of sexual abuse - although some extreme BDSMM activities may appear to be violent or coercive, such activities are conducted with the consent of all partners involved. Extreme BDSM relationships and practices are exercised under the philosophy of "safe, sane and consensual", or the somewhat more permissive philosophy of "risk-aware consensual kink".

Activities and relationships within a extreme BDSM context are characterized by the fact that the participants normally take on complementary, only unequal, roles. Typically, participants who are active – applying the activity or exercising control over others – are known as tops or Dominants. Those participants who are recipients of the activities, or who are controlled by their partners, are typically known as bottoms or submissives. Individuals who move between top/hard dominant roles and bottom/extreme submissive roles – either periodically within a relationship, or from relationship to relationship – are known as S/switches.

Extreme BDSM is frequently practiced within the context of a limited and defined encounter known as a rough BDSM scene. Such scenes often have ritualistic aspects, complete with modes of behavior, forms of address, codes of conduct, dress codes, and a lot of other aspects of theater and role playing. As such encounters are frequently – but not always – at least partly sexual in nature, people outside of rough BDSM have a tendency to view it as a form of (kinky sex).

Some participants incorporate aspects of extreme BDSM into their daily relationship with their partner, especially those who practice dominance and extreme submission or force exchange. For these individuals, rough BDSM is part of their lifestyle and in roughly discussions is referred to as (The Lifestyle).