In episode 33, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dulcinea Pitagora about what marks the difference between abuse versus consensual kink in a relationship.

Many believe that because BDSM is founded upon consent, communication, and negotiation that abuse cannot make its way into a kinky relationship. However, just like vanilla relationships, BDSM dynamics are not immune to the possibility of abuse. It can sometimes be even harder to identify abuse in kink-oriented relationships. It is extremely important to be able to identify this (sometimes very fine) line between consensual BDSM and abuse. To talk about this distinction, we sat down with Dulcinea Pitagora, aka The Kink Doctor.
About Our Guest
Dulcinea Pitagora holds a Master of Arts in Psychology from the New School for Social Research, a Master of Social Work from New York University, a Master of Education from Widener University, and is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and doctoral candidate at Widener University’s PhD program in clinical sexology. Pitagora has a psychotherapy/sex therapy practice in NYC working with individuals, couples, and multiple partners that is trans-, poly-, kink-, and sex work-affirmative. Pitagora is an adjunct professor of sexual health at New York University; has published articles in peer-reviewed journals; and presented at conferences on the topics of alternative sexuality and gender diversity. Pitagora conducts research, lectures, and seminars pertaining to these communities; is the founder of ManhattanAlternative.com, an alternative lifestyle affirmative provider listing; and is a co-organizer of the AltSex NYC Conference. Pitagora is Kink Doctor in the Web series by the same name.