Heart of Persephone wrote:
What was the reason you became a Dom? What was the driving force, to take on such a role?
I've been thinking about this for three weeks.
The way you frame the question is difficult. I can't agree that I "became" a Dom. I realized it. There were driving forces that lead me to the realization, though.
One was church. Traditional, Biblical gender roles in which the man is HoH (head of household) and his wife's "covering" imply a D/s dynamic. I don't do church anymore, but it had a lot of bearing on the type of Dom I am. When it comes to sex, the Bible teaches mutual consent, but in everything else, the husband is held responsible as HoH and therefore in charge. His wife gets under his "covering" and submits to him, so he can care for, provide for, and protect her. I learned dominance as care, responsibility, and order, more than power and control.
I realized I like sexual dominance after my Christian wife and I separated. Lonely, I got onto a sex chat site one night and played with a submissive. Wow! It was the ultimate sexual pleasure for me. What's more, I found an outlet for my sadistic streak. That's how I began learning what being dominant is in the BDSM world.
I'm still learning. I've been with three subs for more than short term. The longest was three years. I've had a few short encounters, a couple of mistakes, and a ton of online relationships. I haven't quite found the piece to my puzzle, though.
While church influenced my dominance, my sadistic streak comes from being exposed to a lot of violence at an early age. I've struggled accepting that part of me. Rage was deep seeded in me at an early age. It's hard-wired. I was lucky after my parents divorced that my mother worked for the National Park Service and I spent my adolescence growing up in National Parks. Nature soothes the beast in me and religion restrained me from that side of myself for a long time.
However when I finally had the opportunity to act out on my sadistic urges, I found the cathartic release of spanking butts, pulling hair, and twisting titties liberating. I mean, I'm not too crazy, not a "fucked in the head sadist" like someone described here. I owe that to being lucky enough to learn from experienced masochists. I let the sadist out slowly, deliberately and methodically. I've learned to measure pain in mindful connection with the one who savors it to prolong and build the intensity.
That said, I need the tender side of affection, too. If I had to choose a sub who's affectionate, but not a masochist, or one who's a masochist but not affectionate, I'd choose the affectionate, tender sub and repress my sadistic urges. I need a deep emotional connection with lots of hugs and kisses more than I need someone to take my pain.
I've always been dominant to some extent. Even as a child, I've wanted to be on top, whether it was in the classroom, on the sports field, or the playground. As a teenager, I moved ten times and fought to establish myself in the pecking order when I came to a new school. Competing in sports helped. I excelled in sports In all the high schools I attended. I held positions of leadership on sports teams too as well as on my high school and college newspapers. In my adult life I coached, led church ministries, and as director of special programs supervised and trained staff .
Again, I don't think Dom is something I became. I did choose a more formal and informed way of dominance, though, by identifying with and joining the BDSM community, but in or out of it, I am what I am. The BDSM community helps me understand more about who I am and to be better at who I am. Yeah, I'd like to find the piece to my puzzle, too. I'm getting old, though, and a lot less desperate to be in another relationship. I'm in a place in my life now where I don't need someone to be happy, but I'd jump on someone who could make me happier