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available through
www.artofbdsm.com
Reviewed by Julian Robinson
(10/05/05)
"Soon she was brought to orgasm by the stimulation of pressure points on her neck. For the next hour or so, I varied using my tongue, fingers, and teeth to apply pressure and arouse her, never once touching her below her breasts. I have no clue how many orgasms she had; there was no way of counting."
The passage above does not derive from a work of implausible erotic fiction. It relates a true-life encounter between a modern master of acupressure and a complete stranger who requested a demonstration after he gave a BDSM workshop in North Carolina.
Author FifthAngel may not be a demigod, but he'll be happy to take you to heaven and hell, often on the same trip. His diabolical versatility is evident in the titles of the seminars he presents at leather conferences from coast to coast:
"Awakening the Sadist Within"
"SM Arts and Crafts: Suturing and Stapling"
"Hands-On Invasive Medical Play"
"Injections and Infusions"
"The Primeval Art of Firecupping"
"The Gentle Art of Kicking, Punching, and Takedowns"
"Knives and Swords"
"Combining Martial Arts and the Art of BDSM"
And "The Finer Points of Pain and Pleasure," his class on the recreational stimulation of acupoints (pressure points), which has proven so popular that he turned it into this elegantly designed, illustrated, and edited manual, which might have been subtitled Shiatsu for Fun and Punishment. Here you'll learn where to press (and how and why) if you're interested in evoking exquisite sensations in aid of physical, emotional, sexual, and spiritual catharsis; using only your fingertips, or an arsenal of implements limited only by your imagination -- chopsticks work great. Even electricity or heat (moxibustion) can be used to stimulate acupoints.
FifthAngel's extensive martial arts training and study of its underlying Asian cultures and Eastern philosophies led him to take a new direction fulfilling his destiny as a sexual sadist -- a sexual sadist who's never lacking a long line of masochists eager to sample his talents. His Western medical training and experience as a critical care nurse assure his victims and students of the safety of his methods, as well as prove that his teachings are not opposed to the Western model of human physiology, but integrated with it. Health issues and emotional landmines inherent in this type of play are thoroughly explained in the text.
He provides an uncommonly brisk and clear historical survey of acupuncture, from a 1500-year-old Chinese text to President Nixon's visit to China (during which acupuncture was demonstrated as surgical anesthesia), to modern scientific observations that acupoints are singularities in the body's electromagnetic field.
Spirit, our inner drive, and Ki, the Japanese term for the vital energy by which it flows, are always central to understanding these techniques and their practice: "The focus and concentration of the spirit is what separates a simple flogging from an intense and sensual dance." Ki flows along meridians near the surface of the body. Acupoints are where this flow can be altered by exerting pressure, similar to valves along a pipeline. Whether we're talking about life force or electromagnetic flux, "The point is that it works!"
Acupoints can be stimulated to promote healing, agony, or intense pleasure. When pressing with a sharp-pointed tool, such as an acupuncture needle, precision is key. "Gradations as small as one sixteenth of an inch can make the difference between pain and pleasure." Blunter objects cause sensations to vary more gradually. If your fingers are getting tired, try using your knuckles, elbows, the heel of your hand, or the ball of your foot. (Or the spike heel of your shoe, but gently; those things can really hurt.)
The book concludes with well-drawn roadmaps (illustrations by Devin Wilson) and tourist guides pinpointing the location of 75 popular pressure points. Here we ascertain a major advantage of acupoint play over traditional BDSM impact sports. Acupoints may be stimulated all over the body, including areas you'd never want to strike with a paddle or a whip: under the tongue, the back of the neck, the knee, fingers and toes, the clitoris, the scrotal sack. Imagine the possibilities.
One of the most intriguing and innovative BDSM how-tos to come down the pike in quite a while, The Finer Points of Pain and Pleasure lends a whole new meaning to "Touch me there!"
