Kink Isn’t a Symptom and Debunking the Trauma Myth
- Brainz Magazine
- Jun 20
- 4 min read
Written by Kellie Sheldon, Trauma and Sex Counsellor
Kellie Sheldon specialises in helping clients overcome childhood and complex trauma, as well as sexual difficulties, to find their voices. Using human connection and evidence-based frameworks like EMDR, she boldly addresses the shame and stigma around trauma and sex, promoting healing and empowerment in her practice.
You’ve heard the whisper: “My god, what is wrong with them!? Look at what they’re into, who would want to do that to themselves?”
Whether it’s impact play, restraint, roleplay, or control dynamics, kink still gets treated like a warning sign. Something people do because they’re damaged, a symptom of unresolved trauma.
Let’s name this for what it is: a myth.
Kink is not a trauma response. It is not a sign that someone is broken. And when we frame it that way, we’re not being protective, we’re being dismissive. We’re pathologising something that can be expressive, creative, healing, and deeply consensual.
Where the myth comes from
This belief is rooted in outdated psychology, cultural discomfort, and purity politics. It’s easier to assume “something must’ve gone wrong” than to understand how desire actually works.
But this narrative does harm. It tells people that their kink is only acceptable if it’s coming from trauma and even then, only if they’re actively trying to get rid of it.
It makes survivors question their agency. It tells curious adults that they’re unstable for wanting something other than missionary, and it reduces a complex, vibrant world of sexual expression into a red flag.
Yes, trauma survivors can be kinky, but that doesn’t mean kink is trauma
It’s true that some survivors of trauma, especially sexual trauma, are drawn to kink. But that doesn’t mean kink is an unhealthy coping mechanism. It means they’ve found a way to explore safety, power, control, or surrender in a space that’s structured and consensual.
Some people process trauma through kink. Others express joy through it.
Others just like it and that’s valid too.
Reclaiming control, reclaiming consent
For many survivors, kink is not about re-enactment. It’s about rewriting the story. Instead of being acted upon, they’re choosing. Instead of silence, there are safewords. Instead of powerlessness, there’s negotiation. They are directing the experience with awareness, intention, and boundaries.
That is not dysfunction. That is regulation, agency, and trust in motion.
Kink isn’t always about healing; sometimes it’s just about pleasure
Not every kink is connected to trauma. Kink is not even ‘just’ about sex. Some people are drawn to sensory play, restraint, or role reversal because it turns them on. That’s it. We don’t ask people to justify why they like vanilla sex. We shouldn’t require a backstory to enjoy anything else.
Desire is allowed to be, desire.
So what does safe, healthy kink look like?
It looks like communication. It looks like boundaries.
It looks like people are checking in with themselves and with each other. It looks like aftercare, trust, and clarity.
It doesn’t always look gentle.
It does and has to feel safe, because safety isn’t about how something appears from the outside. It’s about what’s been chosen on the inside.
The kinkWISE framework
In therapy, I use a framework called kinkWISE to support clients exploring kink, BDSM, or power dynamics without shame. It includes:
Wisdom: Education about kink, the nervous system, and trauma responses.
Integration: Allowing kink to be part of one’s whole identity, not something split off or hidden.
Safety: Emotional and physical safety through consent, language, and attunement.
Empowerment: Making sure clients feel in control of their desires, not at war with them.
We also work through a cycle I call Education, Experimentation, Endurance. You learn, you try, you reflect, and you build capacity over time. It’s not a performance. It’s a process.
If you’ve been wondering if something’s wrong with you
There’s nothing wrong with being turned on by structure, intensity, or surrender. There’s nothing shameful about liking what you like. And if you’ve lived through trauma, you still get to have a full and free sexual life, including kink, if it feels right for you.
You don’t have to explain it. You don’t have to fix it.
You just get to own it, on your terms.
Read more from Kellie Sheldon
Kellie Sheldon, Trauma and Sex Counsellor
Kellie Sheldon specilises in helping her clients move through childhood, complex trauma, and sexual difficulties to find their voices. She uses psychodynamic (exploration of childhood), the body, emotions, and memories to remove the shame and stigma that is often found around complex trauma and sexualities.
Her university education, as well as practice-based evidence, has led Kellie on a mission to work with clients in a unique way that empowers her clients to find their lost voices and build a life of joy and resilience. Her bold methods of working attract those who are tired of living in the shadows.
