Shibari for Depression

I felt depressed, really depressed. It was one of those days when everything seemed gray, old, and meaningless. My friends took me out for a girl’s night. Even that didn’t seem to be enough to lift my spirits. We decided to try something different, and we ended up in a Shibari performance show. I didn’t believe I could use Shibari for depression.

I had no idea what Shibari was. That is, I had heard about this Japanese kink of tying your partner. And, of course, me and my boyfriend had used handcuffs and ropes a couple of times in bed. But this was something completely different. First of all, a woman took the stage and explained to the audience that rope bondage is not always a sexual thing.

Actually, while Kinbaku is more clearly related to sex, Shibari can be done for aesthetic pleasure, or just for growing a stronger relationship among partners. Moreover, this was way more complex than using handcuffs or having your boyfriend tie you to bed with one of his ties. There was a whole technique to it. And there was not just a power exchange, but also a deep emotional interaction among the rigger and the bottom. I even learned that it doesn’t always have to be a boy ties girl thing, that there can be different combinations for a scene.

Then, the curtain opened, and we saw two women: one was the rigger, the other was the bottom. They were both very sexy and agile. The rigger tied the bottom slowly, explaining to the audience how each knot provided restrain, structure, and pleasure. She used ropes of different colors, to allow us to better appreciate her work. 

Next, the bottom was lifted a couple of feet above the floor. She looked motionless, as if frozen in time. And you could appreciate how each rope contributed to the shape, and how she worked her every muscle to achieve an overwhelming effect of harmony and beauty.

I forgot all my troubles there and then, and I swore to myself that one day I would be as free and as perfect as that woman frozen in time. That’s how I use Shibari for depression.

This is my Shibari story.