BDSM is commonly seen as simply being about rope bondage, torture, sex, The Story Of O, and leather-clad dominatrices. When it's portrayed in books and media the focus is often on individual and intense experiences with little attention to any relationships the participants may have with each other. Certainly in some cases BDSM may only be a minor thread running through an otherwise ordinary relationship, but for some people BDSM can be a major and necessary part of their lives with their partner. The term BDSM is an acronym which stands for Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, and Masochism and Sadism. The scope of BDSM is much larger than this simple acronym suggests, and the sorts of desires and needs which it can help satisfy are typically much more expansive than most people realise. In book one of the BDSM Relationships series, Peter Masters looks at the principles and psychology behind both BDSM and particularly the relationships which BDSM practitioners have with each other. He describes three pillars which can be used to understand the nature of, and to understand problems related to such relationships. While for many people who practice BDSM it's limited to occasional bedroom escapades involving fluffy handcuffs, dripping candle wax, or some light bondage play with rope, for others it may be a vital form of self-expression or may be something which they want or need to have outside the bedroom as well as in. It's important to understand the nature of BDSM and the sorts of wants and needs it can help satisfy. In addition, being able to construct a solid foundation on which a longer-term BDSM can be supported is vital if the relationship is to have any longevity. This book looks at the fundamentals of BDSM relationships, at what underpins them and supports them, and what can undercut them and cause them to collapse. It examines misconceptions and tries to display the "bigger picture" of BDSM, showing how many of the common needs and desires we all have can be met in a BDSM relationship with a supportive partner. The book also looks that the different sorts of people who get involved in BDSM, the roles they may adopt with each other and how these roles help them get their own wants and needs met and how they contribute to the satisfaction and pleasure of their partner.