Play therapy for adults? : exploring the lived experience of local kink practitioners

Abstract

This study investigated the lived experiences of four local kink practitioners (kinksters), each with a history of trauma utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants were recruited using purposive sampling. Data was collected through audio recorded semi-structured interviews. Findings showed how for participants kink activities functioned as a context for reclaiming autonomy and practicing consent literacy, transferable into everyday life. Participants described kink as a vital space for somatic regulation, providing opportunities to navigate bodily presence and manage traumatic dissociation through structured kink practices. Furthermore, participant experiences demonstrated that through kink activities they are able to rehearse and reconstruct parts of their identity re-authoring narratives of powerlessness into experiences of negotiated vulnerability. Central to these experiences was the presence of ethical scaffolding, where explicit communication and community safeguards facilitated harm reduction within a small-island context. Collectively, these findings challenge pathological assumptions by suggesting that, for some survivors, kink becomes a site of relational repair and embodied confidence. Implications are outlined for Maltese counselling practice, including the need for kink-aware, trauma-informed, and queer-affirmative training, reflexive supervision around sexuality and power, and assessment practices that differentiate consensual kink from abuse.