Apologies for coming off very ignorant with this post, but I do come from a place of curiosity and wanting to learn. For so long I didn’t think there was a lot of depth to this BDSM dom/sub stuff but lately I’ve noticed some things in lightly lurking this sub and other subs. There seems to be somewhat of an emphasis on there being relationships with development(contained within the roles and the BDSM itself) and sometimes it seems to be to the degree of almost a full on romantic relationship but also not? I also notice talks of self development and improvement in life outside of the BDSM? Like not only are people having the fantasies fulfilled but also people being pushed and encouraged for self growth all around? Is that part of the kink or is it possible to have the relationships as a helping tool in genuine self-improvement? I understand using relationships and heavily relying on someone else for improving your own life can quickly be toxic but perhaps there’s an angle to this I’ve never considered. What’s yall’s experience and expert opinions on this?