So What Exactly is a Primal Fetish?

Get ready to unleash your wild side...

- Megan Wallace

Ever like getting a little ~wild~ in the bedroom? Turns out, you are not alone. If you are into things like grunting and consensual biting or scratching while you are having sex, you may well have a primal fetish aka a primal kink.

For those who are reading at home, keep reading for everything you need to know about primal play, according to UK-based Dr Lori Beth Bisbey, an Accredited Advanced GSRD (Gender, Sex, Relationship Diversity) Therapist, sex and intimacy coach, and registered psychologist. Additionally, UK-based Dr Laura Vowels, principal researcher and sex therapist at sex therapy app Blueheart gives advice on how beginners can start to experiment with primal play.

WHAT IS A PRIMAL FETISH?

The word ‘primal’ harks back to an earlier stage in human development, which may translate to a more instinct-based or even animalistic approach to having sex for those with a primal kink. “A primal kink or fetish involves gaining sexual pleasure through engaging in a primal way,” explains Dr Lori. “The primal part of the brain is responsible for survival, so it is supposed that our basic instincts towards finding food, self protection, and reproduction are the ones that are primal.”

The term can apply to a range of behaviour which may include some form of animal play (this isn’t the case for everyone) perhaps involving large predators, noises like grunts or animal sounds, and consensual ‘rough’ sex, where biting, hair-pulling, consensual hitting or scratching may feature. The latter may appeal to individuals who enjoy sadist and masochistic sexual activities.