Stockroom University: Cate Osborn on Neurodivergence, Kink, and Sensation

It's taken a long time for discussion about the roles — and challenges — that neurodivergences like autism and ADHD play in BDSM communities. The hesitation is understandable; mainstream society already likes to characterize kink as arising from mental illness, abuse, or "abnormality." Thanks to the stigma around neurodivergence, bringing it up in the context of bondage, impact play, or other kink practices can serve as just one more way to dismiss kink as something for people who are "weird" or "damaged."

Cate Osborn is one of the few people you can find online who's consistently bringing up how ADHD and autism interact with kink — both its challenges and why the negotiation and structure in BDSM might be especially attractive.

Her combination of serious insight and playful humor has not only gotten her millions of followers on social media, but a writing gig at Playboy and she has a forthcoming book, The ADHD Field Guide for Adults.

Even better than all that, she's coming to teach at Stockroom University this month. Cate will be presenting a special two-part class titled Sensory-Centered Intimacy on July 5 and 26.

The first class is essentially going to be a primer, or as Cate says,a kind of science-oriented "TED Talk" about sensory issues, and how they might show up in neurodivergence — or BDSM. In kink terms, think of it as an exploration of why one person needs stingy impact, and another needs thuddy, and how to include that in your play.

The second (July 26), is more practical and hands-on, with Cate showing you how to apply the insights from the first using some gear from our own store and look at the differences. As Cate told us in our Q&A, the differences matter:

There's such a difference between a lightweight flogger and a really heavy flogger. There's a really big difference between just straight leather cuffs and cuffs that are lined, or silk cuffs, that kind of thing. and sometimes people are surprised to say, “Oh, well, I've only ever had that kind,” “I've never gotten the opportunity to try something else.” And you discover that actually, there's this whole other world of stuff that is more comfortable.

Of course, no one can explain all this better than Cate, so check out the video above to hear her explain the classes herself.