Consent and its Place in SM Sex At first the sting of the whip, and the reddening of her ass felt wonderful, but Carrie knew that the pain would soon become unbearable, despite her stating "refrigerator," her "safe" word. . . Carrie's example shows us how important consent is in SM, or rather sado- masochism sex play. The most obvious reason consent is important in SM play is the risk of injury and the potential for unwanted danger is avoided. In addition, with understood consent, trust is developed, making the experience more enjoyable to the participants. Reasons for non-consenting play do exist, however these occ