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Taken in Hand articles

Why would anyone want to be controlled by a man?

Tradition, feminism, Victoria and Albert

My husband's calm control makes me feel submissive

When you've seen a happy marriage with your own eyes...

Being Taken In Hand doesn't mean being silent

Effect positive change by acting as if...

Is he driving you mad?

Domestic discipline (DD)

Women who take responsibility for their own actions

Dominance, integrity and needing to feel superior

What causes contrition and crying?

This man's authority just IS

Don't wait too long to tell her

Human alpha, beta, and omega males: the reality

An iron hand in a velvet glove

He isn't interested in or capable of taking you in hand?

The night that changed our marriage for ever

Finding a good man

Each to his own

Keeping the lines of communication open

Are you paying attention? Are you really connecting?

Make each other feel the luckiest person alive!

It is working as advertised!

Taken In Hand accolades

“[S]ince the day I [discovered Taken In Hand] I have rediscovered my feminity.”
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“[Taken In Hand is] a necessary read... Very complex, lots of power shifts, combining respect with pain, and pleasure. Domination roles. Submissive roles. The whole shebang. I'm glad I found it.”
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“Taken In Hand... is the name of a website that I discovered less than two years ago and which made a big difference to my life. It made me understand what it was I wanted and helped me to come to terms with my own feelings and gave me the impetus to talk seriously to my husband about our relationship for the first time ever really. The site is about male-led relationships which do not necessarily have to involve spanking. The owner of the site is more interested in other aspects of male control. There are a lot of interesting articles on the site.”
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“[I]n Taken In Hand, I am enhancing and extending my power as a woman, and enriching my life and personality. I give up NOTHING, and gain the world.... [M]y perception of Taken In Hand is that there are few other venues that can compare for teaching men the responsible, healthy uses of power. It gives men skills and confidence they can use not just in their sexual relationships, but also with their children, in their professions, and out in the community. Taken In Hand requires a far higher level of courage, sacrifice, responsibility, and personal integrity than many so-called ‘doms’ will even think to aspire to.”
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woman. [T]hen I stumbled onto the Taken in Hand website. I have never felt such relief, such internal peace in my life. This whole idea of being loved and trusting enough in another to place my, his and our well-being into his hands was exactly what I have been searching for my whole life. I spent 16 hours just reading... It is like a huge weight has lifted off my shoulders.”
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“There are lots of websites for people in the BDSM, D/s, DD (domestic discipline) and spanking communities. There are websites for people who belong to religions that advocate male-head-of-household marriage. There are even websites for Christians who are interested in BDSM. But there are very few websites for people who are interested in male-led intimate relationships but who are not interested in all that the above communities associate with this kind of relationship (jargon, clothes, etc.)
Some of us don't even like thinking of this as a lifestyle. [...]
If you are interested in this kind of relationship but are not interested in BDSM or D/s or DD or spanking websites, there's a new website for you: Taken In Hand”
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“As I view it, I'm a control freak. I love to be in control. However, I fantasize about that control being stripped from me and handed over to someone else....namely, my husband. I'm just glad I found a site that makes me realize I'm not a freak for wanting to be dominated”
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Women who take responsibility for their own actions

On Taken In Hand there are many articles whose aim is to alert women to the dangers involved in entering a non-equal relationship. I see so many horror stories on the internet, in real life, and even, I fear, sometimes here on Taken In Hand too, that I feel a responsibility to warn single Taken In Hand women about the narcissistic self-serving predators they are likely to attract. This is also why I stress so often that it is essential that the man in a Taken In Hand relationship must have it quite clear in his mind that the Taken In Hand relationship should please both persons, not just him.

But men face dangers in a Taken In Hand relationship too, and it is helpful, if you are a single man seeking a Taken In Hand relationship, to be aware of the dangers and more importantly, aware of how to minimise those dangers. If you are a single woman seeking a Taken In Hand relationship, understanding what you are asking of the man might make it easier to be a bit more patient than some of us feel. You also need to take full responsibility for your actions.

Whatever kind of Taken In Hand relationship you have or want to have, there are dangers to be aware of. Any time one person has control or power over the other, there is a risk that the person being controlled will not in fact enjoy the fact that she lacks control. But assuming that the man is a good man who loves the woman and wants her to be happy, he will himself find it distressing if his control of the woman does not promote her happiness. The man in a Taken In Hand relationship is not a monster or a narcissist: he really wants his woman to be happy.

If the relationship involves violence, such as spanking, whipping, or any other kind of violence or other SM activities, the dangers are all the greater. There may be some dangers for the woman, but the dangers for the man need to be kept in mind too. In many jurisdictions, any SM/violence is illegal, whether or not it is contenting, and being prosecuted might well ruin a man's life.

Women need to keep this in mind. If they want a man to risk having his life ruined with a terrible criminal prosecution, they had better be worth it. And they should bend over backwards to minimise this risk for the man.

In a Taken In Hand relationship involving violence (yes, obviously that is consensual or it would not be a Taken In Hand relationship, it would be abuse) the woman must take full responsibility for her own actions. She must take responsibility for her own physical and psychological risk.

If you are a man considering whether or not to risk being violent with your woman, ask yourself whether she understands the physical and psychological risks, and whether she is prepared to take responsibility for them. Especially if there is an element of consensual non-consent involved, the chances are that no matter how well-meaning and careful the man is, at some point there will be a mistake, and the woman will have a bad experience. If she does not understand and expect this to happen, the woman has no business asking the man to engage with her in this way. And the man would be crazy to accede to her request for spanking (or whatever other SM/violent activity she wants). If the woman does not understand that occasionally, the man will do the wrong thing, and she will bear the brunt of the adverse consequences, again, she is not safe to engage with in this way.

We have to take responsibility for our own risk. If you choose to engage in physically or psychologically risky behaviour, you cannot put all the responsibility on the other person. You could choose to have a non-violent conventional relationship. If you want a Taken In Hand relationship, and especially if you want a violent relationship, you are responsible for your own risk.

When something bad happens, what will you do? Run to the police? Throw a tantrum? Turn into a Fatal Attraction bunny boiler type? Sulk? Or will you deal with it, forgive your man, and get on with your life together?

If you are wondering why anything bad ever has to happen, then in my opinion, you are currently not realistic enough to be in a Taken In Hand relationship. Human beings make mistakes. Human beings misjudge things. Human beings do the wrong thing – even really good people. You cannot expect a man to perfectly judge every situation. If you are in a Taken In Hand relationship, there will be occasions in which you suffer unfortunate consequences that you really hate or that make you really distressed at the time. That is the price you pay for the intensity of a Taken In Hand relationship: it is risky. There are dangers.

If you are a man with the kind of woman who thinks that the man has all the responsibility and that he will be to blame if anything goes wrong, my advice to you is either to end the relationship and find someone who understands her responsibility for her own risk, or do not engage in anything that might possibly be deemed illegal.

If you are a man seeking a hardcore Taken In Hand relationship with violence and consensual non-consent, pick your woman very carefully. Your freedom depends on it. Do not rush into a relationship. Take your time. Get to know the woman very well before you start taking legal risks (i.e., engaging in any kind of violence or consensual non-consent).

Do not start engaging violently until you have got to know the woman well enough to have discovered her faults and how she behaves when she is stressed or in an argument with you. People can seem very nice and charming and sane until something bad happens. Then you find out what they are really like under the superficial gloss. Know what she is really like before you do anything that could land you in court. Do not be bulldozed into acting in haste... Women: you just have to be patient. Think about what you are asking of him! Give it time!

It is not enough for you (the man) to know that the woman really wants you to take her in hand against her will and with violence. You need to be sure that she will not suddenly turn on you when what she has asked for turns out not to be what she wants in a particular situation. You need to be sure that she deeply believes in taking responsibility for her own actions and risks. You need to be sure that she understands that you are fallible and that on occasion you will make a mistake. You need to be sure that she strongly believes that it would be wrong of her to go to the police in the event that something bad were to happen as a consequence of the relationship she wants. You need to be sure that she feels strongly protective of you.

Yes, you need to be sure that she feels strongly protective of you, and that this does not change, Jekyll and Hyde style, when the two of you have a disagreement or fight of some kind.

Is she capable of being discreet? Is she the kind of woman who will blab to all and sundry about what you are doing to her? Does she understand that careless talk costs lives? If you think that the woman you are considering entering a Taken In Hand relationship with might be indiscreet, you would be a fool to risk entering into a relationship with this woman. Find one who is capable of discretion. Find a woman who believes in keeping the private sphere very private. Such a woman is far less likely to cause a problem down the line.

The woman needs to have considerable maturity. This does not mean she has to be chronologically older. It means that she needs to have enough psychological strength and autonomy and self-esteem and good sense and rationality not to be permanently harmed in the event that something goes wrong. As a man, you have some responsibility here to check that the woman you are thinking of having a relationship with can handle it. Be honest with yourself. Is this woman likely to be destroyed by this relationship? Or harmed in any way? Then obviously it would be wrong to have a relationship with her even if she wants you to very badly.

Both men and women beginning Taken In Hand relationships would do well to take their time and check how the other person behaves in a crisis or fight. If the other person is unable to apologise, or if the other person has a blaming, negative, hostile personality, the alarm bells should be deafening. We must all take responsibility for our own actions and for our own risks. And we had all better be able to handle it when something bad happens. Because it most assuredly will. That is the human condition. Deal with it!

the boss

Taken In Hand Tour start | next

Have you seen the following articles?
Is she afraid of losing control? Topping from the bottom?
An iron hand in a velvet glove
Do you have these vital qualities women want in a man?
Happy living in fear of a man?!
Is he head of the household?
Does it have to hurt to be Taken In Hand?
Taken In Hand relationships are hot and close
The hazards of self-sacrifice and impossible standards
Acts of love
Reaching out by offering yourself

2005 Aug 8 - 06:42 | login or register to post comments | latest article | previous article | next article | permanent link

reply

Yes, it's definitely best to know someone well before entering into such an arrangement! I'm just wondering what states might prosecute someone for engaging in this even if it's consensual! I can't imagine a man getting in trouble for spanking his wife when it's what she wants him to do!

by a Taken In Hand reader on 2005 Aug 8 - 12:57 | login or register to post comments

New York for One

But there are many other states, where consent is not a defense to a battery. And spanking is within the definition of a battery. So yes, a man who spanks his wife runs the risk of incarceration even if she is very happy about the whole thing. In practice, our jails are not full of guys who spank their wives, and it rarely becomes an issue. But it could.

It's not just that you have to trust your partner not to run to the police, though. The state has a right to intervene if they receive a call from concerned (or just plain nosy) neighbors, too.

"Pat"

by a Taken In Hand reader on 2005 Aug 8 - 16:55 | login or register to post comments

The Spanner Case

I don't know about husband and wives, but certainly people indulging in consensual sado-masochistic relationships can get prosecuted in the UK. There was a case here some years ago where a group of men who indulged in very extreme but entirely consensual Sado-masochism were prosecuted. They got incredibly savage prison sentences, at least one of them was sent down for five years, which is more than most murderers get here. I've never actually heard of a man here being prosecuted for whacking his wife with her consent, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised if it did happen.

by Louise C on 2005 Aug 8 - 19:27 | login or register to post comments

You must have read my mind

because for the past week, I've been thinking that an article along these lines would be most fitting for this site...as a warning and precaution, if nothing else.

I realize the case I mention is BDSM and not Taken In Hand, but recently a lawyer was prosecuted for abuse....he engaged in a consensual relationship with a girlfriend, whereby she asked for "rough sex". After he gave her that, she used it to press charges against him.

In America we have what is called the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), which on the surface SOUNDS well-meaning, but certain elements of society (the male-hating segment) uses this law to break up families, incarcerate innocent men, and take children away from families. I have seen too many cases where it happens. I personally think one goal is to make men suspicious of women so as to end normal relationships/break up the traditional family, and in America women have banded together to have this law changed to be more fair to men and families.

The law states that even if a woman ADMITS she called the police only so they can act as referees in an argument, the STATE is bound to press charges against the man anyway. IOW the woman cannot even stop the proceedings once she calls.

Men need to be very careful, and be sure to avoid any and all Taken In Hand or BDSM relationships with women who seem mentally or socially unstable in ANY way. Be sure you know her WELL first!

by BlueRose on 2005 Aug 8 - 20:27 | login or register to post comments

Germany

I can`t imagine that a man in Germany can get in trouble for spanking his wife with her consent. They are very open here about sexual activities. From what I`ve heard about the States though I can believe that they would make a big deal about it even if the woman wants it. Here somebody has to press charges first to get the other person in trouble. When I hear about cases were parents are arrested because they took a shower with their child than I`m glad I live in Germany. I take showers with my nine year old son all the time and my husband took showers with my daughters up until they were about eight. This is considered totally normal here and if a wife and husband say they`re happy with the way they live and not hurting anyone, the police has better things to do than to get them in trouble. Plus I`m pretty sure as long as it happens at home they couldn´t do anything about it because it would be interferring in their private life. And their is a law in Germany that behind your own walls you can live the kind of life you want to live as long as you`re not bothering anybody in the neighborhood.

Autumn

by Autumn on 2005 Aug 8 - 20:42 | login or register to post comments

The Spanner Case Was Awful

I understand even the bottoms were imprisoned for conspiring with their tops. Really a crazed decision. And yet under the law as it stands it was appropriate.

But to get back to the main topic here you have to trust your partner in any relationship but moreso in one where you are breaking the law (consensually though it may be).

On the other hand sometimes it isn't a mistake... sometimes it is a slide into abuse. You have to be able to tell the difference and react accordingly.

"Pat"

by a Taken In Hand reader on 2005 Aug 8 - 22:21 | login or register to post comments

Laws

Thank God I live in central Europe where the law about domestic violence has just been passed (after years) and it´s entirely democratic, no man-hate, unfortunately there´s not much effort to apply it...

Before the victim´s situation was very bad and there was no law to prosecute the offender.

by Anna Maria on 2005 Aug 10 - 09:12 | login or register to post comments

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