What Is the CBT Fetish and What Does It Have to Do With BDSM?

CBT is well known to psychologists, but it has also a far kinkier meaning — BDSM CBT or Cock and Ball Torture. Our own Sienna Saint-Cyr shares her experiences as a mistress engaging in CBT, along with what you should know before exploring it yourself. 

 

But First Things First: What is a CBT Fetish?

What is CBT in BDSM? CBT kink or CBT fetish — short for Cock and Ball Torture — focuses on the male genitals. This kink involves the intentional application of pain, pressure, or control to the cock and balls. While that might sound extreme to some, for others it’s an erotic, powerful way to explore pain, power, and pleasure. Whether you're drawn to it for the intense physical sensations or the deep emotional surrender it can trigger, CBT kink is more than just impact play — it’s a uniquely intimate and often symbolic form of sex torture and domination.

Some people refer to cock and ball torture as CBT sex, although that term isn’t entirely accurate. While CBT can be intensely erotic and sexually charged, it doesn’t always involve intercourse or orgasm. Instead, it’s often about control, power, pain, and deep arousal — and for many, that’s more than enough.

But definitions only go so far. To really understand the appeal of a CBT fetish, it helps to hear from someone who's lived it, both as a Domme and an explorer of pain and control.

Want to explore cock and ball torture beyond fantasy? Whether you're a Dom, sub, or switch, fetish.com has a dedicated space for real connections – including CBT dates and BDSM dating more broadly.

👉Check out CBT dates near you and meet kinksters who are into the same intensity.

 

BDSM Cock & Ball Torture & RACK

Just the words 'cock and ball torture' would send many men shuddering. Testicles are sensitive. Even as a woman, I know this. I remember the first time I kicked a boy in the balls on the playground for trying to kiss me. He never came near me again. The thought of intentionally inflicting pain on such a sensitive spot isn’t for the faint of heart.

 

 

To start, BDSM cock and ball torture falls under RACK — Risk-Aware Consensual Kink. Anytime torture or torture devices are involved, we are taking a risk. For an act to be truly consensual, all participants must be aware that they are taking a risk of injury. Precautions should be taken, just as with any form of kink.

Applying pressure or pain to the cock and balls can be intimidating — and for good reason. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of common cock and ball torture methods below. Whether you’re new to genital torture, have a CBT fetish, or are simply looking to dial up the intensity, there are plenty of options to explore.

 

Devices of pleasure and pain for CBT fetish on display. Image: from barb_ar via Flickr Creative Commons

 

Cock and Ball Torture Terms You Should Know

• Ballbusting: Inflicting pain on the testicles. This can be done by slapping, kicking, scratching, pinching, and/or punching the balls. Ballbusting is often the easiest to take part in because it involves body parts and no fancy torture devices. That’s why ballbusting is also one of the more common forms of CBT.
• Torture Devices: Any sex toy that causes pain and tortures the wearer would fall into this category — ball crushers, urethra stretchers, shock devices, pinwheels, spiked cock rings, clamps, spiked cages, ball weights, and so on. As always, do your research and proceed with caution.
• Ball Stretching: This is typically done with a clamp or a device designed to elongate the scrotum. While ball stretching is sometimes used to induce pain, it’s a much more nuanced practice. It doesn’t have to cause hurt — in fact, gentle stretching can enhance sensitivity and increasepleasure during orgasm.

 

 

• CBT Locks: A cage worn over the cock and/or balls, typically designed to lock in place. The key is usually kept by the Mistress or Master (or Dominant). Cock and ball torture cages can get uncomfortable when the cock is erect, which many tell me is part of the fun!

• Sounding and Urethral Devices: A metal rod or plug inserted into the urethra to create sexual pleasure. Sounding rods and plugs are often tapped or vibrated, sending a sensation up the urethra.

• Electro Shock Play: Using tools like a violet wand on the cock or testicles. By using a violet wand — a device originally developed for hair growth, now a kinky torture tool, you can adjust the output to prevent damage to more sensitive areas of the body.

• Needles: Needles can be inserted into the shaft of the penis, often in rows or patterns. Longer needles may pass through the flesh or even the tip, and are typically sterile, medical-grade types. Some also use them on the testicles. This is advanced play that requires strong knowledge of anatomy and hygiene.

 

Even More Tools and Techniques Used In CBT kink

We know CBT kink lovers are nothing if not creative. So naturally, a CBT fetish comes with a few extra tricks up its sleeve — or down your pants.

• Parachute: A leather collar that fits around the scrotum and lets you hang weights for a constant downward pull. Simple, visual, and effective — especially during bondage scenes.
   
• Humbler: A wooden or metal bar that traps the balls behind the thighs and forces the sub to stay crouched or crawl. Pure control and humiliation.
   
• Kali’s Teeth Bracelet: A spiked metal ring that clamps around the shaft. It punishes erections — and trust us, the sub will remember it.
   
• Anti-erection devices: From spiked cages to tight leather sheaths, these tools are designed to prevent or punish arousal — pain, denial, control — CBT perfection.

 

 

How Popular is the CBT Fetish?

Ballbusting and the like might sound like something out of a horror movie. Just my simple inquiry made my husband gasp. Yet cock and ball torture is so popular that every time I open a kinky profile somewhere online, I get three to five emails a day from men asking for it. Just looking for cock and ball torture devices online will pull up site after site, tool after tool. Why? Because the CBT fetish isn’t just a niche kink — it’s surprisingly widespread, and not only amongst the kink community.

 

Why Is This Potentially Dangerous CBT Fetish So Popular?

So what is the draw, beyond those who enjoy a little humiliation and pain as pleasure? I think that, for many, CBT fetish is also about identity — even masculinity. Boys grow up hearing phrases like “Grow a pair” or “Get your balls out of her purse.” I loathe these sorts of toxic comments as they are designed to shame men who respect a woman’s opinion and ignore their feelings of fear, nervousness, or sadness.

While all of us have our moments of being shamed, men go through a rigorous ‘men must be tough’ brainwashing scheme that begins in early childhood. Even for parents who try hard not to expose their children to that toxicity, the reality is that society will inflict it soon enough.

 

I’ve been told this leaves men feeling like they must meet specific standards to be men. It’s for this reason that some men love cock and ball torture. Even non-kinky dominant men, because any man that can handle his balls being put into a torture device is tough as fuck.

 

Risks and Safety in CBT kink

Cock and ball torture can be deeply arousing — but also risky. Testicles are sensitive, and damage can happen quickly if you're not careful. Restricted blood flow, bruising, or even torsion are real dangers, especially with tight devices or impact play.

Watch for signs such as numbness, discoloration, or cold skin. If something feels wrong, stop immediately.

Electric play and needles need extra care. Don’t improvise — clean tools, go slow, and communicate constantly. Use safewords. Check in. Know your limits. Even the toughest sub needs time to recover. Aftercare matters.

New to CBT kink? Start slow. You don’t need hardcore tools to explore cock and ball torture. Hands, breath, teasing, light pain — it’s enough to test reactions and build trust. And if it’s not for you? That’s okay too.

 

Beyond Pain: When CBT Kink Gets Symbolic

Cock and ball torture isn’t just about nerves and skin — it can also hit deep in the psyche. For many submissives, the act of giving up control over their most vulnerable parts is emotionally charged. And for some Dommes, controlling or punishing those parts isn’t only erotic, but symbolic. CBT kink becomes a ritual of dominance, power reversal, and release, especially in a world where masculinity is often wrapped in stoicism and strength. If you're drawn to this level of intensity, try chatting with like-minded folks via BDSM chat and get inspired. No wonder it’s not just pain lovers who crave it, but also those seeking catharsis, rebellion, or playful revenge.

 

The Real Torture? Waiting For It.

Sometimes, the most intense part of CBT kink happens long before the first slap, squeeze, or clamp. The anticipation — the waiting, the verbal teasing, the slow threat of cock and ball torture — can be its own form of sadistic pleasure. A whispered countdown. A humiliating look. A firm hand on the thigh with a promise: “You’ll remember this.” These mental games are often at the heart of CBT play, especially for those who crave the psychological power exchange. Curious where to live it out? Many BDSM clubs and Sex Dungeons welcome CBT enthusiasts for real-life exploration.

For many with a CBT fetish, it’s not just about tools and pain. It’s about being owned. Teased. Broken in the head before the body. CBT sex may not always involve penetration, but when the mind is involved, it can be just as intense.

 

“Squeezing the Fuck Out of Them”: What It Means to Me

For Mistresses like me, taking part in cock and ball torture can be therapeutic. Sure, it’s fun to inflict pain when you’re a sadist, or when your subby little man is begging for it, but women can also work out their own societal issues. Being in charge of a man in a male-dominated society means a power shift. It can be hot as hell and healing. It’s symbolic. The man’s balls represent masculinity while the woman has them in a vice, squeezing the fuck out of them.

 

Sienna Saint-Cyr writes erotica and blogs about kink, poly, body image, most things relating.

 

Feeling Brave? Here’s More Kinky Madness to Explore

So, CBT got your curiosity tingling (or your balls throbbing)? You’re clearly not one to shy away from intense sensations. If you’re still standing — and want more — here are a few extra treats you might enjoy:

• ⚡ Electrify your junk: Electro Sex Toy Guide: How to Use a TENS Unit for BDSM
  Get shocked in all the right (and wrong) places.
   
• 🔊 Sound it out: Guide to Urethral Sounding and Cock Stuffing
  A deep dive into your deepest hole. You know the one.
   
• 👣 Under pressure: Trample Fetish: How to Do It Safely
  Because sometimes, love means stepping all over him. In heels.
   
• 💥 Taking the hit: Submissive’s Guide: How to Take a Beating
  Impact play isn’t just about enduring — it’s an art.
   
• 🔥 Leave a mark: Body Branding 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  Pain. Permanence. Pride. And maybe a sizzling little scar.

 

Have CBT fetish? Questions? Why do you find CBT fetish hot? Let us know! Plus, discover more about your kink role and BDSM archetype with by completing our free BDSM test.

Cover image: via Shutterstock.com