I am in full agreement that there are plenty of predators out there and that psychiatry/psychology is usually a good basis to seek mental and emotional wellness from. However, in her case her Dom is her loving husband who has no desire to "take advantage of a person in such a vulnerable state of mind"...nor did/does she have a particularly vulnerable mind in the first place. She had every right to want to get rid of that hang-up and no shrink could have done it for her (without losing his license!).

I don't think BDSM is a substitute for psychiatry, but by the same token sometimes psychiatry is no substitute for a safe and loving relationship built on trust and acceptance. Depending on the problem, medication and conversation only go so far. Any good doctor or therapist, with no fee to lose by saying it, will tell you that after that it's up to you. They give you advice, perspective, a (supposedly) objective sounding board, and if they deem it necessary a prescription to help even the playing field.

I'll be the first to tell a person to try counseling if they can afford it. I'll even tell them to try different types of counseling if it doesn't help the first time. I'm a big fan of how much psychology and psychiatry have to offer. But they don't offer everything. They're still fairly new and constantly evolving sciences which utilize as much art and intuition as true scientific methodology. I've also seen a few instances where therapists did much more harm than good with their recommendations. They're human too. Therefore I'm also willing to see a person try other things when counseling and medication continue to fail them.