For the people that have been abused previously in their lives, this question is primarily for you:

Do you feel your abuse led to a devaluation of your belief systems and started you down the path to BDSM? If not, do you believe that your abuse led to a devaluation of your belief system and, even though it didn't have anythig to do with your becoming involved in BDSM, do you think it has shaping influences on your relationships at this point in your life?

If you feel your abuse did have something to do with your being turned toward a BDSM lifestyle, do you feel that BDSM might be the healthies thing for you to pursue, in terms of relationships? If abuse supposedly skews a person's patterning of relationships and distorts a person's belief systems, then shouldn't abuse victims seek to pursue relationships that don't seem safe and secure to them?