View source for Taken In Hand

The '''Taken In Hand''' relationship is a [[Informed consent|consensually]] male-led exclusive [[Monogamy|monogamous]] relationship in which the man's control is real and for the purpose of creating a deeply connected, fully engaged relationship with a white-hot sexual connection. How the man expresses his leadership and control is an individual matter, but it is for the benefit of the relationship rather than being purely self-serving. The Taken In Hand man protects and cherishes the woman he leads. The Taken In Hand woman responds positively to her man's authority and leadership. 

Taken In Hand couples often think of themselves as [[vanilla]] (if they even know that word in this context!) and tend to be  unfamiliar with or turned-off by [[BDSM]] literature, perhaps because of its exotic language, customs and rituals. Many Taken In Hand couples think of what they are doing as being very natural. However, as with other types of [[power exchange]] relationship, there are no assumptions about the reasons some prefer this kind of relationship. Nor is there any assumption that this is morally superior to any other kind of relationship. It is just a preference some have.

Taken In Hand is not about the woman being slavishly obedient or submissive by default, it is more likely to be about the man correcting and controlling her to the delight of both. In some D/s relationships, the woman might aspire to be more submissive, whereas in many a Taken In Hand relationship, the woman might have no such aspiration. 

Taken In Hand can sound boringly conservative and conventional to anyone with a penchant for some of the more elaborate, painful, ritualistic, theatrical, humiliating [[Sadomasochism|SM]] or [[Domination and submission|D/s]] practices, but it often seems hardcore, extreme, dangerous and scary to anyone who doesn't like the idea of the man's leadership being real instead of stylised or confined to set times and negotiated [[scene]]s.

== Further Reading ==

*[http://www.takeninhand.com/node/60 Who created Taken In Hand?]
*[http://www.takeninhand.com/node/19 Background assumptions and premises]
*[http://www.takeninhand.com/node/224 Could a Taken In Hand relationship be for you?]
*[http://www.takeninhand.com/node/313 What Taken In Hand is, and what it is not]
*[http://www.takeninhand.com/node/193 Is Taken In Hand really consensual?]

==See Also==
* [[Power exchange]]
* [[Master/slave]]

[[Category:BDSM]]
[[Category:Other Topics]]