We’ve all heard about frenzy from the submissive side of things, but dominants get it too. According to redwarrior on Fetlife, here are some of the symptoms:

• High sex drive. Oh yes, I know this one well. When I got into my first relationship post-marriage, all I could think about was sex. Spanking too, but I was enamored with the fact that there was this attractive woman who wanted to have sex with me. (To be fair, my first wife always wanted to have sex, but when things started to sour I stopped wanting it from her.) I remember well the first time we had sex, and it was wonderful; I also remember the last time we had sex, which was also wonderful.
• Moving too fast in relationships. This happened with my first poly partner. We fell hard for each other and decided to start a relationship when really we shouldn’t have. She was my only partner, and I was her only partner (she had a play partner but he wasn’t romantic with her), and she lived several states away. I thought I loved her — maybe I really did love her — but maybe it was just the oxytocin and endorphins of spending a weekend together.
• Moving too fast in play. I wrote last year about spanking efficiency, and about how I played with a new person and our scene was way too short because I went too hard too fast. Fortunately she was okay with this — this particular person I’m thinking about is a hard player by her own admission, and she was very happy with the results of the scene. I just wish it had lasted longer.
• Regret after play. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this one, but I could be wrong.
• Blackouts. Definitely never done this, although I have gotten a bit fuzzy on the particulars of certain scenes — usually the order in which things happened.
• Overall intensity in BDSM play and in power exchange. With my first-ever little, we went way, way too fast with things. She was calling me Daddy before I was truly ready, although I allowed it because I cared deeply for her. At least, I thought I did. (I probably did.) I was extremely intense with her — not with spanking, per se, but with the Daddy stuff. I didn’t do research, and I wasn’t prepared for that kind of a relationship. It ended badly, although only part of that was my fault.

If you’re a dominant or D-type and you feel the symptoms of frenzy, back up and slow down. Talk to your mentor (you do have a mentor, right?) about your feelings. And remember — you may not necessarily feel like you’ve done anything wrong, but the aftereffects could come back and bite you in the ass. And not in the good way.