The Binding Room's Survey Space
  • The Binding Room's Survey Space

    The Binding Room's Survey Space

    Welcome! This space exists to listen. Each survey is an invitation to notice what your body already knows. These surveys are not diagnostic tools; they are an act of witnessing. Your responses contribute to a growing body of somatic, cultural, and health-centered research, rooted in lived experiences. Participation is Voluntary. Choose a survey below to get started.

  • Before you begin, please enter your name or email so we can help track your survey participation: If you want to remain connected, enter your email.    Pick a Date   

  • What connected you to this participate in one or more of these surveys? (Select All That Apply)
                                                 

  • What do you hope is made more visible through this work?                             
                   
       

  • Women, Aging & Vitality

    This survey examines how lived bodily experience evolves over time beyond medical symptoms or performance-based narratives. This work is guided by a somatic and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) framework, which understands the menstrual cycle and its transitions as meaningful markers of health rather than problems to be corrected. In TCM, the cycle reflects the relationship between Blood, Qi, and Kidney Essence), and how this relationship shifts as the body ages. Across the lifespan, many women experience changes in how their body moves through cyclical phases. These shifts may affect energy, mood, bone health, libido, orgasm, self-perception, and a sense of vitality or aliveness in the body. You are invited to reflect on how your body has responded to these changes over time. The survey does not assume regular cycles, sexual activity, fertility goals, or positive experiences with aging.
  • Age range
  • What cycle stage are you currently in?
  • Have you ever been diagnosed with or concerned about bone density, fractures, or joint degeneration?
  • Have you ever been diagnosed with? (Select all that apply)
  • Do you experience any of the following TCM-related Kidney Essence symptoms?
  • How has your relationship with your body changed as you’ve aged? (Select all that apply)
  • What practices have helped you feel more resilient or supported as your cycles change? (Select all that apply)?
  • When you wake up most mornings, how does your body feel?
  • When you move through daily life, how does your body feel?
  • Do you feel your menstrual or hormonal health was supported, dismissed, or ignored in earlier adulthood?
  • How do physical changes (weight shifts, skin, joints, energy levels) affect how you experience intimacy or sexuality? (Select all that apply)
  • How do you typically respond to bodily changes you don’t like or understand?
  • Has your sexual pleasure changed as your body has changed?
  • When you feel disconnected from your body, how does that impact your sexual or sensual experience?
  • What conditions help you feel most comfortable and present in your body during intimacy now? (Select all that apply)
  • How often do you experience orgasms (solo or partnered)?
  • How would you describe your sexual energy right now?
  • Do you notice changes in energy, sleep, or mood after orgasm?
  • Does your level of creativity change and reflect your libido?

  • Motherhood, Trauma & Pleasure

    This survey is open to mothers and people who identify as mothers, including biological, adoptive, and chosen motherhood across all stages of parenting. This work is guided by a somatic and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) framework, which understands motherhood as a profound reorganization of the body, nervous system, and life force. In TCM, pregnancy, birth, caregiving, and chronic responsibility draw deeply from Qi, Blood, and Kidney Jing (essence), while emotional experience shapes the Heart and Shen (spirit). You are invited to reflect on how motherhood has shaped your relationship to your body, pleasure, safety, and sense of self. Pleasure here is not defined narrowly or sexually; it includes aliveness, rest, joy, sensuality, creativity, and moments of ease in the body. PARTICIPATION IS VOLUNTARY AND CONSENT-FORWARD. At the end, there is a survey about motherhood and sexual assault. Rather than focusing solely on the event, this survey attends to nervous system patterns, long-term health, relational dynamics, and the complexity of survival and love held in the same body. This research is offered with deep respect for your autonomy and well-being. Please prioritize care for yourself in whatever way feels supportive.
  • Do you believe pleasure can coexist with purpose?
  • Have you ever felt shame for wanting pleasure as a mother?
  • Do you feel allowed to prioritize your body’s joy?
  • Did motherhood change how you experience your body?
  • What aspects of motherhood feel most demanding on your nervous system or body? (Select all that apply)
  • How does your body relate to pleasure since becoming a mother? (Select all that apply)
  • When shame arises, where does your body respond first?
  • How has motherhood impacted your relationship to desire?
  • How do you currently experience touch?
  • Which types of pleasure currently feel safest or most available to you? (Select all that apply)
  • Have you ever felt pressure to heal on someone elses timeline?
  • Has trauma impacted your ability to experience pleasure?
  • If pleasure begins to build, what tends to happen next?
  • After sexual release, you most often feel
  • Have there been periods where your body felt like it did not belong to you?
  • Do you feel allowed to say “no” without explanation?
  • What conditions are necessary for you to give consent with your body now? (Select all that apply)
  • Have you ever been sexually assaulted?
  • ***The following questions are only for mothers who conceived a child through sexual assault. You may choose whether or not to continue. Skipping this section will not affect your participation. Do you wish to continue to the next section?
  • Have you ever conceived a child from being sexually assaulted?
  • What experience best reflects what happened after the pregnancy?
  • At the time of conception, did you know you were pregnant right away, learn after a missed period, learn later in pregnancy, prefer not to say?
  • How supported did you feel in sharing your experience during pregnancy or early motherhood?
  • What kinds of emotional support were available to you at the time?
  • How did becoming pregnant from assault impact your mental health?
  • How does your body respond when you reflect on the conception of your child?
  • What has helped you reclaim any sense of aliveness in your body? (Select all that apply)
  • How would you describe your emotional connection to your child over time? (Select all that apply)
  • How has motherhood influenced your healing or relationship to the trauma over time?
  • Do you feel pressure to present your story in a particular way (strong, healed, grateful)?
  • What resources should be guaranteed for women who conceive through assault?

  • Touch, Regulation & Connection

    This survey is open to all men and people who identify as men, including cisgender, transgender, and masculine-identified individuals. This work is guided by a somatic and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) framework, which understands the body as a source of wisdom. In TCM, experiences such as touch, connection, and safety influence the flow of energy (Qi), emotional regulation (Shen), and the body’s capacity to feel grounded and connected over time. You are invited to reflect on your experiences of non-sexual physical touch and connection. The intention is to better understand how men experience safety, non-sexual physical intimacy, and connection. This research is offered by a somatic artist and acupuncture student exploring how embodied experiences shape health, relationships, and meaning. Your responses help by supporting more inclusive conversations about care, masculinity, and well-being.
  • How do you currently describe your gender identity? (Select all that apply)
  • Age range
  • Relationship status
  • Growing up, how was physical affection modeled for you?
  • Have you ever learned (directly or indirectly) that needing physical comfort made you “weak” or less masculine?
  • Growing up, how was sex talked about in your home?
  • Were you raised with messages that women should be:
  • Were you raised with messages that men should be
  • When you are emotionally overwhelmed, what kind of physical connection feels most supportive?
  • When touched, where do you feel the most relief?
  • How would you describe your relationship to touch?
  • How would you describe your relationship to pleasure?
  • Have you ever felt shame related to
  • How often do you experience physical connection without it leading to expectations of sex or performance?
  • When you experience non-sexual physical touch (e.g., a hug, a hand on the shoulder, sitting close), what does your body notice first? (Select all that apply)
  • When non-sexual physical intimacy arises, how does your body most often feel?
  • Which forms of non-sexual touch feel safest or most regulating to you? (Select all that apply)
  • Do you feel in control of your sexual energy?
  • Have you ever confused suppression with discipline?
  • Do you believe pleasure can coexist with purpose?
  • Should be Empty: