Full Question: What are the differences between TPE and 24/7? Does it have to be TPE even if it’s 24/7?
Answer:
That’s a great question! Let’s start with some definitions.
TPE, or Total Power Exchange, is a term coined and defined by Steven S. Davis in the mid-1990s, in the newsgroup “alt.sex.bondage” during his debates with Jon Jacobs. It is a form of Power Exchange that indicates an exchange where all meaningful and measurable authority is passed from the submissive to the Dominant.
“A TPE (Total Power Exchange) relationship, sometimes described as an absolute lifestyle D&s relationship … is a relationship in which no impediment to the exercise of the owner’s power is accepted … Such things as safewords, contracts, negotiated limits, and anything else which recognizes/acknowledges/formalizes limits on the owner’s power are inimical to TPE.” – Steven Davis
24/7 means you engage in the Power Exchange relationship full-time, often in a live-in capacity.
Total Power Exchange is a relationship type and 24/7 is a term that means you participate with no discernible breaks. In BDSM terms, you can be 24/7 and not be TPE, but TPE really does require that your dynamic be 24/7. In many circles that I frequent, TPE can only exist in Master/slave (M/s) relationships.
You do not have to be in a TPE-style relationship when you are in a 24/7 D/s or M/s relationship. You can choose how you’d like to experience power exchange and how much control and authority you surrender to your partner. That said, TPE is advanced-level stuff. It is not suitable for anyone as a first BDSM experience or something you want to just “dabble” in.
I’d be cautious of anyone who said they wanted to enter a TPE relationship right from the start, as compatibility and trust are immensely important to making sure TPE is the right choice for a relationship. It’s an evolution of an existing dynamic.