For me it is the reverse...bottoming is the sensual role while my sexual side is released when I top.

The vulnerability of giving my self completely into the hands of someone I trust, have faith in, expands the sensuality I experience. While may I bottom for people without a close connection with them, having that brings what I experience to new levels.

When I top, a rare thing lately since I have been exploring my bottom half, I tend to top with people I am attracted to or have a relationship with and the energy between us builds and, well, feeds the sexual stimulation I experience.

I find that the whole process of guiding my partner through the scene, to help them find that space, that stimulation, that release they are seeking adds to my own experience, makes it all sweeter.

I find that I'm stimulated in very different ways in either role

When I started in bdsm, I subbed and didn't think I had it in me to top/domme. I thought that if I wasn't as strong/creative/skilled as a pro, I couldn't hope to "qualify" and had better not even pretend to try

Then in my first bdsm relationship, we were both new and both wanted to try everything (well, pretty much everything, everyone has limits...) and I ended up topping more than bottoming

At first I was so intimidated, I didn't know what to do. So I sort of winged it, made it up as I went a long, ask for a lot of suggestions, and while I thought I was just topping for his sake, so he'd get to have the experience, I was surprised to find that I was incredibly physically excited by the process--undeniably tangibly so, so aroused that I physically ached--and so I have been following that feeling over time, learning from what my body gets excited by, rather than just following my head. What I am loving about topping is a kind of vicarious excitement that comes from leading someone through their bottoming, and from the feeling of power and control, especially when I can get someone to try something new (for them) that they are afraid of and have it turn into something that they really enjoy.

At the same time, I love being topped, and get a very different rush/thrill from surrendering, from not knowing what's next, from feeling desired, from abdicating resposibility for my actions/choices for a while (a mental vacation). But it takes a whole lot longer to build up enough trust with someone that I can get into the state of mind to bottom/sub any more.

I can't imagine I'd be happy unless I could have both of those experiences with someone.

Laura, thanks for letting me know about this site- awesome discussion.

Top-bottom...sensusual or sexual......

Bottom...
I have a lot of bottom/sub experience and just love the sensual space I get to when I am very attracted to the top...I would have liked the scene to go sexual far more than it did. Maybe that is part of the tease and deny thing. I do get very excited.

Top....
My ventures into topping happened infrequently in the past but the trend is thankfully accelerating. When the bottom is also one of my girlfriends...both of us just love the helpless bondagee, the teasing, the experimenting, the adventure, the sensual trip- taking her to the plateau of endorphine and sensual ecstacy over and over....I love the begging for a sexual ending.....and then OK - so I get weak kneed and give in!!

So I like it all.

Top or bottom, it is always sexual for me. It's why I'm so damn picky about who I play with and why I tend to go to events/parties to socialize and watch, but rarely play myself. It's a very interesting question, and one I will definitely think about some more!