Although India is home to the best-known tome for sex: the Kama Sutra, some couples in India are discovering a new book to jump-start their sex lives.

The UK’s all-time bestselling novel, ’50 Shades of Gray’ by EL James, has become a run-away in India selling an excess of 175,000 copies. Although the story of a passionate and erotic love affair between a billionaire and a graduate student has enchanted many readers in India, something curious also has happened.

Dr. Reema Shah, a psychotherapist, has seen an increase in younger couples coming in to see her about bondage, dominance, submission and masochism (BDSM) which is one of the on-going themes of the novel.

“They come for a few sessions when they just want to know what it is that they’re feeling,” Shah notes. “Then there are the concerned parents, who stumble upon BDSM sites their teenage children are going to, and simply want to educate themselves and understand how to deal with something like that.”

Another expert, Dr Rajan Bhonsle, MD Professor & HOD, Department of Sexual Medicine, KEM Hospital, notes that novels like 50 Shades of Gray give couples a chance to talk about BDSM and not feel weird or out of place. “As a therapist, I have been seeing an increased number of cases of BDSM in the past few years because people read about it and realize that they’re not the only ones wanting to experiment.” He adds, “Earlier they’d have felt like weirdos. Now, they know that therapy is available, and an expert’s opinion can be taken.”