There is a specific cruelty to tickling that sadists appreciate. Pain can be meditative; a submissive can "zone out" during a spanking. Tickling demands 100% presence. It forces the submissive to remain hyper-aware of every feather-light touch. The anticipation of the next tickle is often worse than the tickling itself, creating a delicious mental torment[citation:9].
In a professional or consensual power-exchange context, tickling is used to strip away a participant's composure. Tickle fetishism: pleasure beyond playfulness - PMC tickling submission work
Most "work" in this field involves some form of physical restriction. This can range from simple hand-holding to elaborate bondage setups. The goal is to ensure the submissive is fully exposed and unable to escape the sensation, heightening the sense of "helplessness" that defines the role. There is a specific cruelty to tickling that
