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Erotic Asphyxiation - A Headline Grabber When the News is Slow
Erotic asphyxiation is a complicated issue. It's also one that frequently gets some attention when not much else is happening that is newsworthy. It was in our local news recently. This sexual activity falls under the heading of paraphilias, which loosely means "erotic attraction to activities that are at the edge."
We have a lot of speculative explanations for what causes a paraphilia, but not a lot of agreement among professionals. The explanation that holds up best for me is that they are due more to accidental conditioning than anything else. You could name nearly any object or situation and there will be someone out there who has a sexual response to it.
Sexual arousal to having one's air supply cut off and/or to pressure around one's neck, however, is not as harmless as the person who gets turned on by the sounds of ducks quacking. That's because the potential for fatal accidents occurring is always there. In the 1980s (the most recent comprehensive study), it was estimated that between 250 and 1,000 deaths occur yearly in the United States as a result of asphyxiophilia (Hazelwood, R., Dietz, P, and Burgess, A., Autoerotic Fatalities, Lexington, MA, Heath, 1983.) So, doing this creates some extreme risk taking.
The pleasure that people derive from strangulation during sex can be coming from two sources: physical and psychological. Both can be quite compelling on their own. Put them together and the combination can create the motivation for a dangerous habit. The physical pleasure from asphyxia occurs because oxygen to the brain gets reduced. It's called hypoxia and can lead to a semi-hallucinogenic, lucid state. Couple that with orgasm and some people find it undeniably gripping. The problem is that there's no sure (or even somewhat sure) way to know when you are at the point of no return from brain damage and death.
Autoerotic asphyxiation is unfortunately one of those sexual variations about which I cannot say "consenting adults" should be able to do what they want. That's because the experts on this practice have studied the situation - very nonjudgmental experts, I might add - and they've concluded that the dangers are just way too great.
Breath holding for a little while during masturbation may generate a mini high, but know that you'll need to stop and allow yourself to breath. Never create any physical situation that actually cuts off air supply. That's where the extreme danger lies.
It is totally risky to do any kind of pseudo-hanging activities. When things go wrong and a death is the outcome, it is often from playing with some form of hanging. But, here's the clincher - even if you are playing with a partner whom you can trust totally to stop when you signal, there's an enormous danger of brain damage. No one knows exactly where the line is for oxygen cutoff to cause brain damage. There are no studies that can guarantee how many seconds are "safe."
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: sex, paraphilia, erotic asphyxiation, strangulation,
We have a lot of speculative explanations for what causes a paraphilia, but not a lot of agreement among professionals. The explanation that holds up best for me is that they are due more to accidental conditioning than anything else. You could name nearly any object or situation and there will be someone out there who has a sexual response to it.
Sexual arousal to having one's air supply cut off and/or to pressure around one's neck, however, is not as harmless as the person who gets turned on by the sounds of ducks quacking. That's because the potential for fatal accidents occurring is always there. In the 1980s (the most recent comprehensive study), it was estimated that between 250 and 1,000 deaths occur yearly in the United States as a result of asphyxiophilia (Hazelwood, R., Dietz, P, and Burgess, A., Autoerotic Fatalities, Lexington, MA, Heath, 1983.) So, doing this creates some extreme risk taking.
The pleasure that people derive from strangulation during sex can be coming from two sources: physical and psychological. Both can be quite compelling on their own. Put them together and the combination can create the motivation for a dangerous habit. The physical pleasure from asphyxia occurs because oxygen to the brain gets reduced. It's called hypoxia and can lead to a semi-hallucinogenic, lucid state. Couple that with orgasm and some people find it undeniably gripping. The problem is that there's no sure (or even somewhat sure) way to know when you are at the point of no return from brain damage and death.
Autoerotic asphyxiation is unfortunately one of those sexual variations about which I cannot say "consenting adults" should be able to do what they want. That's because the experts on this practice have studied the situation - very nonjudgmental experts, I might add - and they've concluded that the dangers are just way too great.
Breath holding for a little while during masturbation may generate a mini high, but know that you'll need to stop and allow yourself to breath. Never create any physical situation that actually cuts off air supply. That's where the extreme danger lies.
It is totally risky to do any kind of pseudo-hanging activities. When things go wrong and a death is the outcome, it is often from playing with some form of hanging. But, here's the clincher - even if you are playing with a partner whom you can trust totally to stop when you signal, there's an enormous danger of brain damage. No one knows exactly where the line is for oxygen cutoff to cause brain damage. There are no studies that can guarantee how many seconds are "safe."
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: sex, paraphilia, erotic asphyxiation, strangulation,
26 Comments:
I would like to know if in fact there is any way to enlarge your penis as there are so many products that state that it is possible.
anonymous:
Please see Dr. Weston's answer here.
I hope everbody takes this seriously it is incredibly dangerous my roomate died a week ago at the age of 21 from this.
not everyone who enjoys 'pressure' around their neck during intercourse should be labeled has having this "disorder"! it's just like any other disorder...just b/c a person demonstrates the symptoms, doesn't automatically mean they have the disorder!! when it has a clearly negative affect on ones health or social relationships, that's when it crosses the line into a disorder...yes it can be dangerous; however, you also have to consider the fact that some people just like to feel dominated, and the feeling of having pressure on your throat (even just slight pressure) can go great lengths. but you should never label an individual as "disordered" just b/c they like things you don't understand...
i have done this quite a bit. however it was my partner who was choking me. would it still be considered dangerous, if i could still manage to suck in air a bit? or if he was too loosen his grip, but then tighten it back up?
i can testify to the dangers of this AEA because i lost my son to it 2 years ago this month, our live has never been the same and had we known of the warning signs-see the choking game - we may have gotten him some help. who at age 20 thinks they are mortal.
I just lost a best friend, a mother lost her son, and a wife lost her husband due to this. I would not call this a disorder at all--it is an addiction like a drug. Anybody who thinks that they can avoid the risks or who is in denial about being at risk because they like just a little domination or they can still breathe a little needs to take a serious look at what they are really doing. Is a moment of pleasure really worth a reduction of cognitive functioning or complete loss of one's life? And even if you are willing to take this risk, think about everybody it will affect around you if you lose your life in such a manner. It's not worth it.
"Autoerotic asphyxiation is unfortunately one of those sexual variations about which I cannot say 'consenting adults' should be able to do what they want."
I have come to the conclusion that this is no disorder, and is as much as one as is being a homosexual, which is generally viewed as a sexual desire that is not learned but instead is inherent. To those of us who have this "disorder," which I'm sure is thousands to hundreds of thousands, we generally know how to take care of ourselves. Yes, there are some that die, but you can get killed walking your dog or on your way to work!
It's people like you who make it hard for people like me to be sexually liberated and give us a stigma that is very negative. I enjoy this type of fetish during sex with a partner as well, and have found many women to be receptive of this type of behavior themselves.
I'll put it to you this way. Ever watch the MTV show "Scarred"? Its about extreme sports participants who experience awful injuries. There's a clip where Alex Liev jumps a massive stairwell and his bike's tire pops and he faceplants. All sorts of bad things. I was watching clips of this and I said to myself "what on earth would posess someone to make them do something where the risk of pain and serious injury are so high?" And then I thought of every time I or my girlfriend have practiced EA. The risk is huge, but the payoff is, for those of us who enjoy it, worth the risk.
it is like an addiction. i just discovered it one day and found i liked it very much. but not as doing it to myself, alittle grip or pressure around your throat from your partner isnt all that bad. besides its not like you are being strangled to death. sometimes accidents happen but that doesnt mean that it is a disorder people have. alot of people are into alot of different things some people would call strange but thats one of the reasons they love it. i love it because it feels amazing to me. then again im into the hole pain thing. and the boys i am with dont mind at all, they like it too. but i do think it is something to be careful with. take risks but to a certain exstent, never point your life in danger for a few moments of pleasure if what your doing is truely life threatining.
my partner is seriously worried.
i enjoy EA, intensely. but he's worried about the side effects. i don't let him squeeze too hard, and i know (i think, anyway) when to stop.
i would never partake in AEA, as i figure i trust my partner more with my life than me, haha.
i recently watched an episode in house in which the patient enjoyed being choked, and he was ridiculed by the medical staff. and i was scared that i would be considered a freak and this article confirms my fears.
i'm fairly sure that's how homosexuals used to feel though. there are definite dangers in partaking in EA, just as there are partaking in regual hetero, or homo, sex.
of course i'm not wanting brain damage, or to die, but if i can breathe, does it count? i'm aware it's dangerous, of course, because otherwise it wouldn't be such a thrill, but will i really get brain damage it's it's just lightly and for a short while each time?
Again, there is far too much about AEA.
I really want to know about EA with a partner, and nowhere seems to give me enough information.
My father just died in September 2008 from this and it has hit our family very hard as we had NO IDEA (nor hint) that he was doing this. He was a very private person but I still never expected this. He was found 4 to 5 hours after death (by autopsy) in the garage semi-hanging over a ladder. Please don't do this to your family. There has to be something else as gratifying.
We all miss you very much, Dad!
There is a Hugh difference between autoerotic and partnered play! Virtually all of the reported deaths are from autoerotic play.
Over a twenty year period I have pushed 12 women into blackout over 450 times. Pushing them into a Masive Mind Bending climax lasting over 9 minutes. None have any sign of impairment from doing this. When done properly, with proper precautions this carries risk on the same level as sky diving, scuba diving, rock climbing, driving your car.
What kills people who do autoerotic (solo play) is either they believe they can stop and release themselves before they blackout and they don't which leads to death or their failsafe mechanism that they've come up with to release them in time doesn't work and they die.
I have yet to have someone show me deaths where this was the only cause of death when done with an experienced partner. I know at least 80 people if not more that have done this many many thousands of times over a long period of time. None of them have lost anyone from doing this. I'm damn sure we're not the only people on the planet doing this.
When done with an experienced and knowledgeable partner it is no different than you holding your breath until you pass out, except that the partner is the one holding your breath for you. Making sure you automatically start breathing again when released. This involves a Hugh amount of trust! This is part of what is so appealing about it.
The same thing applies to properly applied strangle holds. The positive stats on this are eye opening to say the least! But that doesn't make headlines.
Is there danger from pushing this to far and causing death, sure there is! Is it possible that you will die in a car accident? If you're anywhere near one, sure it is!
I could get a lot more into it, but there is limited space here.
my 21 yr old died last year from this practice. what is wrong with this world in which people feel so alone that they would make a huge production out of masturbation. Its not because of articles such as this. She's only stating facts. Paraphilia comes from something within, some loneliness, some feeling of not fitting in ever. Maybe had he lived longer, he would have found someone who would have shared these charged moments with him; as it is, it is just so sad. I wish he had read this article before I found him.
I also do not believe that everyone that participated in this activity has a disorder. I also believe that masochism is not a disorder. I do agree that precaution should be used when participating in this behavior but I do not think something is mentally wrong with a person that desires to participate in this behavior.
i would like to know whether women or men get the most pleasure from this kind of activity. Do men indulge more or women. I would like an answer from web md please.
Yes people die but must u die a shameful death? Death by ea would bring nothing but shame to u and those u leave behind. And it is not a practise a normal stable human being should be doing period. Its a mental disorde!
Farewell, David Carridine...
I love it when my partner restricts my breathing either with his hands around my throat or during oral sex. I trust him completely and feel incredibly safe in his control.
I normally don't leave comments on boards like these but I was compelled by the woman who said she loved having her partner perform EA on her.
I have personal expirence with erotic asphyxiation.
My advise is that the practice is high risk, if you feel you "must" perform it or receive it, seek out a local alternative lifestyles group. You can if not eliminate at least mitigate the risks by getting some sane advise on the subject. Local S&M clubs also routinely hold workshops on all manner of fetishes advocating safe play.
Consider going to one of these, I'm sure their are many EA practicers who can give you better advice (and hands on - no pun intended) for you and your partner in this.
THIS IS FOR LARRY: You seem to have some information that many of us reading this are interested in finding. Please lead us to resources that can inform and educate us interested in EA (versus AEA).
After a criminal law class on investigation, this topic was covered. Death usually occures after passing out. The person passes out due to lack of oxygen to the brain. As the body goes relaxed, the body weight tightens the device to the point of cutting off breathing. Many deaths are accidental and at no fault to anyone. It's not murder and not suicide. My wife's friend just lost her father to this. It is not a disorder, it is an addiction. After it is experienced once, people find new ways to do it or push for longer times taking it too far sometimes. Just like drugs, intervention is the only way to stop this.
Anonymous said...
I came home one day and found my dad hanging from the ceiling dead. I always thought it was because he either had a drug or alcohol problem my whole life and recently found out it was because of EA. I now know that this could be a reason for his death and this is nothing to take lightly. I never expected to lose a parent and not have my father see me graduate high school, get married watch his grandchildren grow up, and just go through life without him. I never knew the true reason my father died until recently and it kills me that hes not here because of some infactuation with a kinky sexual desire to have a high for a minute. He is missed every single day of my life because I was a daddys girl and he was such a good father....but once someone is gone thats it theres no getting them back. I hope all the people who decide to do this realize all the people you are hurting if you dont live through your sexual experience because i will never have a father again because of this sickening act that someone made up one day.
I just became involved with a woman who likes being strangled through orgasm. She usually uses a scarf tied around her neck, but I wanted to use my hand. She wants me to choke harder, and I asked "like I'm trying to kill you?". She said yes, and she will pinch me if it's too much. I can't believe she already trusts me this much. I'm just trying to gather more info.
Personally I'd rather die having an amazing orgasim with my husband, then being shot, stabbed, on fire, hit by a car, cancer, & any other deadly diseases.
Why is it so hard to find articles on Erotic Asphyxiation & women who enjoy it... instead of articles about men who like to stop breathing during masterbation?
Either way... I have always said... When I die... I want to die having sex. So judge me for it, but in reality... I think it's the best way to go.
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