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,
6 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.
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