Autoerotic Asphyxiation Facts
With the recent death of actor David Carradine possibly being linked to sexual asphyxiation, this strange and bizarre fetish is once again in the news. Carradine is not the first star believed to have died from this fetish, as Michael Hutchence, former lead singer of INXS, was believed to have passed from this accidental death, too. While most of the media and the authorities like to claim that these are suicide attempts, the sad truth is that most hangings are not suicide attempts but failure to save them in time during sexual arousal.
Most hangings that occur every year across the world are not from suicide. Most persons found hung are male and found naked with a small percentage of those who die from autoerotic asphyxiation being women. This is usually a clue to what happened like pornographic material scattered about but for some reason the media and police want to cover up the cause of death as if it is easier to accept that someone wanted to willing die than to admit to the world that they died messing around with a dangerous and deadly fetish.
Sexual asphyxiation has been used for centuries as a questionable form of male enhancement. The idea for this most likely came from subjects who were executed by hanging. Observers at public hangings noted male victims developed an erection, sometimes remaining after death, and occasionally ejaculated when being hanged. It was believed to be first used as a treatment for erectile dysfunction and impotence.
Yearly, there are around 250 to 1000 accidental deaths in the United States alone from this fetish, but most cases are reported as suicide.
There are several methods used to attain the level of oxygen depletion needed such as suffocation, hanging, and the use of rope or cloth used by a partner. In those who practice BDSM, this is referred to as edgeplay or breathplay, and usually involves limits and control to this consensual activity. But even with care, the results of erotic asphyxiation can be dangerous and deadly even to those who who understand the controls need to safely execute this fetish.
The most dangerous forms of this fetish involve autoerotic asphyxiation as when the threshold needed to achieve pleasure is reached. Most people do not have a way to stop from going over into death. Deaths often occur when the loss of consciousness caused by partial asphyxia leads to loss of control over the means of strangulation, resulting in continued asphyxia and death.
While often erotic asphyxiation is incorporated into sex with a partner, others enjoy this behavior by themselves, making it potentially more complicated to get out of dangerous situations. Victims are often found to have rigged some sort of rescue mechanism that has not worked in the way they anticipated as they lost consciousness.
While fetish play is usually healthy for an active and engaging sex life, you should never engage in this dangerous and deadly fetish, even with a partner who understands the risk. There are many other alternatives to male impotence and male inadequacy and you should seek the help of a doctor before trying any method of sexual arousal and male enhancement.
