Thoughts on Breath Play

The thing that I like most about Breath Play is this: I have complete and utter control of the sub. I know we talk about power exchange but in most forms of play the sub is able to wiggle free from her binds or jump off the cross but when the sub is in a transient state, she has no control. She has no power and the only thing that keeps her safe is the person that has his hands around her throat.

Is it safe? NO. Is it sane? NO. But I could say the same thing about a lot of the play we do. The only thing that breath play has to be is consensual. But there is some debate about consent in the vanilla world that I have really been following.

The main question is, can a person consent to something that they have never experienced or completely understand? Here are the hard facts about Breath Play.

1) Breath Play is a misleading description because breath play has little to do with breathing and everything to do with the blood. Breath Play should be called carotid restraint, Shimi Waza or Blood Choke. "Blood chokes are a form of strangulation that compresses one or both carotid arteries and/or the jugular veins without compressing the airway, hence causing cerebral ischemia and a temporary hypoxic condition in the brain. A well applied blood choke may lead to unconsciousness in a matter of seconds...properly applied blood chokes require little physical strength."

Some of the more apparent symptoms of ischemia involve impairments in vision, body movement, and speaking. This is the transient stages of Breath Play called twilight. This state produces a euphoric almost drug induced state where some people have dreams that border on the verge of hallucination.

What a sub needs to know about Breath Play from a consent stand point is that ischemia will temporarily reduce your motor skills which can lead to injuries as a result of falling as well as neck and back issues such as hyper extension of the vertebrae, pinched nerves and in some instances biting the tongue. Ischemia can also affect your bodily functions. This means that in rare cases you can urinate or even defecate while in this state (which is why I always have my subs go to the restroom before we start a scene). You could even risk a seizure or full cardiac arrest.

The sub may also have reduced vision (also called fading to black) which is often when the sub begins to panic. If you have ever fainted or been put in a blood choke one of the ways you know that you are becoming unconscious is your vision is blurring and everything is going dark and our natural inclination is to fight. This fight feeling leads to panic as well as an exhilarated heart beat which means that not only is the process going to take longer but when the person regains consciousness they may be experiencing a prolonged sense or fear, panic and/or anxiety. Again, this is very rare but, it is a possibility.

I think we all know the saying, "There is no safe word in sub space” and that saying is especially true when you are in the depths of twilight. Because Breath Play dramatically reduces your motor skills and mental capacity as a result of the lack of blood to the brain, speech is pretty much reduced to zero. So even if you could remember your safe word your ability to say the word would be nonexistent. This is why you have to trust the person that you are doing Breath Play with because you will be totally vulnerable and in this state the person you are playing with is your whole world.

2) Can you die as a result of doing Breath Play? Yes. You can die as a result of Breath Play. Breath or erotic asphyxiation is one of the most extreme sexual fetishes that you can engage in. On top of all the biomechanical issues that can happen there is always a chance of stroke or concussions. In my experience the most prevalent of these has been traumatic head injury as a result of the sub falling and hitting their head. Unfortunately, there have not been enough scientific studies on the subject to know what the most likely causes of death are when Breath Play is involved.

3) What are the long term effects of Breath Play? Again, I have no idea as to what are the long term effects of Breath Play on the mind and body of an avid Breath Player because of the taboos and sticky legal issues surrounding the topic. But when a sub is negotiating Breath Play or thinking about engaging in the practice this is one of the questions a person has to ask themselves. Even with this knowledge a person still can’t accurately understand all the aspects of Breath Play without being able to experience it first-hand. So the idea of a person being able to give consent in this area is a little grey.

(This video contains adult content so please be at least 18 years of age before clicking the video link.)

What I would say to a person that wanted to engage in Breath Play is, "Breath Play has the same basic tenant of any other risky activity with another person, you have to trust in your partner." Remember that this person is going to be responsible for your whole being and that’s a huge responsibility for anyone to undertake. So know who you are playing with both inside and out because you are giving them your most precious gift and that's the gift of your life.

On August 31st, I will be conducting a class on Breath Play and Erotic Asphyxiation at Sanctuary Studios LAX. So if you are interested in learning and experiencing either in a fun and safe environment RSVP on Facebook or on Fetlife

O

{Orpheus Black is a sex educator specializing in Poly, D/s and M/s Dynamics. He is also a, professional and lifestyle Dominant, and alternative lifestyle speaker in Los Angeles. For more information on classes or speaking engagements please email him at orpheusandindigo@gmail.com}