10 facts about Sex and Asphyxiation

When it comes to Consensual Erotic Asphyxiation, there are not a lot of hard facts available so I have compiled a list of my 10 favorite freaky facts that you should know about Breath Play.  

1.) What is Angel Lust? - Usually associated with death by hanging, Asphyxiation has been observed to affect the genitals in both men and women. In women, the labia and clitoris will become engorged; in men, it's "a more or less complete state of erection of the penis". 

Victorian doctors even recommended Asphyxiation as a cure for erectile disorder. 

2.) Choking power! - A full grown man can perform a forearm choke with up to 500 pounds of force. That's enough force to sever the spinal cord.

3.) U.S.Government study asphyxiates convicts and the insane - There is limited medical research available regarding neck restraints. One of the first studies was conducted by the United States Military in 1943. A team of American military scientists examined the effect of acute cerebral anoxia —a short and severe lack of oxygen to the brain. To do this, they used an inflatable cervical pressure cuff designed to induce temporary arrest of circulation without affecting the respiratory tract; essentially - a mechanically created carotid pressure hold. The cuff was held down to the lower third of the neck and pressure increased to 600 mm of mercury within one-eighth second. One hundred and twenty six prison volunteers and 11 diagnosed schizophrenic patients were fitted with the cuff which was tightened until unconsciousness was induced. The average time from arrest of cerebral circulation to loss of consciousness was six to eight seconds. The study concluded that arrest of cerebral circulation in normal young men results in fixation of the eyes, tingling, constriction of the visual fields, loss of consciousness, and brief, mild tonic and clonic seizure after restoration of the blood flow. This study, though dated, is perhaps the largest study ever conducted in terms of the sheer number of participants. No deleterious effects were observed from repeated tests on these subjects. 

4.) What they say about Breath Play.   Author George Shuman wrote  "When the brain is deprived of oxygen, it induces a lucid, semi-hallucinogenic state called hypoxia. Combined with orgasm, the rush is said to be no less powerful than cocaine, and highly addictive.

5.) The first Autoerotic Asphyxiation Death -  English author, playwright, translator, publisher and editor of The Gentleman's Journal Peter Anthony Motteux, died from apparent autoerotic asphyxiation in 1718, which is probably the first recorded case.

6.) Breath Play Terms - Breath Play has a number of names such as Consensual Erotic Asphyxiation, Auto-erotic Asphyxiation, and Gasper.  The technical term for Breath Play is Asphyxiophilia (Sexual Arousal by Asphyxiation)

7.) For the Ladies - Its estimated that 1 out of every 176 people that are engaging in breath play are female. 

8.)  Blood or Airway choke - It takes 6x more pressure to collapse the windpipe than it does an artery.  Coincidentally, it takes less than 40 pounds of pressure to totally constrict the carotid artery.     

9.) DSM- 5 on Breath Play - The DSM-5 suggests that all forms of breath play, be it Auto-erotic Asphyxiation, Consensual Erotic Asphyxiation, Airway Restriction etc are all considered masochistic acts and are all lumped under one header. They felt that because people who are being choked often have masochistic fantasies while being choked makes them masochists.  To me that's like fantasizing about robbing banks and then being labeled a bank robber. As a result, statistics associated with breath play are often incorrect because they often lump all deaths or injuries together.

10.) What does MMA have to say about Breath Play? - The most common submission in MMA is the old reliable RNC, (Rear Naked Choke) which makes up 29.02% of all submission wins. Some argue that with thousands of tournaments since the sport of Judo began in 1882, hundreds of thousands of chokes have been applied, and the probability of hundreds if not thousands of choke-outs, with no reported deaths due to chokes, the chances of asystole are slim.

If you have any questions about Breath Play or any fun facts please feel free to post them below. And if you are in the Los Angeles area don't forget to stop by my class called "The Erotic Art of Breath Play on March 29th @ Sanctuary LAX. For more information go to http://www.sanctuarylax.com/events/3026 

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