The dangers of Autoerotic Asphyxiation

One of the most dangerous sexual acts that you may have never heard of

Autoerotic asphyxiation is an unusual but increasingly more frequently occurring phenomenon, with >1000 fatalities in the United States per year. Understanding of this manner of death is likewise increasing, as noted by the growing number of cases reported in the literature. However, this form of accidental death is much less frequently seen in females (male:female ratio >50:1), and there is correspondingly less literature on female victims of autoerotic asphyxiation. The authors present the case of a 31-year-old woman who died of an autoerotic ligature strangulation and review the current literature on the subject. The forensic examiner must be able to discern this syndrome from similar forms of accidental and suicidal death, and from homicidal hanging/strangulation.

Autoerotic Asphyxiation. Is there a safe way to do that?

No. There is no doctor-approved way to strangle yourself while having sex or while masturbating. Indeed, cutting off oxygen to the brain is never a good idea. But there are ways to make this dangerous act slightly less dangerous: Do it with a trusted partner; set up a “safeword,” commonly used in bondage situations, to signal your partner to let you go; don’t use drugs or alcohol, which could make the strain that much riskier; and, of course, don’t tie the belt or rope too tight. Some deaths by asphyxiation occur simply because the victim made escape too difficult—in one case, a man rigged it so he would have needed a bolt cutter to release his chains. By definition these deaths are accidental and often result from failure of a ‘fail safe’ device that is designed to prevent lethal asphyxia. Other props may be more bizarre with evidence of cross-dressing, fetishism and sadomasochism. The death scene features usually enable differentiation from suicidal hanging, although suicide using this method has been documented in practitioners with depression.

COMMENT

Autoerotic Asphyxiation is a dangerous act that is increasing at alarming rates. I first heard of it on a talk show thirty years ago, but at the time, it seemed to be so far removed from reality, that I never gave it another thought. However, this was at a pre-internet time, since access to sinister websites and hard porn has become widely available, many of these life-threatening acts have been on the increase, in ‘copy-cat’ behaviour.

What is equally sinister and also rising at an alarming, is strangulation during sex.  Strangulation – fatal and non-fatal – “squeezing”, “neck compression” or, as some call, it “breath-play” – is highly gendered. On average, one woman in the UK is strangled to death by her partner every two weeks!

The notion of experiencing a sense of euphoria at the point of passing out, is about as dangerous as it gets, with many women willing participating, whilst at the same time, this act can feed on the disturbed minds of many men, with tragic consequences. Sadly, this is yet another example of issues that are becoming increasingly detrimental to society, that may not gain much public attention individually, but collectively, they are one of the most tangible examples of moral crisis, since the dark ages.

There is a full article with real-life testimonies in this article in The Guardian