Self-Bondage Safety Intro
Supplemental to class and not intended as stand-alone material
Getting started
Begin with intention – why self-tie?
There is no one "true way" to experience/do rope!
Setting a mood: engage the senses
Consider both physical and mental safety
Distinguishing self-play from self-harm (as distinguishing abuse from consensual BDSM) – consider discussing with a kink-aware professional.
Body awareness
Health issues to be aware of – see reference articles (pre-existing nerve damage, fainting/syncope, seizures, diabetes, joint problems, asthma, and so on)
Learning to distinguish warning signs of damage from intense but not harmful sensations is a crucial self-tying skill.
It takes time to build up a tolerance to the “intense sensations” and emotions associated with bondage – your body learns that you felt all the things and then survived, and actually, that was fun!
Similar to the process by which people come to like spicy food (no one is born liking ghost peppers) or riding roller coasters.
Learning to inventory your body – is anything tragic happening? Are you being damaged?
“It is a defining characteristic of human sensory and motor systems that they habituate with repeated use...” – Adapting to Artificial Gravity at High Rotational Speeds, NASA Astrophysics Data System.
Related concept: peripheral desensitization (circus)
Safety basics
Do not self-tie alone – have a spotter!
Communicate expectations with your spotter
Bondage + alone is the number one cause of BDSM-related death
Consider what would happen if you fainted, fell, or vomited. If the answer is “I would probably die or be seriously injured,”...then adjust your bondage!
Be sure your spotter knows how to handle any emergencies
For suspensions/partials, consider the risk of rope breaks, hardpoint failure, etc.
There is a trade-off between speed and security – generally speaking, speedier ties (like quick-release techniques) are less secure, and very secure ties take more time to tie and untie.
Consider what you are more worried about – coming undone or getting stuck. For self-suspension, I tend to be much more concerned about coming undone (potentially causing a fall). When self-tying on the ground, I am much less concerned about coming undone and more concerned with getting stuck.
Consider your personal risk profile, mitigation measures you have in place (such as a spotter), and so on.
Having a Plan B
Build in redundant escape plans. Have a spotter, a quick release, and a cutting tool
Cutting tools
Generally, good safety sheers are the best choice
Rescue hooks don’t work well on rope that is not under tension. Cutting rope that is under tension is often not a safe choice.
Where to keep your cutting tool
Thigh holsters, knee socks, on the ground, etc
Practice using your cutting implement!
Consider that cutting rope is often not the safest way out – releasing “all of a sudden” can cause different hazards.
Remember that, as they say in aviation, “takeoffs are optional...landings are mandatory.”
Strength and endurance awareness – make sure to start getting untied before you are overtired. You must have enough body awareness to save some “reserves” (mentally and physically) to get yourself safely untied.
Grip strength is often the first to go.
Ties, especially suspensions, often get worse before they get better – they’re intense at the end, as you remove supports. Plan accordingly!
Risk Mitigation
High-risk body areas to avoid include the neck and the joints (elbows, knees, armpits, groin, wrists, etc.), where nerves and blood vessels are close to the surface and more vulnerable.
Reduced circulation
Signs of decreased circulation include cold, color change, and numbness.
These signs and symptoms generally occur slowly.
Some color and temperature change in a bound limb is to be expected and is generally not a bondage emergency. However, blood vessels and nerves run close to each other, and reduced circulation can complicate the detection of nerve injury. Be mindful and adjust your bondage accordingly.
Mild color/temperature change is quite different from a pale, cold limb with no pulse (the latter would be an emergency).
Nerve Damage
Nerve damage is a substantial risk to be very aware of for bondage in general
The interplay of 6 fundamental factors influences bondage nerve injury occurrence and severity:
Individual differences in nerve vulnerability
Anatomical location (where on the body you are tying)
Generally, muscle and fat offer some protection; thus, the lower body tends to be less vulnerable than the upper body. There are many individual differences!
Duration of compression
Severity of compression
Stretch/stress positioning
Environment (internal and external)
Cold & adding distracting stimuli increase the risk
Self-bondage tends to be less static & involves lower-risk ties (leg ties vs. ties involving rope around the upper arms) with a shorter duration – BUT body awareness may be altered, and you may get “stuck” in a position for longer than intended or strain yourself trying to self-rescue
Different kinds of nerve pain – numbness, burning, sharp, cold, tingling
Ex: hitting your “funny bone,” carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica
Know the location and vulnerable spots of major nerve pathways on your body and vulnerabilities for the ties you are doing. This is an intro, not a comprehensive list! More details here.
Do not push through warning signs of nerve damage
Arms/wrists
The arms are very vulnerable to nerve damage. Self-tying the arms is a high risk for many reasons.
Brachial plexus – damage can occur when the shoulder is forced down while the neck stretches away when the arm is forced above/behind the head or with upward pressure into the armpit.
Chest
Chest pressure can interfere with breathing, especially in a load-bearing face-down position, especially for folks with asthma, etc.
There are anecdotal reports of damage to the sternum (physiologically unlikely), costal cartilage (physiologically much more likely), and ribs.
There are few anecdotal reports of possible damage to intercostal nerves – intercostal neuralgia causes pain that wraps around the chest and worsens with cough or sudden movements.
Watch for floating ribs!
Legs
Around/close to the knees, nerves (including the saphenous nerve) are close to the surface and poorly protected. Symptoms include numbness to the lower leg and “foot drop” (inability to flex the foot).
Hips
The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) is most likely, which is vulnerable on the front of the hip and where the leg and hip join. The LFCN is sensory, and damage causes numbness on the lateral thigh.
The iliohypogastric nerve and ilioinguinal nerve are also vulnerable below the iliac crest. Damage causes numbness to the groin, outer labia/genitals, and upper thigh.
The obturator nerve is vulnerable in the groin/inner thigh.
Ankles/feet
Tight wraps around the ankle can injure the deep peroneal nerve. Symptoms include foot pain & sensory disturbance.
Positioning
Stretch or stress positions are often a factor in nerve injuries.
Consider the risk of positional asphyxia (impaired breathing), especially in face-down positions (such as hogties) or forward-bent positions.
After being held in a restrained position, move limbs slowly and gradually once untied. Body parts that have been bound for a while may have lost a bit of muscle tone, and strong or sudden movements can cause sprains.
Further reading:
BondageSafety.com
Lots of relevant info, including videos, on selfsuspend.com! :-)
Tying & Flying
