Auto-Erotic Asphyxiation is the practice of cutting off essential oxygen supply to the brain which then brings on an episode of dizziness, confusion, and euphoria, followed by unconsciousness which may lead to death. This practice is generally limited to men who are attempting to reach a higher level of pleasure while masturbating.

 Though the practice may be limited to younger men, it can also be seen in all ages. Young school age children have stumbled upon a form of asphyxiation in the form of hyperventilation over a period of time (minutes), followed by holding their breath and having another person compress their upper chest wall in a tight hold. I remember as a young child, my brother and his friend were doing this in my grandmother’s basement. My brother would hyperventilate for several minutes; hold his breath while his friend squeezed my brother’s chest. I watched in amazement as my brother’s face turned red to blue. His eyes rolled backwards and he went limp. His friend placed him down on the ground and after several seconds, my brother would begin to stir, confused at first, and laugh. I also noted on several occasions, my brother had urinated in his pants. When I asked him why he was doing this, his only response was “It feels cool”.

 It is called auto-erotic asphyxiation because generally the man is alone, using a rope or tie around the neck area. Tightening the rope by placing tension while lowering the body will create blood flow restriction (oxygen carrying blood) to the brain. The man is usually masturbating while looking at pornographic material in most cases. At the point of euphoria, the person experiences an intense orgasm and overall physical pleasure. At this point, if prolonged or the person continues to increase tension on the rope,  a syncopal episode (fainting) will occur and further loss of oxygen to the brain will lead to death since there is no one around to release the rope. Death is usually caused by the lack of oxygen to the brain and/or severe heart damage as the heart struggles to beat adequate blood supply in response to the brain signals for increased oxygen.

Though there may be nearly 1000 persons dying on a yearly basis by asphyxiation, it continues to be a practice among men in an attempt to reach the ultimate sexual experience. Death is a high price to pay for such pleasure, let alone having to leave friends and family with the final picture of being found hanging and naked, surrounded by adult toys and/or pornographic reading material.