The Encyclopedia Of Smut: The Breath Play Appendix

We had a lot of fun exploring and writing extreme sex acts, but we overlooked one large and supremely dangerous facet of it: breath play. So here we are, looking at a potentially fatal pornographic practice, praying that you don't do any of this just because we write about it.

Seriously, we cannot stress this enough. Do not take any of the following as a tutorial for/endorsement of any sexual act. Choking, whether yourself or another person, deprives the brain of oxygen which can lead to coma, permanent brain damage, and death. Certain professionals believe that there are zero methods for engaging in breath play that don't carry these risks.

If you have any interest in attempting to incorporate breath play into your personal sex life, we encourage you to seek professional guidance.

Choking You, Choking Me

Now that we've made sure none of you will start choking your friends after reading this article, let's talk about what actually happens during erotic asphyxiation!

When one extremely careful and well-trained individual chokes another person for sexual reasons, the idea is not to prevent that person from breathing, but instead to constrict the oxygen-rich blood flowing to the brain through the carotid arteries on either side of the neck. The drop in oxygen combined with the accumulation of carbon dioxide causes a state called hypoxia, which--among other things--causes feelings of lightheadedness, giddiness, and heightened sensitivity. In the ideal act of breath play, an individual is lightly choked as they approach orgasm in order to intensify the climax.

This effect can also be gained without the help of an additional person--that's autoerotic asphyxiation, as you know--but it's considered much more dangerous to explore breath play alone. Generally, you require additional props to strangle yourself, and without someone standing by to help, it's extremely easy to go too far and die.

As far as porn is concerned, you're much more likely to encounter breath play with multiple people than you are a single pornstar doing it by themselves, although there is a niche market for autoerotic asphyxiation. Still, even in a movie that's all about women choking themselves, such as Oren Cohen's "So Low," the performers are surrounded by others.

[Above: Christie Lee only gets a few seconds of choking before she comes, but it has a powerful effect on her. Via "Young as They Cum 14"]

Less Strangle, More Snuggle

Breath play doesn't have to be all about messing with your carotid arteries. Instead of putting yourself or loved ones in danger, you can thrill by simply, lightly, and not actually choking. For example, some people find that having a lover's hands loosely around their throat approaches a rough sex/edge play fantasy and provides an extra bit of psychological stimulation without affecting the flow of oxygen to the brain. Alternately, one can "strangle" a lover around their collar bone, even with considerable pressure, and not actually choke them.

The psychological approach to breath play can also be applied to bondage: dog collars can be worn loosely around the neck, shibari artists can have ropes cross a person's throat without applying pressure, and even gas masks provide a sensation of restricted airflow while still allowing a person to breathe.

And then you have smothering and facesitting. This stuff shows up in female domination porn all the time, and even though it may look like a performer is enveloped in ass and pussy, there is little real danger of asphyxiation. Instead, the thrill comes from being overwhelmed by the flesh, flavors, scents, and darkness of another's body.

Of course, even sex acts done with great care and little risk can go awry, so once again: do not sit on anyone's face, pretend to choke, or put anything around anyone's neck.

[Above: Kelly Divine doesn't even need to sit on that guy's face to bury him in butt. Via "Femdom Ass Worship 5"]

Breath Play Blame Game

It's been said that choking has become a common, if not ubiquitous sex act in the real world thanks to its prevalence in porn. One famous blogger even asserts that thanks to internet porn and the mass desensitization of young American males, it's a fact that "every single guy tries to choke you out during sex."

First of all, we strongly disagree with the idea that watching porn leads to desensitization and a craving for stronger sex acts. Second, choking isn't all that common in porn. Does it occur from time to time? Sure does. Do people take what they watch in porn and try to apply it to real life? Yes, but the same can be said for all forms of media. But Mary-Louise Parker gets choked during sex on "Weeds," Stephanie Seymour had her lover's hands around her throat on the cover of Vogue, and Ask Men even has choking as part of their Extreme Sex Tips, so it's not like porn is solely to blame for widespread exposure to breath play.

Allegedly, autoerotic asphyxiation has been around since the 17th century, so let's not go around blaming a few fetish films for the work of our ancestors who observed the first death erections.

[Above: let us hope that the TSA doesn't start getting into breath play after watching "CFNM Airport Security 2." Some clips courtesy of AEBN Porn Pay Per View Network and Video On Demand (theater.aebn.net)]

[At top: Claire Adams flexes her fingers for Men In Pain (meninpain.com)]