The Ultimate Orgasm?

Or is Autoerotic Asphyxiation merely a death wish?

(This CLASSIC SEX CRAP column first appeared @ E-Crap on 12/12/2001)

When one talks about the pleasures he or she experiences in life, where does the feeling of an orgasm rank with you? Number one? Top three? If you're like most people, it will rank very high on your list. Now, what if you could enhance that feeling? What if you were able to achieve an orgasm so powerful that perhaps regular orgasms would no longer suffice?

During the 1980's, pop band INXS was one of the top bands of the decade. Producing hit after hit, they also had a brazen lead singer named Michael Hutchence. Along with being a sex symbol, Hutchence often lived the rock star, fast lane life. He was found dead in 1997, hanging from a closet rail with a belt around his neck. While the investigation ruled his death a suicide, his then girlfriend Paula Yates (who also ended up killing herself) said it was not suicide, that he sometimes participated in autoerotic asphyxiation. It was believed because of the taboo nature of this act (and the supposed depravity it infers), that Hutchence's family wanted his death to be considered a rock 'n roll suicide.

Hutchence's death, preceded by a common theme in novels by William S. Burroughs, and a famous scene from the movie The Ruling Class with Peter O'Toole, have helped bring this phenomenon into the mainstream.

I wanted to find out some general feeling on the subject, so as usual, I turned to my two best resources - the Internet, and my "research friends" from www.sexyads.net and Yahoo.

The Internet told me some interesting things. The practice apparently started when it was discovered that hanged men sometimes get erections and ejaculate, even after the hangings. This carried over to the thought that by preventing oxygen to the brain, a sense of light-headedness and intoxication will occur, which will heighten the feeling of orgasm. The "normal" way generally consists of a young man stripping naked and standing on a chair or table. He will then tie a noose lightly around his neck (perhaps a belt), lean against it to limit the amount of air flow to his brain, then masturbate. It is believed that many of the accidental deaths caused by autoerotic asphyxiation were due to the man fainting from a lack of oxygen, hence causing him to fall off his ledge and hang himself. According to www.silentvictims.org, between 500 and 1,000 men die of this every year in the United States, and about 30% of all adolescent male hangings are the result of autoerotic asphyxiation. In a poll at www.queendom.com, the results were interesting. For the first time, women participating in this phenomenon were mentioned. Actually, 12% of the women surveyed said they had tried this to enhance their orgasm, as opposed to only 7% of the males. Some of the women experienced this during sex, where their partner would choke them lightly, and others would choke themself during masturbation. Also, 77% of the men surveyed thought the idea was "crazy" as opposed to only 70% of the women feeling that way.

My research team also yielded interesting results. Of the roughly 16 guys who helped me this week, none had ever tried it, but about 30% of them knew of a woman, or had been with a woman, that tried it! The most common words when asked about it were risky, dangerous, and even stupid!

Let me go on record by saying I love the feeling of orgasm. I would be hard pressed to tell you something I enjoy more. But I would never even consider participating in any form of autoerotic asphyxiation. In a risk/reward situation, the risk of death seems to outweigh the possibility of a better orgasm. I'm very happy with my orgasms as they are!