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This entry is part of the BDSM Dictionary hosted by Informed Consent.

This is the version from 6 Oct 11, 12:32 PM. The full history of this entry will show any more recent versions.

ICcode for "Autoerotic asphyxiation"

[b]Autoerotic asphyxiation[/b] is the practice of self-strangulation, 
typically by the use of a ligature, while [about=masturbation]
masturbating[/about], the decrease of blood to the brain is said to 
heighten the sexual pleasure. It is an extremely dangerous practice 
that results in many deaths each year.  Deaths often occur when the 
loss of consciousness caused by partial asphyxia leads to loss of 
control over the means of strangulation, resulting in continued 
asphyxia and death. It has also been speculated that in some cases 
autoerotic asphyxiation may have triggered the little-known phenomenon 
of carotid sinus reflex death. Victims are often found to have rigged 
some sort of "rescue mechanism" which has not worked in the way they 
anticipated as they lost consciousness. 

It is a popular subject in tabloids and celebrity gossip magazines, 
particularly when a celebrity dies as a result of suicide or other 
mysterious circumstances. Such was reputedly the case with the deaths 
of Jerzy Kosinski (in 1991) and Michael Hutchence (in 1997), though no 
evidence to support the claim was produced in either case.

The death in 1994 of [about=Stephen Milligan]Stephen Milligan[/about], 
the British Conservative MP for Eastleigh, was a case of auto-erotic 
asphyxiation combined with [about=self-bondage]self-bondage[/about], 
this combination is particularly lethal. A more recent case is the 
death in 2004 of BN and National Front member Kristian Etchells. 

http://menmedia.co.uk/oldhamadvertiser/news/s/477605_national_front_mem
ber_died_during_sex_act

An accidental death due to autoerotic asphyxiation is an important 
plot element in the film "The Ruling Class" (1972), starring Peter 
O'Toole.  It is also depicted in the movie "Ken Park".  The 
book "Acquisition of Power" by Erika Barr (ISBN 1591293073) also 
touches on the subject.

Recent court cases have come to varied results as to whether the 
unintentional death resulting from autoerotic asphyxiation falls under 
the "self-induced injury" clause of standard life insurance policies, 
which prevents payouts for suicide.  In June of 2003, one US court 
said the intent was not death and therefore the case was an accident 
http://home.aigonline.com/content/0,1109,15975-1567-legal--
legal,00.html, while another in August 2003 said it does technically 
fall within the terms since death is the logical result of 
asphyxiation 
http://home.aigonline.com/content/0,1109,16158-1572-legal,00.html.


[heading]See also
 

[item] [about=erotic asphyxiation]erotic asphyxiation[/about]


[heading]External links 


[item] http://www.silentvictims.org/

[item] 
[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/8/newsid
_2538000/2538165.stm]BBC News story about the death of Stephen Milligan
[/url]

[item] [url=http://216.239.41.104/search?
q=cache:hcGyRuuPeagJ:www.cwu.edu/~jenkinsa/Autoerotic_Asphyxia_Page.htm
l+%22autoerotic+asphyxiation%
22+dictionary+OR+glossary+OR+words+OR+terms+OR+lexicon&hl=en&lr=lang_en
&ie=UTF-8]Information on the practice of autoerotic asphyxia[/url]



(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the 
[url=http://www.londonfetishscene.com/wipi/index.php/Autoerotic_asphyxi
ation]Autoerotic asphyxiation[/url] article in Wipipedia.)

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