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Autoerotic asphyxiation (AEA) involves inducing a state of hypoxia (decreased oxygen in the blood supply) which intensifies the feeling of euphoria during a solitary sexual act. Commonly it involves placing something around the neck such as a rope, scarf, electrical cord, or other form of ligature, or noose to decrease the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchanged in the blood stream. The item is then tied off a fixed object such as a headboard, beam, or doorknob, and the person uses their body to control the amount of pressure placed on the neck which induces the hypoxia. There are many different names for this type of self-gratification according to Forensic Psychiatry, including “hypoxyphilia, asphyxiophilia, autoerotic or sexual asphyxia”.
GASP and The Choking Game
Death can occur during the solitary sexual play when the apparatus or technique used to enhance stimulation causes anoxia (complete lack of oxygen). The death is always unintentional and this is known as an autoerotic fatality. These types of deaths occur more commonly in single young Caucasian males, especially in young adults but can occur at any age and occasionally in females.
According to Medicine Net, “autoerotic asphyxiation is one of the few sexual practices that remain hush-hush, mainly because forensic scientists and psychologists won't talk about it outside their professional circles.” Self-gratification, in itself, is a deeply personal subject rarely discussed and when one adds self-asphyxiation to the mix the subject becomes even more taboo.