Pictures are usually a very poor source of information, when it comes to suspension! Well over half of what you get to see are clever trick shots and as far as the other half is concerned, many of such photo shoots never lasted more than three or four minutes as a maximum!

As long as you understand some basic, but quite fundamental, precautions suspension is an intense experience, Common sense will almost always tell you what not to do, but, just to be on the safe side, let us provide you with some useful hints.

Unforeseen emergencies cannot be excluded. An emergency can be anything: an unexpected event, a medical emergency or an unexpected emotion are the most common ones. In almost all cases simply untieing the bondage and the suspension will do the trick. But there may be occasions, where that simply takes too much time. For this reason, always carry a knife with you, when undertaking suspension activity (or bondage activity in general).

Ropes do not belong around the neck. Even a loose fitting rope may get you into trouble, as a result of unexpected movement for example.

Suspension points should be designed and constructed for this purpose. A gas pipe, sewage pipe or water pipe is NOT a suspension point for example.

We simply cannot provide information for every personal situation, especially not when it comes to health information. A regular medical check up is a good idea anyway and good advise for people, entering into suspension activities. You know best what your body can and cannot do. If you have doubts, check with your doctor.

The level of intensity, the effects of adrenaline and endorphins and the fact that both you have have been in a different state of awareness means that people are usually in no condition to drive safely, after a suspension session. You need some rest first, and some rest in this case means a good nights sleep.

A suspension session is an intense, special event. Intense bonding and an entirely new sexual experience are usually the result of suspension activity. Make sure you can fully enjoy this – unplug the phone, make sure you will not be disturbed and that there is sufficient time to enjoy each others’ company afterwards. Shibari sessions usually last long. The preparation, the action itself and the time it takes, to come back from a state of trance, may well take an entire day (coming back from trance may sometimes take several days). Make sure you have all the time in the world. If you have to work on Monday, the Sunday before is not good planning, for example.

To the recipient especially, the effects of the trance may fundamentally change the way you experience the world around you. This may take a day or two and you need to be aware of this. When still enjoying the after effects of trance, you are in no condition to make important decisions, for example. Also, when out on the streets, you may experience the “deer in the headlights” effect. This quite literally means that, while crossing the street, you may be fascinated by the color of a car without stepping away from it. This is why you should be careful and allow for sufficient time to come back to the reality of the rest of the world.

Alcohol, poppers and recreational drugs have no place in a Shibari environment and most certainly not in a suspension situation. First of all, the giver especially needs a clear head and the action itself will provide more than enough impulses to go to a different level of awareness anyway. Both giver and recipient will experience high levels of certain hormones (adrenaline and endorphins especially) and other stimulants only come on top of this.

At several points we will provide health and safety hints. Please observe them. They are there to help you to get the most out of your session without putting yourself at risk. No mater how you look at it: Shibari suspension is “the extreme sport of sexuality”. People can quite safely climb mountains or go for a delta wing flight. Provided they understand what it is they are doing and understand the safety requirements. This is also true for Shibari suspension.

The above article is a reprint from our information/educational site Kink Culture.
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