Autoerotic Asphyxiation

Dangerous forms of sexual behavior, specifically those that pose direct risk to the health and well-being of engaged individuals, are an often neglected issue in the study of social deviance. Such behaviors, including autoerotic asphyxiation (AEA), are typically highly stigmatized and secretive, both of which contribute to the dearth of studies on such behaviors. However, understanding not only how such sexual activities are pursued but also by whom and where can offer opportunities for prevention, intervention, and appropriate services to be provided to such individuals.

Autoerotic asphyxia, also sometimes referred to as hypoxyphilia or asphyxiophilia, is the sometimes fatal practice of enhancing one's sexual arousal during masturbation through reducing the flow of oxygen to the brain. Methods of reducing oxygen flow include a variety of means of self-induced strangulation, choking, suffocation, and most often hanging. In some cases of AEA, individuals die accidentally due to a lack of oxygen getting to the brain. The intent of the person involved is to cut off the oxygen flow temporarily as a means of enhancing sexual pleasure. According to the reports of people who do engage in such behavior, when they temporarily cut off oxygen to the brain, sexual stimulation and intensity of orgasm is enhanced.

The numbers of persons who practice AEA is unknown, largely due to the fact that it is a private activity and usually only becomes known when the individual errs in the process and dies as a result. Whereas the practice itself is not problematic, the fact that annually as many as 1,000 deaths occur due to such activities does indicate a significant problem. Some estimates suggest that across North America as many as one of every 1 million deaths is due to AEA, although many in law enforcement, coroners' offices, and sex research institutes believe this to be an underestimation. Knowing precise numbers of such types of deaths is difficult, if not impossible. In most cases, victims are discovered by family members, who typically had no prior knowledge of the victim's practice. In such cases, family members are often traumatized, confused, and in need of significant emotional support, and are highly likely to move, dress, or otherwise modify the body or scene so as to conceal the autoerotic activities involved.