Bondage is nothing new in the human experience. Men and women have been tying up and torturing each for thousands of years, probably since man first appeared on the earth. Heaven knows (literally) that the Church practiced bondage and torture to an extreme degree during that unfortunate period of time beginning in the 12th century known as the Inquistion.
Today bondage/torture has become a very common practice in the sex play of many couples and groups. There are many types and derivatives of bondage/torture.
Tit torture refers to any of several erotic BDSM activities focusing solely on inflicting pain on the breast, nipples, and areola for sexual gratification. It is often used in conjunction with breast bondage, which focuses on the restraint of the area.
Tit torture has been used throughout history, both as pure torture and in a more sexual context.
As early as 300 B.C. books such as the Kama Sutra discussed what would later be known as sadism and masochism acknowledging that pinching, biting, and flogging erotic body parts was encouraged as long as it was done with consent. The Kama Sutra went so far as to name all the different kinds of bites and scratches, including those focused on the breasts and nipples.
Torture focusing on the breasts is documented as having been used during the Spanish Inquisition. Particular attention was often paid to the breasts and nipples in order to extract confessions from alleged witches. Other historical references to breast-related BDSM include the fictional writings and alleged practices of the Marquis de Sade. In his book, The 120 Days of Sodom, there are dozens of references to tit torture, many of them extremely brutal.
In an erotic context, both the giver of breast punishment and the receiver receive some kind of pleasure from the experience. In many cases, people experience increased physical pleasure as a result of the release of endorphins. Their pleasure may be psychological, derived from being completely controlled by another person and/or from the pleasure the other person gets from the experience. The person delivering the punishment may enjoy the power they have over their partner, or they may simply enjoy more basic sensual satisfactions.
Both may enjoy sexually roleplaying their actions, such as acting out a dominant lover’s latent nipple-fixated vampire dreams or a submissive partner’s breast torture rape fantasy. Regardless, in most cases the pleasure is derived from some combination of these physical, emotional and psychological factors. Others have argued that the notion of focusing one’s torture on the breasts is part of a larger male psyche desiring to reduce women to their sexual organs, and is damaging to its female subjects as their breasts often make up part of their own psychological self-image
Breast binding – compressing the breasts against the chest wall with tape, bandages, ropes, and so on. Hypoxemia can cause nerve and tissue damage if rubber bands, ropes or other bindings are left in place too long, even with the simplest breast or nipple binding. Any time a breast or nipple begins to darken or become cool to the touch blood circulation has been restricted and the risk of damage increases. Binding the nipples and areola, particularly with rubber bands or other deep-biting constrictions, will tend to deaden the area the longer the binding is left in place. If binding is combined with other BDSM activity, it is important that you consider this when gauging the potential for damage.
Breast bondage – wrapping rope, leather strips, or some other type of constricting material around the base of the breast, either in a manner that also includes wrapping the binding around the chest and back, or just solely around the breast. Breast bondage may range from light -– predominantly decorative, to more moderate — where the breast bulges to one extent or the other, to more severe — where the skin actually begins to darken, to extreme and arguably dangerous forms of binding such as breast suspension –- the lifting of a woman by her bound breasts.
Flagellation – Slapping, whipping, caning, paddling, and other forms of striking the breasts. Light flagellation can involve the hands, paddles, crops, or low-impact whips, and usually results in nothing more severe than stinging and redness. More extreme forms of flagellation involve canes, whips, cords, etc. and can result in bruises, scrapes, cuts, or other lacerations.
Breasts should be struck with extreme care. breasts are very sensative and vulnerable and hard strikes and squeezes can be debilatating. Blunt trauma is one of the primary causes of internal breast injury. Breast-oriented blows should not go deep, and any bouncing should fall within the normal range of motion for the recipient’s breasts were she engaged in a normal strenuous activity.
Even skin-deep spanking can cause broken capillaries and/or a loss of sensation in the nipples and areola if carried to an extreme. Hard whipping, flogging, or any other activity that breaks the skin could also cause scarring that may not disappear with time. If the choice is made to strike a bound breast, blows should be superficial. Binding a breast interferes with its natural ability to shift on impact and compacts the tissues so that any hard blow can intensify any damage that may occur.
Nipple clamping – the use of nipple clamps, clothespins, hardware clamps, household clamps, hair pins, and so on, or clamps designed specifically for use on the nipples or on other parts of the breast. Clamping can range from relatively mild to extreme forms that result in hypoxemia (the deprivation of oxygen) if left too long on a nipple. Clamping anything onto a nipple can be more painful than anticipated.
Often, the pain spikes when the clamp is removed and full circulation is restored. Always consider applying clamps so that they are either completely behind the nipple where it connects with the areola, or at least partially so. Nipple sensitivity varies throughout any given month, and what may be acceptable one day may not work the next.
Electricity – the use of electricity, typically on the nipples. There are some devices, such as TENS or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and the violet wand, that have been specifically designed for use on human flesh and are relatively safe if used by educated persons. Other types of electricity, such as household current, batteries, or devices such as stun guns and Electroshock weapons, carry greater risks of burning or far more dangerous effects. Using electricity on the breasts or nipples is highly debated due to the risk of cardiac arrest and other complications.
At least one autoerotic fatality resulting from electrocution has been documented involving current traveling from nipple to nipple. If electricity is used, only devices designed for use on human flesh should be used, and current should not be allowed to travel from one breast or nipple to the other. Regardless of the cardiac risk, care should be used to avoid burning any time electricity play is attempted.
Piercing – temporary, play piercing involves the use of acupuncture and/or hypodermic needles, or other atypical piercing devices; or permanent piercing such as nipple bars or nipple rings. More extreme and dangerous piercings are metal skewers and suspension hooks through one or both breasts or nipples.
Suspension – While there are many references to women being hanged with their body weight supported only by their breasts, there is concern that it can result in damage ranging from stretch marks to internal rupturing and tearing.
Wax – Wax play involves hot wax being dripped or poured on the breasts and nipples, frequently after they have been chilled with ice. Hot wax, though considered one of the safer methods of breast torture, is not without risk. First degree burns happen. Hotter waxes risk second degree burns.
Edible sauces should be no hotter than 120 degrees (49 degrees Celsius). Flames, or the use of heated devices (such as curling irons) increase the level of caution that should be exercised. Though it would take almost a deliberate act to cause third degree burns, lesser burns can happen quickly. Cigarettes are often considered in erotic tit torture, however, snuffing a hot ember out on flesh is dangerous, often resulting in second degree burns and scarring.
Temperature play – using flames, ice, or other things that can burn or freeze such as curling irons, dry ice, etc. The most extreme form of temperature play is human branding. Ice is also considered relatively safe, and is often combined with hot wax. Be careful to avoid frostbite, particularly on nipples. Other coolants, such as dry ice, the propellants in “canned air” and so on, are much colder than frozen water and can cause frostbite almost immediately on contact.
Biting, scratching and pinching – either lightly or taken to an extreme that may bruise or draw blood. Vampire and similar gothic types of role-play regularly involve biting. Breast-related gynophagia fantasies also fall under this category.
Suction – use of vacuum devices. Suction devices can be strictly for nipples, from snake bite cups to medical vacuum suction devices designed for use on inverted nipples. They can also be used on whole breasts using specialized breast cupping sets or penis pumps. They can also include breast pump milking devices and an assortment of specialty bulb pump devices.
Excessive suction can cause breaks in capillary blood vessels, resulting in “hickey” type bruises. There has been some concern about using these in conjunction with nipple piercing. It is probably best not to use suction on unhealed piercings, regardless of whether they are permanent or temporary, or any other open wounds.
Western bondage is generally focused on restraining someone to do something else to them, like a spanking. Thus the west developed hand cuffs, restraints, and only use rope as a fall back, usually using simple knots to restrain someone.
Western bondage is generally done with thick cotton or synthetic rope. Western bondage will generally be done with a single length of rope. Many people associate western bondage with being overpowered or forced.
Eastern bondage by contrast is focused on being sensual art, both people involved in the bondage are partners in making the art come into being. Eastern bondage is generally done with shorter and thinner lengths of rope made of natural materials, such as hemp or jute. Eastern bondage is a journey for the participants, similar in nature to meditation.
Bondage Safety
1. Be respectful that bondage has inherent risks.
2. Make sure your rope is in excellent condition.
3. Have a safeword and a safe gesture set up ahead of
time.
4. Know your bottom’s physical condition & health
issues (Surgeries, bone issues, breathing and cardiac
issues, etc).
5. Know that once the bottom is bound, safety is up to
the top, this is a major exchange of power.
6. Never play when you are not at your best, be that
from lack of sleep, drugs, alcohol, etc.
7. Never put rope around the front of the neck.
8. Never leave someone in bondage alone.
9. Tie the wrists and ankles last, these areas are most
prone to having issues, prolonged compression can
cause nerve damage or numbness.
10. Be constantly aware of the bottom’s breathing.
11. Use shorter ropes, this allows more options in
emergencies.
12. Plan, plan some more, and go over it again just for
the fun of it before you begin.
13. Plan for the worst case.
14. Make sure to have something handy to cut the
ropes, ropes are much easier to replace than your
bottom is. EMT shears work well for this.
15. Leave your ego at the door, do not attempt anything
you are not well trained in, leave advanced bondage
and suspension for those who know what they are
doing.
