Suspension Bondage Is Dangerous

We love suspension bondage and we’re excited to share it with you. We want to be very clear, however, about the risks involved.

1. Suspension bondage involves unavoidable risk. Like rock climbing, suspension is a risky activity. Good preparation and training can reduce your risk, but even if you do everything right there is still a chance that you may be injured or killed, or that you may injure or kill another person.

2. We don’t have all the answers. Unlike rock climbing, suspension bondage has no professional standards bodies and no expert consensus about best practices. This book is based on years of study, practice, and consultation with outside experts. Nonetheless, you should be aware that suspension is still a developing field, and our understanding of the best way to do things is still evolving.

3. You can’t learn suspension from a book. The only safe way to learn suspension is to work with a qualified instructor or mentor. This book is a valuable adjunct to expert instruction, but not a substitute for it. Without a skilled teacher to guide and evaluate you, you cannot learn suspension without placing your partner in tremendous danger.

4. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Suspension is fun and exciting, and you will likely be tempted to rush ahead and try activities that you aren’t yet ready for. We can’t stress enough the importance of proceeding slowly and methodically, and always working within your skill level.

5. Always use good judgment. Your best defense against mishap is your own common sense and good judgment. Always be mindful of what you’re doing, and err on the side of caution.

Your partner is placing tremendous faith in your competence and judgment. If you are careless or overly ambitious, they are likely to pay a heavy price for your foolishness. Make sure that you are worthy of their trust.

Suspended Animation accepts no responsibility for any injury or death which may occur as a result of the activities described in this book. By reading this book, you agree to take full responsibility for your actions and their consequences.

C is for…

Column tie

A column tie without frapping turns.

A column tie with frapping turns.

A column tie is a tie that is used to bind one or more “columns” like arms and legs. Column ties are one of the building blocks of bondage, and all of the harnesses in FTGU 101 & 102 are based on the basic column tie. Some column ties use frapping turns to separate multiple columns.

Riggers often refer to single column ties and two column ties, although the terminology is used inconsistently. Some people refer to ties around one column as single column ties, and ties around two columns as two column ties. Other people refer to ties without frapping turns as single column ties regardless of how many columns they are actually tied around.

Consent

Consent is the difference between BDSM (which is awesome) and abuse (which is awful). We think that consent is a profoundly important topic, and we’re glad to see that our community is starting to transition to a more sophisticated understanding of it.

The term consent culture is sometimes used to refer to a culture that promotes interactions based on consent. Conversely, the term rape culture is sometimes used to refer to a culture that encourages interactions that are not always consensual, and which provides cover to rapists and predators.