What is self-bondage, a guide on how to bind yourself and survive

What is self-bondage?

Well it can be described as putting yourself in bondage by tying or restraining yourself for whatever time you wish until (a) you free yourself or (b) someone else frees you (after they've played with you preferably!)

Planning is the key to a successful session of self bondage as you want the eventual outcome to be (a) alive! (b) well used! & (c) having enjoyed the experience, failure on any one of these could seriously disappoint the self bondagee.

The reasons as to why people indulge in self bondage vary from person to person, it could be they just enjoy bondage or they experienced bondage at an early age (cowboys & indians) and have no one to tie them up, they cannot either trust their partner or are to embarrassed to ask or they may just enjoy the thrill of binding themselves, the prospect of being discovered (outdoors bondage fans love this!) or its some part of a fantasy they wish to experience.

Whatever the reason the prospect and the planning can enhance the process of self bondage, the foreplay so to speak, can increase the sexual or bodily high that can be experienced from bondage. (Some people can literally taste in their mouth the feel that self bondage gives them). Your body begins to re-act to the thoughts and feelings associated with the preparation that goes on beforehand, sometimes days beforehand as you start to build your plans for that self bondage session.

What do I do?

Start out by planning how, where & when you want to indulge yourself. Make sure that you're not going to be disturbed, unless you want to be discovered, ensure that your safety is paramount before even thinking of tying that first knot. The key words for any bondage session should be Safe, Sane & Consensual.

For our purposes we can assume that you've consented to tying yourself up, but you must ensure your own safety, have a back up system in place that you can use to escape your bondage - either a friend close by or will visit by a certain time, spare keys to locks planted fairly assessable (can be messy in some cases i.e. bucket of goo that spills over you as you reach keys!) A spare knife located nearby or in another room if you're not bound down to the bed is also a wise idea if using ropes, scarves or plastic ties.

Sane, well hanging from the rafters by your neck would not constitute sane, tying yourself up and falling into a tank of piranha's wouldn't either!

It's up to you someone will eventually come along and discover your dead body after a few days or weeks, but really all you had to do was put a little bit of thought and planning into your session beforehand.

Take the 1, 2, 3 approach to your self bondage sessions,
1 = initial planning, work out exactly what you want to do and stick
with it adding things later could affect the other parts of your bondage and
your ability to get free.
2 = Rethinking those plans and judging what could go wrong, think of any
possible scenarios that may happen, (fire, flood, pestilence, in-laws
visiting!) the list is endless and you cannot plan for every situation but
you should be thinking about some of them.
3 = Setting out your self bondage scene beforehand, going over a mental
checklist (Is the gas off, the cat out, the doors locked & have I been to
the toilet yet!) Simple things may be forgotten and it's a bit hard to try
and fix them after your fully bound.

How?

Generally there are numerous ways in which to bind the body or body parts, the ways & means would fill more than this web site and take me ages to type, so to prevent me from wearing out my fingers I'll just describe the basic ones. (well this is only a 101 after all!) Note that all release methods should be tested for time and reliability long before actual use. Your backup release method should also be tested.
1. Handcuffs
They range from the cheap and very nasty to the top of the line, gold-plated super specials. In using handcuffs be aware that they can cause serious, permanent damage to the nerves in your wrist and hands, cutting off the circulation for any length of time to any part of your body is inadvisable. The ease at which they can be used makes them very popular and the sound of the ratchet closing brings that finality to self bondage. Usually placed on the wrists last after all other bondage has taken place unless used on some other part of the bondage i.e. hog-ties. The method of release is by using the keys, you did remember the keys? (see handcuffs)
2. Locks

Again these can vary from the $2 k-mart specials to intricate superduper you-beaut top of the line swiss army types, you pays your money and takes your choice. Either released by key, combination or electronically they can be used in all types of bondage and to restrain all parts of the body, either to an object i.e. bed or via straps or chains to another part of the body. Keyed varieties are used similar to handcuffs in that you have a key that needs to be out of reach for an amount of time, again ice can be used or you can hide the key around your home or even outside! A combination of keys/locks can be used to secure different parts and these keys can be hidden in different locations or inside clothing that you may be wearing. (An example of this is depicted in the story Chinese Puzzle )
Keys may be left for some part of your bondage elsewhere involving a trip or awaiting darkness or even at work! Or for more fun give the key to someone and await their arrival.....
3. Combination type locks can come as the round faced dial or cylindrical as used on bicycle locks. Great if you don't mind fumbling around trying to get the things open, okay with the lights on, try using them in darkness. Can be enhanced by using a timer switch on your lights as you can't release yourself easily without the lights on. As a backup you can leave the curtains/shades open so you can use the daylight in the morning to release yourself, of course it may be easier to have thought of that back-up light but then again you don't mind spending the entire night in tight restrictive bondage do you? And as for blindfolds, do I really have to spell it out? (That's a NO - Do not use type answer here!)
4. Electromagnetic type locks are those as used to secure doors etc., they consist of a metal plate one side and a magnet on the other. Electrical current (low voltage here please!) is used to secure the metal plate to the magnet, current goes off plate drops so if the power company cuts off your supply you have a way out - clever huh! Now you can replace the metal plate with the keys that secure your locks the power goes off and the keys fall to within reach. Or for the really adventurous you could secure your limbs to 4 metal plates and attach them to the magnets, a timer would operate the power and you'd be secured for whatever time you programmed.
5. Ropes
Well what can you say about rope, it's cheap (some of it), it's readily available from hardware and other stores, you can use it on all parts of the body (except the neck, please!). Again this subject can fill an entire book and does to some degree, the choice of types of rope - either soft, hard, width and the material it's made from are for personal preference. The types of knots used can vary enormously from simple to elaborate and depends on what type of bondage you require or even which part of the body is being tied. One problem that can be encountered when bound is that the ropes can tighten or the knots slip causing discomfort and pain, something to be avoided (unless your kink), so learn your knots well! And have a knife handy just in case. The choice of knots is yours and you can find them in bondage and non-bondage sites, check out the examples on the {techniques page}.
6. Chains

Again as with ropes your own personal preference comes into play here, you can used them to secure yourself to the bed or elsewhere, on a collar attached to a post or bedhead. Combined with locks to secure your limbs but be careful of those body hairs, ouch! Chains can be used to secure handcuffs, wristcuffs etc. together or again to an object or part of the body. Not as versatile as rope as it's difficult to knot.
7. Leather Restraints
Now we are talking money, unless you know someone or are a crafty-type person and can make your own, they tend to range on the dearer side of the self bondage persons budget. Great with fur lining, studs, chains etc. Excellent for those longer sessions built for comfort not speed as they say! Wristcuffs, anklecuffs and blindfolds should be in most peoples price range, but then you get to the real goodies such as body harness, chastity belts, hoods etc. A good place to see these items in use is {Devonshire Productions} If you can afford them - enjoy!!!
8. Latex
Not really a self bondage restraint, more a way of life for some people. And a wish for some others!! Full body suits, hoods, stockings & mummification bags. Their are as many latex products as there are body parts, if not more. Mainly for wear only except in the case of bags that restrain the body, totally! Can be hard to use in a self bondage situation but can be done, getting out without destroying the latex is a bit harder.
Where & When

That's up to you to decide, the where is anywhere you want to really, as long as you don't get caught (unless you want to!) The park, forest, shopping centre, back of the car, the beach, or even at home! Preparation is the big word here, make sure that you can tie yourself up SAFELY, get un-tied SAFELY and get home, you don't really want that big burly bloke to buff you whilst your trussed up like Sundays chicken, do you? So again make sure that you remain safely out of harms way when bound as you can do bugger all about once tied.