Discussion Does anyone else make themselves faint just to escape for a bit?

[shelaysdown]

I've been trying not to cut myself lately but it's been super tough because of how strong my ideation has been.
So I've started using a new tactic - I hyperventilate until I faint. It gives me a moment of peace, and an escape from my horrible thoughts when it's really bad. My hands get cold, and I feel my thoughts get slow and thick. It's weirdly satisfying, knowing I'm starving my brain of its grief, if only for a little while.
Does anyone else do this? Could I give myself brain damage if I do it too much? I'd prefer not to lose brain cells but right now it's my best method of keeping myself from doing worse things.

 

[Soupster]

No personal experience with it, as I've never been able to make myself pass out, despite trying on a number of occasions. As to the danger... it is never non zero when you deprive the brain of oxygen or blood. Back when I would blood choke people in the BDSM community I was always very careful to stop right at the threshold for this reason. That said, I'd imagine with hyperventilating the risk would be slightly lower as your still breathing and your body would normalize it quickly when you black out. Don't take that for science though please and do your own research.

 

[alltoomuch2]

I've been trying not to cut myself lately but it's been super tough because of how strong my ideation has been.
So I've started using a new tactic - I hyperventilate until I faint. It gives me a moment of peace, and an escape from my horrible thoughts when it's really bad. My hands get cold, and I feel my thoughts get slow and thick. It's weirdly satisfying, knowing I'm starving my brain of its grief, if only for a little while.
Does anyone else do this? Could I give myself brain damage if I do it too much? I'd prefer not to lose brain cells but right now it's my best method of keeping myself from doing worse things.

I was pressing on my carotids for a while, to the point of almost fainting. Initially as practice in locating them. Then to get myself out of severe emotional distress. But I started getting a really sore throat after doing it each time, just from the skin being pulled tight across my throat while I was pressing deeply so I hardly ever do it now. Also I developed a heart arrythmia around that time which apparently is not dangerous (damn!) but obviously I didn't tell the cardiologist what I'd been doing so don't know if it's related.

 

[Rowan13]

I've been trying not to cut myself lately but it's been super tough because of how strong my ideation has been.
So I've started using a new tactic - I hyperventilate until I faint. It gives me a moment of peace, and an escape from my horrible thoughts when it's really bad. My hands get cold, and I feel my thoughts get slow and thick. It's weirdly satisfying, knowing I'm starving my brain of its grief, if only for a little while.
Does anyone else do this? Could I give myself brain damage if I do it too much? I'd prefer not to lose brain cells but right now it's my best method of keeping myself from doing worse things.

I've wound a string around my neck but not tied it in order to make myself pass out before. That way when I faint, it comes loose. It actually tends to make me feel better due to the rush of endorphins. Though honestly I wish I had the courage just to tie it.

 

[willitpass]

Hyperventilating to the point of fainting is pretty low risk. As long as you're sober and don't have anything around your neck then as soon as you pass out your body will start breathing normally again to balance out the CO2/alkalosis/O2 changes. I wouldn't say it's healthy for you but the risks are pretty low. Same with attempting to pass out by pressing on the carotids with your hand. I used to do that but was never successful. Just make sure you're doing it sitting down and in a place you won't get hurt when you pass out. Generally the odds of things like pulling long sleeve shirt around your neck to pass out are also relatively low risk as well as as soon as you pass out your grip loosens and blood flow is returned (this isn't me saying it's a smart idea to try it, don't take me the wrong way). The risk for brain damage would come around if you were doing something like autoerotic asphyxiation where you are tying things around your neck that you may not be able to take off once unconscious. That's where hypoxic/anoxic brain injury and death become a bigger concern.

 

[betternever2havbeen]

I read about this a while ago as sort of a natural high and tried it a couple times-but I couldn't get it to work. Just another thing I failed at! How long does it usually take you to faint?

 

[alltoomuch2]

Addendum: I"ve started asphyxiating myself again but with my dressing gown cord because it's thick and soft. But I don't go to the point of fainting because I realised that when I let go of the ends it doesn't really release, too much friction because it's fluffy. So high risk but tbh I don't care if I die or not and would definitely ctb if it wasn't for my brother and how it would affect him. But doing this seems to be the only way I can get out of the mental pain sometimes without doing some sort of SH that is noticeable to others. I think probably SI would kick in if I did faint and it would make me pull the cord off, but maybe not.