I would like to share some information that I think can give some insight into a method that is as open to experimentation as partial hanging is, and to kind of explain why hanging has a relatively high mortality rate. Both links are about something called The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide. The really good thing about this theory is that it is empirically testable meaning it is properly scientific. It does a good job at explaining suicidal behavior and it explains how people who've successfully completed their suicides viewed failed attempts. It can allow us to understand their perspective. My take away from it, (I didn't do proper "scientific" reading on this theory, but from what I read and did) I'd say, is that changing how they mentally approached hanging and suicide as a whole helped them in eventually succeeding at doing it even though they might have not been aware of the theoretical aspects which I'll try to outline the best I can. Excuse my English if it devolves into a mess at certain points, it isn't my first language.
In the theory I mentioned, people who complete their suicides with success were highly likely to have desensitized themselves from the pain and fear of suicide. They habituated themselves to SI and adapted to it. Most people do this by practicing hanging a lot and watching hanging suicide attempts, they engage in other self-harm activities which appear to produce a similar habituation effect. One more factor was isolation. People who spent more time isolated while planning seemed to "perform better." This brings me to my own inference; many successful suicide attempts were probably treated strictly as a part of a series of experiments, at least subconsciously. They were probably not viewed as a failure (at least in the same sense inexperienced people view failed suicide attempts) for the simple fact that severely suicidal people were actually doing a decent job at desensitizing themselves from the pain and fear which is an important and often ignored aspect of suicide. SI is intense and "willing yourself over it" isn't something everybody can possibly hope to achieve, certainly not for the majority of people if we're considering the statistics. And it's truly inspiring (personally) that the evidence shows most completed suicides were the product of said desensitization and habituation to fear, pain, and generally SI. They might not have known the theoretical underpinnings of what they were doing, but their continuous self-harm and persistent experimentations lead them to their long-awaited deaths. I think the theory properly explains why a large bulk of people are suicidal but very, very few people (comparatively) actually complete their suicides. And of those who are successful, almost all of them except a minority have been habituated to SI and desensitized to the fear and pain of suicide.
I like this theory because a simple analysis of my attempts (which go as far back as a year ago) shows how much I have improved and how much that improvement was a result of habituating myself to the fear. With every attempt, I can observe some noticeable decrease in my SI's "intensity" and a gradual increase in proficiency. The first time I tried partial was relatively unprofessional, I had a very short, thick cable/wire and I didn't even tie a proper knot. I searched about partial hanging and was literally enlightened to understand that the method didn't have to be so painful. The optimal partial hanging, I believe, is one that is painless while sufficiently allowing for a proper margin of error.
So, why did I experience immense pain initially? It was my misconception that I was supposed to "faint then die" from my windpipe/trachea being constricted or chocked by the ligature. But we all here who've gone through the thread and wiki already know that it's painful and long and the worst thing is that it takes forever to become unconscious from it. One usually aims to constrict the blood vessels in the neck, specifically the carotid arteries which, when done properly, can be very painless in comparison due to unconsciousness being reached quickly. The more I learned the more my planning wasn't desperate and the more professional it felt, although still very depressing. What might sound a bit unprofessional is that I am using 4 neckties (two tied to each other with slip knots forming a sort of deadlock or chainlink, basically allowing me to make two nooses. Just imagine I'm using two separate ropes). I picked them because they were soft and I am only 63kg and very lean which is an advantage. I am not advocating for necktie use at all, I am using them because they are capable of holding my relatively young 19-year-old body and they are soft so that's a huge plus when it comes to comfort.
The two nooses are the same height, they are a tiny bit stretchable due to their material so I had to be really precise with how high I tied the snuggle hitch knots since I wanted to lie in a comfortable position as opposed to the usual standing up or kneeling downwards positions (basically exactly like the Swedish man who killed himself using partial). Suicide should be comfortable, because why not?
Of course, knowing they were a little stretchable and that they were neckties, I was highly skeptical at first so I had to test them. I tied the neckties to my very sturdy attached-to-the-wall showerhead (snuggle hitch knot used) and made two nooses (slip knot used) that were around the same level. I told myself that if I needed to tear them off just so that I could make sure that they won't give away then that's the price I will pay, which sounds more reasonable than brain damage if you ask me. I used my hands of course and the nooses kept on tightening around my palms while I began relaxing, allowing the ties to fully support the upper half of my body while my legs were relaxed on the floor in front of me. I kept dangling for about a minute which was really harsh on my hands but worth it all for the safety. The showerhead was as sturdy as I predicted and the neckties didn't fail me either. My most recent attempt involved using a vest (the underwear) as padding on my neck to soften the constriction of both nooses. Oh yeah, and me using two nooses is overkill with regards to my weight since some people could even use shoelaces to complete their suicides strangely enough.
It doesn't have to be painful, even if I wanted to account for the margin of error. I shouldn't reduce all my comfort as a compromise. It is still a bit painful since I have to not use thick padding to ensure that my vessels were being constricted properly. I keep getting some mild headaches due to my experimentation, I did it twice a day last week except for one day (it's basically self-harm at this point since I don't cut). I am still alive by choice though since a sibling of mine has upcoming exams and I would never CTB until they finish. But I feel so ready when I am doing it, it's frightening how seriously ready I feel, but I have to be patient. I never dreamt I would achieve this mental state of being waiting to CTB rather than fearing that I won't be able to CTB. It is just the result of a lot of practice and habituation to suffering.
A slip knot is perfect since it tightens as your body relaxes, it is usually placed at the back of the neck. I believe many people here find it difficult to pass out due to not finding "the spot." I am no expert in that, since, I assume out of sheer luck, I haven't faced any huge difficulties with finding it and reaching the edge. It might help if I relay my experience when I get near passing out:
1. The tingly sensation everyone mentions, I feel it all over my face while the rest of my body becomes completely numb.
2. Vision. I don't "lose" my vision as some people put it, it just becomes really hazy like that sort of white noise a TV makes when the transition is cut off or something. It alternates between being bright then diming while all that white noise is swirling around in my eyes constantly. It also feels like it tunnels or narrows although I'm not sure if I am explaining it properly.
3. I don't know how to put it exactly, but I become "high." Perhaps losing consciousness is just like that. It feels like the final flickering of a candle flame if that helps at all.
4. Hearing. I am not sure if I can capture it adequately, but I feel like there's some sort of ringing sound or a "znnnnnnnnnnn" sometimes. But it almost feels like deafness as well.
5. When I stand up from my usual laying down position, I feel very disoriented and I have no control over my limbs or entire body. Sometimes I feel like I am vibrating uncontrollably. It isn't violent at all, but it's very, very dizzying.
That's it, that's what I experience and I hope experienced people here can confirm these things.
Suicide makes me most anxious and most scared when I am thinking about it and thinking about its aftermath; about the world without me and getting sentimental over it. Don't do that. Suicide experimentation (in hanging) is easier than contemplating the world without you, somehow... for me at least. I am more at ease in the bathroom playing with my life than I am at thinking about what's to come from this experimentation. Accept your suffering but don't fall in love with it, certainly don't surrender to it, and do what you think is best for you. Suicide should not be an impulsive action if you value your safety.
That's it. I apologize for the wall of text, I just wanted to share my experiences with suicide. I think it's helpful when we all talk about our experiences, it's reassuring going through the threads and it also sheds a lot of light on the danger of "unprofessional" and impulsive suicides. I think this, by extension, gives the suicidal person a reasonable space to comprehend what's at stake and to reexamine their choices before it's too late. I apologize for any inaccuracies, and it would be helpful if someone can confirm my "near-partial" blacking-out experience. That is all.
First link
Second link