Venting Partial Hanging

[StaticCryBabye]

Today at 4:30 AM, I impulsively attempted a partial hanging. I'm writing this down just to quickly document what happened what I felt, what I experienced.

I have the usual setup though my rope wasn't the best even then I think I might've done it correctly, because as soon as I started putting weight on my neck, all the symptoms I expected began to hit me my hand went numb, and soon, my face began to lose feeling too. Before I even realized what was happening, I slipped into unconsciousness. If I remember correctly, it took less than 12 seconds. Honestly, I didn't even think I'd pass out that fast.

After about two or three minutes, I entered this dream-like state. It felt like I was struggling—like I was running from something and i did clearly remember most of my memory just rushing and quickly playing out. I was slowly, and terrifyingly, coming back to consciousness, like sort of waking up from a nightmare. And when I finally woke up, I just found myself sitting there stunned. I actually lost consciousness. I was genuinely dying.

For a moment, I thought about it. It felt... Sort of peaceful. And strangely enough, when I woke up, I didn't feel scared or shaken at all. Instead, I had this unsettling sense of certainty that if I set things up properly, this method might actually work well for me. I didn't experience any severe or lasting aftermath or at least none that I'm currently aware of. There's a terrible bruise wrapped around my neck, but that's about it.

I think the reason I woke up was because the rope wasn't tight enough. And maybe my body was just thrashing hard enough to pull me out of it. I'm planning to reattempt it tonight hopefully doing everything right this time.

 

[FuneralCry]

I hope you find the relief you search for, I wish you the best.

 

[AreWeWinning]

And when I finally woke up, I just found myself sitting there stunned.

I assume you did it in a sitting position? That was probably the reason why it failed.

 

[RageQuit]

I assume you did it in a sitting position? That was probably the reason why it failed.

Is sitting a bad idea? I was considering it because it seems to me like it would be more difficult for the muscles to straighten the legs and take the weight off the rope than it would be in positions where the angles between segments are smaller (like standing or kneeling)

 

[AreWeWinning]

Is sitting a bad idea? I was considering it because it seems to me like it would be more difficult for the muscles to straighten the legs and take the weight off the rope than it would be in positions where the segments are already closer to being straight (like standing or kneeling)

Yes, a sitting position is a bad idea in my opinion. The problem is that the force on your neck is too small in a sitting position. It might work, but I think it's risky.

What you described makes sense, but muscle convulsions could still reduce the force on your neck, which is especially problematic in a sitting position considering that there isn't a great amount of force on the neck to begin with.

I think a high kneeling or a standing position is better and much safer for partial hanging, even with the risk of involuntarily standing up. I understand that a few people on this forum have reported that they involuntarily stood up, but all in all, I don't think this is the typical outcome. Most people who struggle with partial hanging can't even lose consciousness at all, and most people who can, end up dead.

If you don't 'stand up' and don't regain consciousness, the force on your neck is much greater in a standing position, which is why it is safer. Note that standing up is only a risk within about the first couple of minutes, after which the body goes limp.

If you want to do partial hanging but are concerned about standing up, consider using a position where your buttocks are about 50-60 cm above the ground and you extend your legs forward.

Here is a comment of mine in which I explain these ideas in more detail, including some illustrations:

Basically, the standing or the high kneeling positions are the good ones in my opinion. There's a study (PubMed, Sci-Hub) that examined the ligature tension in various positions. According to that study, there's a lot less pressure on the neck in a sitting or lying position.

A deep kneeling position, where your hips are close to your ankles is good in theory. However, in practice, you'll probably just end up sitting, because the noose and the whole setup loses a lot of height under your body's weight. This effect should not be underestimated.

Below is an illustration from this study. It shows the ligature tension in percentage of body weight. (The coloured overlays and the comment in blue are my additions.)

View attachment 194339

There's also a position where the person extends their legs forward. This position is what I would consider the 'best'. In this position, there's little to no chance that the pressure on the neck eases during the convulsive or rigidity stages. The person can't push themselves upward involuntarily, which might happen in a standing or kneeling position. This 'legs-forward' position would prevent what some people claim to experience: regaining consciousness after they've passed out.

The following videos show people using this position:

Spoiler: Hanging videos (NSFW)

https://watchpeopledie.tv/h/suicide/post/22947/marcus-jannes-livestream-suicide-by-hanging

https://atrocidades18.net/2025/04/2...-na-praia-de-canoa-quebrada-em-aracati-ceara/

Below is an illustration of the position:

View attachment 194341

 

[RageQuit]

Yes, a sitting position is a bad idea in my opinion. The problem is that the force on your neck is too small in a sitting position. It might work, but I think it's risky.

What you described makes sense, but muscle convulsions could still reduce the force on your neck, which is especially problematic in a sitting position considering that there isn't a great amount of force on the neck to begin with.

I think a high kneeling or a standing position is better and much safer for partial hanging, even with the risk of involuntarily standing up. I understand that a few people on this forum have reported that they involuntarily stood up, but all in all, I don't think this is the typical outcome. Most people who struggle with partial hanging can't even lose consciousness at all, and most people who can, end up dead.

If you don't 'stand up' and don't regain consciousness, the force on your neck is much greater in a standing position, which is why it is safer. Note that standing up is only a risk within about the first couple of minutes, after which the body goes limp.

If you want to do partial hanging but are concerned about standing up, consider using a position where your buttocks are about 50-60 cm above the ground and you extend your legs forward.

Here is a comment of mine in which I explain these ideas in more detail, including some illustrations:

Thank you. Those are all very good points. The illustration also clears the confusion I had with what's considered a sitting position. I was actually imagining "sitting" on air with the rope being too high to allow your buttocks to touch the ground. Extending the legs forward seems like a good idea.

Since the force pulling down on the rope might not be consistent because of the unconscious movements, would a knot with more friction be better than the arbor knot? Arbor knot is what I had planned for fsh but for partial I'm not sure because it's so easy to loosen.

 

[AreWeWinning]

Since the force pulling down on the rope might not be consistent because of the unconscious movements, would a knot with more friction be better than the arbor knot? Arbor knot is what I had planned for fsh but for partial I'm not sure because it's so easy to loosen.

I wouldn't necessarily worry about using the Arbor Knot for partial hanging. Whichever noose you use, it won't cinch around your neck perfectly since the knot is pulled slightly away from it. Most of the force will be at the front and at the sides of your neck, caused by the downward pull of your body. Even if your knot tends to jam in a tight position, it might still not get pulled tight enough to keep you unconscious if rope tension is released. I'm just speculating, but this would be my expectation.

That said, if you want, you can use a knot that locks in more firmly than the Arbor Knot. For example, the Poacher's Knot is a good option; it's quite difficult to loosen once you've pulled it tight. You can add a stopper knot after the Poacher's Knot as well to reduce any initial slippage. If you want a knot that jams even more, take a look at the Scaffold Knot.