I've had some trouble using this method, so I decided to go through the thread more meticulously than I did before. I found the posts by
@toolateforme on page 16 (post #468) of this thread to be very useful for finding the right spot.
I already tried to use this method twice, on the 17th and 20th of April respectively, thinking I'd found the right spot. I had not.
For anyone having a hard time finding it, if you feel like your head is pounding like crazy, you start to get a headache, your eyes start to hurt or your face feels tight, then you've got the
wrong spot. Any of these effects come from choking the jugular. This is what I felt while I was making my attempts, and I was doing it repeatedly for over an hour both times, trying to adjust the position to get it right.
The feeling I got when I found the
right spot, which is the carotid bifurcation, was first my eyes darkening like when you stand up too fast, or when you're about to pass out, or your blood sugar is low. Then it felt like something cold rushed to my brain, settling around the frontal lobe area. These effects came on after a few seconds of pressing on the right spot with my fingers. I then let go, and the feeling afterwards was reminiscent of a brain freeze, though without the pain and not as intense.
I found the right spot mainly using this picture, posted by
@toolateforme :
I used mainly the top image, as the other two were a bit misleading to me. While sitting down, I used both hands and traced my windpipe with my fingers on both sides, starting from my chin with my head tilted up. I then traced the skin with my fingertips, pushing into it so I could feel where it stops feeling tough and sinewy, still lightly touching my windpipe with my fingertips. I continued to slide my fingers down along the back of the windpipe until I felt a strong pulse. I had to move my fingers around a bit to find the exact right spot, and then pushed my fingers inward (towards the center of my throat) and backward (towards my neck).
The correct spot was further forward, towards the front of my throat, than I expected. From the images, I thought it'd be further back. It was really finicky finding it for me. I have a small build with a fairly thin neck. For me, if I feel my adam's apple, I'm too low. If I feel a tickle at the back of my throat when I squeeze, I'm too far forward. If I get a headache or a tightness in my face, I'm too far back. If I feel a weak pulse, I'm too high up.
I'm not sure I'll be able to do it with bean bags, I think they might be too big for me. The ones I have are 10x10cm with some plastic filling, which are quite small, but so is my neck. I might tape something smaller to my neck, followed by the bags and then using the ratchet strap on top of that. People have suggested things like bottle caps, which could actually work better for me if secured in place.
Anyway, I hope this helps for anyone struggling to find the right place. I highly suggest reading through the first few pages of the thread if you're having issues though.