Rope bondage is beautiful, but safety is what makes it sexy. Before you tie up your next sub, read this essential safety talk from The Puppeteer. Learn why communication is key, how to monitor your sub in deep sub-space, and why a pair of safety scissors is non-negotiable. Smart play is hot play, always.
Presented by The Puppeteer
Bondage is a practice very beautiful and intriguing. It’s considered as a good entry fetish, because it doesn’t look to intimidating and dangerous. And that’s true. However, as with every practice, it can become dangerous if you don’t do it right. To help ensure that you and your partners have a good and safe time playing , we had a small talk with the puppeteer about how he ensures it when having a session.
Talk to your sub
Many people are nervous when they get tied up, even though they may appear enthusiastic and relaxed. Talk to them beforehand. Let them know what you’re gonna do, take some of the unknowns away for them.
Anxiousness
If you’re a sub, it may be that you’re suddenly feeling anxious, stressed, or generally uncomfortable if you’re tied up. That can be signs of a panic attack. That’s completely alright, some people can get that, sometimes completely out of nowhere. Please tell your Dom immediately if that’s the case. A good dom should get his sub out of bondage immediately and try to calm him down. Assure him that everything is alright and they’re safe.
Consent
Make sure that they are informed and are and say they’re willing to participate. That’s doesn’t end with asking them once before the playing. If, in any situation, they start saying “No, I don’t like that.”, they are not giving consent anymore, and in the worst case, may are having a small panic attack. Release them.
Safety Scissors
Always keep safety scissors nearby in case of emergency.
Blood-flow & Nerves Check-up
Make sure to regularly check your subs extremeties if you tied them up (f.e. a persons hand/feet/calf). Press them and let your sub tell you if he feels everythings alright, if he can move his extremeties (or at least activate his muscles if he’s tied up there 😉 ) without problem, or if there’s tingling or numbness. If that’s the case, it may be time to loosen/undo the rope.
If you’re a sub, immediately tell if you’re feeling anything uncomfortable. You probably want to hold out and stay in bondage longer, but a good top knows how much you can take and rather knows signs early than late to be able to act accordingly.
Sub-Space
It can be that when you’re tied up, your mind starts to drift away into a meditative-like relaxed state. That’s what many people call sub-space. A sub tends to become a little unresponsive then, and may not feel things or the state his body is in correctly. As a Dom, it’s a good idea to regularly make check ups if his hands feel cold, maybe feel his pulse, and let him press his hands, feet or whatever against your hands, to look if he still got enough power or if he’s starting to get dizzy also from other reasons etc.
Low blood pressure
Some people have low blood pressure. That can lead, even if they are looking fine, to them suddenly starting to faint when they’re tied up. Such stuff happens more than you think actually, and though it’s nothing extremely serious and dangerous, be sure to keep your head together and immediately get them out of bondage. Let them down on the ground, lift up their feet to let the blood flow back into their brain, and talk to them to get back their consciousness.
Clear of mind
Rope bondage is dangerous in the sense that you often can’t immediately undo it quickly if something happens. It follows a system, knots, the rope. That’s why you need to have your head together when you do it. Don’t get high, and avoid drinking when you do bondage.
Don’t overestimate yourself
Whether you’re a Dom or a sub. It’s fine to push your boundaries, or trying out new things. But please, do it in a safe speed. It’s fine to discover things with each other. But please don’t try out suspension or multiple stress points with a new sub if you’ve never done them before yourself as a Dom. And as a sub, don’t tell your Dom that you’re ready for it if you’ve barely done any bondage before. Be honest with each other about your skills and experience. That’s how you both will have the best fun and can explore 😉
