A Cautionary Tale

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tiedandgone

A Cautionary Tale

Post by tiedandgone »

Like many practitioners of selfbondage I am sure, I have always been interested in discovering new ways of making my restraint feel as full and escape-proof as possible, at least for some time of the session. My interest was piqued when I first encountered the idea of using home-made ice locks. The very idea was at once intoxicating; here was the way, it seemed, to get myself securely bound for a period of time, with an eventual release that was as sure as the fact that ice melts. I began to hatch my plan. I saved two empty 200ml shower gel plastic containers and filled them with water. I took four lengths of cord and through the nozzle of each container, I passed the folded loose ends of two lengths of cord, leaving two loops of cord protruding from each container. I placed both containers in the freezer to create my ice locks.

At the time I lived in a shared house, and my selfbondage practices were known to no one else including my housemates. As I knew this session may well last significantly longer than my usual ones, I waited for an overnight when I had the house to myself. The plan was to attach one ice lock to the head of the bed frame by tying it to the frame through one of the protruding loops, and the same at the foot of the bed frame with the other ice lock. I gagged myself with a cotton knot gag and double column tied my ankles together. I then passed a length of rope through the junction of my ankle bondage and tied it to the second loop protruding from the ice lock at the foot of the bed. I tied a short length of cord to the second loop from the ice lock at the head of the bed, using an extremely tight multiple granny knot, with a cinch “noose” knot at the end. Then, I took a double loop of cord and passed it partially through the cinch noose. I worked my wrists through behind my back so as to effect a figure of eight with the cinch noose at the junction, and then I pulled hard and cinched up tightly. The effect was, that when I lay down, my wrists were pulled up fairly high behind my back, and would only begin to lower as the ice melted and the loops in the containers started to subsequently lengthen. The initial feeling was one of enjoyment and a really heightened “buzz” from my predicament. The account could end here, had this session not taken a very alarming turn for the worse. It is from this point on, that I sincerely hope my catalogue of mistakes might serve as the cautionary tale of the title.

Mistake 1: In my single-minded pursuit of a time of inescapable bondage, I made no provision for an emergency release. The house was empty so I could call no one and there were no EMT shears in reach.

Mistake 2: I used cord around my wrists that was way too thin and when cinched, was beyond snug, so my wrists had almost no movement within the bonds at all.

Mistake 3: I over-filled the shower gel containers, and grossly under-estimated the time it takes 200ml of water to melt in the middle of the night in a relatively cool atmosphere.

These three mistakes created the “perfect storm”. Firstly, in the dead of night, I became aware of the tightness around my wrists, the lack of movement possible for them, and the fact that after what seemed ages, my wrists were not significantly lowering down my back. A few firm tugs on both wrist and ankle bondage made it clear that the ice was going to take some hours to melt enough for an escape. Then the reality and not to mention stupidity of not providing myself with an emergency release hit home. My pulse quickened and I felt myself breathing a little harder. I was also tugging very hard at my bonds again, hoping for a little give. I also became aware more of the tightness around my wrists and again, the stupidity of using thin cord hit home. I began to fear that my circulation would be harmed if in this tie for too long, and then it happened. I panicked, and I mean panicked. After the event it was obvious that I had slipped into a full-blown panic attack, but at the time it was simply terrifying. I bucked, I pulled, I wrenched, I cried, I panted. I became so light headed with fear I really thought I was passing out, but still I tugged and pulled and cried out into my gag but also into an empty house. The attack felt like it lasted forever, but eventually I fell back into the bed and desperately tried to calm myself down. After all the tugging and flailing I was drenched in sweat and my wrists felt tighter than ever, and as some state of rationality returned I knew I was in real trouble and had to some how get free.

As the panic abated, I recalled the multiple granny knot that was securing the cinch cord to the ice lock, and I struggled into as much of a sitting position as I could. The ankle ice lock had by this time melted to provide a few precious inches, but it was still very strenuous work. Even though I had made the cinch cord short, I found that with much stretching I could just about feel the granny knots. I had pulled them incredibly tight, but had no choice other than to pick away as best as I could. By sheer effort and not a little luck, I was eventually able to free my still bound wrists from the ice lock, then work my way down the bed and undo the ankle loop from the lock also. From there, I was able to hobble over the room and pick up some scissors and cut free.

It was quite some time following this event before I felt ready to tie myself up again, but when I did, I had learned some very valuable lessons, and I hope that by sharing them, I might save someone else from experiencing a very traumatic and actually avoidable panic attack. So in conclusion, may I offer these observations:

Always think through each and every selfbondage scenario, and never, ever, let your inevitably heightened arousal eclipse common sense and meticulous planning.

Always, always, always, have a back-up release available. The reality of selfbondage is that for many of us, a partner or friend will not be available to free us and so we need an equivalent, be that a key or safety shears.

Never cut corners. I used cheap, unsuitable cord on my wrists and I didn’t test the bondage before applying it. For wrists and ankles, 8mm rope or similar should be the minimum thickness, and always leave just enough “give” for circulation.

Remember that ice does indeed melt, but the more dense it is the longer it will take, and in the cool of the night, even longer!

These observations are as I say, “notes to self”, but I hope others may find them useful. As the years have passed, it is certainly the case that as much as I really enjoy the sensations of being held in secure bondage, I also like to know that I can, when ready, get out of it and bask in the glow of yet another enjoyable session. I sincerely hope I never experience a panic attack like that again, and I sincerely hope that none of you do either. Be bound, but be safe!
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Riddle
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Re: A Cautionary Tale

Post by Riddle »

Thank you for sharing your experience and advice.
Resident timer maker. :hi:
Let’s make timers together!
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