One-line definition
Breathplay is the restriction or control of breathing, among the most dangerous categories in all of kink.
Full definition
Breathplay deals in suffocation, control, fear, and power. What sets it apart from other high-risk play is how fast and how irreversibly things can go wrong. There is no reliable safe technique for it, which is why many communities treat it as something to discourage rather than teach. This archive offers term recognition and risk framing only, with no methods of any kind.
Risk reminder
Breathplay can cause loss of consciousness, brain hypoxia, cardiovascular events, and death, often with no warning and almost no margin between “fine” and “emergency.” When it comes up in negotiation, the sensible responses are extreme caution, refusal, or a hard limit.
Related terms
- RACK
- Hard Limit
- Consent
- Safeword