Contents 1 Background 2 History 3 Methods 4 Safety 5 References

Background

"Breast bondage" and "tit torture" are phrases that refer to tying up and/or inflicting pain on female breasts, nipples, and areola for sexual gratification. Breast  BDSM ranges from safe -- such as clothespins on the nipples, light breast paddling, nipple pinching and biting, or simple breast binding -- to moderate and high risk, such as more severe tit whipping and caning, nipple piercing, breast cutting, electricity applied to the nipples, being hung by the breasts, and so on.

The sexual torture of women has been common throughout history, with particular attention often paid to the breasts and nipples.  Over the centuries, tit torture has been used for reasons ranging from discipline, to political, to religious, to militaristic, to sexual.  What we're talking about here is breast bondage and punishment from an erotic perspective.  Many fantasies reflect a sexual desire to use, or abuse, a helpless woman's tits without worrying about anyone's gratification but his or her own.  It could be in an auto-erotic sense, with one person fantasizing in private, or it could be in a mutually erotic sense, with two (or more) people doing consensual sexual activity.

Auto-erotic fantasies can be as simple as dreaming of being with a consensual partner that enjoys being helplessly bound while her breasts are punished.  They can also be far more sadistic, with visions of the kind of extreme tit torture that took place during the Spanish Inqisition, when nails and fire and teeth skewered, burned and chewed many a "witch's bosom."  Or, they may be set in more modern times, when jumper cables shock confessions from the tips of political prisoners breasts, burning cigarettes sear secrets from the mouths of spies when brushed across their turgid nipples, or bamboo canes leave blood-dotted stripes as they exact punishment from the full mounds of convicted thieves.  While seemingly brutal, when confined to the realm of fantasy, they are just as safe as any other desire. 

In a mutually erotic setting, both the giver and the receiver enjoy the experience. While most mutually erotic play isn't as extreme as many fantasies, there are women that consent to nailed nipples, branded breasts or other types of extreme punishment.  Regardless of the level of pain, the “victim” can experience a biochemical “endorphin rush” that enhances the physical enjoyment.  Much enjoyment comes from letting the other person have total control.  The person in charge may enjoy that same sexual power, or, he or she may just enjoy the effects on the five senses.  For example:

        Seeing the bouncing ripple of a victim's tit after a riding crop's blow, the puckering of a dark nipple between the jaws of a steel-toothed clamp, the bulging purple balloning of a pair of tightly bound breasts, or the writhing response to an electrical pulse through the nipples,

        Feeling the warm flesh of a soft tit flow between crushing fingers and gouging fingernails; a rosey nipple harden reflexively in a brutal, crushing pinch; or the vibration of a paddle slapping loudly into the center of an upturned breast,

        Tasting the slight, salty flavor of sweat while sucking hard on a thick, stiff nipple; the faint, metallic tang of blood while chewing on a crinkled, whip-battered, aureole; or the rich, sweet essence of golden honey being nibbled, bitten and scraped from the tip of a dark, bound breast,

        Hearing the victim's moans as ther nipples are slowly frozen with an ice cube, her whimpers as the cold crevices of her chilled aureoles fill with burning, molten wax, or her surprised gasps as the concentrated pain in the tips of her breasts help her come, or

        Smelling the vanilla escence of a burning candle as you cover a jiggling tit with scented, fiery wax; the smell of sex as a victim reacts to the sight of her breasts bulging like dark, tight balloons around rough hemp rope; or the sweet aroma of flowing hot chocolate scalding those same bound breasts.

These, and other, types of tit torture may all be fun for their own sake, or as part of sexual roleplay - such as playing out a dominant lover's brutal vampire dreams or a submissive partner's rape fantasy – often leaving marks, bruises and welts as “fond reminders."  Breast-oriented BDSM – like many other sexually-oriented practices – has seen a tremendous increase in popularity as a result of the Internet.  Web sites like Darker Pleasures provide fun for people that participate in cooperative breast-related punishment as well as for people that want a safe place to fantasize about breast and nipple torture that has little to do with consent.  In addition, we're seen as informal - and in some cases formal - references for people that enjoy breast bondage and punishment, giving them ideas and guidance about ways to expand their particular brand of BDSM play."

In medical circles, tit torture involves one or more activities that are called "paraphilias" by some psychologists and sexologists. Paraphilia has different definitions, most with negative connotations that imply "perversion" or "deviancy." The paraphilias noted that most commonly apply to tit torture include:

• Algolagnia - sexual arousal from receiving pain
• Breast fetishism - sexual interest in the female breasts, their shape, movement, and size
• Sexual sadism - sexual arousal from giving pain
• Sexual masochism - sexual arousal from wanting to be humiliated, beaten, or otherwise made to suffer
• Vincilagnia - sexual arousal by bondage

There are other paraphilias that, depending upon a person's fantasies, could be added to the list.

Because consensual BDSM typically gives enjoyment to each participant, there is a growing number of medical professionals that believe that, unless it is blatantly illegal (such as pedophilia or zoosadism), or doesn't involve consent, it is not a paraphilia -- in which case erotic breast torture would not be considered paraphiliac behavior. Because other paraphilias are still seen by society as being so deviant, regardless of consent, that they are not acceptable, all paraphilias, including tit torture, still remain questionable by sexologists and clinicians. As long as parts of society view consensual BDSM as as being deviant, while others see it as normal behavior -- or at worst a harmless kink -- the controversy will rage on.

History

Tit torture has been used throughout history, both as pure torture and in a more sexual context.

Around 300 B.C. the Kama Sutra acknowledging that pinching, biting, and whipping sexual body parts was encouraged as long as it was consensual. The Kama Sutra even name different kinds of bites and scratches, including those focused on the breasts and nipples.

Breast torture was used during the Spanish Inquisition, with special attention was often paid to the breasts and nipples in order to get alleged witches to confess.  Manuals about torture, like the Malleus Maleficarum, emphasized the suitability of breasts as objects of torture. Some devices, like the breast ripper, were designed with just the tits in mind.

Other references to tit torture include the writings and alleged practices of the Marquis de Sade. In The 120 Days of Sodom, there are dozens of references to breast torture, many of them extreme and brutal.

Sexual torture involving the breasts was documented in World War II during the Holocaust and in the sexual slavery of Japan's "comfort women." Sexual torture in general, and breast torture specifically, is suspected in many more recent socio-political events as well as in modern day sexual slavery rings. Most recently, Chinese police subject female followers of Falun Gong to extremely brutal tit torture, and other despotic regimes across the world do the same.

Methods

Most breast torture methods can be applied to other parts of the body, both male and female. Cock and ball torture and female genital torture are seen as the nearest equivalents to tit torture. Methods that can be applied to breasts and nipples include, but are not necessarily limited to:

Breast binding – crushing the breasts against the chest wall with tape, bandages, ropes, and so on.

Breast bondage – wrapping rope, leather strips, etc. around the base of the breast, either while wrapping the binding around the chest and back, or just solely around the tit.  Breast bondage may range from light – predominantly decorative, to more moderate -- where the breast bulges to one extent or the other, to more severe -- where the skin actually begins to darken, to extreme and arguably dangerous forms of binding such as breast suspension – hanging or lifting a woman by her bound breasts.

Flagellation – Slapping, whipping, caning, paddling, and other forms of beating the breasts. Light flagellation can involve the open palm, paddles, crops, or light whips.  They usually results in nothing more than stinging and redness. More extreme forms involve canes, whips, cords, etc. and can result in bruises, scrapes, cuts, or other lacerations.

Clamping – using common devices, like clothespins, hardware clamps, household clamps, or hair pins, or clamps designed specifically for the nipples or on other parts of the breast.  Clamping can range from relatively mild to extreme forms that result in hypoxemia (the deprivation of oxygen) if left too long on a nipple.

Electricity – the use of electricity, typically on the nipples. There are some devices, such as the T.E.N.S. or Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator and the violet wand, that have been specifically designed for use on human flesh and are relatively safe if used by educated persons. Other types of electricity, such as household current, batteries, or devices such as stun guns and Electroshock weapons, carry greater risks of burning or far more dangerous effects.

Piercing – temporary, play piercing involves the use of accupuncture needles and/or hypodermic needles, or other atypical piercing devices; or permanent piercing such as nipple bars or nipple rings.

Edge or blade play – the use of razor blades or other edged instruments on the breasts and nipples. Edge play is an extreme form of erotic tit torture that is sometimes used to produce deliberate scars, or scarification.

Wax – Wax play involves hot wax being dripped or poured on the breasts and nipples, frequently after they have been chilled with ice.

Temperature play – using flames, ice, or other things that can burn or freeze such as curling irons, dry ice, etc. The most extreme form of temperature play is human branding.

Biting, scratching and pinching – either lightly or taken to an extreme that may bruise or draw blood. Vampire and similar gothic types of role-play regularly involve biting. Breast-related gynophagia fantasies also fall under this category.

Suction - use of vacuum devices. Suction devices can be strickly for nipples, from snake bite cups to medical vacuum suction devices designed for use on inverted nipples. They can also be used on whole breasts using specialized breast cupping sets or penis pumps. They can also include breast pump milking devices and an assortment of specialty bulb pump devices.

Chemical play – the use of balms and ointments such as Ben Gay, Icy Hot, Biofreeze, etc.

Abrasion – rubbing the breasts or nipples with sandpaper, scrapers, or other abrasives.

Plants and animals - Enticing or domestic animals to lick or nip at the nipples, luring insects to bite or sting the breasts and nipples, or using stinging plants, such as nettles, on the breasts.

Safety

Complications from unsafe tit torture can include infection, disease transmission, external scarring, fat necrosis, fibroadenoma, and breast cancer,¹ as well as burning and possibly electrocution. People that engage in breast-oriented BDSM should use due caution, research their activities, and establish rules in advance.

Skin covering the breasts has the same healing ability as other skin and can take much of the activity involved in breast torture without long-term effects. The nipples and areola were designed for suckling and can also take a certain amount of harm. Because they have a more refined blood supply and nerve complex, as well as lactiferous ducts, they can be more sensitive and need more caution, however. The inside of the breast is composed of fatty, glandular and connective tissues and is at greater risk of rupturing or other damage if mishandled.

Flagellation - Breasts should be struck with extreme care. Blunt trauma is a primary causes of internal breast injury. Breast-oriented blows should not go deep, and any bouncing should fall within the normal range of motion for the recipient's breasts were she engaged in a normal strenuous activity. Even skin-deep spanking can cause broken capillaries and/or a loss of sensation in the nipples and areola if carried to an extreme. Hard whipping, flogging, or any other activity that breaks the skin could also cause scarring that may not disappear with time.

Clamping - Clamping anything onto a nipple can be more painful than anticipated. Often, the pain spikes when the clamp is removed and full circulation is restored. Always consider applying clamps so that they are either completely behind the nipple where it connects with the areola, or at least partially so. Nipple sensitivity varies throughout any given month, and what may be acceptable one day may not work the next.

Binding - Hypoxemia can cause nerve and tissue damage if rubber bands, ropes or other bindings are left in place too long, even with the simplest breast or nipple binding. Any time a breast or nipple begins to darken or become cool to the touch blood circulation has been restricted and the risk of damage increases. Binding the nipples and areola, particularly with rubber bands or other deep-biting constrictions, will tend to deaden the area the longer the binding is left in place. If binding is combined with other BDSM activity, it is important that you considerater this when gauging the potential for damage.

If the choice is made to strike a bound breast, blows should be superficial. Binding a breast interferes with its natural ability to shift on impact and compacts the tissues so that any hard blow can intensify any damage that may occur.

Suspension - While there are many references hanging a woman by her breasts, on the Internet, there is concern that it can result in damage ranging from stretch marks to internal rupturing and tearing. The long-term effects of breast suspension have not been studied. It is highly recommended that breasts not be used a sole means of suspension and that only persons with proper equipment, skill and training consider engaging in this activity.

Electricity - Using electricity on the breasts or nipples is highly debated due to the risk of cardiac arrest and other complications. At least one autoerotic fatality resulting from electrocution has been documented involving current traveling from nipple to nipple.² If electricity is used, only devices designed for use on human flesh should be used, and current should not be allowed to travel from one breast or nipple to the other. Regardless of the cardiac risk, care should be used to avoid burning any time electricity play is attempted.

Piercing - Piercing carries its own risk. Infection should always be a concern. Sterilizing the site and the instrument is important. Autoclaves or other sterilization devices and techniques should be used when not using pre-sealed, sterile devices. Hypodermic or acupuncture needles should be used instead of objects not specifically designed for human skin. These types of needles have beveled points designed to puncture flesh and decrease resistance. The use of safety pins, skewers, nails, and so forth, even if properly sterilized, increases the risk of infection, scarring, and may cause nursing complications. Piercing the breast itself risks damaging the tissues inside the breast as well as causing internal bleeding.

Because they are hard to re-sterilize, hollow needles should not be re-used. The tubular center can carry tissue from one piercing into another regardless of any method used to sterilize them, increasing the risk of infection, abscessing or transmitting disease.

Sterilization is not only recommended for the safety of the "victim," but also for the person doing the torture. This becomes even more important when edge play is considered. Wear sterile gloves any time bleeding is a possibility. If the dominant has any open wounds, any activity that could result in bleeding shoud be reconsidered. This also includes biting and scratching, as both the mouth and the fingernails harbor germs that can be transmitted through open wounds.

Wax and heat - Hot wax, though considered one of the safer methods of breast torture, is not without risk. First degree burns happen. Hotter waxes risk second degree burns. Edible sauces should be no hotter than 120 degrees (49 degrees centigrade). Flames, or the use of heated devices (such as curling irons) increases the level of caution that should be exercised. Though it would take almost a deliberate act to cause third degree burns, lesser burns can happen quickly. Cigarettes are often considered in erotic tit torture, however, snuffing a hot ember out on flesh is dangerous, often resulting in second degree burns and scarring.

Ice and coolants - Ice is also considered relatively safe, and is often combined with hot wax. Be careful to avoid frostbite, particularly on nipples. Other coolants, such as dry ice, the propellants in "canned air" and so on, are much colder than frozen water and can cause frostbite almost immediately on contact.

Suction - Excessive suction can cause breaks in capillary blood vessels, resulting in a “hickey” type bruises. There has been some concern about using these in conjunction with nipple piercing. It is probably best not to use suction on unhealed piercings, regardless of whether they are permanent or temporary, or any other open wounds.

Balms - Chemical balms and ointments that have been formulated for skin can be relatively safe. Read the hazard warnings for the particular product before applying it to nipples or areola.

Plants and animals - Unlike humans, animals aren't familiar with why we might be doing this. When hungry or excited, they may not bother to discern between the peanut butter that's coating a nipple and areola and the flesh beneath it, resulting in a mauled breast or worse. Insect stings can be very dangerous, with results ranging from swelling and rashes to severe allergic reactions to anaphylactic shock. While not as dangerous, the use of stinging nettles could also result in allergic reaction.

Regardless of the method, or the level to which it is taken, safe and consensual BDSM always involves the use of a safe word. A safe word is a word or phrase that tells the actor to stop, the activity being performed. It is considered dishonorable and even immoral to ignore a woman's use of a safe word. Most people that choose not to use safe words are in relationships where both partners are intimately aware of the others limits. Regardless, having a safe word, with an understanding of when and how it will be used, is advised by most people that practice BDSM. Finally, people new to BDSM should research anything they may be considering before attempting any kind of erotic torture on breasts or other body parts.

References

• The Visual Dictionary of Sex, Dr. Eric J Trimmer (editor), ISBN 0-89479-011-0; A & W Publishers, 1977
• 120 Days of Sodom, Marquise de Sade (author), ISBN 978-0099629603; Arena Books Publishers, (September 7, 1989)
• Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns: The Romance and Sexual Sorcery of Sadomasochism, Philip Miller and Molly Devon (Authors), ISBN 978-0964596009; Mystic Rose Books, (July 1, 1988)
• SM 101: A Realistic Introduction, Jay Wiseman (author), ISBN 978-0963976383; Greenery Press, (December 1998)
• Different Loving: The World of Sexual Dominance and Submission, William Brame and Gloria Brame (Authors), ISBN 978-0679769569; Villard (January 13, 1996)
• The Complete Kama Sutra : The First Unabridged Modern Translation of the Classic Indian Text, Alain Daniélou (Translator), ISBN 978-0892814923; Park Street Press, (January 1, 1994)