Glossary BDSM
Suspension
Also called · rope suspension · partial suspension · aerial bondage
At a glance
- In one line
- Rope bondage that takes some or all of a person's weight off the ground using an overhead hard point.
- Usually looks like
- A partial hang lifting one limb or the hips, or a full hang with the body airborne for minutes.
- Gear needed
- Yes: rated hard point, suspension rings, long ropes, safety shears, and in-person instruction.
- Talk about first
- Who rigged the anchor, how long in the air, and the plan for lowering fast.
Suspension is rope bondage that takes some or all of a person's weight off the ground using a hard point overhead: a partial suspension lifts one limb, the hips, or the upper body while the rest stays supported, and a full suspension leaves the body entirely airborne. It is the most technically demanding practice on this list and the least possible to improvise safely.
Time in the air is short by necessity, since load concentrates on a few narrow bands of rope and tissue tolerates that for minutes rather than hours. Beyond partial versus full, the variables are whether the hang is static or dynamic with spinning and inversions, and how the position distributes weight. Rigging is the hard part: anchors must be rated for dynamic loads far above body weight, which most ceilings are not.
People rate this high because it is the outer edge of rope practice and because being held entirely by someone else is unlike anything achievable on the floor. Low scores usually come down to access and trust rather than appeal, since it needs a skilled rigger, a spotter, and equipment. For many people a high score here describes an interest rather than a plan.
What a score means here Suspension
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0
Hard no: being lifted off the ground, or being responsible for someone who is, is out.
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1–33
1–33: a partial lift of one limb is as far as your interest goes.
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34–66
34–66: partial suspension appeals, with feet still able to reach the floor.
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67–99
67–99: full suspension is something you want, with the vetting and instruction it requires.
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100
100: being airborne, or putting someone there, is the reason you are doing rope at all.
Rating it
A low score means being lifted off the ground, or being responsible for someone who is, is not something you want; a high score means full rope practice appeals to you, with the vetting and instruction that implies.
Common misconceptions
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If you can tie a good box tie you can suspend.
In practiceGround ties and load-bearing ties are different disciplines. Suspension concentrates body weight onto a few narrow bands, and rigging the anchor is a separate skill from tying the body.
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Any ceiling beam will hold a person.
In practiceAnchors have to be rated for dynamic loads far above body weight, since a shifting or spinning body multiplies force. Most domestic joists, hooks, and plasterboard fixings are not, and failures happen at the anchor.
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Long hangs are the impressive version.
In practiceTime in the air is short by necessity: tissue tolerates concentrated load for minutes, not hours. Experienced riggers plan short sequences with transitions, not endurance.
Worth knowing
Nerve compression and positional asphyxia are the main hazards, and both develop fast when weight sits on a single band of rope. Numbness or tingling means come down now, safety shears and a way to lower quickly must be within reach, and nobody should ever be suspended alone, left unattended, or suspended after drinking. Learn this in person, not from video.
About this item Frequently asked
Suspension — questions people ask
what is rope suspension
Suspension is rope bondage that takes some or all of a person's weight off the ground using a hard point overhead. A partial suspension lifts one limb, the hips, or the upper body while the rest stays supported; a full suspension leaves the body entirely airborne. It is the most technically demanding practice in this category and the least possible to improvise. The variables are partial versus full, static versus dynamic with spinning or inversions, and how the position spreads load.
how dangerous is suspension bondage and what can go wrong
The two main hazards are nerve compression and positional asphyxia, and both develop fast when weight sits on a single band of rope. Numbness or tingling means come down now, not at the end of the sequence. Safety shears and a way to lower quickly must be within reach of the rigger at all times. Nobody should be suspended alone, left unattended, or suspended after drinking. Anchors must be rated for dynamic loads well above body weight — an anchor failure drops a bound person who cannot break their fall.
how do you learn suspension safely
Learn it in person from someone experienced, not from video or photographs. The standard route is workshops or a local rope group, a long period of ground ties first, then partials with feet still able to touch the floor, then full suspension under supervision. Rigging the hard point is a separate skill from tying the body, and plenty of people who tie well have no business drilling into a ceiling. Expect a year or more of practice before a full hang, and expect a good teacher to say so.
whats the difference between suspension and heavy rope bondage
In heavy rope bondage the floor carries the body's weight; in suspension a hard point does. That single change transforms the physics: load concentrates on a few narrow bands of rope, the safety margin shrinks from hours to minutes, and a failure of the anchor or the tie becomes a fall. Many people who love long immobilising ground ties have no interest in being lifted, and score the two very differently. Heavy rope is where the appeal of immobility lives; suspension adds weightlessness and technical risk.
how should i score suspension if ive never seen it in person
Score how much the idea of being lifted, or of lifting someone, appeals — not what you think you could pull off. On the 0–100 scale, 0 marks it as a hard limit in either role. A high score on the rigging side is a statement about willingness to train, since this is the one item on the list where wanting it and being able to do it are far apart. It is also a score that commonly falls after someone watches a suspension in person, which is a reasonable update rather than a loss of nerve.
Appears on
This item appears on the BDSM test — one vial each.