In full suspension hanging, even with a suboptimal knot, the body's weight creates continuous traction sufficient to induce loss of consciousness very rapidly.
On average, consciousness fades within 6 to 10 seconds.
Remaining conscious beyond 15 seconds is incompatible with full suspension, and usually indicates either partial suspension or a significant technical error.
The primary mechanism is bilateral compression of the carotid arteries, leading to acute cerebral hypoxia.
There is often additional activation of carotid sinus baroreceptors, causing reflex bradycardia and hemodynamic collapse.
In some cases, there is also direct stimulation of the vagus nerve due to mechanical traction on the neck, which may result in sudden cardiac arrest via vagal reflex, leading to near-immediate death even in the absence of prolonged anoxia or cervical fracture.
This mechanism has been documented in both judicial executions and domestic suicides, where death occurred in less than one minute, even without significant drop height.
Involuntary movements observed after loss of consciousness (jerking, extension postures, gurgling) are spinal or respiratory reflexes, not signs of retained awareness.
Full brain death typically occurs between 3 and 8 minutes, but neurological irreversibility is already reached after 60–90 seconds of complete anoxia when traction is maintained.
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Subjective Observation:
Regarding pain, it is generally considered minimal or negligible.
Any initial discomfort, when present, is typically a brief sensation of pressure or tension in the first few seconds, but it is by no means universal.
Speaking from direct personal experience:
I never felt any real pain.
I did not experience tinnitus, buzzing, or sensations of tightness.
The dominant sensation was a gradual fading, very similar to the feeling of entering general anesthesia, in that moment when you are asked to count down from ten.
With the rope I used, the sensation of "disappearing" came on quickly, without panic and without suffering.
Since I was holding the rope with my hands, when consciousness began to fade, my hands would release involuntarily, which then led to spontaneous awakening.
The effect was distinct, but never traumatic from a perceptual standpoint.
Hanging experience: Research with tables and information about the entire hanging process (Movement responses: Loss of consciousness, Convulsions, Decerebrate rigidity, Decorticate rigidity, Loss of muscle tone, Last muscle movement / Respiratory responses: start, end)
