I know I should put some towels or some padding to the front of my neck to make CTB more comfortable but I'm not sure if there are other things I should know or look out for.
You
know you should? How do you know? Maybe you shouldn't. Using padding makes the setup more comfortable but at the same time less effective. If you increase the contact area, that reduces pressure. In fact, this is the exact reason padding makes it more comfortable – because there's less pressure. You can't have your cake and eat it too. For the setup to be effective, you have to be able to tolerate some level of discomfort/pain.
Some padding might be okay to help with comfort, but if it's too much, that's not going to help.
I've thought about making the slipknot, putting my head through it and using my own hand as an anchor, meaning I would toss the rope around something (branch, the pipe in my wardrobe etc.) and try and get myself to pass out from that, my hand letting go when I pass out so it's not full commitment yet. Or is this a bad idea?
Practicing is a very good idea, and it's a good way to gain confidence in the method.
The knot is called a
Noose Knot, and not a
Slip Knot, by the way. If it's an actual attempt and you're not just testing, add a
stopper knot too at the free end of the Noose Knot, as close to the Noose Knot as possible (this latter part is important). A Noose Knot + stopper knot combo is also called an
Arbor Knot.
The noose was very tight around my neck and I could feel my body starting to tingle in a weird way and the blood collecting in my head.
But I wasn't able to get myself to pass out or become near it.
Am I supposed to be able to breathe during this? The first 2 times I tried today I didn't have any padding on my throat as it was just cutting my windpipe completely.
First, if it's cutting your windpipe, you're positioning the rope too low. The windpipe starts at the level of the Adam's apple and goes down toward the lungs. Try positioning the rope above your Adam's apple, at the top of the neck, just below your jawline.
The main problem is that you're not applying enough pressure. You have to hold the rope steady and lower yourself with as much force as you possibly can, without holding back, disregarding the pain. If you're unable to do this, it won't work. If you do it right, you'll start to black out
very quickly, within seconds. You'll have no doubts about it. It's a very distinct feeling. If it doesn't work within 5 to 10 seconds, there is no point in trying any longer.
No, you're not supposed to be able to breathe. However, it's not something you need to even think about, because everyone can hold their breath for 5 to 10 seconds, and that's all the time you need. It doesn't make sense to try any longer.
After reading a bit about the dangers of just practicing partial hanging I might try and switch my CTB method.
I'm just afraid of practicing and getting some kind of brain damage for no good reason.
So, what dangers did you read about, and where did you read them?
Sources? Please tell me it wasn't ChatGPT that told you!
The only danger I know is that you can pass out and fall. That is a real danger, so make sure you don't have sharp objects around when you practice.
It takes at least a few minutes of sustained, completely cut-off blood flow to suffer any kind of brain damage. That can't happen when you practice by holding the other end of the rope in your hand and releasing the pressure as soon as you start to pass out.
Have you heard of autoerotic asphyxia? Or professional fighters choking each other out? People make themselves pass out all the time. It might have an effect on health if you do it every single day for years. However, I don't believe there is a real danger of brain damage just from practicing passing out, even if you do it a few dozen times.
