. 2021 Nov 10;51(2):1103–1123. doi: 10.1007/s10508-021-02049-x

Table 5.

Choking intensity continuum

Light pressure	Medium pressure	Hard pressure
“…I would say it's just been around the throat with enough pressure that I can feel them kind of holding it almost as if you would like hold someone's hand.” (P 24) “…like light, I just like, it's just nice to have like warmth around your neck. It feels kind of affectionate I guess.” P11) “… just like another place to like touch [during sex]…(P 1)” “…usually light, like it sometimes it gets like moderate…” (P 9) “I would basically describe that as like, I don't want to be like choke choked, but I want to like, I want you to be like gentle with it.” (P16)	“like probably just like a six… it wasn't like I couldn't breathe.” (P 24) “Maybe, maybe five. Yeah. I usually like stop it if it was just like too much like a hands. Cause like you can't really like breath after a while, you know.” (P 7) “…just like medium pressure on the front is ideal.” (P 2) “Probably like a good medium. I don't want to, it's too light where it's like I don't feel anything or like too hard for like, I'm like having a hard time breathing and it's not enjoyable anymore.” (P 4)	“I like a lot of pressure.” (P6), “…like you're putting on a lot of pressure on me, but not to the point where it's actually like causing me pain, but also knowing like you have, you physically have more power, you're refraining yourself.” (P 15) “We didn't really know how much pressure to put. Um, and we both had this problem of like when you're choking, um, like, um, like putting a little too much pressure on the trachea as opposed to like the carotid and jugular arteries and stuff. Um, so yeah, it was more painful and we like would cough a lot.” (P21)

Light pressure

Medium pressure

Hard pressure

“…I would say it's just been around the throat with enough pressure that I can feel them kind of holding it almost as if you would like hold someone's hand.” (P 24)

“…like light, I just like, it's just nice to have like warmth around your neck. It feels kind of affectionate I guess.” P11)

“… just like another place to like touch [during sex]…(P 1)”

“…usually light, like it sometimes it gets like moderate…” (P 9)

“I would basically describe that as like, I don't want to be like choke choked, but I want to like, I want you to be like gentle with it.” (P16)

“like probably just like a six… it wasn't like I couldn't breathe.” (P 24)

“Maybe, maybe five. Yeah. I usually like stop it if it was just like too much like a hands. Cause like you can't really like breath after a while, you know.” (P 7)

“…just like medium pressure on the front is ideal.” (P 2)

“Probably like a good medium. I don't want to, it's too light where it's like I don't feel anything or like too hard for like, I'm like having a hard time breathing and it's not enjoyable anymore.” (P 4)

“I like a lot of pressure.” (P6),

“…like you're putting on a lot of pressure on me, but not to the point where it's actually like causing me pain, but also knowing like you have, you physically have more power, you're refraining yourself.” (P 15)

“We didn't really know how much pressure to put. Um, and we both had this problem of like when you're choking, um, like, um, like putting a little too much pressure on the trachea as opposed to like the carotid and jugular arteries and stuff. Um, so yeah, it was more painful and we like would cough a lot.” (P21)