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Often times, head injuries are associated with sports injuries or car accidents. However, research shows up to 94% of injuries sustained due to intimate partner violence are to the neck or head. Additionally, over 75% of survivors suffer single or repeated traumatic brain injuries, most of which go unreported1. It is never ok to be hit, slapped, punched, strangled, or suffocated. Even in the course of consensual acts, these actions could have serious short and long term consequences.

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Strangulation is a head injury and hurts your brain

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  • Even if you don’t have marks
  • Even if you didn’t pass out
  • Even if you don’t feel like it’s a big deal
  • Even if you feel it was consensual, strangulation can still be harmful and dangerous

Strangulation Myths

Click each of the below to learn about common myths about strangulation

Choking and strangulation are the same thing

Myth – “Choking” refers to a physical obstruction of the windpipe (e.g. food) resulting in a blockage that prevents the normal flow of air.  “Strangulation” is often an intentional form of abuse due to external pressure applied to the neck. However, people often use the terms interchangeably when describing an incident.

Strangulation isn’t dangerous if it’s done consensually

Myth – Although consent is important when engaging in sexual interactions, a person can go unconscious in seconds and die in minutes, or even days, after being strangled. Strangulation is dangerous, period.

Strangulation is only dangerous if it leaves marks

Myth – Only approximately 50% of strangulation victims have visible injuries, even in severe or fatal cases.

Spencer, C. M., Keilholtz, B. M., Palmer, M., & Vail, S. L. (2024). Factors Associated with Non-Fatal Strangulation Victimization in Intimate Relationships: A Meta-Analysis. Trauma, Violence & Abuse25(3), 2103–2114. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231207874

Breath play during sex is different than strangulation

Myth – No matter what you call it…breath play, choking, sexual choking, erotic asphyxiation…they are all acts that restrict oxygen, respiration, and/or blood circulation, which is highly dangerous.

Strangulation isn’t something that college students are doing

Myth – Conte, Sharman, & Douglas (2025) found “recent studies on sexual choking/strangulation in Australia, the USA and Iceland identify sexual choking/strangulation as a rapidly growing trend among young adults”. They cite a survey of 4168 US undergraduate students where “26.5% of women, 6.6% of men and 22.3% of transgender and gender non-binary participants had been choked during their most recent sexual encounter.” They additionally found that this age range perceives strangulation to be less dangerous than it truly is.

Conte, I., Sharman, L.S. & Douglas, H. Choking/Strangulation During Sex: Understanding and Negotiating “Safety” Among 18-35 Year Old Australians. Arch Sex Behav 54, 483–494 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03097-3


1: Valera, EM, Joseph, AC, ; Snedaker, et. al. Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury in Females: A State-of-the-Art Summary and Future Directions. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation 36(1):p E1-E17, January 2021. | DOI: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000652

Information on strangulation was sourced from the Ohio Domestic Violence Network- Center on Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury