 "Photo: Photo courtesy of Kevin Shannon")
Though it's not prevalently featured in the mainstream media, a growing number of outlets are showing snippets of people hanging from hooks through their skin.
Suspension, where an individual hangs from hooks placed in temporary piercings, has a long history through many cultures.
The practice is gaining popularity and exposure through a variety of modern suspension groups that arrange both private and public suspension events.
In modern suspensions, the individual suspends from deep-sea fishing hooks with the barbs removed. The hooks are placed through piercings made with standard body piercing needles.
The size of hooks and their placement depend on the individual's weight and the type of suspension they are performing. Critical in this whole process is the use of aseptic techniques and pre-sterilized materials.
There are a wide variety of positions individuals can be suspended in. Perhaps the most common is the "suicide suspension," where a person is hung vertically from hooks in the back. Chest suspensions and "superman" or "superwoman" suspensions, where people are suspended face-down horizontally, are also popular.
As this practice is gaining more attention, it is generating confusion within the public.
"When the public encounters suspension, it is generally in the context of TV shows or fetish-based events," Meg Barber, a body piercer at Beelistic Tattoo and Piercing on Clifton Avenue. She said this view leads the public to miss "the 'real' heart of suspension, which is a very personal one."
Suspension made it's way to Cincinnati at a Cincinnati spring meet held March 10. The meet was organized by Barber and Sarah Wolfe, who is a nurse's aid and Over-the-Rhine resident.
"I was instantly amazed by suspension the very first time I saw it," Barber said. "I knew from the get go that it was something I would want to be involved in."
Barber and Wolfe contacted two groups with experience in the suspension process to participate in the event. The suspensions were led by members of the Columbus and Louisville chapters of iHung and the New York and New Jersey chapters of Rites of Passage. In all, 11 individuals were suspended, including several Cincinnatians.
Wolfe experienced her first two suspensions at the Cincinnati spring meet. "I had always wondered what it was like and wondered if I could do it, if I were strong enough," Wolfe said. After suspending from two hooks in her back and later by six hooks in her knees, Wolfe described the experience as "incredible, empowering, amazing and overwhelming."
According to Jason Shaw, one of the founding members of iHung, people try suspension for a variety of reasons and each benefit from it in their own way.
He said he has seen such benefits as increased self-confidence, adrenaline boosts and spiritual experiences.
"Every suspension I've assisted in has resulted in positivity [for the person who suspended]," he said.
While some participants find the experience uplifting, others find it soothing. "Suspending for me is always a very calming experience," Zak Crouch, a body piercer at Beelistic said. "Beforehand I'm always nervous and shaky, but afterwards I'm always very calm and centered."
Those interested in trying suspension should research the process and local suspension groups before their first experience.
Additionally, it is important to be in good health, according to Joy Rumore, who has been leading suspensions with Rites of Passage for five years.
"Just as it is with [body] piercing, tattooing or any other kind of modification work, you are putting a strain on your immune system and need to be in good physical and mental health to heal up properly," Rumore said.
Also, it is crucial to do so with an experienced suspension group that uses aseptic procedures.
"Make sure the people that are going to perform the suspension make you feel comfortable and informed," Rumore said. "They have your life in their hands."
Individuals who are interested in learning more about suspension have a variety of resources on the Internet they can turn to, such as www.suspension.org. For information on local groups, visit www.ihung.org and www.myspace.com/ihung.
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