1) What is suspension and what does it mean to you?
Body suspension is the act of lifting the body off of the ground and suspending the body by hooks placed into the skin.
The memories of my time in the air hold only peace and positivity I feel as if I achieved nirvana for the brief period of time I was airborne. I had succeeded in
something that I had doubted I could do. I had faced physical pain, made no attempt to shy away from it. I took my doubts and fears and put them aside to attain my first taste of flight. Any time I am faced with pain, physical or emotional, I know that I have been through worse. I know that I have the strength to go after what I want.
2) Why did you decide to partake in a suspension?
For me the three main reasons I suspended were to prove to myself that I could, to finally face pain head on instead of avoiding it and as sort of a rite of passage into the modified community. I had a rough childhood, and one of my few coping mechanisms was escapism. I would remove myself from pain or tribulation just to keep going. Though there came a time when I realized that I had to face things head-on instead of dodging them. It may seem masochistic to externalize internal pains, but I knew that if I could withstand the physical pain of this experience everything would dull in comparison. In essence it was an attempt to transcend the limitations I put upon myself. It also served as a proverbial notch on my belt. Not that everyone who considers themselves to be part of the [Church of Body Modification] community has to attempt suspension but rather it serves as an evidence for someone’s strength and perseverance.
3) What is the procedure for a body suspension?
Before the suspension, plans have to be made between the person facilitating the suspension and the person to be suspended... Then the person to be suspending has to mentally prepare for the act of suspension. From my own experience and discussions with others who have suspended the main mental blocks are pain, fear of failure and fear of falling. Often meditation, prayer and fasting are precursors to suspension. The body must also be well hydrated and it is usually recommended that a small yet healthy meal is consumed a few hours before the act.
The process leading up to a basic suspension can take up to two hours. The area the suspension is taking place has to be set up. There are many methods most common are using large trees and setting a pulley system on a thick branch or an actual suspension rig that has been created for the sole purpose of holding a person’s weight. When the person being suspended arrives, the area being pierced has to be massaged to loosen up the muscles and skin. The piercer then has to mark the points that will be pierced. The size of the needle is usually 6 gauge (approximately 4 millimeters or roughly the size of a chopstick) and for the suspension I did four hooks and four needles were used. Usually the person being suspended lays down upon a massage table. The process of piercing that is accepted by the leaders of modern body suspension is placing the hook inside the back of a hollow needle using the hooks as a handle and pushing the needle through the skin and following instantly with the hook. The needle is then removed and disposed of. There are other, more dangerous yet more historical methods of putting the hooks into the body, such as sharpening the hooks or using an actual knife to make the incision (which is what the Mandan Tribe practiced). Once all the hooks are inserted into the skin, the person to be suspended stands up and the facilitator ties the hooks to the previously set up rig. Now is when both the pain and the progress occur. This is the point between fear and flight, torture and transcendence, entrapment and enlightenment. When the hooks are in, the lines are tied and the tension begins. For most people, including me, this is the hardest part. I started out on a slight hill with my back facing a very old oak tree; in front of me was my piercer, and suspension facilitator Jason Moesly. This is not only the painful part of the suspension but it is also one of the most compassion filled moments. Not only was Jason there but two good friends of mine Richard Ivey III and his now fiancée Janet Beyersdorf. I was surrounded by people who were all there to support me. Jason literally held my hands and guided me down the subtle slope. Each step cause more and more pain in my back, since the weight of my body was descending and the hooks in my back were staying stationary I was being pulled in two different directions. I felt that at this point I could never make it off of the ground. Richard kept telling me that I could do it and to just let go and this reassurance is what empowered me to face the worst pain of my life and step down even more. Again unsure of whether or not I could take the pain once I got into the air, I paused for a moment and tripped over a root protruding from the ground. It was at that moment that I rose above above both the earth and my expectations for myself.
4) Have you modified your body in any other way? (including piercings, tattoos, braces, plastic surgery etc.)
-both sides of my bottom lip pierced
-my nasal septum (usually referred to as just "septum")
-Both of my earlobes pierced twice (4 total) The bottom two are stretched to 1/2"
-2 "rook" piercings. The rook is inner cartilage
-Both of my nipples are pierced.
I don't have any tattoos and haven't had any plastic done but the piercings I do have, and the tattoos I plan to are all personally things that I find aesthetically pleasing. They also help me feel more comfortable in who I am. Knowing that I wanted to change something about my appearance and being able to do so helps me find solace in a word saturated with media pressures to look and act certain ways. Also as a member of the Church of Body Modification I like to focus on the feeling of spirituality in having or getting modifications.
Below are some photos of Charlie's body suspension:
Inserting the hooks:
Mid-suspension:
Coming down:
Photos are property of Janet Beyersdorf
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