"Ground Control to Master Tom"

There is a phenomenon within the practice of SM that renders an ecstasy beyond orgasm. It is an altered state of consciousness that we unblushingly call transcendent. (Navels are nice to contemplate, but we find a spankable fanny a much more intriguing alternative.) Though it may sound far-fetched, it has been described by too many people to doubt its existence or its connection to SM. SM'ers call it flying, at least most of us do. Some people call it melting away or an "out-of-body" experience. Some may even call it Bob, how the hell would we know?

Altered states of consciousness produced by sexual or erotic means are noted throughout history. The sexual practices and meditations of Tantric Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism are said to be paths toward enlightenment. Similarly, some adepts of Taoism pursue fang-chung shu (arts of the inner chamber), employing a sexual breathing technique called ho-ch?i (unification of breaths) during sexual union as a "gateway" to spirituality and immortality.

Mind-bending sexual technique is not solely the turf of easterners. The West also has its fair share of explorers. Meister Crowley's gang achieved altered states with their brand of "Sexual Magick." Crowley gave us a mouth-stuffing, but enlightening expression: his initiates were ritually pushed to sexual exhaustion inducing a consciousness that he called erotocomatose lucidity. If Crowley meant what we think he did, that a person can be erotically stimulated into a temporary, coma-like stupor while experiencing lucid visions and sensations as though they are experiencing a separate reality, then erotocomatose lucidity is what we call flying.

Not everyone who is into SM has the experience of flying. In fact, it seems to be a phenomenon experienced by the few who get into heavier corporal (whipping and spanking) scenes than those into other practices, but it is not exclusively within the corporal domain. During flying, the dominant is the pilot and the submissive is the space shuttle. There are several different ignition buttons and lots of techniques for pushing someone past that final shove into orbit, which we'll cover later. Some say they take off when they sink into deep feelings of submission and their independent will goes out the window. Others maintain that feeling vulnerable and exposed is enough to make them fly. Still, the ever-popular "high state of sexual excitement" when mixed with the pain of a whipping seems to do it for most of us.

People who fall into this latter category begin to soar one of two ways. They can be kept for a prolonged time on the edge of orgasm, or they can be made to orgasm repeatedly. Women can be pushed over the edge either way. Continuous sexual teasing and denial of orgasm increases tension to the point of take-off. Multiple orgasms push them higher and higher and the orgasms start to blend together. Before long, they are in orbit. A man's sexual energy diminishes quickly after orgasm, so teasing is the best route for them.

The flight experience varies widely as one would expect from a journey that begins and ends within the confines of one's skull. But commonalities do exist. First of all, there is an incredible sensation of freedom. The flying submissive feels like she is actually flying or floating, disengaged from her body. She becomes vaguely aware of what is going on around her and her sole connection to the real world is through her dominant. She also senses that her brain is shutting down, that reason and ordinary perspective have gone on vacation. In this state, there are few inhibitions. Speaking feels sluggish, as though one is talking through water. Flying subs rarely say anything unless prompted by their doms.

Most flyers we know report similar visual perceptions, too. They see themselves enveloped in darkness, yet there is light just beyond their immediate surroundings. Often they can see images with brilliant clarity, visions of mountains, clouds and skies, even the darkness of outer space as they drift among the stars. Sometimes they see nothing; sounds, words, or music in these cases are their predominant impressions. We cannot define exactly what these altered states of consciousness are, or what causes them. Everyone has their own pet theories; cosmic connections, chemical reactions, emotional overload, mystical or spiritual states, and out-of-body experiences are the primary conjectures. Does this mean doms are rocket scientists and subs are space cadets? (Sorry, we can rarely pass up a pun).

All we know is that flying works, it's wonderful, and we can reproduce the results using the same techniques. Philip has experienced flying with several women and Molly has flown with other men. Don't you think we should be given a government grant to continue our research? What we do is a hell of a lot cheaper than launching a space mission, it is undeniably more fun, and everyone can do it.

Sensations of pure experience without any apparent meaning and seeing totally unrecognizable images are common. Below is one such account:

I know you've been waiting to see this. It still does not describe the actual experience as well as I would like it to, but much of it is so difficult to translate into words. I have no idea where I was. I saw things and places that I have never seen before. Honest!
I am naked. My hands are bound over my head, my legs, spread-eagled and bound. I close my eyes under the blindfold. There are light caresses all over my skin. I hear voices off in the distance, soft and alluring. My body is shivering, but I am not cold. I feel my mind going blank and I feel myself drifting. I am aware that violent tremors are running through my body, but I no longer feel them.

The sky is a mystical blue above me with a soft scattering of clouds, though darkness directly surrounds me. I am still aware of the voices in the room but they are detached, not a part of my inner surroundings. I want to say what I see, but I no longer have control over those muscles, which would allow me to speak.

I'm floating higher and the dark skies around me are a soft blue. I extend my arm into the clouds and my guide tells me I can go no further. He tells me." Come back" I turn to look below me. I see the mountains thickly surrounded by silver laced clouds. I want to reach for them, but he tells me no, that I must go with him. His voice is becoming distant as I drift further into the clouds below me. I feel my hands clench together as I am reaching.

In an instant he surrounds me, pulling me back with a force that I can no longer resist. I am returning to the room where I still lie bound upon the bed. I feel my body shuddering as I become more aware of the voices around me. They seem to be bringing me together again.

I am now aware that my hands are no longer bound; yet they are still clenched as if to hold onto the clouds that once surrounded me. I feel the trembling, and as it becomes stronger I know that all of me is now together. I feel a tear fall from each eye and I am once again completely earthbound.

Philip was piloting this lady, who shall be dubbed Mary to conceal her identity. Also present for the scene were Molly, another submissive lady, and another dominant. Mary had received a light whipping and caressing which brought her to a mild state of arousal.  She was then stripped sensuously, bound, spread-eagled to a bed, and blindfolded. Philip and the other two submissives began to caress her and fondle her while Philip guided her into submitting and relaxing into their ministrations. We can only speculate, but we believe, on subsequent discussion, that Mary flew because of her intense sexual arousal, her desire to give Philip control over her, and high level of trust in the people involved.

Philip felt a strong mental connection to Mary just as she began her take-off. Philip felt as though his consciousness was surrounding Mary like a protective envelope. She began to drift off very quickly. It started with heavy shivering, which lasted only few minutes, and then she settled down. It seemed that she was mildly startled or that she felt off balance at times as her body flinched briefly a few times.

Though her account might seem to indicate that her flight lasted only a short time, Mary was sailing around for about twenty minutes. Then Philip began to hold her close and speak very gently to Mary, coaxing her to come in for a landing. He removed her blindfold and let her come down very slowly, holding her for a long time after she was back among us. It was a beautiful and mysterious encounter for all of us.

"Flying" may not be considered the most appropriate term for this phenomenon, as the sensation is not one of being airborne for everyone.
I have a landscape, but I do not "fly". I am on the land.
[My] experience starts out with me in a green pasture or field. I am looking up at the sky and it is almost an unreal hue of blue! I start looking around the landscape and I feel an immense pleasure, not knowing why or what, but I know I am happy and content.
(Slave Kitiara)
Another submissive comments:
This past weekend my Mistress was using a combination of whip, flogger and pinwheel on me that was unbelievable! I have no idea how long I was "gone" but I was definitely up in the ozone!
It didn't take long to get me there, and when she brought me back down, I could feel her gently stroking my skin and calling me back, telling me to "come back down" and join her. [Tonight] is Wednesday night and friends of mine at work have commented that I've been glowing since Monday and they all wanted to know what my secret was.
The way flying feels to me is like being on the top of a mountain during a storm, feeling the winds lashing at my skin and leaving my nerve endings tingling. My skin will literally tingle for hours afterwards.
Hmmmmm... I wonder if the Mistress [X] airport will be open this weekend?
( Coquette)
A dominant we know disagrees that flying is a phenomenon apart from what we call sub space. He views flying as part of a continuum of submissive emotionality. Each facet of the multidimensional "sub space" he refers to, is controllable as a separate entity:

Most folks think of sub space (and top space) as being two dimensional, and I feel that this is an error, we spent most of the last year playing in exploring just how many dimensions exist.

Two dimensions would be like an elevator, a "I am really close to the top, please make me less verbal" kind of thing: up being close to coming Out of sub space and down being a place where the sub is deep into [her] space.

I define "flying" as a very precise location in an individual's sub space, and not the same location for every individual. It is where her needs are being met in an environment that allows her to maintain her point in space with minimum or zero effort.
We played with more than three dimensions, and were never able to identify all of the major ones, let alone the minor ones, but I will use three to try to explain where I am coming from, and what we were doing.

If you consider volition, mentation, and verbosity as different elements of sub space, let us agree that each can be controlled separately. The sub can range from the normal ability to communicate all the way to being totally nonverbal. The will of the sub can range from being perfectly capable of making decisions and acting on them, to being totally docile, from having the full capability of thinking things through to being totally incapable of thought. The common point of origin for each of these qualities is at the deep end, and if you bring your sub all the way down there you have your basic vegetable, unable to think, communicate, or react.

Now we can construct a three-dimensional space, each of these qualities having an axis in a different dimension... if you visualize it as a cube, you can see that It is fairly easy to describe exactly where subs are in their space, and by working on one element at a time, move them around in their space.
We were using this as a tool to explore sub space, and we were getting a grip on how to use sub space, as a tool to explore our relationship.
. I see the Dom's role as one of assisting the sub into [her] space, rather than, as I sometimes see around me, the Dom being totally concerned with meeting [his] own needs, and leaving the sub to struggle along to enter space without guidance.
(Cosmo)

Perhaps this is the best time to suggest that you shouldn't resort to drastic measures trying to make someone fly. You are liable to do more damage than good by trying to force it. Heavy whipping will not necessarily result in flying; in fact it can have the opposite effect. Endorphin highs, caused by heavy pain or exhaustion are not flying. One submissive friend of ours related a scene where a bad dominant was whipping her ever more frenetically. He even ignored her when she used her safe word, over and over again. She said that she was able to put herself into a mental state where she no longer resisted this jerk's abuse, she simply blanked out. This is not flying either; it is one of the mind's methods of defending itself against abuse, extreme fear, or trauma. This dominant? should be drawn and quartered. Flying just cannot be forced.

As with any other natural phenomenon, flying will happen easily when all the elements are in place. Since people vary so greatly, the same elements that make one person soar may not work for another.

We cannot say exactly what these elements are, but we suggest that trust, confidence, sexual attraction, and a strong connection between the players are prerequisites. Other elements may include: being open to what might happen during a scene rather than expectant; intense, prolonged sexual tension; and concentration or focus. All of these take time, patience, and caring to develop. Relax; proceed with your scenes in a way that you both enjoy, gently and slowly~ pushing some of the boundaries of your scenes. You might experience flight, and you might not. If you are bound and determined to have the experience, find someone you can trust implicitly, who has flown submissives before and ask if he might help you.

Flying is similar to being stoned, but much better. (Or so we have been told. We wouldn't know. as we have always been good and proper citizens who never dreamt abusing controlled substances.) Some drugs that cause brain shutdown also numb your feelings, while SM does not. As far as we're concerned, flying is a high far better the drugs. We don't recommend using drugs while playing SM. Drugs can cut off the very sensations you are striving for.  They also slow your responses during potent dangerous situations. We don't think drugs are an intelligent choice while doing see Watch her closely while she's out there. You are very likely to find that you feel some unexplainable connection with her; that you feel you are controlling her flight. The funny thing here is that when you feel that connection, odds are that she is feeling same thing. We have felt that connection between us and it is felt in the same way: either as though Philip was holding some invisible strings tethering Molly to him, or consciousness was surrounding her, protecting and directing her. These two distinctively different sensations have occurred during the same sessions to each of us at the same time and have happened the same way in scenes for other people.

Be Careful! Subs who are flying are unable to make decisions, to determine damaging levels of pain and would never think of using a safe word.

There are several things a dominant must be aware of when confronted with a flying sub. SUBS WHO ARE FLYING ARE UNABLE TO MAKE DECISIONS! If you told her you were going to cut off her arm, she would sweetly and casually reply, "Yes, Master." She will also be unable to determine damaging levels of pain. If you are using whips or spanking to launch your submissive BE CAREFUL! Once she's "on the fly" she's not going to use a safe word; it will never occur to her.
You, the dominant, as her link with reality, must not break contact or leave her. Stay with her also for the twenty or thirty minutes it takes for her to drift back to earth. Yes, it can easily take twenty to thirty minutes, and don?t be surprised if she remains fuzzy for hours. It isn't unheard of for her to feel the exhilaration from flying for days. While Our lady is in orbit, make her comfortable. You don't want her to experience any strain or anything else that will defuse the free feeling of flying. Untie her or not as you see fit, but make sure that she is comfy, warm, and feels safe. Check her hands and feet if she's bound to make sure her circulation is good. Never take your attention from her; her sense of well being relies largely on that mysterious mental connection to you. Lay beside her let her feel your presence, but don't interfere with her voyage by asking her if she's OK. She's fine. In fact, she's as fine as she'll ever be!

People act different ways when they fly. They might tremble violently or take off as peacefully as lambs. Some appear as unresponsive as a doorknob. Don't panic your lady is just dandy. She's just ping- ponging around the galaxy feeling all kinds of swell stuff. This is a time for you to be brave and patient; she will be back with you better than new. Let the dear girl sail around for a while, then stroke her gently and speak softly to her. Kiss her lightly. She will slowly begin to come around. The key here is to bring her down very gently; a fast freefall back to earth can be a terrifying experience. Assure her that she has been wonderful and that you will not leave her alone. Cuddle with her.

As she begins to regain herself, she will be remarkably happy and appreciative. This is an opportunity to enjoy some of the most gratifying snuggles and nuzzles you will ever experience. Don't rush off to take a pee or to get a bottle of wine to celebrate. Take your time, just hold one another and sop up all that love.