By Nurse Laural of MedicalToys

Mummification is a specialized version of bondage, in which the whole body, including the head is wrapped tightly (usually a breathing tube is used or the mouth/nose areas left open).

The materials used for this are usually specifically designed for wrapping, such as cling film (saran wrap or pallet wrap). Other materials used are duct or gaffer’s tape (also called gaffa tape in UK), cloth, vet wrap or medical bandages, elastic or latex bandages (supplies are available from MedicalToys).

The concept is to wrap the material of choice around and around the entire body of your subject, until the subject is completely immobilized. Holes may be made for access to genitals and other areas, as preferred.

Definition – A Mummy  (mummee: One who is mummified) is:

1. Female equivalent (in British English) of a daddy.

2. One who is mummified, though in this case the spelling ‘mummee’ is usually preferred.

Mummification isn’t really like most other types of bondage. It provides the immobility and feeling of submission that other bondage techniques do, but there are added physical and emotional elements that are hard to duplicate in any other way. While mummified, you will experience sensory deprivation, as you would in a sensory deprivation tank, although on a somewhat lower level. You don’t necessarily feel restrained, but taken completely out of your body, as though you are floating in some astral plane free from weight, feeling, sight, and sound. Only your essence remains, and you become intensely focused on the few small sensations that still remain — your heartbeat, your breathing, your thoughts.

Mummification can be performed many ways, but the principle is the same. Instead of saran wrap, you can use cloth or latex bandages or even leather strips, or pieces of cloth secured with duct tape or other tapes. You can also get something of the same effect by using sleepsacks and hoods. But since anyone can obtain saran wrap or pallet wrap inexpensively, I will describe that technique in this article. Adhesive tapes and plastic wraps like cling film (saran wrap) are popular for mummification but can also be used in more general bondage, for example, in hand bindings.

Duct tape is convenient in some circumstances and is readily available in black or silver. However, be careful about applying it to bare skin: ripping it off will remove hairs and possibly even skin and can be painful, and irritation may result from contact with the adhesive. Go easy, or apply it over a barrier material such as vet wrap or pallet wrap which is available from our website.

You’ll want to have plenty of wrap available, because it takes more than you might think. It works out to somewhere around 75-100 meters (yards), which is three or four regular sized rolls of wrap. Placing a blindfold on your subject first will ensure complete darkness under the wrap, and will prevent their eyes from opening. If you don’t have a blindfold, place a few cotton balls on top of each closed eye, and secure with a little medical tape if you wish.

Remember throughout the wrapping that the absolute comfort of the subject is important in creating the headspace which is required to maximize the experience. If you are looking for a sexually oriented adventure, mummification probably won’t do it for you. However, as part of a scene it can be extremely effective, so don’t rule it out until you’ve tried it. Your subject’s headspace is not quite the same after being released from a good mummification as it was going in; and a good top will use this fact to his or her advantage — and of course to create an intense experience for the bottom.

You should try to have at least one person to act as a helper or assistant. This assistant will be responsible for maintaining your subject in an upright position while you work with the wrapping material. The assistant must also maintain close communication with your subject, to make sure the experience remains an enjoyable one for all concerned. The emotional high that mummification produces can become scary if the environment is not comforting and safe.

Another good reason not to attempt mummification alone is that you may need the assistant to help steady your subject (known as a ‘spotter’ in sports). One very basic but very real danger is that the bottom will simply loose their balance and fall over. The process of wrapping will cause their disorientation, and their loss of all sense of direction. They will often attempt to push themselves over, wrongly thinking that they are already falling, so you must be prepared to hold them upright, especially if your subject is not experienced in this kind of play. In order to minimize the danger of this happening, make sure your subject understands the potential for this phenomenon, and will trust you enough to allow the falsely detected fall to happen — which ironically will prevent a real fall from happening.

You must also provide (ahead of time) for safety precautions in case of emergency – whether it is physical danger or emotional overload. Surgical (bandage) scissors from our website are ideal for cutting off the wrap quickly, since they are rounded on the bottom so they will not puncture or cut the skin.

If you want to wrap your subject’s head as well, you will need to have a system to facilitate breathing. One useful piece of apparatus is a piss gag, either with a firmly attached tube at least 25mm (1″) wide that extends out in front or with a hole to which you can attach such a tube. The tubing will extend beyond the mummifying layers, allowing complete bondage while maintaining an open and easy breathing passageway. Most people also prefer to wrap the head in muslin or some other form of light cloth before adding some form of wrap.

Ways to Play

The subject should stand in a location that allows plenty of room for free movement all around. Start applying the wrap by wrapping the arms. The subject should hold their arms perpendicular to the body in order to allow this. Wrap from the armpit all the way to the hand, over the hand, and allow the wrap to extend beyond the ends of the fingers. This will be neatened up later, so just apply the wrap liberally.

When the arms are well wrapped, wrap the chest. Do not simply wrap around the chest itself, but rather, crisscross the chest and shoulders. Wrap over one shoulder, down across the chest and under the armpit, straight across the back and under the other armpit, up across the chest, over the other shoulder, etc. Occasionally you should overlap the wrappings that were previously laid around the arms. There should be no gaps. Continue until you have laid several complete layers. This crisscross technique can be seen in the above photo where our subject’s upper torso has been wrapped in white Vet Wrap. Pretty sexy, eh?

Proceed to wrap the rest of the body in the same manner. Wrap the legs separately before binding them together. As the wrappings go on, the subject will begin to look very much like an Egyptian mummy, hence the term mummification.

Holes can be left (or cut) in the wrapping at strategic erotic points — I trust you can figure those out!

How long should you leave your subject in a mummification? Mummification is a very intense experience so with a novice a time of 10-15 minutes may be enough. Some experienced players enjoy being left for hours on end, but remember that anyone so heavily restrained must be supervised at all times. Do not leave them alone, even for a short period – overheating, panic or suffocation can occur quickly and without warning. In any case the subjective passing of time for your subject will be very different from normal.

Follow the same rules you would with any heavy bondage scene. As with rope, watch for circulation problems and be especially careful to keep all bonding materials away from the subject’s face to prevent breathing restriction accidents. Materials such as saran wrap can easily cause suffocation if not used with extreme caution. Remember the basic BDSM credo: Safe, Sane and Consensual!

*Written and edited by Nurse Laural of Medical Toys, with thanks to The Deviants Dictionary and the BDSM f.a.q. list for this info.

For unique bondage and mummification videos please visit SeriousImages.com and SeriousMaleBondage.com.