Mummification

**This is an older photo of Salome, me, and danimal. The variation of our expressions always fascinates me.

A few days ago I had dinner with a female play partner. We had the following conversation:
"When people ask me what the kinkiest thing I've ever done is...do you know what I tell them?"

"No, actually, I don't," I ran through our play time history and wondered what she'd say next.

"Mummification. That is by far the weirdest thing I've ever done."

I asked her why she thought that. It interests me when-as kinky people-we think something is weird. Yes, I do admit that seeing heavy rubber bondage and gas masks as a youngster both startled and excited me. Perhaps, certain activities make us feel weird-a word we use when we're not sure how to describe the feeling. In the case with my female play partner, I know it was a situation she never expected to get into.

As far as mummification goes, I have to say it's my biggest kink. My FPP's(female play partner's) question made me think of all the reasons I'm drawn to this activity.

When I wake up in the morning, I'm usually wrapped in a slew of blankets. During my slumber, I subconsciously turn over and over again-in a way mummifying myself for comfort. Although this makes the process of getting out of my soul sucking bed more difficult, I find comfort in being wrapped this way.

Think about it...when we're in utero, we're curled up like a ball and surrounded by supportive fluid. We get all our nutrients, exchange gases, and wastes this way. The placenta is our supportive wrapping in which we grow without hearing judgment, having deadlines, or other responsibilities.

Once we're born, and have to painfully take our first breath, we cry. We're uncomfortable...and what is the first thing nurses do? Teach our mother how to swaddle us-if she doesn't know already. Instead of supportive fluids, we have blankets. As we grow, I believe we find comfort in things that are strangely familiar to us. Mummification taps into this deep unconscious feeling of being supported.

When I switched, I always wanted to be mummified. No matter what else was going on, I found myself slipping into a meditative state. The slight rocking motion that occurred while other things were done to me put me into a deep parasympathetic state. Who knows how much time would pass, but at some point I felt weightless-like I was levitating off the floor or bondage table.

The first time I mummified a client I found myself drawn to the silhouette of the body encased in plastic. With his head covered, he was androgynous. He was completely helpless-not able to move, not able to breathe unless I let him, not able to see or hear. I turned him into an object-my plastic package of amusement. After cutting him out, he looked like he was being reborn. He slowly came out of his cocoon, blinked a few times, stretched and found new appreciation in the ability to move all his limbs. Once he drank some water, he described his feelings of floating and was amazed how long he'd been wrapped up.

Do we unconsciously seek out infancy and childhood comforts through our kink? Sometimes we do. Right now I look forward to exploring mummification in my favorite material-latex.