Relinquishing blocks of time and outlining specific limits in writing is an effective way to come close to losing all control. Remember there is a big difference between a little blind trust and foolhardiness and thinking through your dick stupid. A well negotiated scene can begin by signing this document that clearly states the length of time and all negotiated requirements and limitations, what can’t be done, what can be done, and what must be done.

The time period you negotiate will have a beginning and an end. A real prison sentence or a real mental institution stay is open ended because it is controlled by outside official forces. Most likely a “normal” mental hospital stay would be miserable and boring. What we really want is an illegal, dysfunctional, abusive, and unfair experience. We want nurse Ratchet power plays, unfair treatment by orderlies, we want our boundaries violated, our privacy stripped away, and we may even want sexual or physical abuse. Many dynamics are possible like social interaction with unpredictable fellow patients or a victimized patent against the staff dynamic.

We actually want the barbaric and cruel therapies used in the past like extreme psychodrama, shock therapy, padded room isolation, fire hoses, strait jackets, and the long term use of bed restraints. Unfortunately modern mental hospital reforms have replaced all of the things we are interested in with caring drug and hug policies. This is what I mean by boring, being sedated and understood does nothing for my libido.

I think the most popular style of play is the self-destructive violent out of control mental patient that needs to be totally controlled 24/7. The patient does not follow rules or orders he must be forced to comply. He can punch, kick, bite, spit, yell, cry, and scream. This type of scene is very difficult for the handler but very freeing for the patient. The patient is regarded as a disturbed animal that must be controlled so it doesn’t hurt itself or others. Punishing a mental patient is always unfair so the patient can spend the entire session wallowing in self-pity.

Prison play is freeing in a different way even though all choices are made for the prisoner a certain level of cooperation is required. Prison play involves rules and punishment, a strict “choices and consequence” dynamic. The inmate is regarded as sane and responsible for his actions so most punishments are for the lack of cooperation. Prisoners can be on good behavior or bad behavior, so in a way they do have some control.

The attraction to institutional restraint equipment is that it is specifically designed to be used for human restraint. It’s the difference between pharmaceutical drugs and street drugs. Pharmaceutical drugs are prescribed by a physician to treat a specific illness or condition.

They can be abused but they are prescribed by a licensed doctor and dispensed from a nice clean pharmacy. On the other hand street drugs are by their very nature illegal and designed to be abused. They are dispensed out of the pocket of some seedy character we meet in a bar or on a dark street corner. Being high on Oxycodone that was prescribed by a doctor(for your surgery six months ago)or being high on what you were told was Oxycodone you washed down with wine at a bar or night club, the abuse of either has the same result but somehow it’s different.

In a similar way the Posey institutional strait jacket has a similar comparison to a heavy leather Fetters strait jacket. One is used in an institution and the other is used in a dungeon, but both are bondage and both make us wet or hard.
I think there is a dynamic involving guilt or responsibility in the use of one type over the other; it is about transferring control to an outside source. In dungeon or classic BDSM play we pair off as tops and bottoms, Masters and slaves, or Sirs and puppies, these all have an internal dynamic. The players determine through experience, negotiations, and code words what will happen in a scene and when it starts and ends. The power dynamic is strictly between the players.

Institutional and prison play are controlled by external forces even though they are usually staged in fantasy. The Warden, Doctor, or Judge always has the final say in everything but they are usually far from the physical scene if they exist at all. An orderly is only following the Doctors orders when he straps you down, but when he is violating you later he is breaking the rules but there is nothing you can do about it because you are crazy.

The power dynamics of institutional play can consist of endless plots and subplots. It can range from total abandonment and neglect to intense observation and control. The subject can undergo “special treatments” and “behavioral studies”, all ordered by the Psychiatrist. These can consist of modified E-stim treatments to cure masturbation, padded cell isolation where endless hours of screaming is encouraged, or behavioral studies played out as an elaborate electrified “Simon says” game.

   In conclusion; I’ve only scratched the surface of possibilities, the scenarios are limited only by the imagination of the players. This subset of institutional play is unique because of the specialized gear that is designed to promote struggling with minimal risk for injury.

The power dynamic is also much different because of the out of control no responsibility nature of being a mental patient.
Institutional restraint equipment is available through several companies one of which is the Humane Restraints Company established in 1876.    

I have heard that they sell to individuals but Ebay seems to be the best source. Collecting vintage institutional gear is quite popular so good luck with your search. There are a few companies that produce institutional style restraint gear one of them is Maxcita “Caught in the act” canvas straitjackets and sleepsacks.
Get a willing partner, some gear, and create your own elaborate scenario. Then check yourself in for some locked in and locked down observation, you don’t want to injure yourself or others.

Check out our membership websites SeriousMaleBondage.com and SeriousImages.com for a wide selection of institutional, metal and rubber bondage videos.

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