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"Yeah, I had a pretty big gut reaction to that headline too. But did you know people have practiced the &amp;quot;art of suspension&amp;quot;--inserting large hooks underneath skin, and hanging from them--for 5,000 years? Me neither. In fact, I didn&amp;#39;t even know that people did suspensions for any reason other than pure shock value... but it turns out there&amp;#39;s a whole therapy angle at work here.\nPinterestFacebookThe Atlantic has a pretty fascinating story about people who believe in the therapeutic properties of suspension (and some photos, too, if you want to see what it looks like to have metal hooks inserted under your skin and then be hung by them). The practice began thousands of years ago, often as part of religious ceremonies, but in modern times, some people swear by it, saying it decreases stress, gives feelings of euphoria, and even feels meditative.\nWhat happens is that hooks are inserted at various points in someone&amp;#39;s body, under the fattiest layer of skin, and then a qualified suspension team attaches ropes and pulls up his or her body in a certain pose (like the &amp;quot;Superman,&amp;quot; or the &amp;quot;suicide&amp;quot;). For some suspension devotees, the poses put them in the position of challenging their minds and bodies. According to Cere Coichetti, the head of the New York chapter of suspension group Rites of Passage: &amp;quot;It&amp;#39;s not painful, but you definitely feel burning. And you feel this odd pressure happening. Once you&amp;#39;re in the air for, like, 30 or 40 seconds, that burn fades away. And then you get hit with the euphoria. You still feel the pressure, but at that point in time, you&amp;#39;re elsewhere.&amp;quot;\nDoesn&amp;#39;t it seem like the skin would... tear? According to Dr. Nelson Goldberg, a plastic surgeon at the University of Maryland Medical Center: &amp;quot;Skin is pretty strong. It&amp;#39;s basically leather, and in the back it&amp;#39;s basically double leather. I think it could easily handle the tension before it would rip.&amp;quot;\nBut in thinner-skinned areas--like the backs of knees--ripping is possible, although it doesn&amp;#39;t seem to bother the person in the midst of the suspension (after they&amp;#39;re lowered, they&amp;#39;re stitched up). The entrance and exit points of the hooks also apparently don&amp;#39;t result in scarring, and some experts say the practice is perfectly safe--so long as it&amp;#39;s performed by qualified suspension artists who sanitize their hooks and are well-trained in first aid.\n__Have you ever seen suspensions before? Do you know anyone who&amp;#39;s tried it? Would you? __\nMore controversies:\n\nMore Women Are Having Vaginal Plastic Surgery Than Ever\n\n\nWait, Now Thinspo and Pro-Ana Sites May Help Treat Eating\n\n Should Kids Who Are Bullied Get Free Plastic Surgery?\nPhoto: Thinkstock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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