A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

Daaaaaaay-um

Now that’s intense.

Update: Since people are asking, the “why” answer is because the navel is very sensitive and many people greatly enjoy this type of navel play (BME/HARD has a lot of navel play pictures). The “how” answer is because it’s a skewer, not a beveled needle, so when it pierces tissue it spreads more than cutting, and pushes things out of the way before penetrating them. If you want to find more information on this in a fakir context, try a search for “Mirin Dajo”.

PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING!!!

Comments

110 responses to “Daaaaaaay-um”

  1. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    Is it the same idea as when the Sideshow acts hammer nails into their nostrils? is there a cavity there or something?

  2. gally99 Avatar

    from my understanding (my being stabbed, and a few friends having the same experience) puncturing the abdomen is not that big a deal, rupurting organs, and in particular, the intestines is…
    and i’m amazed that people get this bugged by this… a girl sticking a finger in there does quite the opposite for me…

  3. starspring Avatar

    The first thing I thought when I saw this was “what about bacteria”. I see no use of betadine, no gloves, nothing. And its done with a barbeque skewer no less…..ermm. No thanks!

  4. M.Sphinx Avatar

    How do you figure out if you can take something like that?

  5. Vienna Avatar

    Out of all the things I have seen on modblog… THIS bothers me the most. Only because it makes me want to die just thinking about anything poking my belly button. That is also a quite impressive belly… hehe.

  6. sam Avatar
    sam

    One of my favorite things about the bme community was how accepting they were of all forms of body modification. I take the stand that it is his body and he should be allowed to do with it what he wants. I think it’s unfair to anyone who contributes to bme to be judged harshly through a forum setting. I had long thought that this was a supportive community, but over the last several days I’ve been wondering about that. Granted, we are all allowed our own opinions, but why would you want to be a part of a site that you know contains images and information to things you strongly disagree with.

    I guess that’s just my two cents.

  7. valerie Avatar

    oh goodness! ive never felt so squeamish as this with modblog. usually even the harder stuff is fine by me. didnt help i was having a bacon buttie for breakie! haha. the picture left me a pit puzzled however.

  8. obsidian_wings Avatar
    obsidian_wings

    Sam, although I agree with you about some of the posts over the last few days, I don’t think most of the posts about this picture are like that.
    Granted a lot of people (including me) have said they find it squeamish, their navel is sensitive, or they wouldn’t do it themselves, but I don’t really think those are rude comments. We can accept something without actually wanting to do it ourselves. I think most people that made comments about organs (like me again) are genuinely curious. Although I guess I can only speak for myself.

  9. sam Avatar
    sam

    Obsidian-
    It wasn’t necessarily directed towards this set of pictures. I was just speaking out in general about some other things that have been posted by what I’m guessing are mostly non regular bme community members regarding other contributions. Like I said, I was just giving my two cents.

  10. Em Avatar
    Em

    “he’s got plenty of squish to skewer” 😀
    I’ll accept that it’s not photoshopped, it just looks it; no blood, no reddened skin… weird.
    Also, OW.
    Damn it, that’s the only thing on here that’s ever really freaked me out.

  11. penski Avatar

    If anyone as much as touches my belly button, I vomit on reflex :/

    I’ve also had a couple of infections there in the past…so the thought of pushing something in there and through to the body cavity makes my eye twitch…

    Further to gally99 (post #50), I’ve also been on the receiving end of something sharp and pointy in the belly…

    …And that’s my excuse for still having a fat belly – it’s my all-natural anti-stab vest 😉

    *n

  12. Giles Wallwork Avatar

    This wanders into quite dangerous territory and is a huge step beyond adornment or decoration.

  13. Shannon Larratt Avatar

    Sam – Yeah, posters have been surprisingly judgemental lately.

  14. Lily Avatar

    we need more info here this looks insane!he prolly hit some things…also, the distension of his tummy might be because he is dead? hmm.. prolly not just saying…how would you do something like that?

  15. kawaface Avatar

    i didn’t realize so many people couldn’t stand having their belly button touched.
    weird.

  16. AshPlant Avatar
    AshPlant

    You think *that’s* bad, a girl I knew freaked out whenever anyone touched her knees. Or their knees. Or had bare knees. That is a completely alien mindset to me, lost in translation from one mind to the next, but I can understand why someone who knew what they were doing would try that skewer thing.

  17. nick Avatar

    but…why he is not bleeding at all?

  18. blue Avatar

    wow …….. most interesting thing i have seen in a wile

  19. fantasien Avatar

    wow, that’s amazing.

    i’m really curious about what it goes through, as Nyarlathotep mentioned an impermeable layer that is there? there are some layers of tissue that are quite strong that can be opened easily with blunt forceps in the line in the centre, and close and heal very quickly and easily. but i really don’t know enough about human anatomy and surgery to say anything for sure.

    i’m also really curious as to how it feels, how they feel afterwards and the next day, if it has any affects on organs and tissue. i would guess a bit of soreness, but since it is a small skewer, i can’t imagine much if any bleeding really.

    shannon: can the guy in the photo be contacted at all or is he willing to say anything more about it, how it worked, etc?

  20. Leavethepoliticstomadmen Avatar
    Leavethepoliticstomadmen

    Whoever clumped “cancer removal” to his scar … way wrong. The amount of surgeries that open like that are inumerable. However… I’d be willing to bet he has ascities, and probably had something to do with his liver during that scar surgery.

    If he’s got ascities, he’s probly only piercing into a pocket of fluid… so no big deal. His stomach is just way too round, and his chest way flat.. its a classic sign.

  21. Shannon Larratt Avatar

    fantasien – I have a few interviews with people who do this type of play in the new book… Hopefully by mentioning it more often I’ll finish it more quickly 😉

  22. Mitch Avatar
    Mitch

    I’m not too computer savy, but the address in post 16 won’t play in WMP. I would really love to see this. HELP!?

  23. RustY Avatar

    I still feel insanely intrigued. Definitely gonna do my best to grab a copy of the new book, if I can manage…

  24. arcanobacterium Avatar
    arcanobacterium

    Leavethepoliticstomadmen :

    Ascites is not located underneath the skin, it’s in the peritoneal cavity, which is under all those muscles and other types of tissue, so he’d have to penetrate all of that to get to the fluid. I think those are interesting pictures, but I know that the medical risks are far too great, so I would’t recomend it.

  25. arcanobacterium Avatar
    arcanobacterium

    …and I totally agree with moddoctor…
    :o))))))

  26. FlamingFist Avatar
    FlamingFist

    thanks for this shannon. it reminds me of the stories of jack shwartz and mirin dajo combined. It takes years of training to achieve stuff like this.

    “Something in all of us is vastly connected to the Eternal, and my vote is to identify with that essence as much as possible through these coming changes. My humanity and materialism are not what I fight to defend. Rather, I exist to remember the good in all things–including that which may point a gun at me – or those I love.”

    So please, stop being so judgemental people!

  27. yvo Avatar
    yvo

    mitch: try to open it in winamp, or use http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/tv/vara/kopspijkers/bb.20031101.rm in realplayer…

  28. yvo Avatar
    yvo

    Mitch:
    And for diffrent connectionspeeds and player options, go to
    http://variatee.vara.nl/kopspijkers/playerpage.jsp?itemaflID=49190&listtype=terugkijken&jaar=1041375600

    click ‘instellingen’ underneath the wmp screen for more options.
    Good luck…

  29. Mitch Avatar
    Mitch

    yvo – Thanks. I’ll have to try it tonight on my computer. This work computer doesn’t have Winamp or Real Player.

  30. goomy Avatar

    At first I thought the shadow was blood :S

  31. cuntcumber Avatar

    Imagining what it would feel like to pull that out bothers me a lot more than the thought of putting it in.

  32. SnaiLuv Avatar

    Modblog lately is starting to become rather…..well, hilarious.
    So, this guy can push a skewer several inches into his abdomen. I’ve been hanging out around here for a while(although certainly not as long as some), and I’ve seen plenty of things that you would *think* people would die from, but they don’t. The human body is a lot more forgiving in some situations than you’d think-as well as people misunderstanding that just because something is horrifically painful, does not neccesarily mean you’re going to die from it.
    It’s interesting to see everyone’s comments justifying why this guy is able to do this, without dying. Fluid, surgeries, bowel removals, Crohn’s Disease…..
    Fakirs and sideshow performers have been doing stuff like this for ages. I personally don’t know how they do it (mostly because I don’t care), but I imagine the man in the photos is not currently dead from doing what he is doing in the photos.
    As for ‘navel torture play’ being relatively common, well, if you’re going home and shoving skewers into your abdomen, through your navel, you’re not going and telling people at church about it. Hence, people come here.
    I really don’t know why everyone gets so angry about this. I’m also starting to suspect Shannon of purposely putting up photos that will provoke people to an angry reaction-or photos he suspects will get a strong reaction either way. Not that I blame him-I wouldn’t be able to help myself at this point, either.
    I read this commentary and came away with this opinion: Most people are not wolves. Most people LIKE to be told what to do, even(and in some cases, especially!) with their own bodies, because it makes them feel safe. Most people want to be told what they can and cannot do with their bodies, whether directly by laws and governments, or indirectly, by societal standards and norms.
    And anyhow, it makes me laugh that this creeps people out worse than that guy putting cigarettes out in his pee-hole. I mean, I’m one of those “don’t touch my bellybutton!!!” people, but this doesn’t bother me…It’s not like it’s MY navel.
    I just hope IAM gets fixed soon, so my life will once again have meaning…..and I hope maybe ModBlog will go back to being a Body Modification Blog instead of a Home for Internet Trolls.

  33. mink Avatar
    mink

    Agreed SnailLuv. That is why I just don’t post at all I don’t think it’s my place to judge and comment on what other people have done to themselves.
    I hate when people comment on my modifications in public!!!

  34. Mitch Avatar
    Mitch

    Wow! That’s pretty crazy. I wish I had audio on this computer. Although I’m sure the visual is more than enough to get the point across. Amazing-the human body is.

  35. gryph Avatar
    gryph

    OMG, that is way too dangerous. I don’t care who’s doing it.

  36. yvo Avatar
    yvo

    mitch: audio wouldn’t help. It was in Dutch, so you didn’t miss anything… Well… the conversation was pretty interesting… the interviewed guy was his helper who pierced him in the movie and he just wrote a book about him…

  37. Lucas Fury Avatar

    damn, i really wish i understood/spoke dutch. ..seems like it’d be an incredible story to hear.

    regardless, thanks for posting, yvo.

  38. SNR Avatar
    SNR

    Hmm I’m guessing this is the discussion forum for Shannon’s commentary, so here goes:

    While I agree entirely with everything that is said, the difficulty is that laws evolve far slower than sociological trends, which is natural since the latter define the former! Neither can we deny nor ignore the impact of organised religion on the formation of both social ethics and morals. In the west this is predominantly a Jeudo-Christian influence and hence, for example, its concepts of the sanctity of life pervade medical ethics. IIRC some doctrines go so far as to deny possession of self in favour of possession by god (but not in a The Exorcist sense!).

    For some reason though, regardless of “religious” bias, some peoples personal philosophies make no accommodation for our liberal individualism! As my favourite philosopher Kant said:

    “Enlightenment is when a person leaves behind a state of “Unmündigkeit” ( or “immaturity and dependence”) for which he himself was responsible. “Unmündigkeit” is the inability to use one’s own intellect without the direction of another. One is responsible for this immaturity and dependence, if its cause is not a lack of intelligence or education, but a lack of determination and courage to think without the direction of another. Sapere aude! Dare to know!”

  39. justin Avatar

    thats pretty intence but its really intersting if thats wat he likes more power to him

  40. yvo Avatar

    lucas fury: you’re welcome

  41. choice Avatar

    christ, how does that not pierce the spinal cord?

    imagine showing off to a few friends and inducing a little paralysis… how embarrassing would that be..

  42. outmywindow Avatar
    outmywindow

    @Comment 92:

    That guy’s obviously a bit more than seven-ish inches thick. Besides, the spinal cord is protected by the vertebra it passes through. In order for that guy to hit his spinal cord, he’d have to either get really lucky and land right between two vertebra (but still have to go through tendons and other spinal column fun), or actually drive the skewer through the bone. Oh, and he’d need a much longer skewer, or a much shallower body cavity.

  43. modicidal Avatar
    modicidal

    i honestly think bme and iam members should be the only people that are allowed to leave comments, because it seems that the people causing crap and bieng judgemental are the non members for the most part.

    as for the skewering? i think that all the people that are bitching about the health issues need to get a grip. do you honestly think this man doesnt know the risk thats involved? i mean this is serious play and i for one think that if he is even going to attempt to do something on this level, then i think that hes smart enough to get his info first. its obvious to even the most idiotic person that this could cause some serious damage. just think about it.

    if this guy isnt being sterile or safe enough to your liking, GET OVER IT. its his life, his body, and he has every humanly right in the world to do whatever the hell he wants to with it.

  44. Nyarlathotep Avatar
    Nyarlathotep

    In response to the posts about ModBlog getting unpleasant at times (which I would agree with), I would like to point out in my own defense that while I wouldn’t do that, he’s more than welcome to. If anyone gets hurt, it’s going to be himself, so it should be his right. For me though, the risks would outweigh the pleasure that he derives from it. Besides, I’m not really all that down with pain; I’ll accept pain as the price for mods, but I don’t like pain for the sake of pain and the endorphin rush.
    Still, it’s his body, and it should be his right to do with it as he pleases, regardless of whether I would make the same choices. What’s right for me may not be right for him and vice versa. As long as he doesn’t harm other people (without their consent, anyways), it’s none of my business. I was just trying to point out what seemed to me like large, potentially life-threatening dangers. I apologize if I may have inadvertantly offended.

  45. laurenorder Avatar
    laurenorder

    oh yuk……i hate belly buttons! *squirms*

  46. Chrissie Avatar

    I didn’t know that naval play was “common” so to come along and see someone with a skewer in his naval made me go “Wow.” But the good impressive wow, not the wow-what-a-fuckhead wow.

  47. Sitara Avatar
    Sitara

    From comment 83: “I’ve seen plenty of things that you would *think* people would die from, but they don’t. The human body is a lot more forgiving in some situations than you’d think”

    It makes me think of this horrific story that was in the newspaper the other day. A couple were arguing heatedly, and the husband threw his wife out of their hotel window. She landed on a spike and was literally skewered halfway down.

    She’s in critical condition but she survived. So, relating the two together, I’d say a BBQ skewer won’t do much damage and probably won’t kill him (personal opinion – feel free to prove me wrong).

  48. bodmodBetty Avatar

    I love this. I’m so intrigued..
    Wish I knew who these were of.

  49. Dorothy Spornak Avatar
    Dorothy Spornak

    Wow. Other than the fingernail removals, I haven’t seen much on BME lately turns my stomach. This picture, however, succeeded admirably.

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