First suspensions are rarely just about the body—they’re a meeting point between the physical and the deeply personal. Stepping into this experience isn’t simply about trying something new, but about stepping outside yourself to a version you had always sensed was waiting.
I’ve had a complicated, on-and-off relationship with intentional, physical pain, and I was very interested in finding a way to enter into that space with it intentionally in a healing way. I also admit I really wanted the community associated with it. In those regards—the release, the enjoyment, and the community, I definitely got everything I’d wanted and more. The release was exactly what I’d hoped for. There was a wall between parts of my inner self that I felt was breached while I was up there. And beyond just enjoying it, I had fun while up there! I loved being swung around by my mentor, Josh, and by Mike. I never wanted to come down! The community was also incredible, and I feel lucky I got to be first exposed to it in a space like Ontario Suscon. I barely knew anybody there, but I felt a close connection of love and camaraderie I felt with everybody in the space was almost instant. It’s an amazing experience to be in a space where everyone has come together and decided to be vulnerable in a shared space, and inherently trust over a hundred people to take care and respect their bodies and experiences. Especially as someone that was just learning to facilitate suspension as well, the number of people that were excited to let me throw a hook for the first time, or run their bio for them when I’d never done it before, was nothing short of amazing.
