History Main / PsychicStrangle

* {{Discussed|Trope}} in the ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "Mind War". Talia's former mentor talks about a gentler form of this as an assassination method that leaves no evidence: simply telekinetically close off the carotid arteries to starve the brain of oxygen, then release the pressure after the target dies. That's ''if'' it was possible to get a relatively stable telekinetic that ''didn't'' have qualms about that sort of thing...

** Darth Vader is the TropeCodifier, it being his favorite Force power and his SignatureMove. He especially likes to use it against those that have [[YouHaveFailedMe failed him for the last time]] and those whose lack of faith he finds disturbing, having originally done this in ''Film/ANewHope'' to Admiral Motti. This wasn't the ''first'' time he'd done it, either: In ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', [[spoiler:when he becomes convinced that Padmé betrayed him, he chokes her, causing injuries that lead to her death (according to a AllThereInTheManual explanation of her cause of death in the {{novelization}}).]] Using it on Adm. Kendal Ozzel in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' establishes he doesn't even need to be in the same room to do it, in this case choking out Ozzel on the bridge of the ''Executor'' from his personal meditation chamber. In the expanded universe the Force-choke essentially becomes Vader's SignatureMove (see below).
** Luke nonfatally Force-chokes a pair of Gamorreans to gain entrance to Jabba's palace in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', in a scene meant to make us worry that Luke may be heading toward TheDarkSide like his father.

* ''Literature/Moon1985'': A psychic SerialKiller invades the similarly psychic mind of computer technician Jonathan Childes, and eventually makes a link strong enough to stimulate bodily harm.

* ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS2E41TheHowlingMan The Howling Man]]", the Devil uses one on David Ellington [[UngratefulBastard as soon as he releases him from his confinement]].

** After he's kidnapped in season two we see him doing this to two Stormtroopers at the same time before telekinetically slamming them into each other.

* Garudos in ''Anime/BattleSpiritsSwordEyes'' telekinetically lifts the target and strangles him with an [[VisibleInvisibility invisible]] hand, putting him into a coma. His DeceptiveDisciple Yaiba creates a [[GiantHandsOfDoom much larger hand]], which can grab a man and slam him against the wall.

--->'''Lena Colby:''' My power-- It's running wild... Stronger than I realized--!\\

* Creator/JMichaelStraczynski explored this somewhat in ''ComicBook/RisingStars'', years after he mentioned it in ''Series/BabylonFive''. In ''Rising Stars'' [[MassSuperEmpoweringEvent 113 children]] [[BizarreBabyBoom about to be born]] gain various superpowers due to something that appeared above their town and then exploded in a flash of light. Strangely enough, the only one who goes to work in some form of covert operations isn't one of the {{Flying Brick}}s, or the [[NoSell Invulnerable Man]], or even the guy who [[{{Necromancer}} can talk to]] [[ISeeDeadPeople the dead]], which should be a means of getting all sorts of useful information. It's the woman with the ability to move small objects with telepathy. Why? Well, for one thing, [[TouchOfDeath the carotid artery is a small object]]...
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** ''ComicBook/TheStrangeRevengeOfLenaLuthor'': Subverted. A criminal gang are trying to gaslight ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s friend Lena Colby into madness. After making Lena believe she has gained powerful, uncontrollable telekinesis, a crook posing as Supergirl meets Lena and pretends she is being strangled by Lena's non-existent telekinesis.

* In ''Literature/{{Tempest}}'', the merman [[spoiler:Sabyn]] has the ability to strangle people or squeeze their hearts by making a fist.