By: Joel Garcia

What is a paraphilia? When asked Melissa Duarte, a senior, replied, “Isn’t it a fetish or something?” Paraphilias are abnormal sexual impulses characterized by intense sexual fantasies and urges that keep coming back. The urges and behaviors may involve unusual objects, activities, or situations that are not usually considered arousing to others.

A few Paraphilias

Abasiophilia

 love of or sexual attraction to people who use leg braces or other orthopaedic appliances

Gerontophilia

  sexual attraction towards the elderly

Pyrophilia

  sexual arousal through watching, setting, hearing/talking/fantasizing about fire

Urolagnia

   sexual attraction to urine

Coprophilia

  sexual attraction to or pleasure from feces

Acousticophilia

  sexual arousal from certain sounds

Sitophilia

  sexual arousal from food

 

So, are you attracted to trees? Then you’re probably a dendrophiliac. What about dressing and acting like a baby? Well, you’re most likely into infantilism. The truth is there is a good chance if you have a fetish for something, there’s probably a name for it. According to some experts, these attractions are caused by childhood trauma, such as sexual abuse. Many paraphilias or fetishes are very rare and some cases are the only case. For instance, featured on a television series, “My strange Addiction”, a man was shown in a relationship with his car, whose name is Chase. Owner, Nathaniel states, they “have made love together.” In another case of paraphilia, Erika Eiffel… yes, Eiffel, like the tower. Erika was married by ceremony to the tower in 2007. Before that, she had a 20- year long relationship with the Berlin Wall.  She has also founded an organization, OS International, which helps others who have developed relationships with inanimate objects or have an “object sexuality.”