Spectrophilia: Here is everything you should know on this little-known sexual practice

TW: mentions of rape, sexual abuse

One of the major paraphilias is spectrophilia, the idea of having sex, whether consensual or not, with a ghost. This idea is not new: stories from Mesopotamian civilization tell of sexual relations with 'evil' spirits.

Sometimes traumatic experiences

Some testimonies are chilling. Vice magazine looked into the matter and heard from Aude, who didn't hesitate to unveil her traumatic experience:

I'm very interested in spirits and the first time, I wanted to get in touch with one of them - without wanting to have sex, of course. But it turned out badly: one of the spirits forced me to have sex with him (...) I was paralyzed. All my limbs were tingling and I felt a big weight against me - I couldn't move. Then I felt myself flying over my bed. Then I felt like I was dancing. It felt good, but I was terrified. I heard voices and saw images, but I couldn't control anything.

This testimony, of unprecedented violence, invites us to wonder whether the patient was really raped by a spirit, or whether she was delirious...

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Strong testimonials

The Lelo.com blog also features powerful testimonials from celebrities who claim to have had dealings with spirits or ghosts.

Among these paranormal testimonies is that of actress Lucy Liu, who recounts having made love with a ghost in 1999.

She claims to have felt a presence floating just above her. She then felt the pleasures of sex, and even climaxed. The ghost disappeared immediately after this incredible sexual encounter.

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Scientists have studied this practice

Scientists have been investigating these 'mystical' relationships, associating them with a form of sleep paralysis.

This 'paradoxical' sleep phase can give the impression of being awake, when in reality you're still dreaming.

What about you? Have you ever had this kind of mystical relationship?

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This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag FR.