Z is for Zelophilia Richard Von Krafft-Ebing 026 - a podcast by Dr. Lori Beth Bisbey - A to Z of Sex

Hi everyone! Welcome to the A to Z of Sex. I’m Dr Lori Beth and I am your host. We are working our way through the erotic alphabet one letter at a time. Just a reminder this podcast deals with adult content, so if you don’t have total privacy, you might want to put on your headphones. Today the letter is Z and Z is for Zelophilia and other paraphilias.
Paraphilias were initially identified in 1886 by Richard von Krafft-Ebing in his book Psychopathia Sexualis. The word paraphilia is from the Greek beyond usual and typical love. Paraphilias are methods of sexual expression that are out of the ordinary and often referred to as deviations or perversions. When a non-normative sexual practice is compulsive, then it is can be considered a paraphilia.
There is considerable controversy around this category. For example, homosexuality was considered a perversion and it was previously diagnosed as a disorder by psychiatrists. Many of the sexual practices that make up the paraphilias are no longer considered to be sufficient to diagnose a paraphilic disorder. It is only when practices are compulsive, causing the person extreme levels of distress, placing the person at risk or placing others at risk that a diagnosis is made now.
Therapy is not very successful at riding people of paraphilias as the pleasure that is gained through the expression of them is so immediate and intense. When therapy is sought, the best course of action is to look at making the practices less compulsive and integrating them into a more normative sexuality.
There is considerable debate as to whether paraphilias are impulse control disorder (meaning that they are disorders in which someone fails to control his impulse to engage in the act) or if they are more anxiety based (and then obsessive/compulsive).
The paraphilias include many that are either indulged in alone or with other consenting adults (cross dressing, specific fetishes like feet and leather for example, urolagnia or water sports). These are the ones that no longer attract a diagnosis unless they are very distressing to the person engaging in them. The other paraphilias involving non-consenting people and these always attract a diagnosis. This includes paedophilia (which is attraction to children), zoophilia (attraction to animals and desire for sexual activity with animals), voyeurism (desire based on watching others engage in sexual activities) but only when the watching is being done without consent and frotteurism (rubbing against an unsuspecting person in order to achieve sexual satisfaction).
Many people have strong fantasies and desires relating to paraphilic activities but only part of the time. For example, some people enjoy water sports but do not need to engage in water sports in order to have exciting sex or in order to reach orgasm. For these people, though it is preferred to have the sexual activity or object of desire as part of their sexual life, it is not necessary to have it in order to reach orgasm.
The people who present most often to psychologists and psychiatrists for help are those for whom the paraphilia is necessary to their sexual enjoyment. The man who cannot achieve an erection unless he is wearing women’s clothing or the woman who cannot achieve orgasm unless she is handcuffed or otherwise restrained. Aside from feeling lots of guilt, these people also find it much more difficult to create the sexual relationships they desire and some find themselves in breach of the law or placing themselves at risk.
I am often asked for my view as to whether or not people need to be concerned about paraphilias. So here it is: What goes on between consenting adults is their own business. I recommend becoming very educated on the risks of your desired practice and recognising the level of risk you are taking when engaging in it. Reducing risk is always a good idea but grown people have a right to take risks. No one tells an adult that they are doing...

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