New research exploring the origins of sexual turn ons, suggests that we alter our approach to sexual behaviours that are deemed strange.
Norwegian psychologists are suggesting that a more open approach to sexual fantasies which are considered “deviant” or “perverted” could lead to a healthier and safer handling of the fetishes.
In a paper published in the Journal of Narrative Therapy & Community Work, the sex psychologists liken sexual preference to learning a language.
Referring to author and sex psychologist John Money’s work Fuckology, they write:
“John Money uses the metaphor of language to suggest that there is a preparedness in the nervous system to develop sexual patterns as individual lovemaps, preferably according to hereosexual norms.”
In an example they explain how one man’s sexual fetish for rainboots is rooted in an experience he had as a child, whereby he was working on a farm and witnessed some older girls skinny dipping.
According to Upvoted, the researchers revealed that learning about the root of our desires ultimately lets us build tools that will overcome these impulses.
With this in mind, the researchers suggest a more open approach to dealing with fetishes, particularly for those who have desires that can be dangerous:
“The more uncommon, illegal, or dangerous the pattern is the more there will be shame and silence, and the more others will decide the practices are pathological.
“The most likely result for those with these practices is shame and secrecy; those who practice these kinds of turn-on patterns are less likely to get help to transform these practices into channels that are acceptable and safe for themselves and others.”
