Fetish Friday: Somnophilia

Oh hey guys! Missed Fetish Fridays? Me too. So let's get right to it, shall we?

Today's Fetish: Somnophilia

Somnophilia is the paraphilia involving sleep. People with this fetish can achieve arousal, and eventually orgasm, through caressing, fondling, penetrating, or just overall intruding on an unsuspecting, sleeping partner. From what I found, the characteristics that classify "somnophilia" vary a bit from site to site. Some categorize sleeping partners as the sole object of their desires, while other reports include unconscious victims (leading to the use of roofies) as their turn on.

Some have thought somnophilia and necrophilia may root from the same desire, but blogger and psychologist, Dr. Mark Griffith, has this to say about it:

"However, they ultimately concluded that although somnophilia appears to have some characteristics in common with necrophilia, the two syndromes do not necessarily reflect the same underlying pathology. Using Freudian theory, Calef and Weinshel speculated that underlying somnophilia was the desire to return to the maternal womb, and that somnophiliacs had unresolved Oedipal complex issues, fixations on pre-genital stages of psychosexual development, and castration anxiety. However, as with almost all psychoanalytic theory, it is hard to design any research to either confirm or deny such speculations."

Apparently, this is a pretty common fetish, whether people like to admit it or not, especially among men. There are several medical forums where those with the fetish, or the target of, elaborate on these experiences. However, if you are a "reversed somnophile", no luck there.

As for mainstream media, there are a few examples of somnophilia:

• #1, and the most obvious, Perrault's Sleeping Beauty, and all its adaptations. If you spend any time on the internet, you may know by now that the princess wasn't woken by a kiss, as Disney would have us believe. After being raped multiple times by the prince, she had two children, and one of them came to her rescue. Hey, silver lining right?
• The House of Sleeping Beauties: This 1961 novel is about a man who visits an establishment where men pay to rest next to young, beautiful women, who happen to be asleep. It was adapted as a play in 1983, and then into a German film.
• Sleeping Beauty (2011): (I'm beginning to see a theme here) This artsy film is about a young college student who, like all of us, is looking for ways to make money. She ends up working for an escort service as a companion. Her job entails drinking a tea that renders her unconscious, so men may come in and do what they will while she sleeps. It's pretty good. Fucked up, but still pretty good.

As for other outlets for your sleepy desires, there are Facebook pages, comic books, porn sites and fan fiction (Glee) after fan fiction for you kinksters. Btw, I didn't even realize that last one was a Supernatural fan fiction until the end. Sooo, if you're fans of the show...you're welcome. Finally, if you are unsure if you are a somnophile,  have no fear, OKCupid has made it simple for you with their somnophilia test. I am not a somnophile. Thanks, OKCupid, for clearing that up.

So for all you sleep-enthusiasts, never fear! There are plenty of places to get off to. As long as you're not drugging anyone against their will, let your freak flag fly! I'm sure there's someone out there just for you who is waiting to be molested while they dream about not being finger fucked in their sleep. Have fun, and grope away, just remind me to never invite you to a sleepover. Now, go get your kink on!

For more info on Dr. Mark, visit his site. He writes some pretty interesting information on fetishes as well (although none as fun as mine :D)

And, fuck it, why not? Here's a gratuitous shot of Sleeping Beauty for the road