Rachael Bell - Sexual Obsessions Gone Wrong

The Unintended Consequences of Sexually Compulsive Behaviors

Rachael Bell

Copyright

Sexual Obsessions Gone Wrong: The Unintended Consequences of Sexually Compulsive Behaviors
Copyright 2011 by Rachael Bell
Foreword copyright 2011 by Marilyn Bardsley
Cover art to the electronic edition copyright 2011 by DarkHorse Multimedia, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

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Electronic edition published 2011 by RosettaBooks LLC, New York.
ISBN e-Pub edition: 9780795322884

A sexual obsession can simply begin as a fantasy, which then evolves into a compulsion that the individual believes must be acted upon. Some of these compulsions, like pedophilia and exhibitionism are reasonably well understoodand are unfortunately all too common. This story addresses compulsions and fetishes that are much more exotic. In most cases, it is hard to imagine that people engage in them. The sexual obsessions are so weird as to almost be entertaining, except that when they are acted upon, they can lead to serious injury, criminal assault, and death.

As an expert in sexual deviation, Rachael Bell is the perfect writer to address this subject. Not only has she researched this area thoroughly in her work and writings, she has treated numerous people for sexual obsessions. Rachael has written more than 70 major feature stories for Time Warners Crime Library, most of which are very serious analyses of major crimes and criminals like the Atlanta child murders and the FBI investigation of the 2001 anthrax attack. Her sense of humor and her appreciation for the absurd, however, infuse her stories about crimes below the belt.

Weve all seen or heard about deviant sexual behaviors at some point in our liveseither in the news or on obscure late-night cable television programsand some have even experimented with them on their own in an attempt to add a little spice in the bedroom. However, an entire subculture of people engages in bizarre sexual acts with much more vigor and passion than others, so much so that it becomes a way of life. For a few of these people, its an obsession that can disrupt the very fabric of theirs and possibly others lives.

Clinicians define the term paraphilia as sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors involving animals, humans, non-human objects, suffering, humiliation or non-consenting persons. They are often persistent, if not all-consuming in nature, sometimes causing significant stress or social problems. These sexual disorders, which clinicians believe are treatable, affect men and women, as well as people of all ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds. Even though people with paraphilias are clinically classified as having a mental disorder, most dont recognize they have a problem, believing the adage, What feels good cant be wrongthat is, until things go terribly awry and somebody gets hurt.

BDMS Outfit
Photo by Jens Bruggemann

There are many kinds of paraphilias, including sadomasochism (S & M: sexual arousal from inflicting or receiving pain), pedophilia (sexual interest in children), exhibitionism (exposing oneself sexually to another), and voyeurism (watching others without their knowledge for sexual gratification), as well as lesser-known paraphilias, such as somnophilia (intense sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors related to sleeping or unconscious people) and vorarephilia (sexual arousal from being literally eaten alive by another person). Many are shocked that such sexual interests exist, but they have existed since antiquity. This book looks at some of the more sensational cases involving paraphilic behaviorscases that have resulted in severe injury, imprisonment, and even death.

Latex fetishes are some of the more well-known paraphilias. Those who have such fetishes dont always require a partner to achieve arousal, because the material itself or the wearing of it can allow one to achieve sexual gratification. Few can imagine that using latex for sexual purposes could be a dangerous undertaking. At least, that is likely what Robert Garnett, 35, thought one cold December night in 2005 while partaking in solo activities in his bedroom.

Garnett lived in Kennington, a district of South London, England. Outwardly, he appeared to have a pretty normal life. He was a branch manager at the local McDonalds, the proud father of a little girl, and he had friends who adored him, but most people didnt know about Garnetts sexual fascination with latex.

Zentai DBSM
Photo by Sensei George

To intensify his experience that evening, he ingested a cocktail of drugs, such as ketamine, cocaine, and morphine, before dressing up in a skintight rubber suit and encasing himself inside a latex body bag. It didnt take long for him to get overheated to the point of losing consciousness. When he didnt show up for work the following day, the police went to his house to check on him. After breaking down his door, they found him dead in his bed, entombed in a multilayered latex sheath.

Authorities later determined Garnetts cause of death to be prolonged exposure to excessive heat, which led to brain swelling and eventual respiratory failure. The drugs were likely the underlying catalyst to his untimely demise, because the amount he consumed would not only alter his judgment and slow his response time, but induce hyperthermia. The latex sheath turned out to not be the healthiest way to stay warm on a chilling winters eve.

On the other side of the Atlantic, on June 24, 2007, a similar incident took place involving Rev. Gary Aldridge, 51, a pastor of Thorington Road Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Initially, authorities suspected foul play due to the curious sexual atmosphere surrounding his death. After all, who would suspect that a reverend would engage in any kind of perverse conduct?

In reality, the circumstances were far kinkier than one could have imagined. Aldridge was discovered in his bedroom hogtied in a complicated series of leather, plastic and nylon ligatures. His hands were bound behind his back and his feet tied to his hands, along with the vast array of straps and cords further securing the unusual angle of his body. He was also dressed in two rubber suits, a scuba-diving mask, rubber undergarments, diving gloves and slippers, and had a condom-covered dildo lodged in his anus.

Upon further investigation, police determined Aldridges death to be an accidental suffocation while seeking sexual gratification. Although it was never officially reported that Aldridge had a fetish, the manner in which he was found certainly alluded to it. The reverends escapades are evidence that even good men with the best of intentions are liable to fall prey to the most sinful of temptations.