♪ Oh be careful little eyes what you see....♪

Our topic this week in my Psychology of Human Sexuality class is paraphilia.
For those that do not know what paraphilia is, following is its meaning according to Webster Dictionary:

Paraphilia: a pattern of recurring sexually arousing mental imagery or behavior that involves unusual and especially socially unacceptable sexual practices.

Do not worry. I am not getting into detail about what practices fall under paraphilia or what it truly entails. What I do want to discuss is what I found interesting about this topic and related topics.

I think that most mentally and emotionally stable individuals know that if they poison their minds with "garbage", it will be difficult to erase "garbage" imagery from their brains. Those people know to keep away from certain things. Yet, our minds may take in information even unintentionally. This is also evident when we hear a song and it is difficult to remove that song from our heads; it plays over and over and over again, to the point that we find ourselves humming the song without realizing it. The song may have been playing in the department store as we shopped. It is that simple. What are we singing or humming to ??? And why can't we get that song out of our heads ?!
This may not be as serious as paraphilia. However, it is was drives people who practice that behavior to do what they do.  They replay images in their minds. How did those images get in their minds in the first place ? They invited those images in and probably continue doing so.

How many times have you smelled a cologne or perfume that you used in the past and in your mind, you are taken back to the "place" where you were when you either wore that cologne or perfume or you smelled it on someone else ??  It has happened to me and I am sure that it has happened to many others.  It may even change your mood. What exactly are we remembering ?  Do we really need to be taken back to that "place" ? I am not saying that revisiting the past is all bad but we need to be careful about the information that we keep stored in our minds.

Our brain is a like a memory bank. If we do not feed it with positive images and information, we are at risk of destroying ourselves from within.  We usually act upon what we have in our hearts and minds.  If we nourish our minds with positive and encouraging programs, literature and music it will reflect in our demeanor and in the way that we feel.

I would like to add that there are very sick individuals that need serious help when it comes to controling their urges (of any kind). Those individuals may need to seek psychological counseling and perhaps even take medication in order to be able to function in our society.  Yet, I think that there are others who force this kind of behavior upon themselves and refuse to change, perhaps even to the point of eventually becoming one of those "sick individuals".  Because we have no control over what other people do, it is our duty to protect ourselves and our children from these types of individuals. We should do all we can to teach our children the consequences and power of "garbage television" and "garbage music".

Garbage: : inaccurate or useless data (Merriam-Webster)

So, we do not have to only be careful about what our eyes see but also what we hear, taste, smell and touch.   Our senses are very delicate. I like to think that each sense is an entrance into our souls. Let us not give negativity or evil any opportunity to contaminate us or those that we care about.

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes ~~ Psalm 101:3

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