Among the most unusual beliefs and phenomena that have accompanied humanity through the ages is the idea of sexual encounters with ghosts or spirits—a concept known in Western studies as spectrophilia Spectrophilia. This term refers to sexual attraction to invisible beings or even engaging in physical relations with ghosts or spirits. The phenomenon straddles the line between legend, religion, and personal experience, sparking widespread debate among psychologists and parapsychology researchers.
From Passionate Jinn to European Demons
It’s no secret that Arab and Islamic cultures are filled with stories about the ‘passionate jinn’—hidden entities said to possess humans out of infatuation or lust. Many cases presented by religious healers reference people who claim the jinn sleep with them, either in dreams or during episodes of sleep paralysis.
In Europe, since the Middle Ages, people have passed down legends of the succubus Succubus (female demon)– a seductress who visits men – and the incubus Incubus (male demon) who preys on women. These spirits were sometimes blamed for unexplained pregnancies or the sexual exhaustion and death of women. In Arabic folklore, similar tales involve evil spirits and the Sa’alwah– creatures that take on human form to deceive and seduce.
Modern Encounters and Celebrity Confessions
Despite the media’s occasional ridicule, some public figures have openly discussed bizarre experiences. For example, adult film star Anna Nicole Smith claimed she had “amazing relationships” with a ghost in her Texas apartment.
American singer Kesha Kesha wrote an entire song about her sexual encounters with ghosts, once joking that her “vagina is haunted!”
British woman Amethyst Realm Amethyst Realm made headlines claiming she married and later divorced a ghost. There is also the case of Doris Bither in California, who alleged repeated assault by three ghosts—a story that inspired the 1982 horror film The Entity..
Mirrors as a Gateway
This phenomenon isn’t limited to ghosts alone—some psychological studies suggest that practicing in front of a mirror can create the illusion of a ‘phantom partner’ that reflects one’s innermost desires. This connects to well-known phenomena like the “mirror ghost” or the Bloody Mary game Bloody Mary, where people imagine seeing a strange figure behind their reflection. For some, these hallucinations can take a sexual turn and are considered a type of spectrophilia.
Beliefs Around the World
Lover Spirits – Korea
In Korean tradition, female ghosts play a unique role, often connected to suicide or sudden death from betrayal or forbidden love. These spirits, known as Gwisin Gwisin, are typically depicted wearing white with their hair draped over their faces.
Some folk tales describe the Gwisin not only as vengeful spirits haunting abandoned homes, but as souls searching for emotional or physical fulfillment—especially if they died before marriage or before a sexual relationship. Men from old Korean villages have recounted intimate dreams of a ‘ghost bride’ who appears and seduces them in their sleep, often leaving behind a vivid physical sensation. In Korean shamanic lore, such dreams are explained as a “settlement between the living and the dead,” where a restless spirit seeks the completion of experiences it missed in life.
Sex Rituals with Spirits – Africa
In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, relationships with spirits take on a ritualistic rather than emotional tone. Some practitioners believe that symbolic or actual sex with an invisible entity grants them supernatural powers or spiritual protection.
In some tribes, group rituals involve rhythmic dancing and loud music, leading participants into a trance-like state believed to allow spirits to enter the bodies of men and women and engage in sex through them.
Among certain Ghanaian and Nigerian beliefs, there are tales of the “Aziza” or Spirit Husband/Wife—an entity believed to be spiritually bound to an individual, growing jealous, preventing marriage, or causing infertility. Some spiritual healers perform ‘spiritual divorces’ to break these ties.
In black magic practices, some sorcerers are said to seek ‘energy exchange’ with spirits through distorted sexual acts, believing this gives them power over jinn or enables harmful magic.
Spirits as Comfort – Native Americans and the Amazon
Among Indigenous peoples of North America and the Amazon, the relationship between sex and spirits is approached differently, focusing more on comfort and emotional connection than desire.
In Navajo and Lakota stories, for example, widows sometimes claim their deceased husbands visit them in dreams or ghostly form, recreating intimate rituals as a sort of ‘final farewell.’
In Amazonian traditions, dreams serve as a gateway to the spirit world. Shamans tell of spirits visiting grandchildren or spouses in symbolic sexual dreams, interpreted as a way to rekindle life and comfort within the living.
Some anthropologists believe these experiences reflect humanity’s need to redefine its relationship with death—transforming “spiritual sex” into an alternative language for love that persists beyond physical loss.
Scientific and Psychological Explanations
Scientists have tried to explain the phenomenon without resorting to the supernatural:
Sleep Paralysis (Sleep Paralysis)
Sleep Paralysis Many people describe it as a feeling of heaviness pressing down on the chest and body, combined with an inability to move. It often comes with hallucinations of being touched or sensing a strange presence, an experience often called the 'Jathoom' in local folklore.
Sexual Hallucinations
These may result from sexual deprivation or heightened nervous activity during sleep. Read more about Sexsomnia and sexual dreams..
Astral Projection
Some experiences are interpreted as "out-of-body" events which can take on sensory or sexual dimensions.
Emotional and Psychological Factors
Widows or those who have lost partners sometimes report 'spiritual' sexual encounters with their deceased loved ones, described as therapeutic or a form of emotional closure.
Religious and Spiritual Perspective
In Islam, such experiences are often attributed to encounters with a 'jinn lover' and are treated with spiritual healing rituals or exorcism. In Christianity, the church has rituals for purification or exorcism in cases where it is claimed that evil spirits have sexual contact with humans. In Buddhism and shamanism, the idea of a 'spiritual marriage' with spirits exists as a means to gain wisdom or power.
Between Pleasure and Terror
Not all spectrophilia experiences are pleasant or desirable. Some people describe them as assaults or spiritual rape, while others see them as otherworldly encounters culminating in pleasure beyond normal human experience. Stories swing between bliss and nightmare—between supernatural delight and fear of evil.
Spectrophilia remains one of the most controversial phenomena, balancing between spiritual experience, psychological disorder, and popular legend. Some view it as a gateway to love after death, while others see it as a demonic attack or a sexual hallucination originating in the brain. What’s certain is that it reflects a deep human longing: the desire to connect with the unknown, even through our most primal urge—sex.
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