Apotemnophilia, a subculture from Paraphilia, is a rare group of healthy, abled people that feel compelled to amputate a perfectly functional part of their body, e.g. legs, fingers, hands.
These people either suffer from
* Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a condition in which they believes, that a part of their body is dieased or ugly
* Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) which is a neurological mismatch between their body and the body mapping in the brain, or
* Wannabes have a sexual attraction to amputees or to become an amputee, a psychosexual disorder
Hence, resulting in these individuals to resort to many different ways in order to achieve this ideal image.
However, these people kept it a secret inside them as they are afraid to be judge.
The illustrations are the Apotemnophilias drowning in sorrow, nobody hear their silent cries. They could not voice out the pain, the feeling, the frustrations, that turmoil that they are going through.
"It just felt like I am the only one"
Extract from a video interview with David Shaw, victim of Apotemnophilia
"I am not living a normal life"
Extract from a video interview with Chloe Jennings, victim of Apotemnophilia
"There is nothing to make it go away"
Extract from a film, Two Inches Above the Knee, directed by Kelly Leffler
