THEY are known by most as terrifying monsters, flying round our screens in Game of Thrones and stomping through far away lands in our computer games - and now, dragons are even breathing fire into our bedrooms.

The mythical creatures - which have infiltrated popular culture for centuries - are now popular sex objects for monster porn films, with Google Trends showing that searches for dragon erotica and dragon dildos are on the rise all over the world.

Amazon now stocks more than 1,500 different steamy dragon e-books and graphic designer Kelsey Todd's dragon sex calendar saw sales rocket by 900 per cent from 2015 to 2017.

Etsy sex toy seller Dan Lebon told ozy.com: "Dragons have taken off in a way that surpasses every other theme.”

But of the rapid increase and new vast interest in dragons, not all of it is sexual.

Hilary Stanley is one of a growing number of people who claims dragons are real and says she's been talking to them for the past two years.

The 66-year-old from Bournemouth believes they have a much more important place in modern day society, and that they can use their magical powers to heal people who suffer with anxiety.

'Dragons have been made scapegoats'
While most of us would be terrified at the thought of spending time with a dragon, Hilary is now a full-time dragon healer and puts on dragon workshops in her local community hall.

She says talking to the beasts makes her feel calm and relaxed, and that dragons have been wrongly scapegoated as princess-stealing monsters for too long.

"Dragons first appeared to me during a meditation session and I've been speaking to them telepathically ever since," she tells Sun Online.

"More and more people are now coming forward to admit that they speak to and have been helped by dragons."

"Although they are usually red, green or brown, I've seen dragons that are shiny and glittery, and some that look like crystals," Hilary says.

"They can also change shape and colour too - and some are bigger and some are small, with different size snouts, but they all look like the reptilian creatures you see in drawings.

"They have different voices - for example a grumpy dragon will have a gruff voice and a happy dragon will have a more childlike voice."

Dragon expert Hilary charges patients £195 a time to channel the energy of dragons through her body and heal patients by placing her hands on them.

"First, I tell them all about the myths and legends surrounding the dragons," she explains.

"Then I teach them about the different types of dragons there are, and show them how to meditate and connect to their energies."

Hilary, who also runs a fortnightly dragon meditation group in her local community centre, has found her classes to be incredibly popular, and puts this down to an increase in dragon believers who are seeking a magical world.

"I did a talk at an event in Somerset recently, and they had to turn people away as the marquee got so crowded," Hilary says.

More than a sexual fetish
But Hilary isn't the only one that says she can see dragons.

Jane Patton from Canvey Island in Essex describes herself as a "multidimensional dragon healer" and says she has always been "obsessed with dragons".

"I was meditating in April last year when I first felt the presence of dragons around me," she tells Sun Online.

"One of them actually appeared to me - it was vibrant royal blue and seeing it made me feel extremely calm and relaxed.

"From that moment I started dragon healing, and I now have a dragon spirit guide called Gwendell - he is metallic green, blue and purple."

Jane, who also does unicorn healing, charges £20 per dragon healing session from her home in Essex.

She says has regular clients, who see her if they are suffering from stress and anxiety.

She starts off a typical session by discussing what her clients want to achieve.

"Then they lie down and I place my hands on their body, in places such as the knees and the crown of the head, and channel the dragons' energies through my hands," says Jane.

She says when she does this, typically clients will feel the sensation of electricity running through their body, which means the healing is working.

After, they will often tell Jane they feel a lot more relaxed - something she puts down to the fact that dragons can help humans rid themselves of negative energy.

But how can dragons heal anxiety?
In the Western myths and legends, dragons usually guard jewels or piles of gold.

However, Hilary says they are actually "guardians of wisdom and the Earth" and look after the portals to parallel dimensions - this is is one of the reasons why more people are trying to connect with them.

And Jane agrees, saying that the increase in interest around dragons - and New Age therapies more generally is caused by fears around the state of the world at the moment.

"People are so stressed out and worked up, and affected by horrible things happening politically, that the dragons are showing themselves to people more to try and help them move forward," she says.

Both women say that the dragons live in parallel dimensions but appear on Earth and connect to humans.

"They are so wise and have so much to teach us in order for the planet to evolve," adds Hilary.

"It's really exciting to me that we are exploring and connecting to other realms, and accepting things that aren't in human forms."

But, in the Western world, we haven't always accepted the dragons. Our most famous legend, that of St George, features England's patron saint slaying one.

"Although in Chinese and Native American mythologies they are very revered for their power and wisdom, they've had a negative reputation in Europe," Hilary explains.

"I think this is down to the fact that the myths and legends around them came out at a time when mankind was looking to grab power for themselves.

The dragons were scapegoated, she says.

"So they saw the anger and violence and withdrew from us for a few years."

However, it's clear things have changed, and the dragons are willing to forgive humans in order to heal their emotional pain.

"These days, I communicate with the dragons every day," says Jane.

"I think it is important for everyone to take time out of their busy lives, even if it's just for five minutes a day, to connect to dragons."