Unpacking Consent: Insights from Dr. Betty Martin’s Workshop

As we continue to engage in conversations about consent, it’s crucial to remember that it begins within us. It is about understanding our bodies, respecting our feelings, and making choices that align with our true desires. I am grateful for the insights gained from this workshop, as they not only enhance my clinical practice but also contribute to a more compassionate and just society.

I encourage my fellow clinicians and practitioners to explore the concepts presented by Dr. Betty Martin and Dr. Roger Kuhn. By doing so, we can collectively work towards a future where consent is not just an agreement but a fundamental right—a practice woven into the very fabric of our interactions, both personal and societal.

Bay Area Sex Therapist Reveals How Trauma Shapes Our Need for Connection

It’s incredibly difficult to unwind the knot of trauma and process these fears, especially when it seems like the solution is just to couple up. However, that doesn’t address the root cause, or help the inner child because really what that wounded self is looking for is a parent. That scared part wants someone to be with them all the time to love them and take care of them. Even the best partners are only capable of so much because they, too, are human.

Sex Therapy, Sexology, Sexuality, Somatic PsychologyDenise RenyeOctober 17, 2024

How Fantasy as a Trauma Response Can Lead to Dissociation: Insights from a Marin County Sex Therapist and Bay Area Psychologist

However, while dissociating through fantasy may protect someone from confronting their trauma head-on, it can also delay healing. Over time, reliance on fantasy can inhibit healthier coping strategies and prevent individuals from fully processing their traumatic experiences. In relationships and daily life, excessive use of fantasy may cause difficulty in staying grounded in the present, hindering authentic connections with others.

Embodiment Meditation: A Pathway to Healing Trauma and Dissociation

If you're interested in exploring how embodiment meditation, somatic practices, and yoga therapy can support your healing journey, I invite you to connect with me. As a psychologist, sex therapist, and certified yoga therapist, I offer a holistic approach to navigating trauma, dissociation, and deepening your relationship with your body. Visit this link to learn more about my services and how we can work together to foster growth and healing in your life.

Understanding Sex-Positive Therapy: A Comprehensive Approach

If you’re interested in exploring how sex-positive therapy can support your journey towards greater sexual well-being and fulfillment, I invite you to connect with me. Together, we can work towards understanding and embracing your unique sexual identity, improving your relationships, and navigating any challenges you may face. For more information or to schedule a session, please visit my website. I look forward to working with you on this empowering path.

How to Add More Intimacy to Your Sex Life

The key to a more intimate sex life is open communication, mutual respect, and a willingness to explore and connect with your partner on multiple levels. It's important to understand each other's needs and desires and to create an environment that encourages trust and vulnerability.

Identifying Your Feelings: A Psychological Perspective

Identifying feelings is a vital skill for emotional and sexual well-being. Through mindfulness, journaling, emotion identification exercises, therapeutic dialogue, and body awareness, individuals can enhance their emotional intelligence and foster healthier relationships. Overcoming barriers to emotional awareness and cultivating self-compassion are essential components of this journey. As a psychologist and sexologist, my role is to support individuals in navigating their emotional landscapes, helping to promote greater self-awareness, and ultimately helping to lead them toward a more fulfilling and emotionally rich life.

Bay Area Sex Therapist Reveals Why Marriage Has Evolved

Gone are the days when marriage meant being with someone solely for the sake of fulfilling societal expectations or securing financial stability. Now people seek partners who offer emotional availability, understanding, and support. They desire relationships built on mutual respect, shared values, and a sense of partnership. They want companions who enhance their lives and share their journeys. People want a partner who listens with empathy, communicates openly, and demonstrates emotional maturity. It’s part of the reason I’ve seen an uptick in requests for premarital counseling – modern couples recognize marriage takes effort and they want to enter their marriage with as many tools in their toolbox as possible.

Beyond Orgasms: Exploring the Pleasure of Sex

Our society places a premium on achieving orgasm as the pinnacle of sexual satisfaction so it's easy to lose sight of the many other forms of pleasure that can be found along the way. While orgasms can certainly be a pleasurable and fulfilling part of sex for many people, they are by no means the sole measure of sexual satisfaction, especially when you factor in the issues surrounding orgasms.

Exploring the Sensual Art of Body Worship in Human Sexuality

Body worship is a form of sexual play where one partner lavishes praise, attention, and sensual affection upon the other partner's body. It is a practice rooted in the idea that the human body is a work of art, worthy of admiration and celebration. This form of sexual expression transcends the boundaries of societal norms and allows individuals to explore their desires, connect on a deeper level, and foster a sense of intimacy that goes beyond the physical.

An Orgasm is Perhaps Not What You Think It Is

Sexuality consists of five circles, which means it’s not limited to one body part in another body part. Sexuality is also flirting, touch, fantasy, sexual identity, and health, and, perhaps above all, a psychological state of being. So no, it’s not just about body parts. And even then, don’t discount the various ways sex can be performed be it oral, mutual masturbation, and digital, to name just a few ways of expression!

Sexual Anxiety? Try Meditation

Sexual anxiety is a common issue that affects many people, and it can be caused by a variety of factors, including performance anxiety, past trauma, or negative self-talk. Anxiety can significantly impact one's sexual experience, leading to difficulties achieving or maintaining an erection, premature ejaculation, or difficulty reaching orgasm. However, meditation is a powerful tool that can help decrease anxiety during sex and improve overall sexual well-being.

Anxiety: What’s it all About?

The common response to, “I’m so nervous about this date/job interview/meeting,” is, “Don’t be nervous. I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Does hearing that actually work? Does someone saying, “Don’t be nervous,” stop you from feeling nervous? Probably not. In fact, sometimes it exacerbates it. Sharing our fears with friends often doesn’t result in the anxiety dissipating. It’s through no fault of their own, rather they aren’t trained to handle anxiety. But there’s good news…therapists are!

Body, What Do You Want to do Today?

Because bodies don’t come with instruction manuals, how the heck are you supposed to know what yours wants?!? Simple: You ask. It may seem like a foreign concept to talk to your body, but the body is ready and waiting for you to talk with it, to consult it. After all, it is an integral part of you. And, it is already communicating with you, even if you aren’t sure how to interpret its messages. Listening to the body, from the inside, and learning what it needs and wants is a skill that takes practice.

Hypervigilance and How it Thwarts Pleasure

Some people may go along with something sexual in order to people please, to make sure the other person doesn’t get angry with them, feel disappointed, become upset or whatever it is they’re afraid will happen. The person is “fawning” and not engaging in the sexual activity because it’s pleasing or pleasurable to them, rather, they’re doing it for the other person.

Blog and Articles

NOTICE TO readers

Search

ACCESS BLOGS VIA CATEGORIES

PsychoTherapy and sex therapy offered in California, Colorado and oregon.

Coaching, classes and workshops are offered globally

#sexology #depthpsychology #yogatherapy #psychedelicintegration #PSYCHEDELICAssistedTherapy #SexTHERAPY #EMDR