Sexuality, sex therapy & somatics. In bed with the most likely bedfellows. So why aren’t they?

Abstract

Sexuality and the body in broader society have traditionally been demonised and mistrusted, and in historical clinical contexts, often reduced to a series of pathologies, diagnoses, perversions or medical functions. Today, sexological medical literature primarily focuses on function over pleasure and men over women, while the psychosexual and psychosocial literature focuses on cognitive, relational and emotional interventions for women, non-binary/gender non-conforming people and couples. Valuable contributions from these fields form the foundation of what is collectively referred to today as ‘sex therapy’, while the adjacent discipline of somatics is making waves in ‘trauma therapy’, it has yet to make its way into clinical sex therapies. Curiously, pleasure-informed sex therapies and trauma-informed somatic therapies theoretically share a common foundation in the body as a source of well-being, but to date the disciplines rarely intersect. In this paper I will look briefly at the history of the somatics movement including its rising popularity in present day trauma applications. I’ll examine the conditions resulting in why sex and sex therapy may have been overlooked within this movement, and provide discussion and suggestion regarding how the fields of sex therapy, sexual health medicine, psychotherapy and somatics would benefit from a shared vision and collaboration, not just among alternative discourses, but also mainstream discourses, to promote optimal, holistic sexual health.

Keywords:

• Somatics
• mindfulness
• sex therapy
• embodiment
• somatic sexology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cyndi Darnell

Cyndi Darnell is an Australian trained clinical sexologist (University of Sydney) and qualified counsellor and Narrative Therapist (La Trobe University & University of Melbourne) currently working independently as a sex & relationships therapist, consultant/mentor, sexologist and sexuality theorist in New York City. Her published works explore the intersections of sex therapy, somatics, Narrative therapy, and sexually explicit media as clinical interventions for pleasure-informed sex therapy & relationships counseling. Her interests extend to alternative and open relationships and sex worker rights and support. She is a clinical Associate of Pink Therapy UK and a board affiliate for STOUT University of Wisconsin Certificate in Sex Therapy Program.