I was too embarrassed to walk into the store

I was too embarrassed to walk into the store

Even as a health educator, buying my first toy felt impossible. At age 20, I became a sexual health peer educator at Lehigh University, about 80 minutes from where I grew up in Pennsylvania. The program was run through the health and counseling center, and we were trained to go into dorms and classes to teach and facilitate conversations about safer sex. I started in the fall of 1993, when the focus was on something called Outercourse…

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5 Tips to Cultivate More Sexual Desire

5 Tips to Cultivate More Sexual Desire

Why does desire often fade in long-term relationships? What gets in the way of feeling sexual desire towards your partner in a long-term relationship or marriage (even when you still find them attractive)? And what are tips to cultivate more sexual desire? I sat down (over Zoom) with Sarah Regan at mindbodygreen to talk through all of these questions and get into the nitty gritty of sexual desire….

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Permission to Embrace a New Facet of You

Permission to Embrace a New Facet of You

I have always loved Halloween and the excuse to dress up in a costume. This photo is from a party earlier this month with the theme of Glam Rock. This idea of dressing in costume and trying on a new character is related to my work in the intimacy and relationship field in multiple ways. The most obvious is role-playing…

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Sexual Role Play – Two Suggestions for Overcoming Difficulties

Sexual Role Play – Two Suggestions for Overcoming Difficulties

“We want to try role-playing to spice up our sex life, but I think I’ll just laugh the whole time and feel silly.” “We’ve tried sexual role-playing but my partner kept getting caught up in the details and getting distracted.” Sexual role-playing is a way to bring a new energy of creativity and spontaneity to your sex life. You give yourself and your partner permission to try on a new skin and “be” someone else…

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What do people most love about their sexual expression?

What do people most love about their sexual expression?

Last year I conducted an online “Sex & Vulnerability” survey, and 269 respondents anonymously shared their fears, insecurities, and shame around their bodies, sexual experiences, and emotions. But I also wanted to know what they celebrate around their sexuality. So the final question was: What do you appreciate or love about your sexuality, sexual functioning, or sexual expression? I found 6 major themes…

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