New DVD combines food and sex

This is a great article about the sensuality of food and sex!

Although the Cooking Up Seduction DVD Release Party was a few days ago, I still wanted to post this article link about the DVD and party. It's such a lively and well-written article by freelance writer (and friend) Rachel Curtis.
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San Diegans looking for a place to celebrate the end of tax season on April 15 are in for a real treat this year. A DVD release party hosted by Tango Wine in Little Italy will be serving up the creation of two innovative women who specialize in the most popular aspects of human pleasure: food and sex.

Cooking Up Seduction, which illustrates what its authors call “mindful pleasures” in six ten-minute episodes, is the brainchild of Chef Jennifer Felmley and sociologist Dr. Jennifer Gunsaullus. At the time of their meeting a year ago, the two Jenns immediately recognized an overlap in their work — and an opportunity for a unique collaboration.

George Costanza would approve.

As a relationship and intimacy counselor, Gunsaullus strives to make the private topics of her professional practice safe and approachable, focusing on holistic healing through fusion of the emotional and the erotic. An internationally-trained chef, Felmley passion for cooking spills into the realm of the amorous; for her, cooking for a partner can be just as intimate as sex.

The women not only saw common themes in their respective fields, but also in their approaches to their work. Both emphasize communication and education, and like to keep things fun and light.

Read the rest of the article at San Diego News Network.

Jennifer Gunsaullus, Ph.D.

Sex Therapy & Relationship Counseling in San Diego

Love Wood vs. Morning Wood

Many years ago, back in Pennsylvania in a local bar, a male friend intimated that his girlfriend wouldn’t have sex with him in the morning if he woke up with morning wood. She complained, “It’s morning wood, not love wood, and it has nothing to do with me.” Love wood, eh? This became a running joke between my sister and I for years, but this story brings up an important point about individual meanings and motivations for sex.

In 2007, psychological researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that college students identified 237 different reasons why they have sex. This was obviously a very detailed list, such as: The person was a good kisser, I wanted to enhance my reputation, I wanted to feel connected to the person, and I wanted the person to love me. The themes that emerged included physical reasons, goal attainment, emotional reasons, and insecurities. So the motivation for sex could be for a physical release, while other times it is a desire for intimate connection. It could also be for self-validation or as an accomplishment. Sometimes it could be many at once, in the same person. The point is that while we tend to think that our partners should have the same reasons for wanting sex as us, it makes sense that motivations vary from person to person, and through time and context.

If you have a regular sex partner, do you know their motivations for having sex? What about your own? Whether you are in a relationship or single this is a great question to consider when reflecting on past relationships and current sexual encounters. We tend to make a lot of assumptions about why others have sex with us but don’t openly discuss it; this can lead to hurt and misunderstandings. Morning wood might just be a physical reaction and not relevant to the specific bed partner. But a little creativity and communication can make this situation ripe for intimate connection as well. I suggest, either alone or with a partner, writing down as many reasons you can think of for why you have sex, in the four categories of physical, goals, emotional, and insecurities. No doubt you will glean some personal insights into your erotic patterns and growth!

Jennifer Gunsaullus, Ph.D.

Sex Therapy & Relationship Counseling in San Diego

Seductive Cooking - Article about New DVD

Read this article by David Coddon about sensual eating, eroticism, and how Chef Jenn and Dr. Jenn came together to create their new DVD...

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In case you didn’t know it, you’ve got three opportunities every day to be brazenly romantic. They’re called breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The truth is, eating is sensual.

Jennifer Gunsaullus, better known as Dr. Jenn, ought to know. She’s a San Diego-based sociologist who specializes in relationship and intimacy counseling. Her former online video podcast show about female sexuality, “In the Den with Dr. Jenn,” features more than 100 episodes that can still be viewed.

Now Dr. Jenn has teamed up with Chef Jenn (aka Jenn Felmley) on a just-released six-part DVD series titled, “Cooking Up Seduction.” Its episodes focus on topics including “Chocolate Body Paint,” the “Sexy Human Sundae” and, of course, “Sensual Eating.”

“Eating is one of our five senses,” says Dr. Jenn, a 16-year veteran of the sex and relationship field. “It’s sensual in that way. We’re disconnected from the sensuality of eating. That’s what this (video series) is about: bringing it back to your awareness.”
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To read the rest of the article, click here for San Diego Health & Wellness.

Jennifer Gunsaullus, Ph.D.

Sex Therapy & Relationship Counseling in San Diego

DVD Release Party - Cooking Up Seduction

Cooking Up Seduction artfully weaves culinary delights with erotic sensuality. Both Jenn's will be on hand to answer questions, sign DVDs, and arouse your senses. Join the party!

DATE: Thursday, April 15, 2010
TIME: 6pm - 9pm
PLACE: Tango Wine Bar
2161 India Street, San Diego, CA 92101
PRICE: Free, wine available for purchase
N0 RSVP Necessary

~~Free Raffle~~Complimentary Chocolates~~DVDs for sale

To learn more about the DVD and topics, visit: Cooking Up Seduction

Jennifer Gunsaullus, Ph.D.

Sex Therapy & Relationship Counseling in San Diego

Men with The Vagina Monologues? The MENding Monologues

The male version of The Vagina Monologues. So, it's about penises? No, actually, in my opinion it is a play that is way more creative and socially conscious. As their website explains, it's "a love letter to women, a healing for men, and a call to end violence in all its forms."

A couple weeks ago, Diversionary Theater in San Diego hosted several performances of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues, as well as the much newer MENding Monologues. My friend and co-creator Chef Jenn treated me to the MENding Monologues as a birthday present and as an experience to add to our repetoire of knowledge for our Cooking Up Seduction enterprise. We sat in the front row. We weren't going to miss a thing.

The opening scene sent chills down my arms. Fifteen women sat on stage. Women? I recognized them as the cast for The Vagina Monologues. One by one the men of the show walked out from different sides of the stage, and while making a powerful statement, took a standing position behind each woman. "You think I'm the guy who slips roofies into your drink." I wish I could remember more of the exact phrases uttered as they brought to glaring awareness the number of negative predatorial assumptions we can make about men. Once the men were all in place, each woman stood, inviting the man to take her seat, speaking about the need for us to work together to address these topics that impact us all: respect, abuse, violence, communication, gender roles, and empowerment.

Already I was moved by the risk they were taking to tackle these topics.

Similar to The Vagina Monologues, this play is a mix of individual monologues and group pieces, ranging from hysterically poignant, to creative and thought-provoking, to moving and deeply disturbing. A man discussing the impotence he feels when witnessing a neighbor's abuse and being powerless to stop it. Gay men discussing how they don't love vagina, but that they can get behind loving the concept of symbolism of "vagina." A labiaplasty doctor explaining how women surgically alter their vulvas. A boy's despair when a trusted family priest inappropriately touched him. A young soldier returning home to his family and questioning who are the real heroes. Learning tantric practices. Appreciating women. Witnessing birth. Male hair removal. This play offered an array of insightful perspectives on masculinity and femininity, what we do with them, and how we live with it.

I was impressed. As a sociologist specializing in gender and sexuality, I am particularly critical of social commentary on such topics. But the nuances and depth of the MENding Monologues allowed the audience to be entertained, moved, and challenged. I don't want to reveal too many of the specifics of the pieces because I hope you will have the chance to see the show, view the DVD, or purchase the script and have your own experience of the material.

We do have a lot of mending to do as individuals, communities, and a society. This play's power is in avoiding the simple band-aid approach to fixing social problems and gender relations. They offer a paradigm shift to a vision of true appreciation, healing, and unity.

Learn more about the play and creators at their MENding monologues website.

Jennifer Gunsaullus, Ph.D.

Sex Therapy & Relationship Counseling in San Diego

Pornography: Love It or Hate It?

The February 2010 issue of Vision Magazine has the theme of "Sexual Politics." I was thrilled to write an article for them about pornography, a topic ripe for discussions of sexual and gender politics. Below is the beginning of the article; click on the link to read the entire article.

A recent Canadian study measuring the impact of pornography on 20-something-year-old men was unexpectedly cancelled. The reason? Researchers were unable to find a control group of men in their 20s who had not consumed pornography. I think that many men would chuckle after hearing this. And I think that many women could be dismayed—especially the women who are dating those 20-something-year-old men. Pornography is a loaded topic, evoking both titillation and deep discomfort. However, the typical knee-jerk reactions do little to help us understand the complexity of this prevalent yet taboo topic.

Pornography touches on many people’s deepest fears and desires—namely sex, pleasure, power, gender relations, idealized beauty, trust, guilt, and self-worth. For this reason, a better understanding of its personal impact is advantageous. The term pornography in this article refers to visual depictions of sexual behavior intended to arouse the viewer through the Internet, DVDs, and cable shows. This article focuses on gender differences, and the potential harms and benefits of pornography consumption.

It is not surprising to learn that males are much more likely to enjoy and consume pornography than females. While there is “feminist” pornography, directed by women and featuring more plot, romance, and foreplay, mainstream pornography is primarily created by and for men. Men tend to enjoy visual stimulation more, and seek out sexual novelty.

I asked a 39-year-old single male to explain the appeal of daily viewing of porn online. “I find it titillating—I use it for masturbatory fodder,” he openly responded. “It’s lazier mentally because it’s easier; it’s right there. I don’t have to conjure up an image. Looking at porn moves the process along more rapidly.”

Click HERE for entire article.

Jennifer Gunsaullus, Ph.D.

Sex Therapy & Relationship Counseling in San Diego