Somatic coaching draws on my experience in counselling and somatic sex education and involves conversation with the possibility for touch. This work can be valuable for anyone who wants to cultivate greater aliveness and confidence in their body. For many people, it can feel useful to explore sexual touch outside of a partnered context, as it may feel as if there's less pressure to focus on someone else's needs. With the space to tune into the sensations in your body, you can truly move at your own pace, following pleasure as it emerges.
I always notice the powerful immediacy of working with the body. Somatic practices for finding pleasure and safety with others can teach us a lot about our patterns in all kinds of intimacies, not just sex.
What issues can you help with?
Being able to direct touch in a controlled, predictable environment is a powerfully transformative experience for many survivors of sexualised violence and other boundary violations. Some people like to explore ritual and ecstatic states reached through erotic massage; other people want to savour the subtle sensations of breathwork and not receive any touch at all. All of these desires are welcome. I have experience working with the following issues:
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Sex after sexualised violence
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Wanting to expand capacity for sexual pleasure
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Pain during penetration
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Inability to orgasm
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Lack of arousal
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Scar tissue remediation
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Couples wanting to reconnect sexually
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Feeling pleasure after birth or surgery
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Erectile difficulties
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Premature ejaculation
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Wanting to explore kink / BDSM
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Connecting with a shifting sexuality through gender transition
We will work together to create sessions that are meaningful and useful to you. These are likely to include:
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Identifying goals and intentions at the outset.
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Negotiating consensual agreements and fostering trust and safety in relationships.
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Movement, breathwork and client-directed touch.
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Quiet time for integration and reflection.
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Home practices for continuing somatic learning.
I will remain clothed during our sessions and any touch will be one-directional (me to you). If you want to receive genital touch, I'll wear gloves. I find that 90 minute sessions every two weeks work well for many people, but we can vary this if you'd like something different.