Eroticism isn’t sex; it’s the landscape on which we play out our deepest thoughts, dreams, impulses, and even painful memories. It’s an elixir of curiosity and vibrancy that makes us feel alive. But when we experience deep wounding or traumatic stress, that erotic self often goes into hiding—we shut down and with it goes our sense of self-worth and ability to experience desire, responsiveness, and openness. The re-emergence of eroticism is often seen as an outcome that happens at the end of trauma treatment. But what if accessing eros is a catalyst that actually stimulates recovery from trauma? In this recording, you’ll discover:

• The effects of trauma in intimacy and sexuality
• How to include erotic recovery as part of trauma treatment and why it’s important in healing from traumatic stress of all kinds, including sexual, personal, societal, and intergenerational
• How to refocus trauma treatment from simply finding meaning in past experiences to reconnecting with new experiences
• Specific ways to incorporate erotic recovery in trauma treatment that encourages clients’ ability to reconnect authentically with themselves and others

Objectives

1. Investigate the psychological connections between traumatic stress and sexuality.
2. Describe how and why erotic recovery can be an essential part of recovery from traumatic stress.
3. Construct a treatment pathway that emphasizes the creation of new corrective experiences.
4. Practice at least 3 interventions that focus on the recovery of the loss of sense of self in traumatic stress.

Outline

• The hidden connections between traumatic stress and eroticism
• How eroticism is lost in trauma
• How the recovery of eroticism after trauma can be an essential key in treatment

Target Audience

• Psychologists
• Physicians
• Addiction Counselors
• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Art Therapists
• Nurses
• Other Behavioral Health Professionals