CC08 Workshop 09 - Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence - Esther Perel, MA, LMFT

Description:

The story of sex in committed modern couples is one that often tells of a dwindling desire that includes a long list of sexual alibis, claiming to explain the inescapable death of Eros. The absence of fantasy, the proliferation of pornography and affairs, as well as a lack of understanding of the nature of erotic desire all contribute to the predicament. This workshop examines the cultural pressures that shape domesticated sex and the puzzling inverse correlation between greater emotional intimacy and the loss of sexual desire. Using case examples and video vignettes, Ms. Perel will demonstrate how to help couples draw pleasure from the hidden, the suggestive and the uncanny while also respecting their needs for safety and stability. We will explore how to grant the body its profound capacities for communicating in its own language, how couples can voice their erotic longings and move beyond their familiar comfort zone into an expansive, fully charged sexuality. This model applies to young, old, married and not, heterosexual and same sex couples.

Educational Objectives:

1. To describe the tension between the two fundamental human needs of security and adventure.
2. To describe how to draw pleasure from the hidden and mysterious while respecting needs for safety and stability.

*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*