Understanding what happens in our bodies when we do go through a separation from another person - or people - can create more room for healing. In some ways, it can allow us to give permission for recovery.

When we override, or repress, or ignore, some of the feelings we are having, the engagement that we have with our own regulation changes. We are not as attuned to what's actually happening, and that can lead to choices that might not feel the best for us outside of that one moment.

When a feeling of safety and security is missing, it is nearly impossible to be open to emotional connections from others. When considering some of the experiences that can lead to self-protective impulses, it is easy to see this for what it is - a remarkable adaptive quality.

What are radical acceptance and distress tolerance and why are they always coming up in session?

Body neutrality is a concept that became popularized in part as a reaction to the "Body Positive" movement. The body positivity movement began as part of fat-acceptance and fat-liberation efforts with the empowering idea that "all bodies are good bodies". As time went on, body positivity became used more frequently in a mainstream context that promoted a version of wellness represented by a slender, able, young, white body.

In polyvagal theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the process of neuroception refers to the ways our autonomic nervous systems observe what's happening inside our bodies, in the environment outside of our bodies, and in connection with people around our bodies. This observational process is happening at all times, and is primarily going on without thought from us - neuroception "happens below the realm of conscious thought and outside of awareness".

Here are 15 sex-positive podcasts about sex, relationships, attachment, and more.

Although many of us understand OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) as an experience focused primarily around handwashing and aversion to germs, this Hollywood version of the OCD spectrum is not an inclusive representation of the unique ways that these thought patterns can look.

An aspect of OCD that is not as frequently discussed is the way these thoughts can impact sexuality.

CW: Sex Therapy and somatic experiences discussed below

What a superpower - the awareness of what's happening for us in our bodies and the skill of practicing non-judgmental presence with ourselves. With a compassionate and curious mindset, we have the opportunity to unlearn and heal.

We each have our own system of evaluating how things feel for us. After working with so many incredible people who feel like they aren't doing "enough", it's apparent that many of these internal systems are simply not working.

How do you know if you get to feel good about yourself at the end of the day? What standards are you judging yourself against?

Some of the decisions made over the past year might feel wildly different than what we might have expected, perhaps even risky. There is no denying that for most of us, our lives are different today than they were last year.

If you have experienced infertility, it’s so important to understand that you are not broken, and you are not alone. It is normal for stress to impact the connection we have with our sexuality, and it is common for difficult medical experiences to lead to a disconnect with our physical, somatic selves.

This is a question my clients must be tired of hearing, lol. But it's a really good one! So much of the work my clients and I do is around the understanding and validation of the communication and language we can develop within ourselves. Not just with our thoughts, but with our bodies and the systems around us.

In our work together, my clients and I try to understand what feels important and meaningful when considering the possibility of being a parent and then we take the next big step to learn about all possible options. Being informed about options is one of the hardest and most important parts of this process - this allows us to make choices, instead of feeling like choices are being made for us.

Stress impacts us in so many ways, including how we experience our sexuality. Maybe you haven't noticed any change at all, but for a lot of people, stress can affect the process of accessing arousal and desire. This is normal and relatable!

Allowing ourselves to experience pleasure is a way of showing ourselves that we matter.

Processing how we began to understand our relationship to our own personal sexuality can give us a lot of information about why we feel the way we do in the present.