Loading posts...

Therapist–Sexological Bodyworker Collaboration

Sex Therapist Jack Morin, one of the co-creators of the profession of Sexological Bodywork, writes about the collaboration between psychotherapists and Sexological Bodyworkers.

“Sexological Bodywork builds a bridge from talking to experience in cases that involve one’s sexuality. I have felt that a profession such as Sexological Bodywork was needed, so it’s exciting to see this new profession, with its specialized training and ethical operating principles, being utilized by therapy clients. It has changed the way that I work to have this kind of therapy available. It is so much simpler now to recommend clients get bodywork with a defined and specialized profession. My clients have been getting very powerful results.

“Sexological Bodywork requires certain skills that not everyone can do. CSBs must have the ability to be with someone in a non-judgmental way, to be clear they are there for the client and that no one needs to prove anything. It also requires the ability to discern when a traumatic reaction happens. Even when the client doesn’t say
anything, a professional can tell when something is going on in the body. The CSB will respond accordingly, will be very gentle, very still; then they’ll ask the person about it, staying calm. That is tremendously reassuring to most clients. It says that the bodyworker is paying attention, is respectful; that they see that the client’s feelings matter.
These are advanced skills. Not everyone can do them.

“Therapists and Certified Sexological Bodyworkers alike need to be part of defining how to do this collaborative process: What should happen, what can happen, what framework to use to ensure safety and clear boundaries. People are better able to drop normal inhibitions if they have a safe space in which to do that. The professionals must be watching the boundaries to make sure the clients are safe. When clients feel how defined the situation is, they can let go and move beyond their inhibitions.”

Psychotherapist – Sexological Bodyworker Collaboration3:24 min

Psychotherapist Jack Morin, PhD, describes seven therapeutic areas where Sexological Bodyworkers contribute to the therapy he and other psychotherapists offer their clients. Dr. Morin explains, “Throughout most of my thirty years as a therapist, I have made recommendations to my clients that they get hands-on work, massage and other kinds of touch. Some of my clients' issues would take years or might never be resolved by standard non-touching therapy. Sexological Bodyworkers, in particular, build a bridge from talking to experience in cases that involve one's sexuality. I have felt that a profession such as Sexological Bodywork was needed, so it's exciting to see this new profession, with its specialized training and ethical operating principles, being utilized by therapy clients. It has changed the way that I work to have this kind of therapy available.”

Pleasure Anxiety7:11 min

Some individuals are not aware that they have pleasure anxiety. They may become anxious while receiving pleasurable touch from a Sexological Bodyworker. Other individuals with pleasure anxiety may learn to relax while receiving touch from a Sexological Bodyworker. In both cases, the experience with the Sexological Bodyworker gives the therapist a helpful understanding that would not be available without the bodywork.

Disembodied Sex4:20 min

Over the past three decades, psychotherapy has experienced an important corrective by integrating bodily experiences into its therapeutic approaches. Jack Morin referred clients to Sexological ‘Bodyworkers because he found therapy works faster with embodied individuals.

Couples Therapy4:19 min

Many couples have difficulties during sex because it is unclear what they should pay attention to. Jack Morin recommends learning from the massage and bodywork model where one person gives while the other person receives. After a period of time, or on another day, they reverse the process.

Anal Concerns5:11 min

Jack Morin gets a lot of clients with anal concerns because he is the author of Anal Pleasure and Health. Sexological Bodyworkers can assist clients with chronic muscular tension by offering external and internal anal massage. However, Jack Morin's best advice for optimum anal health is 30 seconds of self anal massage every day in the shower.

Client Self Image4:50 min

When people are not comfortable in their own skin, Sexological Bodywork can be much more effective than talk therapy.

Therapists Referring Clients to SexBods2:48 min

Jack Morin laments that more therapists are not aware of how Sexological Bodyworkers contribute to the therapeutic process. Morin says he even recommends Sexological Bodywork to some of his clients in his first session. Morin is clear that the client's embodiment supports the therapeutic process.

Mixing Erotic Massage and Therapy2:37 min

Psychotherapist Martin Rafael Siems : “In most therapies, direct work with sexual arousal is missing. My experience working with erotic massage is that all other therapies speed up. Until now, the common practice is for sexual arousal to be excluded from therapy. Few psychotherapists dare to work with it. To include sexual arousal into the therapeutic process can be very helpful.”