SEX.

That’s it. That’s what today’s episode is about.

No, but really. Join Cayla and Lauren with special guest Claire Atenian, as they ask the questions that sometimes make us feel *uncomfortable* when it comes to the topic of sex. The girls dive into the world’s perception of sexuality, including exploration about what we were taught growing up, what we learned as individuals as we explored our own sexual identity, and what is considered NORMAL?

Key Discussion Points:

• The Five Facets of Our Sexuality:  We discuss the 5 Facets of Sexuality as written by Hillary McBride in her book The Wisdom of Your Body, and how all of them build on one another in our sexual experiences.
• Sex Education, or lack thereof: Why is there a lack of openness to discussing, learning and seeking out more information about the facets of our sexuality? Why is it *uncomfortable*? Which leads to…
• Shame and Confusion: How much sex is normal? What might we be willing to try if there was no shame or confusion surrounding this topic? Sometimes we just need the right tools to be successful in having *that* conversation with ourselves.
• Pleasure: How stress, fear, or body triggers can get in the way of our pleasure. How do we navigate finding safety instead of shame in our desire for pleasure?
• Pornography: How easy access to pornography has been shown to impact peoples' relationship to sex and intimacy. Disclaimer! We are not shaming pornography, just breaking down the purpose of why and how we consume it or what we learn from it.
• Sex Drive and Arousal: We breakdown the differences between spontaneous arousal and responsive arousal, and how everyone really is different when it comes to the two. It’s not always like it is in the movies, and that’s OK.

Join us! We WENT THERE, and we had so much fun doing it. No pun intended. Thank you to Claire for joining us for this special and very important conversation that we plan to continue VERY soon…

Many thanks to our guest! Claire Atenian, LMFT Specializing in adults and couples experiencing betrayal trauma, sexual issues, shame, and trauma. Claire@therosemarytree.org