Nothing to be scared of..

When I mention to friends and fellow therapists that many of my clients practice BDSM, typical responses range from “Wow, you must hear some stories!” to “I just couldn’t relate to people who get off on pain and abuse.” The truth is, most people don’t really understand BDSM – an acronym derived from Bondage and … [Read more…]

No Man is an Island.

As I sit in shock of this unparalleled time in modern history, it is important I remember that we have never been and never will be complete masters of our circumstances. I have to remind myself that it is natural to want to resist the changes that are culminating on what seems like a daily … [Read more…]

Sex and childbirth — Obstetric Fistula

The UNFPA-led global campaign works to prevent obstetric fistula a devastating and socially isolating injury of childbirth, to treat women who live with the condition and help those who have been treated to return to their community. This campaign is active in over 50 countries working not only to prevent fistula, but also to give … [Read more…]

Shame Brings Us Together

As I reflect on my career so far, one of the things that stand out is the diversity of cultures I have worked with. I grew up in Lebanon, studied and trained in London, practiced in Beirut and in Dubai, then moved to New York City, and am now in Orange County, California. During these … [Read more…]

To Touch Or Not Touch???

In 2017 Dr Dwight Norwood (LicSw) wrote a blog about touch in therapy and posed the question was it ‘helpful or harmful’? He states: The creation of an artificial mind-body split in psychotherapy began around the 1970s with the advent of cognitive-based therapies which, I believe, helped contribute to the divorcing of our emotions from … [Read more…]

Sex and Couples in the (Social) Media

Dame Maggie Smith, our national treasure, announced, a few years ago, that, following the advice of her agent, she had recently taken up publishing blogs and membership of Facebook, Twitter and “God knows what else”. She was uncertain whether joining this “hideous freakshow, that calls itself the modern age” really profits anyone and I, for … [Read more…]