Kink as Normal – Helping Clients Embrace their Authentic Kink Desires(3 CE Hours)Presenter:Galen Fous, MTP

Description:

In this course I will describe how therapists can support a client seeking to feel empowered to express their authentic desire for Fetishsexuality aka Kink-oriented sexuality in a healthy conscious consensual way.  The insights and tools offered can support a client to begin to untangle the decades of shame, fear, trauma and internalized judgments that may hide or hold their authentic sexual desire back.

The speaker will define a Fetishsexual, as a person driven to orgasm or other deep erotic state through innate, inherent sexually charged enactments of internalized archetypal, symbolic, mythic storylines. I believe it qualifies according to APA definitions as a sexual identity.  Fetishsexual desires often fall within a broad range of psychological, emotional and physical power exchange dynamics. This power-exchange can be negotiated and explored between consenting adults.  Each side of the power exchange expresses as paired archetypal sexual personas such as dominant/submissive, sadist/masochist, and a pantheon of sub-categories of each. Each Fetishsexual has what I define as a Personal Erotic Myth (PEM) that is engaged from within the unconscious, when they become sexually aroused. A PEM contains the fantasy imagery, storylines, mythic personas and counter-personas, props, attire, dialogue and actions that drive one’s sexual desire.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss ways for your client to consciously embody, express and gain deeper understanding of their inherent sexual desires, Kink or not, and untangle shame, fear and harsh internalized judgments that resist and inhibit their desire’s fullest expression
• Define the key steps that support a client to raise their level of honesty, integrity, intention,transparency, consensual engagement and negotiations with current and future partners
• Explain the important distinctions between the D/s (dominance/submission) aspect andthe BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism) aspect of Kink to better help clientsmaneuver this complex territory
• Compare and analyze the data from the Discover Your Personal Erotic Myth Survey with over 2400 respondents reporting on the depths of their Kink desires, the impacts of shaming and childhood abuse on their current sexual expression, porn viewing habits, and the age they first became aware of their sexuality

Speaker Bio:

Galen lectures at universities, grad schools and Kink conferences about sexual authenticity and specializes in the psychological dynamics of Kink. He is on the faculty of Kink Academy, Sexology University, and the Modern Sex-Therapy Institute where he offers non and CE approved classes for therapists or general public, on Kink-positive psychology.

His research projects are focused on understanding and mapping the psychological dynamics of sexual desire including Kink, Fetish and D/s-BDSM sexuality. He has a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology from Institute of Transpersonal Psychology.

Galen works with clients within a psychological framework that helps individuals and couples move through shame, fear and trauma towards honest, embodied and confident expression of their authentic desires. Clients can meet at his office in Portland, Oregon or via Skype or phone.

He helps clients shift from compulsive, secretive, risky sexual behaviors to negotiated, consensual ecstatic sexual engagements.

An important component of his research into the nature of Fetishsexual and Kink desire is the development of the Discover Your Personal Erotic Myth Survey.  ( http://galenfous.com/pem ) This ground-breaking research survey has over 4000 participants so far. It is the first Kink-focused study that begins to document the archetypal, symbolic, mythic aspects of Kink-oriented individuals. The data gathered helps map the specifics of their sexual desires and how shame, fear and trauma has held those desires back, often with painful consequences.