Better Sex Through Mindfulness: A Group for Women to Cultivate Sexual Desire

Are you having challenges with feeling turned on or wanting to have sex?

Are you feeling bored, unfulfilled, hopeless, or frustrated by sex?

Are you feeling stressed or pressured around your experiences with orgasm?

Are you feeling disconnected from yourself, your body, your sexual partner(s), or others?

When there’s a disruption in how we feel and express our sexuality, it can be really overwhelming and distracting- like it’s impacting almost every area of our lives. Imagine instead being in touch with yourself and excited by sex and pleasure!

With support from our licensed sex therapists and professionals you will learn how to:

• Cultivate your sexual pleasure, interests, arousal and desires
• Reframe and make sense of your thoughts, feelings and body sensations surrounding sex
• Strengthen your mind-body awareness and connection to self
• Find joy and build greater intimacy and relationships with other women who can relate
• Embody acceptance and compassion
• Learn and practice mindfulness, cognitive behaviour therapy & other evidence-based skills that encourage authentic sexual expression

Whether you are in a relationship and having partnered sex or not, this group will support your sexual wellness journey! 

WHAT TO EXPECT

Prepare yourself to engage and participate in group discussions for 1.5 hours, once a week for eight weeks (Starting February 2, 2023).

This group is an adapted version of Canadian Sex Researcher Lori A. Brotto’s (PhD, Registered Psychologist) program for better sex through mindfulness, and includes additional research related to cisgender, heterosexual, queer and lesbian identified women’s experiences of low sexual desire.

Through a blend of Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioural interventions, you will learn skills and process your thoughts, feelings and sensations surrounding pleasure and sex. Our group facilitators, Angela Holmes (Registered Psychotherapist) and Robin Milhausen (Registered Psychotherapist, Qualifying), will guide you through learning modules, activities, and discussions that will support with improving your sexual arousal, desires and satisfaction. 

During each group session you will engage in guided mindfulness techniques that promote presence, compassion, and non judgemental-awareness. Worksheets will be provided after each group to support further learning and self-reflection in between sessions. Together, we will debrief about weekly take-home exercises. At the end of the group, we will provide you with a package of research and book recommendations.

As a group, we will experience authentic sexual expression through the power of connection. Together, we will build relationships with one another and create a community by offering a private, confidential, compassionate and open space to share. We invite like-minded individuals, seeking to come together to support and hold each others’ stories. 

HERE’S WHAT WE WILL COVER OVER 8 WEEKS

Week 1: Thursday February 2, 2023, 7:00-8:30 pm

We will focus on exploring the meaning of sexual arousal and desire. You will be invited to reflect on the importance of sexuality and what it means to you.

Week 2: Thursday, February 9, 2023, 7:00-8:30 pm

We will support you with getting to know the course of your sexual difficulty. We will take a closer look at the history of events and come to understand how your sexual difficult has created a ripple effect of challenges over time.

Week 3: Thursday, February 16, 2023, 7:00-8:30 pm

You will learn about common challenges encountered in mindfulness practice. We will review an approach to navigating these challenges in order to set you up for success in improving your experience with desire.

Week 4: Thursday, February 23, 2023, 7:00-8:30 pm

We will invite you to experience a new way of understanding the contributing factors to low sexual desire. We will also reflect on the factors contributing to resilience.

Week 5: Thursday, March 2, 2023, 7:00-8:30 pm

We will focus on how to work with overwhelming thoughts in meditation. Mindfulness based cognitive behavioural strategies will be reviewed and practiced together. You will learn how these skills and interventions may support you with improving your sense of desire.

Week 6: Thursday, March 9, 2023, 7:00-8:30 pm

You will be guided through a thoughts-feelings-sensations-behaviour exercise to better understand sexual interest and arousal.

Group will be paused/delayed on the week of Thursday, March 16 for March break

Week 7: Thursday, March 23, 2023, 7:00-8:30 pm

You will learn skills that will support you with staying present during sexual activity.

Week 8: Thursday, March 30, 2023, 7:00-8:30 pm

We will invite you to understand how judgements of your sexual selves may influence your motivation to engage in sexual activity

Are you interested in joining us? CLICK HERE to sign up and we’ll be in touch with the next steps. 

WORKSHOP DETAILS

Location: In Office, 7 Willow St in Uptown Waterloo

Parking: Complimentary Parking Available

Dates & Times: February 2, 9, 16, 23; March 2, 9, 23, 30 (excluding March 16); 7:00pm -8:30pm

Facilitators: Angela Holmes (Registered Psychotherapist) and Robin Milhausen (Registered Psychotherapist, Qualifying)

Size of the Group: 8 Individuals

Coverage: For many people, group therapy with a Registered Psychotherapist is covered by extended health benefits. If you intend to pay via insurance, please let us know when you are signing up.