The transforming power of community.

A powerful instrument to help individuals move toward sexual health is the support of a community. Often in the early stages of addressing sexual health issues, the isolation a client feels is profound. With so many fears and secrets, the expectation that a client share his or her secrets in the sexual timeline is the first hurdle to overcome. But often, it is the sharing of the secrets that leads to the beginning strands of connection and community. By sharing secrets an individual deconstructs the illusion that he/she is alone. Yes, breaking the silence starts with one disclosure, and leads to additional disclosures. Slowly what was experienced in isolation disappears in the developing connections that occur through the sharing of secrets. As the process of disclosure continues, a community develops. Believe it or not, what was once a secret is joyfully acknowledge in community and leads to a sense of transformation. From this transformation, powerful new opportunities are created. All of which starts with sharing a secret with one person.

Online Community Talking about Sexual Health: An ending opens a new door.

All of the material in this blog (previous to this date) has been used in the development of a workbook addressing sexual health issues to facilitate recovery for individuals experiencing sexual compulsivity. The purpose of the blog was two-fold. First, clients were provided the information quicker than waiting for the workbook to be completed. (The initial content was written over a period of one year.) Second, the blog held me accountable. I was responsible to others to get something done regularly. An embarrassing reality is that this workbook was started in 2005. Without the accountability created by the blog, I simply languished in moving forward.

After completing the workbook, the purpose of the blog is now a place for individuals to engage in an ongoing conversation regarding the material, the workbook, or general questions. Too many people are too isolated and have no place to engage in these conversations. For the safety of all, all posts are moderated. And all posts will be made anonymous unless you give me explicit permission to use your name.