Book Review: Reclaiming Pleasure: A Sex Positive Guide for Moving Past Sexual Trauma & Living a Passionate Life by Holly Richmond, PhD
“Your sexual trauma doesn’t inform your sexuality; it misinforms it.”
This book is a compassionate guide from somatic psychotherapist, certified sex therapist, and licensed marriage family therapist, Dr. Holly Richmond.
In its pages, she offers research-based ideas to assist the reader in unraveling the misinformation that trauma can bring and to move toward healing. As she says,
“Since sexual trauma happens in the body, it must be healed through the body.”
Practices for healing are offered here for both your body and your mind. Within each chapter are client stories and reflection questions to help you process along the way.
Dr. Richmond specifically addresses what she calls the survivor trifecta of pain, shame, and suffering. She then outlines a three step process of thriving derived from her research and many years of working with clients. With care and understanding, she walks readers through these themes that include control, pleasure, and connection.
You can hear Holly talk more specifically about all of these things in our conversation on the podcast. I had the delight of having her on as a guest, and I found her to be as compassionate and thoughtful as her writing in this book.
I highly recommend this book as a guide for your individual healing journey toward living a passionate life.
Dr. Richmond offers: Reclaiming Pleasure: The Course - use my affiliate link for 10% or link to her free Mini Course for Survivors.
Note: This blog includes affiliate links from Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn money from actions readers take on these links, such as a click or purchase. However, this is a book that I recommend fully and have purchased myself.
