Alisa and Charlie are in The Guardian talking about PTSD, intimacy and love.

I am so excited to share with you all that Charlie and I were featured in The Guardian, on a piece called How to communicate with your partner for better intimacy.  The story features several couples, including OURS, where we had the opportunity to share what we’ve learned about how to communicate through my PTSD and the way it directly affects our sex life.

Check out the article in The Guardian here!

 

It is totally normal for trauma to affect our sex lives and I’m so glad for it to be talked about publicly

It is so important to destigmatize sexual trauma and it’s lasting effects on our sex lives. So many of us have experienced trauma and know that it impacts our lives long after the initial incident. I’ve had terrible experiences with dudes being total dicks about the way my trauma affects my sex life, and I’ve the most incredible gift of a partner, Charlie, who just gets it.

I talk with other survivors ALL THE TIME who say they too, are navigating how to talk with their partners about their trauma and sex. Sometimes I think many of us feel like we are supposed to just be grateful to be functioning people, and asking for a healthy sex life is too much. But our sexl ives are an essential part of our overall health.  I’m so thrilled about this piece because it’s a mainstream platform acknowledging that:

1. sexual trauma affects our sex lives, and that’s totally normal
2. survivors are entitled to healthy sex lives
3. we deserve to have partners that are willing to learn how to support us.

Thank yous all around

Thank you to The Guardian and to Amy Cao for making this piece a reality. But it wouldn’t have happened without the remarkable Tiffany Yu, a childhood friend turned mentor and collaborator. Tiffany facilitated this whole situation, which really is Shine Theory in all it’s glory, young women uplifting each other through friendship, collaboration and admiration.

Most of all, thank you to Charlie. For your willingness to share the story of our relationship with others, for being my biggest fan, and most importantly, for loving all of me.