International Women’s Day 2020 Post
All my physiotherapists at different times have been asked to contribute to my blog by writing an article on some aspect of pelvic floor dysfunction for me. Today is the turn of my newest staff member, Amanda Waldock. Amanda is settling in beautifully at my practice after coming back from the UK, where she worked in London in pelvic health. I recently bought quite a lot of books on different issues related to sexual intimacy and Christianity and I asked Amanda to have a quick read of the books and give a short summary of their subject matter. One of the recurring barriers for women are the conflicted thoughts they have regarding intimacy.
We have copies of the books at the rooms but if you like the sound of a particular book then they were easily secured from Amazon.
Here is Amanda’s first blog for me:
Sexual wellbeing is an essential part of a person’s overall wellbeing. However sexual difficulties are often not discussed and therefore go untreated. For women these include:
- Painful intercourse – known as dyspareunia, vulvodynia or vaginismus with 1 in10 women suffering with painful sex
- Lack of Libido – 4 in10 women have poor libido
- Anorgasmia – 1 in 3 women find it difficult reaching orgasm
(See https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2017/januaryfebruary/lets-talk-about-sex/ for more details)
Although the statistics are high for these conditions, we also know it takes women (and men) a long time to seek help about these concerns.
We pelvic health physiotherapists at Sue Croft Physiotherapy, believe that sexual wellbeing should be high on the agenda. We are able to see how sexual difficulties impact an individual, their partner and their relationship. It is a very important aspect of one’s quality of life and needs to be given more attention.
Although it is important to speak to a medical professional (such as GP, gynaecologist or pelvic health physiotherapist) about these conditions, sometimes having reading resources you can turn to in the comfort (and privacy) of your own home, and at your own pace, can be a helpful adjunct to seeing a trained professional.
Dealing with sexual concerns can also be confronting and confusing with other factors such as religious, cultural and social beliefs being thrown into the mix.
For this reason, I have compiled a list of books we have in clinic at Sue Croft Physiotherapy along with a brief overview to help steer you in the right direction when looking for information on intimacy, sex, arousal and a whole lot more.
Christian Perspective
Hot, Holy and humorous by J. Parker
This book is a complete guide to Sex and Intimacy from a Christian perspective. Parker discusses everything from cultivating romance in your relationship, defining “Christian Sex”, tips for the physical side of things, but also refers to lower desire and other issues that may crop up. The focus of this book is on that fact that God designed humans to be sexual and that enjoying a sexually satisfying relationship is within his plan.
Bonus – Hot, Holy & Humorous is also a blog!
Parker has a blog full of resources as well! With over 850 blog posts ranging from the Bible’s perspective of sex to romancing your spouse and specific sexual techniques. The blog also answers readers specific questions and new blog posts are being added weekly.
Intimacy Revealed by J. Parker
This is a practise book for a year. 52 devotions, one for each week, which provide Bible passages, application, questions and a prayer that aim to shed light on God’s gift of marital sex. This book provides a scaffolding for you to think deeply about you and your partner’s sexual relationship and place this into the context of your life, and faith.
The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex by Sheila Wray Gregoire
A Christian place to turn to find answer to the most intimate and embarrassing questions. It aims to show people that sex isn’t just physical, but also an emotional and spiritual experience. Chapters include (but are not limited to) – How Good Girls Think about Sex, Lighting Fireworks and Learning to Make Love, Not Just Have Sex. This book is dotted with words from other women sharing their experiences.
Modern Scientific Approach
Come as You Are by Dr Emily Nagoski
This book takes the focus of the science of Sex and the surprising truths about what does work to maximize a woman’s sexual wellbeing. This book aims to teach you that although we are all made up of the same physical parts, no two people are the same. That we need to focus on “Turning on the ons and turning off the offs”, taking control of the context or environment and that unlike men, women’s desire is often more responsive rather than spontaneous.
The Come as You are Workbook by Dr Emily Nagoski
This is the companion to ‘Come as You Are’ which aims to bring together activities, prompts and thought-provoking examples to provide practical, evidence-based tools to enhance your personal sexual wellbeing. It is the perfect way to take the information learnt in ‘Come as You Are’ and expand on it to further understand yourself and your sex life.
Holistic/ Spiritual Approach
Women’s Anatomy of Arousal by Sheri Winston
This book is separated into three sections and talks about all things from spirituality, personal energy to chakras. The first focus on the history of female sexuality, how things have changed over time and how thing have gone wrong throughout time, specifically hiding and under-valuing female sexuality. The Section 2 focuses on the physical anatomy of a woman and pleasure, while Section 3 ties it all together providing practical tools to expand your sexuality.
Let us know if you have read any of the following and have any thoughts or if you have any suggestions for our bookcase.
Thanks Amanda for this summary. I know that many women will be pleased to see that there are some reading books available to them to help them expand their knowledge and gain comfort from the recognition of their faith.