There can be a lot of pressure just to love yourself. And cultivating self love is an important mission, but that can be a really steep, daunting goal, especially when you’re in a dark place. So I think it’s important to know that love isn’t something you reach, it’s something that’s in you, and if we prioritize pleasure in our lives, our self-love blossoms.”
– August McLaughlin
Because of systemic issues that then become embedded in the family, there are always going to potential trauma and then trauma that occurs. So I came to pleasure practices as a way to flow through what I know is going to happen; sooner or later I know a racist or sexist situation is going to happen. And we’re only going to cultivate a life worth living if we find the practices that remind us of our own humanity, particularly in a system bent on dehumanizing us. ”
– Jamila M. Dawson, LMFT
What about trauma makes a person feel lost and alone? How does trauma get in the way of intimacy? How can we best support our partners when their trauma gets triggered?
Find out the answer to these questions and more in this week’s episode of The Learn to Love Podcast, where your host Zach Beach interviews both the therapist, writer and educator Jamila M. Dawson, LMFT and the journalist and podcast host, August McLaughlin on Managing Trauma Triggers.
Their book, With Pleasure: Managing Trauma Triggers for More Vibrant Sex and Relationships was released this September 2021.
Listen on:
Apple Podcasts || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts || Spotify|| Amazon Music || Castbox
about Jamila M. Dawson, LMFT
Jamila M. Dawson, LMFT is a licensed sex and relationship therapist, writer, and educator. She runs her private psychotherapy and consulting business, Fire & Flow Therapy while also teaching as adjunct faculty at Antioch University Los Angeles. She has lectured at University of Southern California, ASSECT Summer Institute, collaborated with a variety of sex therapists and educators as well as with Buzzfeed, Playboy, Harper’s Bazaar and other media outlets. She presents locally and nationally on sexuality, empowerment, BDSM/kink, pleasure, relationships and trauma-informed/healing-focused psychotherapy.
Stay connected with Jamila M. Dawson, LMFT:
Website|| Twitter || Facebook|| LinkedIn
about Jamila M. Dawson, LMFT
August McLaughlin is a nationally recognized journalist and host and producer of the podcast, Girl Boner Radio, a story-driven podcast where she explores sexual empowerment and pleasure with a broad range of guests. Her articles have been featured by Cosmopolitan, the Washington Post, Salon, HuffPost, LIVESTRONG.com, and more. Her 2018 release, Girl Boner, was featured in the New York Times and called “equally fun, risqué, and informative” by Publishers Weekly. She has presented at colleges, recovery centers, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, attended the 2016 United State of Women summit as a nominated changemaker and gave a TEDx talk on her experience overcoming an eating disorder she was diagnosed with while working abroad in the fashion industry.
Stay connected with August McLaughlin:
Website|| Girl Boner Radio || Twitter || Facebook|| LinkedIn || Instagram
Links from the show
- What Are PTSD Triggers? – Web MD
- Systemic Oppression and Trauma
- Social Wellness is the Key to a Healthy Lifestyle
- What is complex PTSD?
- APA’s Apology to Black, Indigenous and People of Color for Its Support of Structural Racism in Psychiatry
- Calming Trauma – How Understanding the Brain Can Help
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