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Pandora’s Project Q & A on Sexual Healing – Pt. 1- March ’13

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Wendy Maltz - Media Interviews, Sexual Abuse Healing

Wendy Maltz answers some tough questions about sexual healing in a new article published in thePandora’s Project March 2013 newsletter. The questions cover topics such as casual sex, sexual fantasies, and how to stay present during sex. The newletter also features the “Drawing on Body” relearning touch exercise from The Sexual Healing Journey.

(Note: Wendy answers more questions in the June newsletter.)

Pandora’s Project is a nationally-acclaimed nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information, support, and resources to survivors of rape and sexual abuse and their friends and family. They have been devoted to recovery and healing since 1999.
The questions Wendy answers in the newsletter came from members of their online support group, Pandora’s Aquarium. Survivors involved in the project know that connecting with other rape and sexual abuse survivors is an important part of healing. Their online support group includes a message board, chat room, and blogs. It is free to join and is safely moderated by a diverse group of survivors.

To access the newsletter and article CLICK HERE.

Sexual & Relationship Therapy Reviews “The Sexual Healing Journey”

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Wendy Maltz - Reviews, Sexual Abuse Healing

The Sexual Healing Journey (3rd edition) has received a marvelous book review by Talli Y. Rosenbaum, in the recently released October 2012 issue of the professional journal “Sexual and Relationship Therapy.”

In her review, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, Talli Y. Rosenbaum, describes The Sexual Healing Journey as “comprehensive and easy to read” and shares that it is written in a manner that speaks directly to patients as well as clinicians. Talli goes on to point out that the book is “written with such warmth and understanding that the value of the empathic and non-judgmental therapeutic alliance is healing to the reader. Wendy Maltz….guides her readers through the process of understanding what has been lost, grieving it, reclaiming it and establishing a new reality.” Talli concludes by saying that she finds the therapeutic approach in The Sexual Healing Journey to be “validating and relevant to many couples seeking sex therapy.”

The first page of the review can be accessed by CLICKING HERE

The Sexual Healing Journey Book Trailer Is Now Up!

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Wendy Maltz - Sexual Abuse Healing

Many thanks to filmmaker Rob Bohannon and friends for creating this new book trailer for The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse (William Morrow, 2012, 3rd edition). In it I describe how I came to write the book and outline the comprehensive approach to sexual healing it provides. The book trailer includes pictures of the “relearning touch” exercises from the book, quotes from survivors, plus gorgeous shots of the Willamette River in Eugene, Oregon.

VIEW HERE

You can also watch, comment on it, and share it with others at YouTube: CLICK HERE

Psych Today – Healing in a Cultural Context (article 3)

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Wendy Maltz - Media Interviews, Sexual Abuse Healing

Catherine McCall concludes her three-part series based on an interview with Wendy Maltz with a discussion of how sexual abuse healing is influenced by social consciousness and other cultural factors. In the article Wendy reflects on how sexual abuse awareness has changed and the present-day factors that both aide and challenge survivors today. You can access the article , “Sexual Abuse and Healing in a Cultural Context” by clicking HERE

Psych Today – Healing Sexual Wounds of Sex Abuse (article 2)

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Wendy Maltz - Media Interviews, Sexual Abuse Healing

Read Catherine McCall’s second article in her popular Overcoming Child Abuse blog for Psychology Today entitled, “Healing the Sexual Wounds of Sexual Abuse” . It is based on her interview with Wendy a few weeks ago. This article is filled with practical suggestions for sexual recovery. It discusses the key factors that help facilitate sexual healing and outlines the steps survivors take to successfully reclaim a healthy and rewarding sexual life.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Psych Today – Sex Effects of Sex Abuse (article 1)

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Wendy Maltz - Media Interviews, Sexual Abuse Healing

Catherine McCall, a licensed marriage and family therapist and author of the sexual abuse healing memoir,When the Piano Stops, recently interviewed Wendy for a series of articles she is writing on sexual healing for her very popular Psychology Today recovery blog. In the first article,“The Sexual Effects of Sexual Abuse”, she discusses how important it is to healing for our society to overcome silence regarding the topic of sexual effects. She goes on to recommend The Sexual Healing Journey as a crucial healing resource. Catherine also identifies sexual abuse is a primary risk factor in sexual health, dysfunction, and intimacy problems, and lists some common sexual problems often experienced by survivors.
CLICK HERE to read Catherine’s article

Newly Released: “The Sexual Healing Journey” new 3rd edition!

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Wendy Maltz - Sexual Abuse Healing

The Sexual Healing Journey has just been released in both print and electronic format in by William Morrow Paperbacks/ HarperCollins publishers.

Originally published two decades ago, The Sexual Healing Journey is a is considered “the primary resource” for understanding and healing the intimate sexual problems caused by sex abuse. In this third edition, Wendy Maltz keeps this classic recovery book fresh with a new preface, revised materials, and an updated, expanded resource section. Compassionate and enduring, this guide presents a comprehensive program for healing that combines expert clinical advice with innovative exercises, steadfast techniques, and deeply moving stories of individuals who have overcome the challenges of sexual abuse to reclaim sex as safe, loving and enjoyable.

“This classic self-help book offers sound and detailed guidelines for sexual healing. Wendy Maltz stands out for her remarkable combination of wisdom, creativity, and heart.”
—Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., author of The Dance of Anger??

“Clear, non-judgmental, warm and hopeful, The Sexual Healing Journey is a precious gift for male and female survivors and for those who care about them.”?
—Mike Lew, author of Victims No Longer

“Men and women who have despaired that their sex lives would never change will find hope and answers in this friendly, encouraging, and essential guide.”
–Laura Davis, coauthor of The Courage to Heal and author of Allies in Healing ??

Wendy Discusses “The Sexual Healing Journey”

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Wendy Maltz - Media Interviews, Sexual Abuse Healing

Wendy Maltz was the featured guest on Wendy Strgar’s LA Talk Radio show, “Lunch with the Loveologist.” Wednesday, June 13th at 12 noon PST. She discusses how couples can recognize and heal from the sexual problems caused by past sexual abuse and also talk about the new release of Wendy Maltz’s book, The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse (William Morrow, 2012 revised 3rd Edition)

The podcast can be heard at: http://daily.goodcleanlove.com/podcasts/2012/06/13/healing-from-sexual-abuse-with-wendy-maltz-lcws-dst/

“Sex After Sex Abuse” – Wendy shares in Salon.com article

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Wendy Maltz - Media Interviews, Sexual Abuse Healing

How can a woman overcome her dislike of sex after experiencing on-going sexual abuse in a past relationship? This question is addressed in a Salon.com article, “Sex After Sex Abuse” by Tracy Clark-Flory who interviewed Wendy for ideas on sexual healing. One of the main points is that sexual problems are normal and understandable for people who have experienced sexual abuse. The article recommends Wendy’s book, The Sexual Healing Journey, as a great source for learning and exercises for sexual healing as well as her “relearning touch” exercises.
CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE

For a video of Wendy discussing “Sex after Sex Abuse” on healthyplace.com.
Requires some patience watching – but worth it.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

“How Sex Abuse Can Affect Your Physical Health” (new article by Wendy)

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Wendy Maltz - Sexual Abuse Healing

HOW SEXUAL ABUSE CAN AFFECT PHYSICAL HEALTH

By Wendy Maltz LCSW, DST (first appeared in Bottom Line Health, Dec. 2011)

Sexual abuse—be it recent or years ago—is often linked to mental health problems such

as depression and anxiety in the estimated one in four women and one in six men who have been sexually assaulted before the age of 18.

Now:A growing body of evidence now links a history of molestation and/or rape to a wide variety of physicalailments.

Problem:Sexual abuse survivors—and their doctors—often don’t realize that their medical problems may stem from the abuse. What’s more, many people who were sexually abused are reluctant to mention it to their doctors because they feel shame and anxiety about what happened to them.

SEXUAL ABUSE And POOR HEALTH

Sexual abuse and other traumatic experiences have been shown to cause abnormal /unstable levels of the primary stress hormone cortisol, which can persist for years. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol can lead to inflammation, a contributing factor in major illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and even heart disease. Sexual abuse has been identified as a risk factor in asthma, hypertension, unwanted pregnancy, panic attacks, low thyroid, eating disorders, sleep disturbances, breast cancer, herpes, urinary tract infections, self-injury and more. Also, sexual abuse survivors have higher than average rates of drug and alcohol abuse, tobacco use, and risky sexual behavior—all of which can lead to lead a variety of health problems.

Other common physical health effects of sexual abuse…

Obesity.Interpersonal violence in childhood, including sexual abuse, has been found to be a risk factor in adult obesity. Unpleasant emotions, chronic stress, and disordered eating are thought to be involved. Survivors of sexual abuse may also overeat and become overweight as a form of self-soothing and/or a way of discouraging sexual advances.

Headaches.Even years after sexual abuse, survivors may frequently recall the abuse, fear revealing the abuse secret, have nightmares, and suffer sexual anxieties—all of which fuel muscular tension and emotional stress that encourage chronic headaches and migraines.

In a 2007 study of 161 patients with serious headache problems, a whopping 40% of those who suffered from chronic daily headaches also had a history of sexual and/or physical abuse.

Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. In clinical settings, women and men who were sexually abused as children are more likely to report GI problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain, diarrhea and nausea, than patients who were not abused. Some studies have found that as many as half of sexually abused women suffer from some type of GI symptom.

In addition, survivors of sexual abuse with GI problems report more medical symptoms, greater general pain, more lifetime surgeries and significantly higher amounts of disability due to the illness than non-sexually abused peers.

Fibromyalgia.Increasing evidence indicates that women who have been sexually abused are more likely to develop fibromyalgia, a syndrome characterized by chronic widespread pain, multiple “tender points” on various parts of the body, fatigue and sleep disturbances. (Fibromyalgia in men who have been sexually abused has not been widely studied.) On-going stress and depression related to abuse might be impairing sensory processing in the central nervous system, causing pain.

Chronic pelvic pain.Women who have been sexually abused tend to experience more chronic pelvic pain—50% by some estimates— including painful intercourse. One source of pelvic pain is vaginismus, a reflexive tightening of the vaginal muscles that can occur—even in loving sexual relationships—as women unconsciously seek to avoid further trauma or pain. Overtime, chronically tight vaginal muscles can shrink and atrophy, causing even more sexual difficulties. Male survivors have reported problems with recurrent rectal pain.

What survivors must do to help protect their health…

Don’t ignore your history.If you are a sexual abuse survivor who is concerned about or experiencing mental health problems, sexual problems, and/or unexplained physical ailments, seek professional help from a psychologist, counselor or certified sex therapist trained in sexual abuse treatment.

Classic sexual abuse recovery books, such as The Courage to Heal, Victims No Longer and The Sexual Healing Journey, offer effective healing strategies for both women and men. Also, investigate sexual abuse survivors’ groups and on-line resources such as Adult Survivors of Child Abuse (www.ascaSupport.org), Survivors of Incest Anonymous (www.siawso.org), and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (www.rainn.org).

Speak to your doctor.Talk candidly with your physician so that he/she can factor your sexual abuse history into preventive care and the diagnosis of any health problems. Informed health care workers can make a special effort to help you feel safe during invasive exams and procedures, such as Pap smears for women and prostate exams for men.

Be sure to adopt a healthy lifestyle.Develop daily health habits that keep you strong, reduce your stress levels, and decrease your risk for health problems. These include following a healthful diet… getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night…exercising three to five times a week…and learning body- and brain-calming techniques, such as yoga, tai chi and meditation. Physical therapy can be beneficial for treating pelvic pain disorders.

Pay attention to your sexual health.Sexual abuse is not only an attack on one’s body, but also an attack on one’s sexuality. It can establish negative sexual attitudes and behaviors that impair healthy intimacy and long-term sexual pleasure, such as approaching sex as an obligation, not feeling present during sex, and engaging in out-of-control, harmful and compulsive sex. You may need to “relearn”—or even learn for the first time—that sex can be an expression of mutual respect and caring in a loving relationship. Healing your sexuality allows you to tackle the root cause of trauma-related medical conditions, thus improving your mental health, as well as your physical well-being.

[Note: Article references are available upon request]

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