So, you might be saying “Okay, but how does all this talk about nakedness and arousal in the therapeutic context apply to women?” Good question…
As a May 2011 article in the NY Times pointed out, therapy in America is being “feminized” (their word, not mine). Most therapists are women, and most patients are women. Men, in short, are opting out of therapy, which is, as I have said elsewhere, a bit of a global mental health crisis. Men are far more likely to kill themselves or someone else, commit a crime, end up as a substance abuser, etc. Men need therapy, but men aren’t going to therapy. That’s why, no matter what you think of it, Naked Therapy is a good thing – it gets men into therapy who might not otherwise enter it.
But I digress…
The reason therapy is being “feminized” is simple: conversation in and of itself arouses women. So women covet traditional therapy, which is great. I am all for women going to therapy and being aroused by a clothed conversation.
But Naked Therapy holds something for women, too. First, I think that there are whole psychological horizons that can be opened up for a woman if she engages in that arousing conversation with a Naked Therapist who physically arouses her as well. Most women aren’t as in touch as men with the physical arousal that comes from viewing a naked body, but I would assert that that is an indicator of a blockage and an opportunity for women to expand their sense of what they find arousing. In other words, Naked Therapy can help a woman discover new ways of being aroused, whether it’s with a male or female Naked Therapist.
Second, while most heterosexual women would shrink from the prospect of being in a Naked Therapy session with a female Naked Therapist, I believe such an experience could be extremely valuable for the feelings it arouses in the patient…feelings of anger, envy, fear, etc. For many straight women, facing what they feel when meeting with a female Naked Therapist can be the beginning to overcoming a lot of deep and difficult issues.
In short, I feel Naked Therapy can be a therapeutically valuable experience for a woman.
Originally published March 25, 2011.
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