Sexual shame is one of the most difficult pieces of sexuality for many people. Yet in my experience, talking about it and exploring it is also one of the most rewarding. Unlike many educators, I don’t see any value in trying to create a shame-free world, any more than I see a reason to create a world without anger, sadness, joy, or pleasure. Like all of our other emotions, shame is simply part of the human experience and I prefer to explore constructive ways that we can work with it. After all, I don’t think there’s any shame in feeling shame.
I’m really pleased to announce that I’ll be offering a workshop on the topic through San Francisco Sex Information. This workshop is open to sex educators, helping professionals, and anyone curious about the workings of human sexuality. Here’s the info:
When: August 17, 2010 7-8:30 pm
Where: The Women’s Building, 3543 18th St., San Francisco
Cost: $15 for the public, $5 if you’ve volunteered with SFSI in the last 6 months. You can purchase a ticket here.
Description: Sexual shame is one of the biggest challenges that sexuality educators face. The more we understand about how it works, the easier it is to develop strategies for responding to sexual shame. Charlie Glickman PhD will discuss the roots of shame, how it can both serve and hinder us, the ways that shame is used to reinforce social rules, and the differences between toxic shame and pro-social shame. As a group, we will discuss the tools that sexuality educators can use to bring compassion, understanding and healing to people working through sexual shame.
Objectives: By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Describe two ways that shame is used to enforce social rules
- Identify two ways that sexuality educators can help people heal from shame
NOTE: No one under 18 years old will be admitted.
Feel free to pass this along to anyone who might be interested. And if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
