Resources for Bringing More Heart and Soul into Your Sexual Experiences
Here are opportunities for conversation, education, and professional training in how you can broaden your definitions of sex and integrate sexuality and spirituality in your life.

Information on Women’s Health and Sexual Health
Planned Parenthood Federation of America. www.ppfa.org. Planned Parenthood operates nearly 850 health centers in 49 states and the District of Columbia. They provide culturally sensitive pro-choice sexuality information and counseling to millions of women, men, and teenagers each year regardless of race, age, disability, sexual orientation, or income. They also offer educational programs for health professionals.

The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. www.siecus.org. This organization, whose acronym is SIECUS, offers a comprehensive list of sexuality education books, and pamphlets, along with bibliographies arranged by various topics. SIECUS has developed the National School Health Clearinghouse to give professionals easy access to essential information for young people. Much of the SIECUS material can be downloaded free.

Our Bodies, Ourselves. www.ourbodiesourselves.org. This is the public interest advocacy group that created the best-selling Our Bodies, Ourselves and inspired the women’s health movement in the 1970s. The website serves as a multi-cultural health information center for women, with excerpts from the book and links to additional information. Spanish language translations are available for much of the information.

The National Women’s Health Network. www.womenshealthnetwork.org. This is a membership-based organization whose aim is to give women a greater voice within the healthcare system. The website offers information on issues that shape the major health decisions of women of all sexual orientations, races, and socioeconomic circumstances.

Go Ask Alice! www.goaskalice.columbia.edu. This is the Internet service of Columbia University's Health Services program—it’s a resource for everyone who wants to ask a question or read the answers. The website provides reliable information and a range of perspectives about relationships; sexuality; sexual health; emotional health; fitness; nutrition; alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs; and general health.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. www.thetaskforce.org. This is a major website that connects lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities in the U.S. It links to many local resources that cover everything from coming out to how to have safe—and spiritual—sexual relationships.

Bisexual Resource Center. www.biresource.org. This is the most comprehensive resource for information on bisexual lifestyles, bi-related events, books, videos, and recordings.

The New View of Women’s Sexuality. www.fsd-alert.org. This innovative educational resource looks beyond pharmaceutical interventions for “female sexual dysfunction” (fsd) to view the emotional and social complexities involved in women’s sexual problems—and pleasures.

The Women’s Sexual Health Foundation. www.twshf.org. This organization focuses on the medical treatment of sexual problems, but also supports a multidisciplinary approach to sexual health. The website includes surveys and suggested readings,

Stop It Now! www.stopitnow.org. This is an innovative program whose aim is to prevent child sexual abuse through public education rather than only punishing the offenders. Its website offers information to people concerned about inappropriate sexualized behavior in adults, adolescents, or children, and to people concerned about their own sexual thoughts or behaviors.

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Websites by Sexuality Experts
Many sexuality experts have developed their own educational websites. The websites below are designed to help people of all ages and sexual orientations understand and enjoy meaningful sexual experience that is based on caring, respect, health, and intimacy.

The Sexual Health Network. www.sexualhealth.com. Dr. Mitchell Tepper has created this comprehensive website, which is devoted to sexuality issues of all kinds, and is the best resource I know for people with disabilities. It, too, includes an extensive bibliography.

College Sex Talk. www.collegesextalk.com. Professor Sandra Caron is the syndicated columnist for this interactive site where young people can ask questions and receive thoughtful answers on subjects that range from safe sex to sexual orientation.

The Religious Institute. www.religiousinstitute.org. Reverend Debra Haffner has created this site as an expression of religion, sexual morality, justice, and healing—the need for a sexual ethic that’s based on relationship rather than on specific sex acts.

Wendy Maltz. www.healthysex.com. Therapist and author Wendy Maltz is the creator of this site, which offers information, books, and videos on aspects of sexuality that range from the pleasures of fantasy to healing from abuse and violence.

Betty Dodson. www.bettydodson.com. Sex educator Betty Dodson has been teaching the health and joys of masturbation since the early 1970s. Her website is irreverent, educational—and explicit, offering an on-line index to all aspects of self-pleasure, including her own groundbreaking books and videos.

Christiane Northrup. www.drnorthrup.com. is a pioneer in mind-body health and well-being for women. This website gives you access to her philosophy and to her information-packed monthly e-newsletter.

Educational Opportunities
There are numerous ways you can learn more about the heart and soul of sex. Where you might start depends on your income, your level of interest, and how far you want to travel—both geographically and on your life’s path.

Workshops
You can take workshops for a day, a weekend, or more that will connect you with gifted teachers and with other participants who are moved to follow this path. There are wonderful, vibrant conference centers and holistic learning centers around the country. Each has its own character, so decide if you want an urban experience or a trip to the sea or mountains. Centers I’m most familiar with include:

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Professional conferences
Conferences offered by professional organizations focus on scholarly education and training. They also afford a valuable opportunity to network with others engaged in the work. Three of the major sexuality organizations that open their conferences to both professionals and non-professionals are:

Colleges and universities
If you feel you want more formal study, you can explore the undergraduate and graduate programs that focus on the interdisciplinary field of human sexuality. You can find a comprehensive list on the SSSS website: www.sexscience.org. The Kinsey Institute co-sponsors an interdisciplinary Ph.D. minor in human sexuality: Email: kinsey@indiana.edu.
The two major degree-granting institutions are:

Toys, DVDs, and Erotica—Oh My!
Another way to explore your sexuality is through inventive sex toys and other products that remind you that sex is good and that connecting yourself body, mind, heart, and soul is even better.

Women’s boutiques
There are thousands of on-line sex stores, but the ISIS recommendations are for boutiques designed especially for women. These are discreet, delightful environments, and if you need assistance, the staffs are generally knowledgeable. You can purchase books and videos along with vibrators and other goodies for enhancing your sexual pleasure. Many of these boutiques offer interesting workshops and other educational opportunities. Their websites and catalogues are an education in themselves.

Erotic and educational videos and DVDs

Femme Productions. www.royalle.com. Candida Royalle owns and runs Femme Productions, which has produced woman-centered erotic films and sex aids for many years.

The Sinclair Intimacy Institute. www.bettersex.com. provides educational videos that demonstrate explicit sexual techniques. These are often narrated by a sex therapist.

Secret Garden Publishing. www.secretgardenpublishing.com. Kenneth Ray Stubbs is a gifted teacher whose thoughtful, beautiful books and DVDs embody the sensual intimacy of women, sex, and spirit.

Counseling and Therapy

The American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). www.AASECT.org. This is an interdisciplinary organization that supervises and certifies health professionals all over North America. Its members include physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, allied health professionals, clergy members, lawyers, sociologists, marriage and family counselors and therapists, family planning specialists and researchers. The website provides a database of board-certified sexuality educators, counselors, and therapists along with certification standards and procedures for sexuality professionals.

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REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS

Books to Expand Your View of Sexual Health and Pleasure

Angier, Natalie (1999). Woman: An intimate geography . Boston : Houghton-Mifflin.

Boston Women's Health Book Collective (2005). Our bodies, ourselves: A new edition

for a new era. New York : Simon and Schuster.

Chalker, Rebecca (2000). The clitoral truth: The secret world at our fingertips. New York : Seven Stories Press.

Cornog, Martha (2003). The big book of masturbation: From angst to zeal. San Francisco : Down There Press.

Dodson, Betty (1996) (Rev. Ed.) Sex for one: The joy of self-loving . New York : Crown.

Eisler, Riane (2002). The power of partnership: Seven relationships that will change your life. New York : New World Library.

Ensler, Eve (2000). The vagina monologues: The V-day edition. New York : Villard.

Maltz, Wendy and Suzie Boss (2001). Private thoughts: Exploring the power of women's sexual fantasies. New York : New World Library.

Ogden, Gina (1999). Women who love sex: An inquiry into the expanding spirit of women's erotic experience. (Rev. Ed.). Cambridge , Mass. : Womanspirit Press.

Our Sexual History, Our Sexual Diversity

Anapol, Deborah (1997) (Rev. Ed.). Polyamory: The new love without limits: Secrets of sustainable intimate relationships. San Raphael Calif. : IntiNet Resource Center .

Ehrenreich, Barbara (1972). Witches, midwives and nurses: A history of women healers. New York : Feminist Press.

Eisler, Riane (1995). Sacred pleasure: Sex, myth, and the politics of the body. San Francisco : Harper Collins.

Espin, Oliva M. (1997). Latina realities: Essays on healing, migration, and sexuality. Boulder , Colo. : Westview Press.

Giddings, Paula (1984). When and where I enter: The impact of black women on race and sex in America . New York : William Morrow.

Hall, Marny (1998). The lesbian love companion. San Francisco : Harper San Francisco .

Hutchins, Loraine and Lani Kaahumanu (Eds.) (1991). Bi any other name: Bisexual people speak out.  Los Angeles : Alyson Publications.

Kilbourne, Jean (2000). Can't buy my love: How advertising changes the way we think and feel. New York : Free Press.

Somé, Sobonfu E. (1997). The spirit of intimacy: Ancient teachings in the ways of relationships. Berkeley , Calif. : Berkeley Hills Books.

Wyatt, Gail Elizabeth (1997). Stolen women: Reclaiming our sexuality, taking back our lives. New York : John Wiley & Sons.

Practical Advice for Making Sexual Connection and Healing Our Sexual Wounds

Bass, Ellen and Laura Davis (1988). The courage to heal: A guide for women survivors of child sexual abuse. New York : Harper and Row.

Britton, Patti (2005). The art of sex coaching: Expanding your practice. New York : W.W. Norton.

Castleman, Michael (2004). Great sex: A man's guide to the secret principles of total-body sex. New York : Rodale Books.

Foley Sallie, Sally Kope, and Dennis Sugrue (2002). Sex matters for women: A complete guide to taking care of your sexual self. Binghamton . New York : Guilford Press.

Maltz, Wendy (1992). The sexual healing journey: A guide for survivors of sexual abuse. New York : Harper Collins.

Northrup, Christiane (1995). Women's bodies, women's wisdom: Creating physical and emotional health and healing. New York : Bantam.

Paget, Lou (2000). How to give her absolute pleasure: Totally explicit techniques every woman wants her man to know. New York : Broadway Books.

Sprinkle, Annie (2005) Dr. Sprinkle's spectacular sex: Make over your love life with one of the world's great sex experts . New York : Tarcher

Zolbrod, Aline. (1998). Sex Smart: How Your Childhood Shaped YourSexual Life and What to Do About it. Oakland , Calif. : New Harbinger.

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Sexuality, Spirituality, and Religion

Beattie-Jung, Patricia, Mary E. Hunt, and Radhika Balakrishnan (2001). Good sex: Feminist perspectives from the world's religions. New Brunswick , N.J. : Rutgers University Press.

Bishop, Clifford (1996). Sex and spirit . Boston : Little, Brown.

Bonheim, Jalaja. (1997). Aphrodite's daughters: Women's sexual stories and the journey of the soul. New York : Fireside.

Brock, Rita N. (1988). Journeys by heart: A Christology of erotic power. New York : Crossroad.

Gimbutas, Marija (1989). The language of the goddess. San Francisco : Harper & Row.

Heyward, Carter (1989). Touching our strength: The erotic as power and the love of God. New York : Harper Collins.

Moore, Thomas (1998). The soul of sex: Cultivating life as an act of love. New York : Harper Collins.

Savage, Linda E. (1999). Reclaiming goddess sexuality: The power of the feminine way. Carlsbad , Calif. : Hay House.

Timmerman, Joan H. (1992). Sexuality and spiritual growth. New York : Crossroad.

Wade, Jenny (2004). Transcendent sex: When lovemaking opens the veil . New York : Paraview Pocket Books.

Tantra and other Ways to Understand Our Sexual Energy

Allione, Tsultrim (1984). Women of wisdom. London : Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Anand, Margo (1989). The art of sexual ecstasy: The path of sacred sexuality for western lovers. Los Angeles : Jeremy Tarcher.

Brennan, Barbara (1987). Hands of light: A guide to healing through the human energy field. New York : Bantam Books.

Bruyere, Rosalyn (1994). Wheels of light: Chakras, auras and the healing energy of the body. New York : Fireside.

Eliade, Mircea (1972). Shamanism: Archaic techniques of ecstasy. New York : Princeton University Press.

Emoto, Masaru. (2004). The hidden messages in water. Hillsboro Oregon : Beyond Words.

Hunt, Valerie V. (2000). The infinite mind: Science of human vibrations of consciousness (3 rd Ed.). Los Angeles , Calif. : Malibu Publications.

Ingerman, Sandra (2000). Medicine for the earth: How to transform personal and environmental toxins. New York : Three Rivers Press.

Judith, Anodea (2001). (Rev. Ed.). Wheels of life: A user's guide to the chakra system. St Paul , MN : Llewellan Publications.

Narby, Jeremy (1998). The cosmic serpent: DNA and the origins of knowledge. New York : Tarcher.

Shaw, Miranda (1994). Passionate enlightenment: Women in tantric Buddhism. Princeton , N.J. : Princeton University Press.

Stubbs, Kenneth Ray (1999). The essential tantra: A modern guide to sacred sexuality. New York : Jeremy Tarcher.

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What the Experts Say about Women's Sexuality: Research, Surveys, and Smart Critiques

Daniluk, Judith C. (1998). Women's sexuality across the life span. Binghamton , New York : Guilford Press.

Davis, Katherine Bement (1929). Factors in the sex lives of twenty two hundred women. New York : Harper & Brothers.

Ellison, Carol (2000). Women's sexualities: Generations of women speak about sexual self acceptance. San Francisco : New Harbinger.

Eriksen, Julia A. (1999). Kiss and tell: Surveying sex in the twentieth century. Cambridge , Mass. : Harvard University Press.

Irvine , Janice (1990). Disorders of desire: Sex and gender in modern American sexology. Philadelphia : Temple University Press.

Freud, Sigmund (1938). Three contributions to the theory of sex . The basic writings of Sigmund Freud A.A. Brill (Trans. and Ed.). New York : Random House.

Hicks, Karen (2004). Women's Sexual Problems: A Guide to the New View Approach . www.medscape.com/view/program/3437 .

Hite, Shere (1976). The Hite report: A nationwide study of female sexuality. New York : Macmillan.

Jung, Carl G. (1959). The archetypes and the collective unconscious. R.F.C. Hall (Trans.). New York : Pantheon Books.

Kaplan, Helen Singer (1979). Disorders of sexual desire . New York : Brunner/ Mazel.

Kinsey, Alfred C., Wardell B. Pomeroy, and Clyde E. Martin (1948). Sexual behavior in the human male. Philadelphia : W.B. Saunders Co.

Kinsey, Alfred C., Wardell B. Pomeroy, Clyde E. Martin, and Paul H. Gebhard (1953). Sexual behavior in the human female. Philadelphia : W.B. Saunders Co.

Kleinplatz, Peggy J. (Ed.). (2001) New directions in sex therapy: Innovations and alternatives . Philadelphia : Brunner-Routledge.

Laumann, Edward O., John H. Gagnon, Robert T. Michael, and Stuart Michaels (1994). The social organization of sexuality: Sexual practices in the United States . Chicago : University of Chicago Press.

Laumann, Edward O. Anthony Paik, Raymond Rosen (1999, February 10).  "Sexual dysfunction in the United States : Prevalence and predictors." Journal of the American Medical Association. 281: 537-544.

Loe, Meika (2004). The rise of Viagra: How the little blue pill changed sex in America . New York : New York University Press.

Mosher, Clelia Duel (1980). The Mosher survey: Sexual attitudes of 45 Victorian women. MaHood, James & Kristine Wenburg (Eds.). New York : Arno Press.

Masters, William H. and Virginia E. Johnson (1966). Human sexual response . Boston : Little, Brown.

Ogden, Gina (2002). Sexuality and spirituality in women's relationships: Preliminary results of an exploratory survey. Working Paper 405. Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, Wellesley , Mass.

Reich, Wilhelm (1942). The function of the orgasm . New York : Orgone Institute Press (Tr. Vincent R. Carfagno: 1973). New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Tiefer, Leonore and Ellyn Kaschak (Eds.). (2001). A New View of Women's Sexual Problems. Binghamton , New York : Haworth Press.

Tolman, Deborah L. (2003). Dilemmas of desire. Teenage girls talk about sexuality. Cambridge , Mass. : Harvard University Press.

Whipple, Beverly, John D. Perry, and Alice K. Ladas (2005) (Rev. Ed.). The G spot :and other discoveries about human sexuality. New York : Owl.

Whipple, Beverly, Gina Ogden, and Barry Komisaruk (1992, Spring). Physiological correlates of imagery-induced orgasm in women. Archives of Sexual Behavior . 21.2 121-133.