He also touched himself
Though it can be hard to admit that you need professional help for your mental health issues, there’s far less stigma about it than there was previously. Millions of Americans visit a mental health professional regularly and greatly benefit from their sessions. Though there are different types of therapy that you can take, there’s only one out there who feels like mutually stripping down is the best way to get down to the issues. Writer Sean J. Patrick Carney talked with her, and he feels like their session was a great success.
Dealing With Depression
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Sean was a good candidate to try out this revolutionary new concept because he was a depression sufferer; he felt that some of his problems stemmed from romantic issues. He explained bluntly, “I have depression. It took me a long time to come to terms with that, and when I finally did, it was humbling. But it was also incredibly important in terms of beginning to understand mental illness and how f**king complicated it is.”
He had sought out typical means of coming to terms with his issues which worked out very well for him. He said, “Through therapy, I am learning the means to manage my depression. It occurs to me now that I have experienced severe depression multiple times in my life, although I would have never admitted it at the time. My therapist in Richmond, VA, where I lived last fall, was instrumental in assisting me in pulling myself out of a severely deep, dark well.”
But when he moved to New York, he eventually came across artist Leah Schrager who had a fascinating new project called Sarah White, the N*ked Therapist™. For the purposes of art and therapy, Leah takes on the persona of therapist Sarah and does online sessions with men where she strips down and asks them psychological questions.
The Session
Credit: Sean J Patrick Carney via VICE
Sean sought out this service to write a piece on it, but also because he felt like he could get some real benefit from it. You merely video call Leah who is acting as Sarah, the therapist, on Skype and let her lead you through hot and heavy therapy. Sean further explained, “All of Sarah’s clients are men, and on her website she states that this is something about which she’s proud. Her approach places an emphasis on the benefits of arousal, a state which she argues allows one ‘to heal, to discover, to learn, [and] to become aware of things [one] cannot otherwise become aware of, for this state is as unique in the human mind as is the unconscious state of dreaming.’”
He talked about how he started his session, “I received an email that included terms and conditions of the session, and also a series of preliminary questions. The anxiety that I felt typing into an email what I wanted her to wear turned into arousal as I hit Send on my reply; before we’d even begun a session, I was already feeling kind of randy.
Honestly, I was incredibly nervous about undressing in front of a person who was more or less a stranger to me, and even more nervous about the awkward initial monologue a person gives about everything that’s wrong with him the first time he meets with a therapist. I was also really horny. If you’ve not experienced that cocktail of emotions before, I kind of recommend it.”
Then it came time to see Sarah and experience her healing power. “I logged onto Skype. White was online and sent me a message asking if I was ready. Taking a deep breath, I sat down and replied, ‘Sure,’ and a moment later she called me. I answered pretty awkwardly, and she was sitting on her couch dressed quite impeccably as we exchanged pleasantries.”
Full Release
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Sean was becoming increasingly aroused as he delved into his issues. He said, “We talked about how I almost exclusively date girls that I’ve met on OkCupid or Tinder, because I feel like it’s weird or aggressive to, say, walk up to a girl in a bar and try to buy her a drink. While White stood up and took off her skirt, she told me that I could take off my clothes if I wanted to. Awkwardly, I removed my shirt. As I did this, she told me that, at least from what she could tell, I wasn’t creepy or aggressive and that I probably had enough awareness to know right off the bat if a girl was into me, or not, if I walked up and talked to them.
In regular therapy, even when I’m completely at ease, I can reflect now that I probably exhibit a somewhat closed-off form of body language. But being n*ked eventually made me let my guard down, and the fact that White was completely n*ked (and periodically standing up and walking around seductively) made me feel completely present once I’d just accepted that the point of this was, indeed, to arouse me.”
Sean and Sarah talked for some time, and he admitted that he became so aroused that he touched himself to completion, something that’s totally okay with good doctor. He continued, “By the end of the session, I felt f**king great. Talking about anxieties related to s*x and relationships, the very anxieties that so many of us experience, while feeling s*xually turned on with somebody else makes complete sense. In a single session, a lot of things I’d been embarrassed to discuss with anybody came out and were addressed effectively. I’ll still continue to attend regular therapy sessions while I have the privilege of doing so, as I’m not going to ignore how fortunate I am for having that benefit. Maybe N*ked Therapy™ isn’t for everybody, but if you’re somebody who’s been wrestling with any of the s*x-related topics I’ve mentioned in this piece, I’d absolutely encourage you to get in touch with Sarah White.”
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Original by Emily Hingle
