Do you hate Valentine's Day? Well, you will after this episode! Ok, maybe that's not true. Hopefully you'll have some resolve, if nothing else. Some of us, here at Family Affairs, aren't huge fans of Valentine's Day. Whether you can't wait to get flowers in front of your coworkers, or you'll spend another lonely evening masturbating with your own tears, you should definitely join us for a HILARIOUS panel discussion with some of our favorite relationship experts, Indigo Stray Conger, Matt LeBauer, and Lisa Thomas. Come, learn about the bloody origins of the holiday, with Indigo's gold-star worthy history reporting. Come, strategize your defiance of the cliches with Matt's aggressive and unapologetic boundary-setting. Come, take notes on Lisa's effortless, fairytale marriage. And if that doesn't do it for you, Ben's bitter, doughy, middle-aged dick jokes never disappoint - or at least, rem
More people are dying of opioid abuse and accidental overdose than ever before. It's an epidemic that doesn't discriminate. Opioid addiction has nothing to do with race or class, age or gender. Prescription drug abuse is widespread and - along with opioid abuse - it's killing more Americans than auto accidents. Join us for a serious, but enjoyable, conversation with Kevin Petersen, a licensed therapist who specializes in working with families of substance abusers. This is an important topic and we all need to be informed.You might even know someone personally who needs help. Visit Kevin's Website Here Photo byfreestocks.orgonUnsplash
From politicians to actors to hollywood executives, people are getting called-out for sexual misconduct by the dozens. While it's not totally surprising to learn that people in power abuse that power - it's not even surprising toregularly hear storiesof men behaving badly, even assaulting women, sexually. Perhaps the most troubling thing about these recent reports of sexual misconduct and assault - in addition to the horrors that are those two things, already - are that they involve some of our favorite and generally well-respected public figures - and we're likely just seeing the tip of the iceberg. No reasonable person would argue that sexual assault, aggression, or unwelcome lewd conversation and behavior are wrong. What is helpful to understand, however, is what is being violated - fundamentally - in these situations. In order to be more aware of our own behaviors and to respect the
Sex is an important part of relationships - maybe the most important, depending on who you ask. It'salsothe most common point of contention in relationship therapy. While it's totally normal for libido to ebb and flow as we age and cope with a number of stress variables, it's also totally normal to feel frustrated with the amount of sex we're having. And any relationship coach or therapist worth their hourlyrate will tell you, you absolutely don't have to accept low libido as a fact of life. In this episode, we talk to Family Affairs regular, and libido expert, Indigo Stray Conger. Indigo shares severalstories of libido issues she has worked through with clients, as well as tips for better communication around arousal and how to restore a strong libido, once it starts to wane. Join us for a fun and candid conversation and save your sex drive, people! Resources: Check out The Three Minute
Tis the season for gridlock, office parties, impossible expectations, overeating, depleted savings, and self-righteous relatives who have no business discussing politics. The good news is, you're going to listen to this show and it's going to make you laugh about this stressful time of year, while arming you with invaluable tactics for coping with stress and expectations. Join host, Ben Robbins, for a round-table discussion with licensed experts Lisa Thomas, Indigo Stray Conger and Matthew LeBauer and SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS!
No hookups! If you have any experience at all, online dating, you've come across this phrase. Maybe you're someone who gets regularly propositioned for no-strings-attached (NSA) sex and you need to weed those people out. Maybe you're middle-aged, coming off a long-term-relationship and it's been so long since you dated, you didn't realize "hookups" are a thing and thought for a minute that a lot of people are really opposed to sex. Ok, now I'm sounding old. We can talk all day about what life was like before the internet and smart phones, but you'll be hard-pressed to convince me that there's any bigger contribution to society than online dating, and the ease with which one can have a legal, consensual, romantic encounter. The unfortunate side-effect of streamlined sexual encounters, is a loss of effort and etiquette in the process. Basically, you can arrange to have sex with someone, wi
EMDR stands forEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It's a specific form of psychological therapy that aims to rewire your brain's processing of traumatic events. EMDR has become increasingly popular in recent years and has gained acceptance throughout the Psychology and Counseling worlds. Having originated as a treatment for soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), EMDR is more widely practiced now as an effective treatment for sexual assault trauma, grief, and other traumatic memories. Licensed Sex Therapist and EMDR Practitioner, Denise Onofrey, is an expert in this type of treatment. We were so lucky to have her on the show, to gain a better understanding of the process, the science behind it, and to hear some success stories from her personal experiences practicing EMDR professionally. Whether you know someone who could use help overcoming psychologic
Save Your Sex Life! Eeeek! My partner wants to do gross things in bed! What if it hurts. What if I don't like it? What if I DO LIKE IT?! What ifthey leave me for someone else if I don't try the thing? First of all, get ahold of yourself. You're an adult. You're being ridiculous. Second of all, just do it. Do the damn thing. Lean into it. Sound like good advice? Well, you might be surprised to find out that two of our bonafide sexperts agree that couples should compromise. Special guest, and friend of the show Dr. Joe Kort joins us for a fun conversation about kink and relationships, and what's changed in the past decade. Believe it or not, if you went to therapy with your partner ten years ago, and confessed your dirty sexual fantasies, it's entirely possible that the therapist would try to cure you of your perversions. Dr. Kort even wrote an article about it. Can you believe how much ha
Shame and Humiliation We've talked about shame and humiliation before - you know, thefun kind? This is a show about the other kind of sexual shame: the kind that leads to people doing the other fun, weird stuff we've discussed in the past. This is about real shame - emotional baggage shame. You don't have to have grown up with strong religious influence to understand sexual embarrassment and discomfort. It's as much a function of puritanical cultural values as it is specifically religious. Most people have beliefs and judgments about sex and the importance of purity that are rooted in misogyny and original sin. Having spent twelve years in Catholic school, I have a well-established relationship with guilt and embarrassment around sex. Why is this such a common experience, it's almost a cliche? The major religions have a lot in common when it comes to sex and the need to control people's
Let's talk about [anal] sex! See what I did there? I made it seem like I was embarrassed to say "anal" because I actually am. It's one thing to talk about sex ALL THE DAMN TIME, but as soon as butts come into the equation, people get squeamish. So, let's get it out of the way: Butts are for pooping. There - are you happy?! So, according to some statistics from some website that claims to have looked into it, 42% of men and 36% of women have tried anal sex. Who knows how scientific that is. Let's just say a lot of people have had anal sex. It's not just a gay thing. It's not just a Greek thing - "Greek-style" is synonymous with anal sex; don't @ me! So, people have been doin' it in the butt FOREVER. There's so much historical evidence (especially in ancient Greece) of men and women participating in anal sex. It's even believed they didn't associate it with homosexuality, at all. We also h