The Fearsome Power of Sexual Pleasure: Can We Make Love Not War with the Pleasure Police?

Research shows that pleasurable experiences foster health, vitality, and loving relationships. But in our society, pleasure is a controlled substance, and we learn from childhood on to resist and be suspicious of anything that feels too good. This talk will look at why pleasure, especially sexual pleasure, is subject to such personal and social fear, and how even sexologists may find it safer to study sexual trauma and dysfunction rather than the skills, benefits, and joys of lust. Yet, if we were to take the study and practice of optimal sexuality as seriously as impaired sexuality, what interesting new investigations might we explore and how would we handle our findings?