Ep 47 Sex and the Nervous System with Vanessa Blackstone

Welcome back, dear listener. In today’s episode, I got to chat about the intersection between nervous system regulation and sex with my wonderful guest Vanessa Blackstone.   Vanessa is a therapist, a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and she is the Executive Director of the Pain Psychology Center as well as a co-author of The Pain Reprocessing Therapy Workbook, which is available for pre-order now and comes out on November 1st, so I definitely recommend you grab a copy.   Vanessa earned her M.S. in Social Work from the University of Southern California and, following her own personal recovery from chronic pain, Vanessa began her career as a therapist in 2018. In addition to chronic pain treatment, she specializes in sex therapy, substance use and recovery, and mindfulness based relapse prevention, and she also works on film sets as an On-set Wellness Professional.   Outside of her professional roles, Vanessa is a former foster youth who advocates for current and former foster youth by sharing her personal experiences in public speaking events.   I have wanted to meet Vanessa for a while, but I was especially grateful to have a conversation with her about sex. Even in the year 2024, sex is STILL a taboo topic and it’s hard to find useful information that centers our human experience around sex, which includes our emotions, our beliefs, and our nervous systems as well as our physical sensations. Sex is an area where many folks with chronic pain struggle and feel isolated in that struggle. So, I am honored to share this conversation with Vanessa, who brings such compassion and humanity to the subject of sex.   You can find Vanessa at: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/that.therapist Book: https://www.newharbinger.com/9781648483769/the-pain-reprocessing-therapy-workbook/ The Pain Psychology Center: https://www.painpsychologycenter.com/our-team/   And you can find me at: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: [email protected] Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com⁠Journaling Course: www.annaholtzman.com/writingtorelease