The Intimacy of Feeling Safe with Andre Lazarus

What if intimacy isn’t primarily about sex — but about safety, presence, vulnerability, and finally feeling at home inside your own body? In this deeply honest episode, Kristin sits down with intimacy practitioner and surrogate partner therapist, Andre Lazarus, for a powerful conversation about touch, nervous system regulation, neurodivergence, masking, dissociation, body image, trauma, and what it actually means to feel emotionally safe with another human being.Andre shares how his work helps people reconnect with themselves through breath, somatic awareness, relational safety, and compassionate presence — especially those navigating late-diagnosed autism, ADHD, trauma histories, body dysmorphia, intimacy challenges, and emotional shutdown. Together they explore:• Why so many neurodivergent people struggle with intimacy and physical connection• The relationship between masking and disconnection from the body• Dissociation, vaginismus, shutdown, and nervous-system protection• Why intimacy is often about vulnerability more than sexuality• The importance of communication over “mind reading” in relationships• Somatic intuition and learning to trust the body’s signals• Emotional safety, touch, and relational healing• Why compassion matters more than performanceThis episode is gentle, grounded, emotionally rich, and deeply validating for anyone who has ever felt “too much,” disconnected, guarded, touch-starved, or unsure how to fully let another person in.About Andre Lazarus:Andre Lazarus is an intimacy practitioner, sex educator, and surrogate partner therapist specializing in sacred intimacy, somatic connection, vulnerability, emotional healing, and relational growth. For over a decade, he has worked with individuals and couples navigating intimacy challenges, trauma, body image struggles, neurodivergence, emotional shutdown, and physical connection through a deeply compassionate and human-centered approach.Find Andre at:www.coming-closer.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.