Healthy Sexuality After Addiction and Trauma

About this episode

Vanessa Carlisle discusses the impact of addiction and trauma on sexuality and intimacy, drawing from their co-authored book.

Vanessa Carlisle, PhD, MFA joins me to talk about their book co-authored with Stephanie Covington called: Awaken Your Sexuality: A Guide to Connection and Intimacy after Addiction and Trauma. We discuss the prevalence and normalization of substances as a pathway to sexual behavior, and how sexual responses can be filtered and affected through this lens. Vanessa also shares how shame can keep us from using our personal power to find intimacy and a satisfying sex life. Learn more about Vanessa...

People in this episode

Host: Cindy Scharkey

Guest: Vanessa Carlisle

Topics covered

• sexuality
• addiction
• trauma
• intimacy
• shame
• personal power

Keywords

• healthy sexuality
• addiction recovery
• intimacy
• trauma
• shame
• sexual behavior
• personal power

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Awaken Your Sexuality: A Guide to Connection and Intimacy after Addiction and Trauma

More episodes of Permission for Pleasure

• Vanilla Sex with a Cherry on Top · June 3, 2026 · 9 min
• An Invitation to Real Self-Care · May 20, 2026 · 40 min
• Finger Techniques · May 6, 2026 · 11 min
• What Influences Your Arousal · April 22, 2026 · 14 min
• Vibrators: Why They Work and How to Choose One · April 8, 2026 · 10 min
• Education and Tips for Multiple Orgasms · March 11, 2026 · 13 min