Open Relationships for Open Minds at the Discussion Group July 16
If you’re gearing up to celebrate Independence Day, think about how independent you are when it come to sex. My next guest at the Intimacies Discussion Group, Jenny Block, has just written a book, Open: Love, Sex & Life in an Open Marriage. It’s about sex within the confines of an open marriage. And Jenny will be talking to us about the many ups and downs she has had as well as the consequences and lessons she’s learned from having made the decision to open her marriage. It’s a decision she says just may have saved the marriage that she was struggling sexually to survive in. Participants will have plenty of opportunity to share their own stories and ask questions. If you’d like to join the converation but can’t make it on July 16, please post your stories and questions in reply to this. I’ll pass them on to Jenny and you’ll get a reply.
When we had an Intimacies Group discussion in the past on the topic of polyamory, there was a particularly high turn out. So plan to come early to get your seat. Last time, those who weren’t open to polyamory left with a much more tolerant and supportive outlook toward those who choose to have multiple loving relationships. Curious? It’s only natural. Hope to see you on July 16 at BookPeople.
See http://jennyonthepage.com/openbook.html
The “Intimacies” Discussion Group – The Erotic Life
The Intimacies Discussion Group at BookPeople last night was a breath a of fresh air! The speaker, Charla Hathaway spoke open, frankly and candidly on a variety of subjects that tug at the core of our intimate beings, but most of us are too timid to discuss openly.
The environment was open, safe and discreet. Karen is an excellent moderator that kept things flowing and maintained the discussion on point. Keep up the good work!
The Erotic Life–Intimacies Discussion Group June 18
Join me and my special guest, Charla Hathaway of the BodyJoy Intimacy School, for a conversation about how to keep Eros strong in your daily life and nightly lovemaking. Charla’s new book, 8 Erotic Nights: Passionate Encounters that Inspire Great Sex for a Lifetime, follows her success with Erotic Massage (both from Quiver Press).
Meet Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.
Got questions for Charla, ask them now even if you can't make it to BookPeople, and I'll get her answers for you.
This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and BookPeople.
The “Intimacies” Discussion Group–In the Mood for Love?
Join The Good Life columnist Karen Kreps and special guest, Neil Stegall, LCSW, for a conversation about how to keep moodiness from mucking up your love life. Learn how to deal with the emotional fluctuations that affect all relationships. Neil practices psychotherapy to help individuals and couples find practical solutions to improve communication and relationships.
Meet Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.
To join the email announcement list of this group, send email to p2paustin-subscribe
yahoogroups
com.
This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and BookPeople.
Is Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) for You?
Excerpt from the pamphlet “An introduction to Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous” Copyright 1985 : S.L.A.A. Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous is a fellowship based on the 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. With established meetings in many cities in the United States and several cities overseas, this self-help fellowship is open to people of any age or sexual preference. Members include both those who suffer from a compulsive need for sex, and those with a desperate attachment to one person. What all members have in common is an obsessive/compulsive pattern, either sexual or emotional (or both, in which relationships or activities have become increasingly destructive to all areas of their lives — career, family, and sense of self-respect).
My guest at BookPeople on Wednesday, March 19, will be Michael Johnson, PhD a therapist who counsels people about sexual addiction. We’ll be talking about discerning the difference between intensity and intimacy. Got any questions for Michael? Post them here.
Intimacies Group — Bodily Attraction, Apr 16
Join The Good Life columnist Karen Kreps and special guest, Lee Khoury, for a conversation about body image. How you relate to food reflects how you relate to others. Lee is a licensed counselor and marriage therapist who specializes in treating eating disorders. Meet Wednesday, April 16, 2007, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of Book People, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.
This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and Book People.
Intimacies Group — Satisfying the Libido
Join Good Life columnist Karen Kreps and special guest, Michael Johnson, PhD, for a conversation about how to avoid mistaking sexual intensity for intimacy. Michael counsels individuals and couples on relationship issues and leads workshops on sexual addition.
Meet Wednesday, March 19, 2007, 7 pm-8:30 pm on the third floor of Book People, 603 N. Lamar. Audience members will be encouraged to share their personal experiences. No charge, just bring your sense of humor and an open mind.
To join the email announcement list of this group, send email to p2paustin-subscribeyahoogroupscom.
This event is co-sponsored by The Good Life magazine and Book People.
Ghosts in your love life
Ever sense there is an unseen entity interfering with your current love life? Sometimes the memory (conscious or not so) of a past flame interferes with our being fully present and engaged in new romance. Shadow sex can take many disguises. Perhaps you were madly in love in your younger days and your current partner dims in the after glow of a long-ago relationship. Perhaps you had a negative experience (physical or verbal abuse from a past lover or even a parent) that damaged your self esteem in ways from which you never fully recovered. Or are you holding out for the perfect someone you envision yourself with and so you never fully open to the foible-filled mate who is just waiting for you to love ‘em “as is”? Every minute you spend focusing (with longing or loathing) on your ex is a minute that’s holding you back from a better future. Just because someone in your past let you down doesn’t mean that history is bound to repeat itself–unless your expectation for repeated failure is so strong that you set yourself up for it. Don’t blame the man or woman in your life today for what someone else failed to do or say. Be here now, as Ram Das taught. It’s easier said than done, but it IS do-able.
On February 20, Robin Shepperd, Doctor of Chiropractic, will be my special guest at the Intimacies Discussion Group, which meets at BookPeople. We’ll be talking about clearing such entities from our hearts and minds and being more open to a current or future love.
Robin says she helps people to clear “stuckness” around whatever is not working in one’s life. For instance, you really want a romantic relationship, but it is not happening. Together with you, she locates and removes what is preventing your having that knock-your-socks-off relationship, such as past life commitments to another and fear of being hurt again.
Please join us at BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar in Austin, TX, 7 pm – 8:30 pm. If you can’t make the date, please post your comments and questions here. You’ll get answers.
Feb 20, Clearing the way for love
Robin Heart Shepperd, D.C. will be my special guest at the next meeting of the Intimacies Discussion Group at BookPeople. We’ll have a conversation about letting go of past negative experiences and being fully present for a positive current or future relationship. Robin, founder of Passionate Woman, clears men and women of emotional blocks to allow love in.
My Favorite Quote: Article 1
I got this note from a man who bought the book yesterday:
I like Karen’s writing style. Its to the point, not overly complicated, and its inspirational in the face of cynicism. For example, take article 1, “Love will cool if cupid’s arrow finds the mark but once a year.”
My favorite passage (p.21): “If you as a couple, don’t make time or mental space for expressions of love, you may become less able to express yourselves with each other in general. …Romantic rituals remind us of the private, soft connection we have with someone. If being romantic doesn’t come naturally, practice a little. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is and how much fun. Send a message that you find your mate special and worth spoiling. …But it is important for you to do something special sometime, and frequently.”
My biggest discovery was finding out that my mate didn’t perceive romance when I thought I was being romantic! I thought it was the hugs and money. Later, I found out it was when I cheerfully and quickly did what she asked of me (usually a repair or a household chore.) I found this out in an exercise where each of us listed 10 ways we tried to show love to the other and 10 ways we wanted to have love shown to us. Only in a few items was there agreement. The unmatched items were new opportunities for conversations about desire and gratitude and not being taken for granted.
As you read Karen’s book, I hope you’ll join me in sharing your favorite quote or passage.
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Karen Kreps
Author of Intimacies: Secrets of Love, Sex & Romance.