What is Queer About Sex?: Expanding Sexual Frames in Theory and Practice

URL Link

http://www.pinktherapy.com/portals/0/CourseResources/Relationships/whatsqueeraboutsex.pdf

Full Citation

Iasenza S. (2010) What is queer about sex?: expanding sexual frames in theory and practice. Family Process. 2010 Sep; 49(3):291-308. doi: 10.1111/j.1545-5300.2010.01324.x.

What diversity/subjectivity topics are they discussing?

One of the areas she’s discussing is “queer moments” in therapy. Iasenza writes, “Queer will be used in this paper in three ways. First, it reminds us of the potential fluidity and multidimensionality of same and other sex/gender experience in all people…. Second, it embodies the confounding nature of sexuality in general with its incongruities and paradoxes in sexual behaviors, attractions, thoughts, feelings, fantasies, and sensations. Thirdly, it normalizes our awkwardness as we challenge our own cherished frames about sexuality and gender in clinical practice. … [There are] ‘‘queer moments’’ in therapy when we feel perplexed, off balance, or uncomfortable with the impasses, intensities, and surprises that often develop within expansive erotic space.”

Your summary or comments on the article

Includes various sexual response models.
Discusses loose guidelines for taking a sexual history.

Abstract

Psychotherapists often believe if couples improve their communication and emotional dynamics, good sex follows. In practice we often find otherwise and have many questions about how to proceed to work with sexuality issues more directly. This paper presents the many challenges working with sex including the following: the fluidity and multidimensionality of sex and gender, the incongruities and paradoxes in sexual behavior, thoughts, attractions, feelings, and sensations, and the powerful feelings, impasses, surprises, and confusion therapists often experience doing the work. In essence, what is queer about sex? Using the couple as client, expansive ways of thinking and working with sexuality are presented including the development of inclusive models of sex, gender, and sexual response, as well as new approaches to standard sex therapy techniques such as sexual history-taking, redefining sex, and sensate focus. Techniques are presented with an emphasis on the therapist’s use of self as sexual change agent including integrating multiple theoretical perspectives (psychodynamic, systemic, and cognitive-behavioral), co-creating a safe treatment frame, and how to intervene within the cognitive, affective, behavioral, somatic, and discursive realms.

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