Couple Resources – Books
+ Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence by Esther Perel (Author)
+ The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert by John M. Gottman (Author), Nan Silver (Author)
+ Wired for Love: How Understanding Your Partner’s Brain and Attachment Style Can Help You Defuse Conflict and Build a Secure Relationship by Stan Tatkin
+ The Heart of Desire: Keys to the Pleasures of Love by Stella Resnick
+ Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find – and Keep – Love by Amir Levine & Rachel Heller
+ Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie
Sex & Sexuality
+ Sexual Intelligence: What We Really Want from Sex–and How to Get It by Marty Klein (Author)
+ Sexual Healing: The Complete Guide to Overcoming Common Sexual Problems by Barbara Keesling
+ FeMani Wellness
FeMani Wellness® is here to provide a resource for you as an individual as well as information and products for health care providers who want to offer their patients the best support they can when questions about sexual health and pleasure come up.https://femaniwellness.com
+ A Woman’s Touch | Sexuality Resource Center
A Woman’s Touch is a thriving woman-owned and operated sexuality boutique based in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. We are one of a small number of stores that focus on women’s perspectives on sex and sensuality in the Midwestern United States, and the only store that offers our unique combination of expertise in sexual health *and* pleasure.https://www.sexualityresources.com/
+ Kinsey institute
Our vision: To be the premier research institute on human sexuality and relationships. Our mission: To foster and promote a greater understanding of human sexuality and relationships through research, outreach, education, and historical preservation. https://kinseyinstitute.org
Female Sexuality
+ Come As You Are: The Surprising Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski
+ Healing Painful Sex: A Woman’s Guide to Confronting, Diagnosing, and Treating Sexual Pain, by Deborah Coady and Nancy Fish
+ OMGYES
There’s so much that’s been left unsaid, unasked, and unknown. All because of a taboo that, we believe, will look absurd in a few decades—the same way taboos from the 1950’s about oral sex and homosexuality are absurd to us now. We want to accelerate that transition. OMGYes is an entirely new way to explore fascinating, useful and fun information that’s been uncovered in new research. Let’s lift the veil and take an honest look at the specific ways women actually find pleasure. https://www.omgyes.com/en/
+ The Ripped Bodice
The Ripped Bodice is the only exclusively romance bookstore in the United States. Sisters and owners Leah and Bea Koch raised $91,000 on Kickstarter to bring their dream of a romance-only bookstore to life. https://www.therippedbodicela.com/
Male Sexuality
+ The New Male Sexuality: The Truth about Men, Sex, and Pleasure, Revised Edition, by Bernie Zilbergeld, 1999
+ Coping with Erectile Dysfunction: How to Regain Confidence and Enjoy Great Sex, by Michael Metz and Barry McCarthy
+ Coping with Premature Ejaculation: How to Overcome PE, Please Your Partner, and Have Great Sex, by Michael Metz and Barry McCarthy
LGBTQAI+
+ The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man’s World by Alan Downs
+ Dear John, I Love Jane: Women Write About Leaving Men for Women, by Candace Walsh and Laura Andre
+ Dear John, I Love Jane: Women Write About Leaving Men for Women, by Candace Walsh and Laura Andre
+ GLAAD
GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. https://www.glaad.org/
+ The Asexual Visibility and Education Network
Welcome to the Asexual Visibility and Education Network. AVEN hosts the world’s largest online asexual community as well as a large archive of resources on asexuality. AVEN strives to create open, honest discussion about asexuality among sexual and asexual people alike. https://www.asexuality.org/
Polyamory
+ More than Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory, by Franklin Veaux and Eve Rickert
+ Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships, by Tristan Taormino
Compulsive Behaviors (Sex, Love or Porn)
+ Treating Out of Control Sexual Behavior: Rethinking Sex Addiction by Douglas Braun-Harvey & Michael A. Vigorito
+ Facing Love Addiction: Giving Yourself the Power to Change the Way You Love by Pia Mellody, Andrea Wells, & Keither Miller
+ SLAAFWS
Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, or S.L.A.A., is a program for anyone who suffers from an addictive compulsion to engage in or avoid sex, love, or emotional attachment. We use the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous to recover from these compulsions. https://slaafws.org/
+ S-Anon International Family Groups | Hope & Help for Family & Friends of Sexaholics
The S-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of the relatives and friends of sexually addicted people who share their experience, strength and hope in order to solve their common problems. Our program of recovery is adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous and is based on the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. S-Anon’s Twelve Concepts of Service provide guidance in serving each other in our business matters. There are no dues or fees for S-Anon membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. https://www.sanon.org
+ Sex Addicts Anonymous
A fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other so they may overcome their sexual addiction and help others recover from sexual addiction or dependency. https://saa-recovery.org/
Trauma
+ The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
+ Getting Past your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy by Dr Francine Shapiro
+ Tapping In: A Step-by-Step Guide to Activating Your Healing Resources Through Bilateral Stimulation by Laurel Parnell
+ SLAAFWS
The EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) is a professional association where EMDR practitioners and EMDR researchers seek the highest standards for the clinical use of EMDR therapy. EMDR is designated as an effective treatment by the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and many other international health agencies. This powerful psychotherapy approach has helped over an estimated two million people of all ages relieve many types of psychological distress. This website provides information to the greater EMDR community including clinicians, researchers, and the public that our members serve. https://www.emdria.org/
Mindfulness and Resilience
+ Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being by Linda Graham (Author), Rick Hanson (Foreword)
+ Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn
+ Meditation for Beginners by Jack Kornfield
+ Headspace
https://www.headspace.com/
+ UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
The Mindful Awareness Research Center is a partner of the Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology within the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. MARC’s mission is to foster mindful awareness across the lifespan through education and research to promote well-being and a more compassionate society. https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/default.cfm
+ InsightLA
InsightLA is a meditation center teaching the highest quality mindfulness practices throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. For 16 years, we have offered classes, retreats, and special events in an open and welcoming community. Our work is rooted in ancient traditions, and we offer both secular and Buddhist classes. All of our efforts are dedicated toward our mission of calming minds, opening hearts, and changing the world. https://insightla.org/
Additional Web Resources
+ Southern California Counseling Center
We are a non-profit counseling center and training facility where pre-licensed therapists provide counseling under the supervision of volunteer licensed professionals. In their two to four years with us, they experience multiple specialties and diverse psychological modalities as they earn their clinical hours, build their skills, and define their professional practices. https://sccc-la.org/
+ National Alliance on Mental Illness
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. https://www.nami.org/
+ The Maple Counseling Center
Since our founding, we have become The Maple Counseling Center, and have expanded programs to people of all ages living in all areas of Los Angeles County. Today, with the help of associates, trainees, psychological assistants, and older adult peer counselors, services are provided at our headquarters clinic, at local schools, and in collaboration with community partners. All services are provided under the supervision of licensed clinical staff members, who also coordinate the Center’s programs. The primary goal of The Maple Counseling Center remains providing low fee counseling for those in need, where no one is turned away for lack of funds. https://www.tmcc.org/
+ Los Angeles LGBT Center
Today the Center’s more than 600 employees provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. https://lalgbtcenter.org/
Important Phone Numbers:
If you are feeling suicidal, please dial 911, visit your nearest emergency room, or call the Suicide Prevention Center, 24-Hour Crisis line: (877) 727-4747
Psychiatric Emergency Treatment: (800) 331-2673
Child Abuse Hotline: (800) 540-4000
Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233
Elder Abuse Hotline: (800) 992-1660
Teen Help Line: (714) 639-8336