Sexual Healing: Using the Power of an Intimate, Loving Relationship to Heal Your Body and Soul

Pearsall ( The 10 Laws of Lasting Loves ) believes that an intimate, loving relationship exerts a quantifiably positive effect on health. He studied at the Kinsey Institute in the early 1970s, later founding his own treatment center for sexual problems. The book advocates sex that is reflective, considered and contemplative, in direct opposition to the ``don't think about it, just do it'' approach. Pearsall calls the study of how our sexual attitudes and behaviors affect health ``psychoneurosexuality,'' a field which he believes can lead to sexual shamanism. The book's opening scene concerns Pearsall's own sexual healing following surgery for cancer: ``I heard the words of a doctor pronouncing, `I think we've lost him.' At that terrible moment, I felt the miraculous effects of sexual healing . . . my wife brought me back from death's door and reconnected me with life.'' For the author, it is the lack of discussion about the meaningfulness of sex and connections that interferes with sexual healing. He focuses on the couple as joint healers and explores the ways in which sexual attitudes and behaviors affect health. Much is known about the mechanics of sex, he asserts, but little is understood about how a relationship has the power to heal. Pearsall believes that when two people connect intimately it influences the health of each partner. Too often, he writes, ``self-pleasure is the primary goal, followed by skill in turning the partner on in order to be a competent lover and maintain sexual esteem.'' Sensibly, Pearsall wants to shift the dialogue from sexual gymnastics to finding the connection between two people with the power to heal. (Apr.)