Thu. August 24, 2006
Chicago, IL -
When world renowned sex educator and therapist Dr. Laura Berman sits down with real life couples each week on Showtime’s original series Sexual Healing, the intensive, week-long relationship workshops they undergo will leave you floored.
But the lives and stories behind the couples themselves, including gay couple Robert and Jeremy and lesbian couple Sarah and Erin, will shock and astound you.
Sexual Healing premiered in July to rave reviews and soaring ratings for Showtime. The show follows Berman who, as director of The Berman Center in Chicago, IL, helps couples who are struggling with their sex lives achieve more intimate and emotionally fulfilling relationships.
This week, the show introduces lesbian couple Sarah and Erin who, after four years together, are facing a breakdown in their sexual connection. As Berman works with the ladies, we find that Erin’s work as an exotic dancer for men is one of the problems; Sarah’s trouble with money is another.
The following week, Berman sits down with Robert and Jeremy, struggling after three years together. Berman works with the couple to uncover a lot of the anger and frustration one of the men has been repressing over being discharged from the military for being gay.
The same week, Berman works with Lee and Cher, who have been facing problems being intimate since the two started exploring their sexuality at swinger parties. Cher, who says she was new to sexual experimentation when Lee took her to her first party, says they helped her discover new things about her sexuality, including her bisexuality.
Included among the exercises Berman prescribes for the couples is a sexual health check up for all patients. Depending on the problems couples are facing, Berman designs individual programs for each patient. Robert and Jeremy are encouraged to take couples yoga to build their connection to one another. All couples are prescribed a touching exercise where they are told to get intimate through touching without becoming sexual.
Berman has been considered a leading thinker in her field for more than 18 years. A graduate of New York University with her master’s degree in Clinical Social Work and a doctorate in Health Education and Therapy (specializing in human sexuality), she has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show and is a regular contributor for the Chicago Sun Times.
Sexual Healing airs Fridays at 10pm, ET on Showtime. Sarah and Erin’s episode premieres this Friday, August 25 while the episode featuring Robert and Jeremy and Lee and Cher airs September 8.
For more information on Sexual Healing, visit www.sho.com. For more information on Dr. Laura Berman and The Berman Center, visit www.bermancenter.com.
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