Olivier Cormier-Otaño - Asexualities: doing without?
Channel: Dominic Davies
Date: 14/05/2015

In our highly sexualised society and communities, people with low/no sexual desire and/or interest are being ignored at best, pathologised and oppressed at worst. This is reflected in the narrative of 310 asexuals in a survey conducted by Olivier Cormier-Otaño.
These findings present an important challenge to heteronormative, patriarchal and sexist views on sex, sexuality, desire, intimacy and relationships. The diversity in asexual experiences calls for a consideration of 'asexualities' as fluid and pertaining to the spectrum of sexualities.
Can Psychodynamic, Psychosexual and Humanistic perspectives embrace asexualities as a positive and healthy self-definition rather than a sexual dysfunction?
Could we therefore open up new possibilities to understanding diversity in sexual desire/interest in a non-pathologising way?

Olivier Cormier-Otaño (MBACP Accred) is a counsellor, supervisor and psychosexual therapist in private practice. A Clinical Associate and trainer for Pink Therapy, Olivier also teaches on the Diploma in Psychosexual Therapy run by the Centre for Psychosexual Health and on the Diploma in Contemporary Therapy for the BeeLeaf institute. He has written published chapters on Gender and Sexual Diversity including papers on Asexualities for various publications.  Website www.oliviercounselling.co.uk