Paradise is irretrievably lost, and you can't get it back, even by going all the way to the west coast of the United States. Gestures, and subtle but inviting language, can be ambiguous in nature. Their meaning may be clear to you, but not to others, and it's best to err on the cautious side. Kanner goes on to say that men and women experience power differences and a woman is more vulnerable naked. You have to stick your head in the sand to ignore the differences in gender attitudes and experiences.
Women can feel threatened on the streets by the gaze of a man.
Along the same line, workshop leader Laura Day urged guests to develop effective defenses to make the experience of communal nudity safe. In an odd way, Esalen is about being at one with the environment. Workshop leaders Judith Alexander and Nancy Rosanoff wrote the Esalen management a detailed letter about the experiences of participants in their recent workshop. For some people, being at the baths brought up a sort of psychological distress and duress derived from a perception of having limited options regarding nudity and personal boundaries. We were told that the co-ed nudity at the baths was such a powerful personal shame trigger, that it led to a sense of inadequacy, disempowerment, and lack of choice.