EP506 - Why You Don’t Want Sex: What Your Nervous System Is Trying to Tell You

Description

Why can trauma make you lose interest in sex, disconnect from your body, or freeze during intimacy? In this episode of the Sexology Podcast, somatic instructor Liz Tenuto, also known as The Workout Witch, explains how trauma affects the nervous system, sexual desire, pleasure, and our ability to feel safe in the body.Liz shares her personal journey of living with PTSD, chronic pain, sleep difficulties, and the long-term effects of trauma. She explains how gentle somatic exercises and small, intentional movements may help reduce habitual tension, regulate the nervous system, and rebuild a sense of safety and connection with the body.We also explore the fawn and freeze responses during sex, why anxiety can be mistaken for a lack of desire, and how trauma survivors can begin reconnecting with sexual sensation without forcing themselves to move faster than their bodies are ready for.Liz opens up about healing after an abusive marriage, coming out, and discovering her sexuality later in life. She shares how becoming more connected to her body helped her understand what she genuinely wanted from relationships, sex, and intimacy.In this episode, you will learn:How trauma can affect sexual desire and physical sensationWhat somatic healing is and how somatic exercises workHow stress and trauma become connected to chronic tensionWhat the fawn response looks like in relationshipsWhy someone may freeze or disconnect during sexHow the nervous system influences arousal, pleasure, and libidoWays to ground yourself when sexual triggers ariseHow to distinguish desire from anxiety or hyperarousalWhy slowing down can help rebuild safety and pleasureHow trauma survivors can reconnect with their bodiesWhat it can mean to discover your sexuality later in lifeAbout Liz TenutoLiz Tenuto, also known as The Workout Witch, is a somatic instructor who specializes in practices designed to address the physical effects of chronic stress and trauma. Her mission is to make somatic healing approachable, accessible, and easy to incorporate into ev