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 sensation
- What somatic healing is and how somatic exercises work
- How stress and trauma become connected to chronic tension
- What the fawn response looks like in relationships
- Why someone may freeze or disconnect during sex
- How the nervous system influences arousal, pleasure, and libido
- Ways to ground yourself when sexual triggers arise
- How to distinguish desire from anxiety or hyperarousal
- Why slowing down can help rebuild safety and pleasure
- How trauma survivors can reconnect with their bodies
- What it can mean to discover your sexuality later in life
About Liz Tenuto
Liz 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 everyday life.
Drawing from both professional knowledge and personal experience as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence, Liz helps people understand how trauma can influence the body, nervous system, relationships, and capacity for pleasure.
Learn more about Liz Tenuto:
https://theworkoutwitch.com
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