Sex. We like it. We just don’t want to talk about it. In the world as we know it today, we are afraid of sex. Why? It’s largely because we don’t understand it, and we can’t control it. Many books have been written about this volatile subject. From “Every Man’s Battle” by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker, to Dr. Ruth’s “Sexuality-Encyclopedia” and “Sex for Dummies,” there’s never a shortage of material to whet our sexual appetite.

Some of us go to bookstores or libraries to order books about sex that might help or encourage us in our quest for pleasurable fulfillment. Others of us go to the Internet to find books or to peruse the erotic websites, looking for… well, what are we looking for?
   
Sex at the Core, Disabled or Not
We are looking for something that is basic to our design as human beings. For those of us who believe in a Creator, our thoughts about sexual matters may have been skewed by our religious upbringing, and this may have been to our detriment. From my perspective, as a writer and a researcher, I have found human sexuality to be at the very core of our human identity, an essential element in our human journey. It is a gift from God that should be experienced, celebrated and relished for as long as we live.

PTSD and Sex
For those who aren’t disabled, sex can sometimes be taken for granted. For those of us who are disabled, it can be a headache, heartache or a wonderful addition to our disabled experience. One of my disabilities is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Where PTSD once exacerbated the sexual issues or problems in my life, I have recently found that I can use sex as a tool to bring my stress levels down to a reasonable level, bringing a relaxation that cannot come from any other source in my toolbox of calming techniques.
   
I have learned, through many years of struggling with my disabilities and how they affect my life, that sex is one of the best tools for bringing balance, stability and soulfulness back into areas of my life that were disconnected or out-of-balance with the rest of my personality.

Benefiting from Sex
Rather than misunderstand sex and sexuality, it is high time we, as persons-with-disabilities, began to see this wonderful gift as a tool to bring us a more wholesome human experience. We could all benefit from this type of experience, don’t you think?

Photo courtesy Peter Drier on Wikimedia Commons.