If you’re having trouble connecting to your pleasure, both in your ability to enjoy the everyday as well as sexual pleasure, it’s important to know that the sense of numbness isn’t the absence of sensation. Numbness is actually a response to an overwhelming sensation.

Numbness is a form of freeze, a fear response we go into when we’re trying to preserve ourselves. This could occur as a response to serious childhood or adult trauma, as well as other things like a bullying boss, a car accident, a heartbreaking end to a relationship or extreme overwhelm from stress.

Pleasure and sensation

What this means is if we can slowly, gently, and safely over time, release these emotions, we can regain connection to our bodies, our pleasure and aliveness! Infrared saunas are an excellent way to do this. I use them regularly myself and recommend them to my clients who are often rehabilitating after losing their sense of sexual self-connection after assault, domestic violence or some other major trauma.

Why are infrared saunas helpful?

• Can help you to release emotional overwhelm causing numbness
• Detoxification 
• Calms nervous system which reduces anxiety
• Heat forces us into a state of relation 
• Increase circulation 
• Increase red blood cell production
• Expand physical sensation reception in the entire body

Cold immersion

The contrast of sensations at the end of an infrared sauna with a cold shower is an amazing time to be deeply present with the body’s sensations. Cold immersions following an infrared sauna can also activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the relaxation system).