Alicia Muñoz's Blog

Erotic vitality means feeling fully alive. You do this first and foremost for yourself. Feeling vibrant and empowered to live and speak your truth in different domains helps counterbalance the forces in the world around you that may undermine your sense of agency. Erotic vitality emerges when you can relax, speak up, set boundaries, pursue joy and pleasure, cultivate fulfilling relationships, experience agency, and have energy.

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Our tendency to judge ourselves, others, life events, and our partner can block our ability to see the world around us clearly.

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Two of the most important, guiding principles in romantic relationships can be summarized as: Couples who play together, stay together Curiosity sustains intimacy Why is Play a Bonding Agent? We tend to want to do more of the things that give us pleasure, make us happy, and allow us to relax. Kids know this. They […]

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When you take ownership of something you judge or find intolerable in yourself or others, you're actually dissolving a block that separates you from the world outside of you.

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Overthinking is our subtlest and most insidious cognitive coping strategy.

Desire isn't just a means to an end--it's an end in itself.

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Desire isn't just a means to an end--it's an end in itself.

by Linda Carroll, MS, LMFT, BCC People are exhausted with and by COVID-19, and anticipation of what’s to come medically, politically, and environmentally is only increasing that anxiety in many of us. This stress plays out in our relationships, which is why I’m getting several calls a week from new people looking for a therapist—people …

Continue reading "Finding Whanau"

Attraction is a complex process. At times, it can seem like it’s outside of our control. A common misconception about attraction is that you either get lucky and “find” someone you’re attracted to—or you don’t. In reality, we can choose who we open up to, trust, and depend on. Contrary to popular opinion, our partner choice is …

Continue reading "5 Signs They’re a Keeper"

Have you ever fallen head-over-heels in love with someone who didn’t love you back? This experience is a common part of our early development as we explore fantasy, intimacy, relationships, and desire. There’s just one catch: this kind of love—unrequited love—isn’t really love. It can feel intense, powerful, and even erotic to surrender to unrequited …

Continue reading "The Trouble With Unrequited Love"