In the Garden of Desire: The Intimate World of Women's Sexual Fantasies

by Wendy Maltz, Suzie Boss

In this groundbreaking book, Wendy Maltz, a leading expert on women's sexuality, and journalist Suzie Boss guide us through the fascinating world of women's sexual fantasies, expanding the boundaries of what we know about female desire.   In the Garden of Desire reveals how sexual fantasies, much like dreams, can be seen as gateways to our inner selves.  Drawing on insights from sexuality experts, workshop participants, and interviews with more than one hundred women who share their own deliciously original, sensuous, and provocative erotic stories, the authors inspire each of us to take a closer look at our own sexual imaginations and the roles fantasies play in ou lives.

In the Garden of Desire takes women on a journey of passion, pleasure, and self-discovery as

* Describes women's most common fantasy roles and the powerful yet little understood sensory styles of lovemaking women find most arousing.

* Illuminates the diverse functions of sexual fantasies in women's lives, from stimulating orgasm to improving one's self-image.

* Helps women to discover their own sexual styles and to evaluate the pros and cons of how particular fantasies operate in their lives.

* Offers straightforward advice for when and how to talk about fantasies with one's lover.

An unprecedented guide to using the power of the imagination to heighten sexual expression, this intimate exploration will enable every woman to choose her
fantasy life more fully, freely, and deliberately, for her own personal pleasure and lasting satisfaction.

Enter the fascinating and uncharted territory of women's sexual

* Our Most Private Thoughts  
* Describing Our Fantasy Style  
* Where Sexual Fantasies Come From  
* How Fantasies Help Us  
* Recognizing Fantasy Traps  
* Deep Discoveries
* Guided Explorations  
* Healing and Changing Unwanted Fantasies  
* Sharing Fantasies with Lovers  
* Creating Favorite Fantasies

Genres: Sexuality

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Wendy Maltz LCSW, DST is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and sex therapist. Her books include The Porn Trap, The Sexual Healing Journey, Private Thoughts, Passionate Hearts, Intimate Kisses, and Incest & Sexuality. Wendy’s highly acclaimed videos are Relearning Touch and Partners in Healing. In 2014 she received the prestigious Carnes Award from the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health. Wendy and Larry Maltz LCSW, an esteemed therapist with more than 30 years of experience, provide consultation and counseling services at Maltz Counseling Associates in Eugene, Oregon.

Reviews

[Kya Caprese · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super interesting book. Maltz & Boss don't shy from being entirely real about the fantasies shared by their sample of ordinary women in the 1990s. The authors take a somewhat more psychoanalytic approach than what is common in research psychology today. This made me uncomfortable at first, but I've come to understand that things like sexual fantasies are not easily explainable by more scientifically verifiable theoretical frameworks. Sexual fantasies are so tied up in subjective symbolism and relational schemas that it becomes difficult for the tools of science we have currently to explain them.

I came across this book while doing some background research in sexology in order to better understand the debate in the field of "Autogynephilia" and its relevance to trans women. I won't get into that debate here, but what I'll say is that if you are getting into that topic, reading this book is a great way to get some qualitative background on ordinary sexual fantasies among women. You need this kind of background if you want to properly compare and contrast the sexual fantasies of trans women, to determine whether their fantasies represent some paraphilia or merely ordinarily female sexuality within a natal male. I feel a lot of the sexologists and sexology amateurs studying this topic lack background information on female sexuality, and it leads to quite a bit of folly. If you are interested in the topic of Autogynephilia from a qualitative testimony-drive perspective, I would recommend reading "Men Trapped in Men's Bodies" by Anne Lawrence and then reading this book alongside it as a companion for maximal context.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helped me to understand how the dominant culture, family values/behavior, etc. influence sexual fantasy for women.