Betty Dodson with Carlin Ross
Better Orgasms. Better World.
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Betty's Vaginal Barbell |
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My Romantic Love Wars: A Sexual Memoir - EBOOK EDITION |
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Betty Dodson's Bodysex Workshop DVD |
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Betty Dodson Liberating women one orgasm at a time |
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Carlin Ross Sex, Politics & More Sex |
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Eric Amaranth Sex life coaching and neo-male perspectives. |
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Lawrence Lanoff President of Pleasure, Tantric Master. Creator of Tantra-X University. |
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Liandra Dahl Sex Documentarian |
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LilithLand Women, Sex, Culture & Relationships |
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BorderReiver Restoring My Foreskin |
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Caitlin Bovard From the bible belt to under the belt |
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Caitlin Roberts Taking Back "Slut" |
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cajun sausage Lovin' Dr. Betty since 1996! |
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Christina Cicchelli |
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Danny Wylde Male. Libra. Whore |
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Dr. Lulu History & the Material Culture of Sex |
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Emily and Ju Queer love |
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Eric Francis Astrology & Adventure |
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Jenn Parenthood. With Cursing |
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Jessica Kramer Liberating Birth |
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jexhibitionism |
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Julia Emerald Philosophy, Sex and Freedom |
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Kasini Poet. Educator. Catalyst. Mother. |
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carlisleorama |
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LesleyS Redefining my sexual self after babies. |
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Logan Levkoff sexologist, sex educator, intellisexual, author, mom |
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Marisa Black Finding room for all of me |
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Marylou Naccarato Learn how to raise your level of “Sexability” |
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Miss Dirt Sex. Yoga. Feminism |
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Palesa Art + Sex + Media + Empowerment |
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The ED Coach Pa... Helping Men Regain Their Sexuality |
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Princess What would my mother say? |
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Scout Life...Parenting...Bodysex |
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VirginMonoblogger Thought all virgins were the same? Think again. |
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WildOrchid A selfsexual, toy loving, bisexual fetishist. |
I'm writing this post because Betty takes too much heat for speaking out against antidepressants. When she was in a bad marriage, her doctor prescribed one of the first antidepressants on the market...she took one and decided to throw the rest out. Getting a divorce and joining the Sexual Revolution cured her depression.
Recently, 60 Minutes covered some of the latest research on antidepressants: for most people antidepressants have little more than a placebo effect. You take a pill and you feel better. Antidepressants only worked for severely depressed people. And the drug companies knew that from the start.
What they don't tell you is that antidepressants have been linked to stroke and heart disease in men and breast and ovarian cancer in women. Dr. Andrew Weil believes that antidepressants are over prescribed and there are other more effective therapies like diet and exercise. He points out that Iceland has the lowest incidence of depression in the world which is surprising since they don't have daylight several months of the year. But they have diets high in omega-3 fatty acids. Aerobic exercise and social connection have also been effective in treating depression.
The issue is that there isn't a definitive test to ascertain whether or not you should take an antidepressant. There's no depression test. And no where in my antidepressant research did anyone talk about the role of orgasm in your overall health. Somehow sexuality never comes up in any medical discussion. It doesn't seem to register that if you're having regular orgasms through masturbation you're releasing endorphins and oxytocin which make you feel good about yourself and connected to the world around you - that this may be beneficial.
Betty's first question when she has a private session client is, "are you on antidepressants?"...frequently they are. Whenever we're at sex conferences, we talk with other practitioners about the role of antidepressants and the inability to achieve orgasm. No one will come out and say that there's a connection. No one wants to get sued.
Personally, I wouldn't take the risk of developing cancer...I'd rather hit the gym, eat some fish and have an orgasm. I can't help but wonder - why not treat depression with self love?
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Cognitive therapy
Even if you accept the horrible side-effects of anti-depressants, the worst problem is that it is mostly a lie that they actually do much about depression itself. Mild or severe, throwing a drug at it is much cheaper at helping patients deal with their actual thoughts an feelings that actually cause depression. Often depression is called a no bootstrap problem, yet depression traps people into thinking they CANNOT do anything anyway. So what really happens if people really want to conquer it, they can only get self-help books, not therapy or coaching. Thus most people skip the books and expect the drugs to just SOLVE the problem. That is WHY the placebo effect is actually true. It is the expectation that gets the brain moving. But long term day to day, it doesn't get you to much THINKING better.
Betty got a lot of comments for the whole "big girl panties" comments she has made, but actually depression is much more serious that expecting a pill to solve. I think she actually was on to something. They say exercise helps. Well, guess what. Depression isn't gonna help you exercise. You really just have to make yourself do things. Some people get so depressed they procrastinate taking the drugs.
So you can see the REAL problem. I think the Brits are onto a better solution, according to the video.
Anti-depressants
I've been on anti-depressants for 16yrs. They make masturbation more difficult.
No good choices with Depression
I really think there is a huge unmet medical need with depression. Betty probably has a unique perspective due to the type of work she does. Not meaning to be a wet blanket, but I would like to point out there is a group who benefit from these drugs. In my mind the problem is there is no serious, sound scientific model for what depression is and no way to screen if a particular person's depression is caused by X so will improve with drug Y. Until we get to that point, any medication prescribed is a crap-shoot whether or not it will work. And while its true that many issues can be improved with diet, excercise and positive encouragement (orgasms!), for those with serious clinical depression, this isnt sufficient. Bottom line we need to understand depression so that better therapies can be developed.
the diet cure
Masturbation has been part of the cure for me
I think antidepressants have their place and benefit some people. But I do think they should be used cautiously and after everything else has been exhausted. A few years ago I was mildly depressed. I made myself a list of things to do when feeling down, such as spend time outside and get more exercise. At that time, I did not have "masturbate" on my list, but if I were to make a list these days, that would be at the top of it!
One of the reasons I was depressed was my frustration with being in a sexless marriage, and I felt hopeless. Masturbation has been part of the cure for me. Maybe not for everyone, but I am certainly glad I went down that road instead of the pill popping route. Thank you Betty!!!
Bi-Polarity of a Male User
About the crap-shoot theory: Yes, my psycho-docs tried a few different meds for my mania.
First, the cause of bi-polarity. Who knows?
Next, the seven-year itch--and guilt? And then? Was it mania?
After some serious mood swings, and hospitalization, the thoughts of suicide presented themselves.
Lithium: what a mess I was, and that helped.
But then Depacote came by--and "saved" me.
Fish Oil? Perhaps the closest I got to non-pharm meds.
So, now I "have" ED. What is the cause? Or is it a combination of age and medications?
I will NOT stop the meds--I have, and have gone into awful withdrawal. I'll accept the ED, continue to look at pornography, have fantasies, masturbate with a semi-erection, use penile injections to get a three-hour erection to have intercourse. (Ouch! That needle in the penis...)
But I have my bi-polarity under control--and have regular meetings with the psycho-doc for prescription renewals. I take 150 mg of Wellbutrin daily, and 1200 mg of Neurontin. And my alcohol intake is VERY limited. Not much medication. I have to live with it--or not live, the way I see it.
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