Lori Davis (Photo: Casey Martin)
Personal Health
Sex Professional Lori Davis’ sex counseling practices focuses on issues with sex and female health By An dre w Sul livan
T
alking about sex or one’s sexuality can be a difficult topic to bring up for some people, but Lori Davis hopes to make it more comfortable for folks to open up. A nurse practitioner for roughly 10 years at Cayuga Medical Center, Davis is a certified sex counselor who opened up her new practice on Aurora Street in downtown Ithaca in the fall of 2021. About five years ago, she said she began exploring her own sexuality, wondering to herself what sex is all about, why it is sometimes so difficult and why it feels unsatisfactory at times. “As I was starting to explore myself, I realized, ‘Oh wait a minute, it’s not just me,’” Davis said. “I happen to meet other women who were having similar problems, and really saw how they weren’t supported by the medical system, and it was really hard to find support. And not only were they not supported, they were often dismissed in their questions and concerns.” With her background as a nurse practitioner and certification in sex counseling, Davis is able to bring both disciplines to one space. “The mind-body connection is real in all aspects of life, but I think it’s especially important to address when it comes to sexuality issues,” she said. “Anytime there’s a physical issue there’s likely to be related emotional beliefs, feelings that are associated with that. … Being able to come to someone who can look at my physical health, how can we optimize my physical health in a holistic way, and then that makes me that much more ready when we are having conversations and working on
Women Building Community Innovation Grant Cycle is OPEN! Now accepting applications for one $10,000 award to be given in 2022 Deadline to apply: March 24 for details: www.womenbuildingcommunity.org for questions: grants@womenbuildingcommunity.org
counseling and communication with my partner. “Counselors sort of miss some of the physical things that are relevant, and physicians and nurse practitioners aren’t able to provide the counseling. I feel that just leaves people not really adequately supported.” Those unfamiliar with the practice may have several questions as to what specifically sex counseling is. “Some people might be concerned that, ‘Is there going to be touch[ing] during this,’ or, ‘Do I have to be naked,’ or, ‘Is there going to be this sort of intimacy,’ and the answer is no,” Davis said. “There are providers that do different kinds of sexual support that do that kind of work, and sometimes that’s exactly what a person needs.” In reality, it is more of a “conversation” as Dr. Davis describes it, with no predetermined agenda attached to it. “Just as coming to see any provider or coming to see a counselor, there’s just anxiety about opening up in this part of their lives,” she said. “But what I’ve seen is that taking it slow and sort of meeting the person just right where they’re at. You’re not being pushed into any particular direction, but [it is more of], ‘Where are
you, what are your specific concerns, and how can I help.’” Her practice focuses on three particular areas: (1) discovering one’s sexual self; (2) period health and menopause transition; and (3) overcoming pain with sex. The latter area deals with women who suffer from endometriosis, a condition where cells similar to ones that line the uterus occur outside the uterus. According to Davis’ website, like the cells in the uterine lining, the ones on the outside respond to hormonal changes of the menstrual cycle, which causes bleeding and inflammation wherever the cells are found. This can result in severe pain for some women, and is something for which Davis offers holistic personalized care as treatment. She is also well versed in helping women who have battled cancer with possible sexual concerns, which is a specific area of research of hers. “With cancer, [there are] a wide range of concerns,” she said. “The most common cancer in women is breast cancer, and so they’ll have body image issues related to changes after a surgery. The breasts are a significant source of sexual pleasure and arousal, and so without that sensitivity that’s a huge blow. Women are often put on medications that change their hormones
such that they have significant pain with sex. That, plus just the process of going through cancer itself, is such a transformative process and puts so many stresses on relationships and a sense of self.” In terms of period health and menopause, Davis said it is simply a matter of giving women the necessary assistance in better understanding the two. “I also do work with hormones for women, and it really comes out of the same motivation of seeing how little support women get for issues related to period health and definitely issues related to changes at the time of menopause,” she said. Men and women experience a variety of concerns when it comes to their sexuality. Typically for women those worries are in regards to low desire, pain during sex and difficulty achieving orgasm individually or with a partner. For men, common concerns are mainly premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction, or as Davis prefers to refer to it as erectile “dissatisfaction” or “disappointment.” When it comes to these types of concerns, Davis likes to examine areas such as “genital function, overall health, thoughts/ beliefs, behaviors and relationships,” according to her website. “As a woman myself, when I first started working in the field I was duly and rightfully enraged at the patriarchal influences on female sexuality and how limiting that is for women,” she said. “I could just see so clearly the harm that that causes. As soon as I turn to work for men I see the same thing. It’s not that men don’t benefit from this. The patriarchal culture prescribes how they should be sexually with their partners. It hurts them just as much.”
15% OFF
with mention of this ad
FREE SAMPLES
845-244-0868 www.yourcbdstoreithaca.com 308 E. Seneca St. Ithaca, NY 14850
Delivery and Shipping Available Ma r ch
2 – 8 ,
2 0 2 2
/ T h e
It h ac a T im e s
11
