Sex and Intimacy for Wounded Veterans: A Guide to Embracing Change

“Tastefully illustrated, Sex and Intimacy for Wounded Veterans is a one-of-a-kind position and device resource, especially for anyone who has experienced limb loss or serious genital injury.”—Mitchell Tepper, PhD, MPH, author of Regain That Feeling: Secrets to Sexual Self-Discovery

Human contact and sexuality are natural and essential parts of our lives. Need and desire do not dissipate when someone has experienced traumatic injury. While injuries may cause profound changes to one’s life, intimacy and sexual activity are still possible—and could even present new opportunities. Sex and Intimacy for Wounded Veterans: A Guide to Embracing Change was written by occupational therapists who work with wounded veterans, but it is applicable to all who’ve experienced life-changing injury. Designed to help educate veterans, family members, significant others, and clinicians, this manual provides practical information and illustrations to help readers reengage in sexual activity and intimacy, with or without adaptations and modifications.

The diagnoses considered when creating Sex and Intimacy for Wounded Veterans: A Guide to Embracing Change include but are not limited to: traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), genital injury, spinal cord injury (SCI ), and orthopedic injuries involving muscles, bones, nerves, and limb amputations. Regardless of injury, sexual pleasure is a realistic goal, as is the ability to form intimate relationships with others.

“Veterans and spouses often describe difficulty with sexual intimacy as their greatest hurdle to healing, while doctors and therapists frequently describe sex as the issue they are most unprepared to address. In Sex and Intimacy for Wounded Veterans: A Guide to Embracing Change, both veterans and health care workers will find a comprehensive and compassionate guide. We should put a copy of this manual in the hands of every patient, spouse, and medical provider who walks through the door of a Military Treatment Facility. "--Emilie E. Godwin, Ph.D., LPC, MFT, Assistant Professor and Director of Psychotherapy & Family Services, Virginia Commonwealth University Neuropsychology ~ Traumatic Brain Injury Model System of Care

*Paid for by grants from the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the SemperMax Support Fund. Sex and Intimacy for Wounded Veterans is offered at a nominal charge to optimize its availability to all who can benefit by its use. Any proceeds from the sale of the guide will be used to purchase complimentary copies for distribution at military and veteran treatment facilities.