Posts by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen
DYING FOR SEX EPISODE 4: Molly Wants Power (& How She Gets Some…)
Dying for Sex Episode 4: Topping is a Sacred Skill reveals one thing you don’t have when you’re sexually abused as a child, and that’s: power. Your abuser has the power. You? You have no control. You’re scared, helpless, and you go away, go dead, shut down your desire, just like Molly did. If you’re…
Read MoreDYING FOR SEX EPISODE 3: When Reality Hits Hard & Molly Has No Control
Dying for Sex Episode 3 shows us one major reason feelings can become amplified. It’s when reality hits hard after you’ve been avoiding reality for a very long time because it’s too painful to feel. And, for Molly, all those unwanted feelings are helped along by Dr. P’s new concoction of pharmaceuticals to go “full…
Read MoreDYING FOR SEX EPISODE 2: What Does Molly Want?
Molly said, “No More.” She left Steve in Dying for Sex, Episode 1. That’s the first step. But – it doesn’t answer the question: “What does Molly want?” And, that’s one of the hardest questions for someone scared after sexual abuse and used to shutting down her needs. So, what does Molly want? She doesn’t…
Read MoreDYING FOR SEX EPISODE 1: The Value of Saying “No More”
Molly’s scared to feel. In Dying for Sex Episode 1, childhood sexual abuse is the reason. But there’s more than being numb to her feelings. She can’t say no or put herself first. Not quite yet. She puts herself aside, caters to the needs of others, is scared of her feelings, and is terrified to…
Read MoreINTRODUCTION TO DYING FOR SEX: Scared to Feel After Sexual Abuse
Dying for Sex is certainly about sex. Yet, sex isn’t the heart of it. Dying for Sex is about being scared to feel after sexual abuse and how one dying woman finds her voice. Yes, Molly is scared to feel. But feelings aren’t all she has blocked. Along with them, she’s lost access to knowing…
Read MoreTHE BRUTALIST: Severe Trauma & Complicated Guilt
Why do so many people who’ve suffered severe trauma live with complicated guilt? Guilt that has nothing to do with anything they’ve actually done? Or, like László Tóth in Brady Corbet’s 2025 The Brutalist – guilt about lesser things that is blown way out of proportion? This irrational guilt is because trauma involves unfair blame,…
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