Jim and Felicia Matto-Shepard are licensed psychotherapists in the San Francisco Bay area. They offer retreats, groups and workshops for couples, which incorporate state-of-the-art psychology with historically grounded practices.
It is not easy to be emotionally intimate. And it can be difficult to have a long term, mutually satisfying sex life.
We help couples develop relationships where both sexuality and intimacy flourish.
In a maximally healthy relationship, every part of togetherness - partnering on the tasks of life, playing, sharing emotional intimacy, and having good sex - all work together in a mutually reinforcing pattern of trust, generosity and love.
We call this kind of relationship "erotic partnership." Here’s why. Eros, the God of love (and the origin of the word erotic), is the force that compels us to be related. Sex is based in this natural instinctual force. "Erotic partnership" expresses and completes the erotic force by creating a balanced, love-filled relationship including its celebration in passionate sex. Many place this expression within the context of spiritual forces.
We (Felicia and Jim) are licensed psychotherapists with extensive training and experience in human relationship - from communication and intimacy issues to sexual dynamics. We teach couples how to stop passion-deadening, destructive patterns and how to create new pathways of discovery and reconnection.
Since 1990, we have used our own marriage as a learning laboratory. We have experience with what dampens intimacy and sexuality, and have an embodied understanding of what creates connection and ignites passion.
Our work is grounded in the latest scientific research on brain functioning, human attachment and effective psychotherapy. But what we offer, from psychotherapy to our vacation retreats, is not cold or "clinical." We understand that human relationship lived well is an art and requires an esthetic.
Our Erotic Partnership Retreats help couples remember how easy love can be. In these retreats we develop a context of effective communication, within which couples create a sexual ceremony. These retreats build on the idea of a romantic getaway - relax, open, connect, celebrate. Each retreat is educational with intimate conversations happening only between partners. We offer clear structures for your private evenings together that help rekindle the sexual spark and fan the flames of desire. Workshops are targeted for specific topics or aspects of relational transformation. Workshops can be tailored for a specific group, but generally are offered in Petaluma California where we practice psychotherapy. Workshop topics include:
• embodied relationship
• sexual desire discrepancy
• effective communication
• women’s group Couples Therapy is offered by Jim in his Petaluma office. The focus depends on the needs of the couple, but he has expertise in attachment, differentiation, communication and sexual dynamics. Click for Jim Matto-Shephard's website www.drjms.com
