Customer Reviews

The Return of Desire: A Guide to Rediscovering Your Sexual Passion

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I loved this book. It is a gift to all of us through this time of cultural confusion regarding the nature of our sexuality. In "The Return of Desire", Gina Ogden offers a new vision for relaxing into and truly embracing our sexual selves. And it's about time!

The Sexual Revolution of the `60s at least opened the door to talking about sex, but for many, that dialogue has been fraught with feelings of frustration and inadequacy. So-called "sex education", though obviously an improvement over nothing even in these "abstinence only" times, fails to address the complexities of our sexual selves, usually focusing simply on the anatomical and "how not to get pregnant or STDs" aspects.

In "The Return of Desire", Gina offers us a model of human sexuality that addresses the myriad aspects of our complex human selves. We are more than simply physical creatures. We are also mental, emotional, and spiritual beings, and each of these vital areas of human experience are in need of honoring and support. Gina beautifully articulates these complexities of being sexually human, and invites us to dare to link spirituality and sexuality as inherently connected. As she describes, in her no-nonsense style, the hows and whys we think, feel and act as we do in sexual expression, she also offers excellent tools for practice in building a more liberated experience of our sexual selves. By liberated, I mean truly free to embody our hearts' desires in genuine connection with the mystery of life, free of the blocks we may hold in our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual selves. Hurray!

In her earlier book, "The Heart and Soul of Sex", Gina introduces us to ISIS, her multi-faceted model of human sexuality based upon her extensive research and survey findings. In "The Return of Desire", Gina has distilled this information into practical tools with which you can experiment and explore on your own or with a partner. She offers her wealth of experience in guiding us through specific exercises and processes with which to build our awareness and expand how we hold our sexuality in all these major aspects. In the spirit of the feminine, she generously shares resources and references to people, books, DVDs and websites with which you may want to explore further. Women, in particular, will delight in "The Return of Desire" as an empowering voice validating intuitive understandings of the deeper nature of our sexuality and its role in our spiritual evolution. This book is a definite on my resource list for the women and couples I work with in my counseling practice.

Holly Rawson, LPC

And in Gina Ogden's expert opinion, there is no such thing as "the average woman." Each of us is unique, responding to desire and passion in unique ways. The beauty of this book is that it encompasses the "many faces of sexual desire" which include "attraction, passion, love, energy, libido, and randy, all-consuming lust." There's no "one size fits all" and Gina gives many examples so that we can identify ourselves -- sometimes in surprising new ways.
The voice of this book is gentle and intimate, yet lively and practical. For the visual reader, there are some charts and graphs, but nothing to drive away those of us who are science phobes. Best of all, it is the voice of vast experience, helping us navigate contemporary cultural and spiritual mores with wisdom and truth.

Thank you Gina for opening my eyes even more to the nuances of sexual experience a woman can have. I love seeing a positive, affirmative understanding of this most misunderstood topic. Your humor, wit and depth and the stories themselves will bring healing and illumination to many people--men as well as women!
Tomas Heartfield,

Is there a 10 star rating? Because The Return of Desire deserves that and more. I purchased this book without any prior knowledge of Dr. Ogden, or her works, based on a general recommendation as a gem of a book. Now that I have finished my first book by Dr. Ogden, I am hungry to read every single thing she has written! The Return of Desire is about so much more than just rediscovering your sexual passion, it is about ALL facets of our tender, sexy, feminine, fragile, strong, luscious sensual, sexual self. This book is nourishment - through and through. A literary version of a much needed daily supplement vitamin for our wellspring of desires. I am now giving this book as a loving gift to all of my girlfriends. Keep em coming Gina Ogden! And thank you so very much.

As a fellow sexologist and author about sexuality, I can tell you that this is one of those "must-have" books to put on your shelf.

Bringing us sanity for sexual competence and compassion for healing this pandemic of low-or-no-sexual-desire among couples today is the crystal wisdom of Dr. Gina Ogden, whose science-based knowledge shows that sexuality blended with true spirituality is what we need for unlocking our dampened desire. She is the voice of the New Truth about Sex.

Dr. Patti Britton, author of The Art of Sex Coaching and host of Your Sex Coach.com

Tasty, like the apple on the cover! Women (and those who love them) will want to take a big bite---and then another! Gina Ogden gives voice to the juicy depths of women's sexual journeys, releasing powerful stories and messages which are healing, holy (in a universally spiritual sense)---and straight up refreshing! You'll love her writing style. Honest. Punchy. Clear. Zesty. Truthtelling. Gina creates an invitation. To explore. To celebrate. To embrace. To claim the gift of sexuality. I invite your curious self to read on---and if the spirit of sexuality moves you---to taste!

Gina Ogden, PHD, is a compassionate professional in sexual therapy. Here, her light really shines through if you are ripe for opening your heart to yourself. It's not so much about the physical but more about education and healing yourself. Awareness is brought (or returned) to a level that will make you prouder. In one of the exercises, I actually found tears rolling down my cheeks as I released a lot of emotional pain. That's an amazing level of understanding and it took her kind and warm way of expression and suggestion to have such a profound reaction.

I'm really enjoying this book. One thing I find very refreshing about it is that it doesn't tell us how to be better lovers, or have better sex. Instead, it's a wise, funny, practical book that focuses on how we can set ourselves free to be exactly who we are, how we can accept ourselves and our sexuality unconditionally, and how we can befriend our own desires.

Jalaja Bonheim, author of Aphrodite's Daughters: Women's Sexual Stories and the Journey of the Soul.

The Return of Desire is an excellent book that virtually every woman can grow from. Gina has a lovely way of conveying positive energy through the written word while simultaneously providing practical advice. The Return of Desire is a very worthwhile read!

Dr. Gina Ogden did it again.
Reading "The Retrun of Desire" I got in touch with emotions and insights that would not have come up otherwise and I was able to communicate with my husband in an even deeper space. Thank you Gina for shining your light of true feminine wisdom on this most important aspect of life that connects us to love.
Sabine Grandke-Taft "Radiant Embodiment.com"