The Empowered Talk Series: #1 Destigmatising Herpes

Welcome to the Empowered Talk series! - A series of online workshops on empowering safer-s/ex conversations.

Join us for our first workshop of the series; a conversation about HSV virus (herpes)!

Despite how common the HSV virus is, it is heavily stigmatised and so many struggle to talk about it or perpetuate the stigma.  

Emerald and Kell are passionate about creating permission to talk about herpes, so we can begin to normalise it and empower one another to have the best safer-s/ex conversations, to break the stigma and to be s/ex positive!

What is HSV/Herpes?

"Herpes simplex viruses -- more commonly known as herpes - are categorized into two types: herpes type 1 (HSV-1, or oral herpes) and herpes type 2 (HSV-2, or genital herpes). Most commonly, herpes type 1 causes sores around the mouth and lips (sometimes called fever blisters or cold sores). HSV-1 can cause genital herpes, but most cases of genital herpes are caused by herpes type 2"
- WebMD

This event is for you if:
- You have herpes or know someone that does.
- You want to learn more about herpes.
- You want to deepen your understanding of stigma.
- You want to learn more about how to disclose to potential partners.
- You want to learn how to best support someone who discloses to you.
- You want to learn how to be more inclusive in your sex positive communities

Our workshops include embodiment practices for grounding and small group work activities. These are not requirements, but invitations.

Your hosts:

We are one of those happy stories to have come from 2020! Kell and Emerald haven't actually met in the flesh (yet!) but co-facilitated a series of workshops together as part of the teaching team for Seani Love's Level Up online course during lockdown in the UK. They both work for The School of Erotic Mysteries and are excited about bringing their collaborations to the world.

Kell Mara is an intimacy coach and educator. She facilitates  powerful transformations with her clients who wish to create new blueprints for deeper intimacy in their lives. Kell is acutely aware that core wounds and trauma can be triggered when working with intimacy, thus her work is trauma-informed, supporting her clients towards integration and empowerment.

Kell is also a HSV+ sex-positive activist and her work includes dismantling STI stigma and supporting people to have the sex and relationships they want, through empowering safer-sex conversations and personal healing.

Emerald’s calling is to support all beings to embody radical self-acceptance and self-expression.  She believes if we live from a place of listening to our body’s wisdom and truth, knowing our own boundaries plus having the courage to speak them, we can open the doors to living a more meaningful life, remembering who we really are.

Using deep personal enquiry through sexuality as a conduit to this transformational work, she works as an HSV+ sacred sexuality educator and conscious kink practitioner and is currently training as a sexological bodyworker. Emerald is also co-founder of Vermilion, a wellbeing community that celebrates and cultivates Eros as life force energy. 

We have two more workshops as part of the series:

Monday 28th September - The Art of Disclosure 
Monday 26th October - The Art of Holding Space

Please contact us if you have any questions ♥

REFUNDS POLICY: Please note, we do not arrange refunds or exchanges. When possible we encourage reselling on Ticketswap.

ACCESS:  We do our best to include everyone in our events, regardless of health circumstances. If you have access requirements please email the event organiser directly to discuss. Many facilitators are able to offer reduced ticket prices for those truly unable to afford the ticket price. If this applies to you, do please get in touch with the event organiser.

For PSYCHEDELIC KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES please check out the Psychedelic Society website. 

Our facilitators have agreed to our code of conduct. Learn about our procedure for raising concerns

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