"Reclaiming Desire"
Endorsements
What a pleasure it is to read a book that approaches
sexuality holistically! Reclaiming Desire offers women a wealth of advice
and direction for evaluating low libido and taking positive steps toward
sexual well-being. Drs. Goldstein and Brandon speak to women in an empowering,
optimistic manner, offering numerous examples of how low libido can arise
from many sources to diminish pleasure and damage relationships. The
use of vivid examples by way of vinnettes is a strength of this book,
as it details the spectrum of health conditions that may contribute to
low libido. Each scenario is followed with a solution that’s insightful
and sensitive, designed to gently guide the woman forward.
Reclaiming Desire has much to recommend. It is an optimistic book that is entertaining to read cover to cover or as a topical resource by the chapter. It’s a book filled with facts that health and sex educators may incorporate into presentations and lectures. The book is also rich in therapeutic techniques that practitioners may recognize and adopt from a physician/therapist team at the peak of their skills. Most of all, Reclaiming Desire gives women who suspect low libido a clear understanding of this problem and what to expect from treatment. Drs. Goldstein and Brandon have masterfully presented the multiple dimensions of this common problem, charted the best course for care, and honestly pointed out the limitations of their advice where options remain uncertain.
--Steve Chandler, Ph.D., M.S.W.
Professor of health and physical education and
adjunct professor of social work, Florida A&M University
Dr. Goldstein and Dr. Brandon have set the new standard in the understanding and treatment of a problem often regarded as one of the most difficult to treat in the field of women’s sexuality. This book strikes an important balance between the medical science and the equally important human and emotional factors involved in low sexual desire. It is well written and easily readable providing information for the lay person seeking help as well as medical and mental health professionals. There are numerous clinical vignettes that illustrate, in down to earth ways, the scope of problems and many ways they can get real help. This book gives people hope.
--David B. Fogel, M.D.
Board-Certified in Internal Medicine
Medical Director, Human Sexuality Institute, a division of The Fogel
Foundation, Washington D.C.
Certified sex therapist, American Board of Sexology
Certified group psychotherapist, National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists
I believe any woman who has experienced low libido can benefit by reading Reclaiming Desire by Marianne Brandon and Andrew Goldstein. The authors take an integrative approach in which they recognize that sexual desire for women is a function of the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual factors. They are the first authors I have read who are not afraid to confront the hormonal realities regarding motherhood and menopause, and the first that I have ever read to recognize the importance of a woman’s early sexual history in affecting her sex drive. Their approach seems entirely sympathetic to women who are undergoing confusing changes in their sex drive. I would heartily recommend this book to my students and clients.
--Barbara Keesling, Ph.D.
Author, The Good Girl’s Guide to Bad Girl Sex
I have now had a chance to read Reclaiming Desire. Goldstein and Brandon have provided a wonderfully up-to-date and comprehensive summary of the myriad psychological and biological factors contributing to women’s sexual desire. The well-written and timely book provides women with important knowledge for understanding and enhancing their libido. The book is bound to be enjoyed and appreciated by any woman who seeks a clearer understanding of her sex drive.
--Cindy M. Meston, Ph.D.
Associate professor of clinical psychology, University of Texas at Austin
2003 President of the International Society for the Study of Women’s
Sexual Health
Have you lost interest in sex? Here is a book with a novel holistic approach to the complex challenges of stimulating a low libido. Women will discover an abundance of sensible wisdom aimed at overcoming low sexual desire, with sometimes surprising assignments, questionnaires, and suggestions for stimulating personal growth processes. Gynecologist Andrew Goldstein and clinical psychologist Marianne Brandon also team up to present case stories to great effect, demonstrating the power of their approach. Readers who embrace Reclaiming Desire as their guide to a healthier sex drive are likely to emerge more content—not only with their libido, but with life in general.
Clinicians and health professionals will likewise find this a valuable resource, with citations from some of the latest research in hormones (endocrinology), neurophysiology, human behavior, and nutrition. Reclaiming Desire is on the top of my recommended reading list.
--Annette Owens, M.D., Ph.D.
AASECT–certified sex counselor, Charlottesville Sexual Health and Wellness
Clinic
Reclaiming Desire issues an invitation to women with low libido to recover a vital part of their essence and to rediscover themselves and their partners in the process. With wisdom and compassion, Doctors Brandon and Goldstein encourage and empower women on this journey, helping them to learn about and take responsibility for their sexual wellness. Their holistic view encompasses the many layered complexity of sexuality, using case examples to further enliven and enlighten the text. I will highly recommend this book to my patients.
--Sandra Phocas, M.D.
Psychiatrist and transpersonal therapist
With wisdom and creativity, Reclaiming Desire captures the essence of women’s internal confusion or frustration over sexual dissatisfaction. The book offers clear and practical advice based in sound science as to how women and couples can explore solutions to their unique sexual dilemmas. Drs. Brandon and Goldstein provide provocative, illuminating and proven ideas to help women bridge the divide between meeting life’s pragmatic demands and achieving a sense of physical, emotional and sexual fulfillment. The authors brilliantly identify a path to embracing and enjoying sexuality. They guide the reader toward knowing and integrating themselves on several dimensions. As if sexual satisfaction weren’t enough to find through the pages of a book, it’s also fun. Reclaiming Desire grabs your attention from the start and leaves you with a true sense of having learned something invaluable without feeling like you’ve read a text book or a procedures manual. There is nothing like it on the shelves. In their comprehensive effort to address the life-altering struggle of low libido, Drs. Goldstein and Brandon rediscovered and redefined sexual rediscovery.
--Marla Sanzone, Ph.D.
Clinical psychologist in private practice (Annapolis, MD), specializing
in the treatment of mood and eating disorders
Professor, Loyola College.
Editor of the child/adolescent and women’s sections of the Journal of
Medical Disorders
Past president, Maryland Psychological Association
Reclaiming Desire offers a holistic approach to help women with low sexual desire. The authors address the various components of a person’s sexuality, including physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. They take a woman by the hand and lead her through the complex labyrinth with practical advice and helpful exercises to understand and accept the various components of her sexuality. The information in this book can help lead to a rekindling of sexual desire.
--Beverly Whipple, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
Professor emerita, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Vice president, World Association for Sexology
Director, International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health
Past president, Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
Past president, American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and
Therapists
Reclaiming Desire is a gift to women who have lost their libido. Doctors Goldstein and Brandon have created a beautifully written, comprehensive, and compassionate book, and one I will recommend wholeheartedly to my patients. It deals with women’s low sexual desire in unusual depth, and in a remarkably balanced way—encompassing the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of women’s sexuality. If you still love your partner and your relationship and want to bond, but your sex drive has vanished, this is the best book you could ever read.
Reclaiming Desire is the thinking woman’s antidote to helplessness. It gives you the guidemap to pinpoint what is wrong, the courage to take responsibility for your part, the voice of a wise, ingenious, loving guide to cheer you on, and all the strategies you will need to change your libido. The chapter on “The Miracle of Motherhood” is a masterpiece. It should be required reading for all parents-to-be, and the professionals who take care of them.
--Aline Zoldbrod, Ph.D.
AASECT–certified sex therapist
Author, Sex
Smart: How Childhood Shaped Your Sexual Life and What to Do about It
Co-author, Sex Talk: Uncensored
Exercises for Exploring What Really Turns You On
Writer/reviewer and consultant,
www.hisandhershealth.com
For more information about the book, please select from the following:
- See what other Professionals are Saying about Dr. Brandon's new Book.
- Is Dr. Brandon's Book Right for you?
- The Sexual Desire Self Test Developed by Drs. Brandon and Goldstein.
- Buy Reclaiming Desire: 4 Keys to Finding Your Lost Libido