For years, sex felt flat—not because something was wrong with my body, but because a part of me had learned it wasn’t safe to exist. In this piece, I explore how shame and silencing fracture our relationship to pleasure, and how reclaiming identity can gently restore intimacy, connection, and embodied joy.

Intimacy doesn’t disappear—it gets buried beneath stress, shame, trauma, and the survival strategies our bodies once needed. In this meditation-inspired blog, therapist Raquel Perez guides you through rebuilding emotional safety, reconnecting with your desire, and welcoming back the parts of you that learned to hide. This is a gentle, trauma-informed path toward healing intimacy, pleasure, and self-connection.

In this deeply personal reflection, Colorado therapist Raquel Perez explores the emotional, relational, and embodied experience of coming out — including healing shame, creating emotional safety, unlearning old beliefs, and finding supportive community. A grounding, trauma-informed perspective for anyone navigating LGBTQ+ identity and self-discovery.