Dallas Bragg and a clinician discuss rebuilding intimacy after chemsex, starting with vulnerable one-on-one conversations. Intimacy has many forms beyond sex: non-sexual friendships, group connection, layered closeness. A safe container lets people take risks and explore the edges of comfort.
For chemsex recovery, to me, there's a big question here of how do I return to intimacy? Do you agree with me that it starts with one-on-one connections, having vulnerable conversations, saying the hard thing, asking for help? Those actions and those behaviors can lead into physical intimacy is what we think of what we want. But that kind of one-on-one with a gay man Don't you think that that is such a great step toward actual intimacy?
Absolutely. I think one of the things I work with on clients is reframing intimacy, if you will, because a lot of times they think of it in only a dyad or, you know, a sexual loving relationship with one other person. Intimacy has all kinds of flavors, right? And including intimacy between 2 guys who are not sexual at all, just friends. We can have intimacy in groups and levels of intimacy, layers of it, if you will. But I think, yeah, having a place to talk about that and learning how to interact, learning how to take a risk, learning how to, you know, stay with somebody who doesn't agree with you. Mm-hmm. Like exploring the slightly risky edges, if you will, right? Getting out of our comfort zone a little bit in a safe— you said the magic word— a safe container where we feel Safe enough to explore this, take a risk, and, and the rewards are just unbelievable.
