Fantasies Fire Female Passion, Therapist Says

SAN FRANCISCO —  Psychologist Lonnie Barbach urges women to explore their erotic fantasies as a way of improving their love lives.

The sex therapist has discussed the topic without taboos on local talk shows and has originated a group therapy program for women who have never experienced orgasm.

A recurring theme is that women often need something erotic to awaken their passions. With that in mind, Barbach came up with an adult version of “show and tell.”

Most Intimate Experiences

She set out to find women writers who would bare their most intimate experiences with others. Out of some 100 submissions, she accepted 32 provocative stories for inclusion in the recently published “Pleasures--Women Write Erotica.”

“In my research, I found there was very little erotica for women. Nobody’s written about what women really do,” Barbach said.

In her latest book, they do. Some of the women signed their stories, while others were used anonymously. There are tales of seduction by straight, lesbian, married, single, conservative and liberal women.

Helen A. Thomas wrote about group sex at a Southern California ranch, while San Francisco writer Susan Block told of a sizzling affair with a millionaire she was interviewing for a book.