Laura Jurgens, Ph.D.

Pleasure Uprising: Desire, Attachment, and the Sex You Actually Want

Health EN ↓ 129 episodes

Formerly The Desire Gap Podcast Most people who feel disconnected from their desire, their pleasure, or their partners have spent years assuming something is wrong with them. It isn't. The disconnection is real — but it traces back to what most of us were never taught: how to be in our bodies fully, how to connect to each other authentically, how to know and ask for what we need without guilt or shame. Culture shapes that — the broader culture we inherit, and the family we grew up in — and it can be unlearned. Pleasure, secure attachment, and authentic desire are your birthright. You can learn...

Author

Laura Jurgens, Ph.D.

Category

Health

Podcast website

laurajurgens.com

Latest episode

Jul 6, 2026

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Episodes

Busting 7 Myths That Make It Hard to Ask for What You Want in Bed 03.02.2025

Today we're making it easier for you to ask for what you want in your intimate relationships by busting common myths that hold us back. Make your life easier by listening in.  Special Event Links:  Libido Mismatch Clarity Hour: walk away feeling better about your capacity to reconcile a libido mismatch in your relationship Free 1-hour FAQ and Ask the Expert  February 18, 2025 5-6pm Eastern US...

Sexual Confidence: A Success Story in Overcoming Shame 27.01.2025

This episode takes you inside a transformative conversation about sexual confidence and body trust. My former client Kama shares her raw experience of moving from sexual shame and orgasm challenges to deep embodied wisdom. This conversation goes beyond typical success stories, diving deep into how sexual healing catalyzes growth in all areas of life—from business decisions to personal relationship...

4 Steps to Confidence & Comfort in Intimacy 20.01.2025

These are the steps to confidence and comfort that work. Tune in to learn the 4 key steps that will take you from anxious and underconfident to a true, deep, felt sense of comfort and capability in sex and intimacy. Frankly, they are not all easy, though some are surprisingly fun. These steps are what my practice is based on and why it's been so effective for my clients. That's why I&apo...

The Biggest Thing You Can Do To Feel More Sexual Empowerment This Year (and it's FREE) 13.01.2025

This episode will explain the best, biggest thing you can do to improve your relationship with your own sexuality this year AND your intimacy with a partner.  This is the one thing most people are NOT doing – and it is FREE.  That’s right, people will spend loads of money this year trying to spice things up by buying stuff: lingerie, sex toys, vacations, and even sex rooms. But most people will fa...

The Most Powerful Step 06.01.2025

Today I’m going to tell you a really personal story of how I almost quit on my marriage. I’m also going to share one of the most powerful ideas in the world for changing your life and your relationships. That sounds like a giant claim, and it is, but it is also really simple. If you look at the most joyful people who are living the lives they want – you will see this idea at work all the time. It...

Liberation from Religious Shame & Repression: an interview with Lisa 30.12.2024

So many people feel disconnected from their authentic sexuality due to a history of religious repression and shaming. In an ideal world, religion would be universally supportive and comforting. Unfortunately, so many people have had the opposite experience, and wound up with decades of harmful ideas about themselves and their sexuality that they struggle to overcome. In this episode, I interview L...

Rethinking Conflict: How Conflict Avoidance Undermines Relationships & What To Do Instead 23.12.2024

Conflict is inevitable in close relationships. Doing it well is key to feeling confident, connected, seen, and safe. Many people avoid conflict, or let their default strategies overwhelm them in unhelpful ways. This episode will help you learn to stop avoding necessary conflict and instead use it to get closer and solve problems together.  Conflict isn’t bad in itself – in fact, it’s really import...

Getting the Right Help for Pelvic & Sexual Pain: Interview with Dr. Susie Gronski 16.12.2024

Pelvic and sexual pain is absolutely treatable, even though it can be hard to admit and challenging to find the right help. Join me to hear from pelvic health expert Dr. Susie Gronski. This episode will help you release shame or stigma about pelvic pain, which is very common. Dr. Gronski also explains common struggles with sexual and pelvic pain for both penis and vagina-owners, and helps you navi...

When You're Bummed That You Have to ASK... 09.12.2024

It's common for people to feel upset and disappointed about having to ask for what you want. This is especially true if you believe you shouldn’t have to ask, and that your partner should "just know" what to do for you (whether that's in bed, in flirting, foreplay communication, or romantic gestures). After all, we see that played out in movies and TV all the time: the magic in...

Pleasure & Connection Self-Assessment & Making Pleasure Goals 02.12.2024

Ready to be one of the brave, joyful souls who wrings the most pleasure out of this life? I'm going to help you get there. It's December and that means it's the perfect time for some guided reflection: where are you at with your experience of pleasure and connection in your life? Where do you want to be? This episode will walk you through a self-assessment and help you figure out ho...

Strap-Ons For Every Body 25.11.2024

Get started the fun way with strap-ons. Everyone can play with strap-ons and there are loads of reasons you may want to try it out. This episode will guide you through choices of equipment, accessories, positions. It will help you make the decisions that will bring you and your partner the most fun while avoiding painful bad experiences.  Get my free guide: Get Out of Your Head: A Starter Guide to...

3 Reasons You Have a Hard Time Talking About Sex & How to Overcome Them 18.11.2024

This episode is for all of you that have a hard time talking about sex, even with your partner.  I'll cover the 3 top reasons people struggle to have conversations about sexual desires, needs, and interests. I'll also give you a place to get started in solving these challenges for each one.  From the episode recommendations, here is a link to the blog post from Somatica Institute on my m...

How to Be Sexual Without Accidentally Being Creepy 11.11.2024

If you can't figure out why women seem to get turned off by you even though you're a super nice guy -- this episode is for you! We cover how to know if you’re inadvertently creeping out women or turning them off no matter how great a guy you are (and 99% of the people with this issue are cis-gendered hetero men). We'll talk about why that can happen, why it's not your fault (bu...

Butt Fun: How to Start & How to Avoid Traumatic Mistakes 04.11.2024

Today we’re talking about butt stuff – all things anal pleasure. The rear end is the other half of your pelvis and has loads of nerve endings to enjoy, but it can also be a place of shame, pain and trauma when we aren't careful. I’m going to give you some perspectives on releasing shame and expectations. I'll also cover in detail the Cardinal Rules of Butt Fun so you can stay on the plea...

Experiencing More Pleasure & Satisfaction (Plus How Arousal & Desire Fit In) 28.10.2024

What is your relationship to physical pleasure? Today is all about investigating this question so you can experience more of it. We'll talk about how you can boost pleasure, dive in to how desire and arousal get confused with pleasure, and how to focus on what really brings deep satisfaction.  Get my free guide: Get Out of Your Head: A Starter Guide to Releasing the Pressure, Shame, and &quot...

How To Start Having G-Spot & Cervical Orgasms 21.10.2024

Do you want to have G-spot or cervical orgasms, but don't know how to get there? This episode is for you!  Get my free guide: Get Out of Your Head: A Starter Guide to Releasing the Pressure, Shame, and "Shoulds" Around Intimacy at https://laurajurgens.com/guide More links: Substack at https://laurajurgens.substack.com/ Pleasure Path Diagnostic here: https://laurajurgens.com/diagnost...

The Missing Part of the ED Conversation 15.10.2024

This episode will help you understand the most common underlying causes of erectile challenges and how to solve them. While drugs can mask symptoms, they don’t actually address the underlying causes of ED. I explain the big missing piece of the ED conversation, which is how relationships, socialized pressure, psychology and emotional situations affect erections. If you have a penis, play with peop...

Special Episode: Finding Calm & Helping Others When Disaster Strikes 06.10.2024

This is a special episode, recorded at my home in Asheville, North Carolina, USA in the aftermath of massive devastation from Hurricane Helene. It is for all people dealing with difficult times. In it, I walk you through a calming exercise to help de-escalate anxiety, overwhelm, stress and other challenging, activating emotions. I also talk about how you can help other people through co-regulation...

Up Your Foreplay Game 30.09.2024

This episode will help you get more creative and relaxed about foreplay. We'll cover why that’s super important for keeping the fire lit in your sex life, and what some of the blocks are to good foreplay. We're also going to dive into what's up with the foreplay deficit in America, the common problem of boring foreplay, and discuss how to overcome the worries and logistical issues t...

Your Options for Help: Coaching vs. Therapy, Plus Pros & Cons of Each 23.09.2024

This episode covers when to see a therapist and when to seek out coaching, strengths and weaknesses of both (because all modalities have pros and cons), and what to watch out for. I'll also go over different types of therapy and different types of coaching, and which versions are good for what situations and challenges, in my perspective.  This is part of a series of sessions that aim to help...

What we did in sessions this week 16.09.2024

Ever want to know what actually happens in coaching sessions? This episode is story time. I’m going to give you a peek inside my office at what we did in several different sessions this week. Through these little stories, you will get a flavor of the kinds of activities we do in my particular coaching practice, and get a sense of the kinds of help available to you as an individual or a couple who...

Why don't they just know? 09.09.2024

What can you do when you really want your partner to know what you want and they just don’t. You keep waiting and they keep not knowing and not doing it. You are disappointed, frustrated, or heartbroken (or all three). This is a recipe for disaster if you stay on the disempowering side of this. Take a listen and learn how to get out of this stuck place and move forward.  Get my free guide: Get Out...

Break Free From Arbitrary Rules: Cleaning Out Your Should Closet 02.09.2024

This week we're diving into how "shoulds" sneak in and mess up our confidence, relationships, dating, and sex lives. Shoulds come from all kinds of places (society, religion, your grandma, that 2nd grade math teacher who said you had messy handwriting...whatever). They undermine us and our relationships, often subconsciously. Every time you let a "should" in, you're c...

Skip The Frustration By Understanding Attachment Styles 26.08.2024

Everyone has an attachment style. Knowing yours will enable you to manage relationships effectively as an adult, not just react at people. You'll feel much more able to communicate your needs, and much more in the driver's seat of your own experience in relationship, if you understand your own attachment style.  So join me while I break down the main attachment styles. I'll explain...

Inside a Session on Emotional Desires: Asking For What You Want Without Shame or Blame 19.08.2024

In this special episode, I let you listen-in on a live session with client Kris (with her permission!). She and I tackle the topic of owning our own emotional desires when we’re in relationship. Think of our emotional desires just like sexual ones. Sometimes we know them, sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we want to ask for something, but we don’t really know how to ask. Or how we’re asking isn’t work...

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