LIVE Class

Exposure Has History

Sexual Shame, Earlier Experience and Birth

with Jordan Jaziri
Monday, 12 October 2026 at 19h UK time
Pregnancy and birth can involve sustained bodily exposure: vaginal examinations, touch, nakedness, disclosure and loss of control. For people carrying sexual shame, vaginismus or a history of sexual harm, these encounters may not feel neutral. Earlier experiences, including family, religious and cultural messages about bodies and sex, stigma and previous healthcare encounters, can resurface in the birth room.

Maternity care can compound this. Across healthcare, sexual health can be left unspoken and many professionals report feeling unequipped to raise it. When sex goes unnamed, consent can be rushed or care can be organised around narrow assumptions about bodies, birth and family, shame can deepen without anyone intending it. Trans and non-binary parents and queer families can be particularly exposed to these assumptions.

Psychosexual and Relationship psychotherapist Jordan Jaziri explores how sexual shame can operate in perinatal care, drawing on a composite case study, current research and the PLISSIT and Ex-PLISSIT models. Practitioners are invited to consider where their role might begin and end in conversations about sex, how room for disclosure can be made without forcing it and when a referral may be needed.

In this class John Wilks explores the history and uses of suction, vacuum extraction and ventouse and examines the implications for postnatal treatment approaches for both mum and baby.

John has been practising the Bowen Technique and Craniosacral Therapy full time since 1995. He is the author of four books on complementary therapies and developed a specialised Craniosacral training course for midwives which was the first of its kind to be accredited by the Royal College of Midwives.

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  • Beginner/Intermediate
  • Powerpoint Presentation
  • Practical application
  • 60 minute class
  • life time access to recording

Learning outcomes

  • Learn about the impact of perinatal care on individuals carrying sexual shame or trauma
  • Gain an understanding of the layers of influences which can compound sexual shame in maternity care environments
  • Get a clearer idea of scope of practice remits when sexual topics arise with clients

who can this benefit

  • All practitioners supporting parents, babies and families
  • Anyone interested in the dynamics of sexual shame and pregnancy / birth
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Meet Our Presenter
Patrick Jones - Course author

Jordan Jaziri

Psychosexual and Relationship Psychotherapist 
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