CHARNA CASSELL, LMFT

Charna Cassell is an LMFT, and Trauma-Trained Psychotherapist and Sexuality Coach that helps people heal and find pleasure in their bodies. For over two and half decades, first, as a sex educator and sex toy clerk at Good Vibrations located in San Francisco. Then, as a Master Somatic Coach and bodyworker, and now, a licensed psychotherapist.

Over the years, Charna has worked in a variety of schools, nonprofits, and therapeutic settings as a teacher, trainer, counselor, and workshop leader. She teaches sexuality and body wisdom education, trauma, and resilience training through several institutes. This includes Sonoma State University, Wellesley College, Julia Morgan School for Girls, and Holden High, as well as, taught internationally with the Global Gratitude Alliance’s Safe Embrace Trauma Healing (SETH) program.

She’s written, published, and performed a number of satirical and autobiographical monologues about healing from trauma, and her short story, “SOS,” appeared in the anthology Dangerous Families: Queer Writing on Surviving (Routledge, 2014) Articles Charna has written have been featured online on Elephantjournal.com, Scarymommy.com, Themanifeststation.com, and she is quoted as an expert in articles in Oprah magazine, TeenVogue.com, Psychcentral.com, and Askmen.com.

Currently, Charna Cassell is writing a book, The Authentic Yes: 6 Steps to Sexual Freedom. The book is part memoir, a narrative about helping her clients heal from sexual trauma and exercises that guide them back to themselves. Charna blends her wisdom from 20 years in private practice with her love of lyrical creative nonfiction to make this book readable, rather than a textbook for other psychotherapists. Composite case studies are woven throughout, in the form of questions written as letters from clients. Charna’s responses to them read more like dharma talks.

As the host of The LaidOPEN Podcast, Charna Cassell focuses on what enhances and hinders sexual freedom, illuminating the messy truths about what it means to have a sex life after trauma. She shares her own story, answers listeners’ questions, and offers practical exercises. Sex is simply one aspect of living out loud and embracing a vibrant existence. Guests are post-trauma thrivers, who have found their way toward healing, and self-acceptance and offer different tools to build resilience. They are also authentic creatives, often spiritually connected and being of service in the world.

Charna Cassell has conversations with experts and authors in the field of somatics, trauma, healing modalities, mindfulness, and the arts. They run the gamut from seminal authors (Laura Davis) and sexologists (Annie Sprinkle and Joseph Kramer), IG famous health care providers (the Vagina Whisperer, artists (Mr. Domestic), trauma therapists (Logan Cohen), to witches (Amanda Yates Garcia), comedians and actors (Sara Benincasa) and mindfulness teachers (Jessica Graham).

LaidOPEN Podcast is in its 4th season and has ranked globally in Turkey, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, New Zealand, France, The US, the UK, Romania, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Canada, Latvia, Poland, The Czech Republic, and Norway.

Charna Cassell is in private practice in Oakland, California. While Charna can comfortably talk to people about sexual techniques and help them build skills so they can have pleasure-filled lives, she sees sex as a vehicle. She serves post-trauma thrivers by offering personalized practices that generate a nuanced quality of presence, safety, connection, intimacy, and authenticity. Charna’s work allows her to see past people’s old habits and conditioned ways of being, and help them develop new skills in attunement, boundary setting, softening, and receiving. This is when she feels most aligned with her purpose on this planet.

Charna Cassell is actively creating online courses in self-regulation, living a pleasure-filled life, and healing from trauma to make this work more accessible around the world.

You can learn more about Charna Cassell at www.passionatelife.org and www.charnacassell.com.