Sex Therapy at SOMA
Where the body holds trauma, the body must be part of the healing.
What This Work Is
Sex therapy at SOMA is somatic trauma therapy applied to the body's protective and sexual response systems. It is not couples counseling. It is not behavioral coaching. It is a clinically rigorous, nervous-system-informed approach to the ways trauma disrupts the body's capacity for safety, pleasure, and sexual functioning.
When trauma is stored in the body, the sexual response system is often one of the first systems affected, because it requires a level of nervous-system safety that trauma systematically dismantles. SOMA works directly with the nervous system to restore that safety, using EMDR, somatic therapy, and certified sex therapy protocols in one integrated framework.
What Brings People In
What Brings People In
You do not need a trauma diagnosis to start here, and you do not need to have the right words for what feels off. Most people arrive with one of these.
Sexual pain.
Vaginismus, pain with penetration, or pelvic pain that has no clear medical cause, or that persists after the medical workup comes back normal.
Desire that has gone quiet.
Low desire, desire that feels absent, or desire that never felt like your own. Including desire that shifted after a relationship, a loss, or a period of stress.
Arousal and orgasm.
Difficulty becoming or staying aroused, difficulty reaching orgasm, or a disconnect between what you want and how your body responds.
A body that braces.
Numbness, shutdown, or a sense of leaving your body during intimacy, even with a partner you trust.
Sexual changes from perimenopause, menopause, PCOS, illness, surgery, or medication.
When your body has changed and no one has helped you make sense of what that means for intimacy.
Recovery after sexual abuse or assault.
Reclaiming your body and your sexuality on your own terms, at your own pace.
Sexual Pain
A protective response, not a personal failing.
Understanding Vaginismus & Pelvic Pain
Vaginismus is an involuntary contraction of the pelvic floor muscles that makes penetration painful or impossible. It is not a conscious choice, a character flaw, or something you can willpower your way through. It is a nervous-system-mediated protective response, your body's way of guarding against perceived threat, even when your conscious mind knows you are safe.
SOMA's approach works at the level of the nervous system, not the symptom. Through gradual desensitization, somatic resourcing, and EMDR processing of the underlying threat signals, the body learns to distinguish between past danger and present safety. Treatment is paced entirely to your nervous system's readiness.
When appropriate, SOMA coordinates with pelvic floor physical therapists so the somatic and physiological dimensions of treatment are aligned. This is integrated care, not siloed care.
Desire, Arousal & Orgasm
When Desire and Response Won't Follow Your Wishes
Low desire, difficulty with arousal, and difficulty reaching orgasm are rarely about willpower or attraction. They are usually about safety. Desire and arousal are nervous-system states, and a body that is braced for threat, exhausted, or protecting itself will not produce them on command, no matter how much you want it to.
This is where a trauma-informed approach matters. Rather than treating desire as a behavior to be scheduled, SOMA works with the conditions your nervous system needs to allow desire and arousal to return. That can include processing what taught your body to stay guarded, restoring interoception and the felt sense of the body, and rebuilding a sense of agency and choice in intimacy.
Sexual Changes
When Your Body Has Changed
Perimenopause and menopause, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), illness, surgery, and medication can all change how your body responds sexually, and these changes are rarely addressed with the depth they deserve. Shifts in desire, arousal, sensation, lubrication, or comfort are real, and they are not something you have to simply accept in silence.
SOMA helps you make sense of what has changed and works with your nervous system and your body as they are now, so intimacy can be rebuilt on current terms rather than old expectations. When appropriate, we coordinate with your medical providers so care is aligned.
Sexual Abuse Recovery
Reclaiming Your Body & Sexuality
Sexual abuse fundamentally alters the nervous system's relationship to the body, to intimacy, and to the experience of safety in one's own skin. Recovery is not about forgetting what happened. It is about reclaiming ownership of your body and your sexuality on your own terms, at your own pace.
SOMA uses EMDR to process the traumatic material where appropriate, somatic therapy to restore the body's sense of agency, and sex therapy protocols to address the specific ways abuse has disrupted sexual functioning, desire, and relational intimacy.
All of this work is paced entirely to your nervous system. There is no timeline imposed from the outside. Your body sets the pace, and your clinician follows.
What to Expect
How the Work Unfolds
Reaching out about sex is hard. You do not have to explain everything, use the right words, or be sure of what is wrong before you begin. Here is how the work tends to go.
It starts with a conversation.
A free, 15-minute, confidential consultation to hear what brought you here, answer your questions, and decide together whether this is the right fit. There is no pressure to commit.
We move at the pace your body sets.
Nothing is rushed and nothing is forced. Safety and regulation come first, and the work only goes as fast as your nervous system is ready to go.
The care is integrated, not piecemeal.
EMDR, somatic therapy, and certified sex therapy are used together, and when it helps, we coordinate with your physician or pelvic floor physical therapist so nothing is siloed.
Important Distinction
What This Work Is Not
Sex therapy at SOMA is individual work. It addresses the internal nervous-system, trauma, and somatic dimensions of sexual difficulty. If your primary concern is relational communication, couples conflict, or partner dynamics, we can provide a referral to a qualified couples therapist. The work here is about your relationship with your own body, your own nervous system, and your own sexuality.
Your Clinician
Dr. Reyna Aday, Certified Sex Therapist
Dr. Aday holds the Board Certified Sex Therapist (CST) credential through the Therapist Certification Association. This credential requires specialized training, supervised clinical hours, and ongoing continuing education in sex therapy, beyond her clinical licensure.
The CST credential means your clinician has the specialized training to address the intersection of trauma, the nervous system, and sexual functioning with clinical precision. This is not general therapy with a sexual health component. It is specialized care from a clinician whose entire framework integrates somatic trauma work and sex therapy.
Dr. Aday is licensed in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Indiana, and sees clients in person in Coral Gables and via telehealth across all eight states.
Board-certified sex therapist (CST) · EMDRIA Certified Therapist · Licensed in eight states · More than ten years in private practice
Your Privacy
A Private Place for Private Work
This is tender, personal work, and it is treated that way. Our Coral Gables office is contained and discreet, sessions are confidential, and virtual care is delivered on a secure, private platform. What you bring here stays here. The privacy we protect is not about status. It is about giving something this intimate the discretion it deserves.
Begin
Ready to Begin This Work?
You do not have to have the words for it yet. A free, 15-minute, confidential consultation is the first step: a chance to talk through what is going on, ask anything you need to, and decide together whether this is the right fit.
Private-pay practice · Superbills available for out-of-network reimbursement · In person in Coral Gables and virtual across FL, NJ, PA, TX, NM, CO, MA, and IN
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Trauma-Informed Sex Therapy
What is trauma-informed sex therapy at SOMA?
It is somatic trauma therapy applied to the body's protective and sexual response systems. It is not couples counseling and it is not behavioral coaching. When trauma is stored in the body, the sexual response system is often one of the first affected, because it depends on a level of nervous-system safety that trauma dismantles. We work directly with the nervous system to restore that safety, using EMDR, somatic therapy, and certified sex therapy protocols in one integrated framework.
Can sex therapy help with low desire or difficulty with arousal and orgasm?
Yes. Desire and arousal are nervous-system states, not behaviors you can force. A body that is braced, exhausted, or protecting itself will not produce them on command. Rather than scheduling desire as a task, we work with the conditions your nervous system needs to allow desire, arousal, and orgasm to return, including processing what taught your body to stay guarded and rebuilding a felt sense of safety and choice.
Can sex therapy help with vaginismus or sexual pain?
Yes. Vaginismus is a nervous-system-mediated protective response, your body guarding against perceived threat even when your conscious mind knows you are safe. We work at the level of the nervous system, not just the symptom, using gradual desensitization, somatic resourcing, and EMDR. When appropriate, we coordinate with pelvic floor physical therapists so the work is aligned rather than siloed.
What about sexual changes from perimenopause, menopause, PCOS, illness, surgery, or medication?
These changes are real, and they are rarely addressed with the depth they deserve. We help you make sense of what has changed and work with your nervous system and your body as they are now, so intimacy can be rebuilt on current terms rather than old expectations. When appropriate, we coordinate with your medical providers so care is aligned.
How does SOMA approach sexual abuse recovery?
Recovery is not about forgetting what happened. It is about reclaiming ownership of your body and your sexuality on your own terms and at your own pace. Where appropriate, we use EMDR to process the traumatic material, somatic therapy to restore the body's sense of agency, and sex therapy protocols to address how abuse has disrupted sexual functioning, desire, and intimacy. Your body sets the pace, and your clinician follows.
Is this individual work or couples therapy?
Sex therapy at SOMA is individual work. It addresses the internal nervous-system, trauma, and somatic dimensions of sexual difficulty. If your primary concern is partner dynamics or couples conflict, we can refer you to a qualified couples therapist.
Is Dr. Aday a board-certified sex therapist?
Yes. Dr. Aday holds the Board Certified Sex Therapist (CST) credential through the Therapist Certification Association, which requires specialized training, supervised clinical hours, and ongoing continuing education in sex therapy beyond her clinical licensure. This is specialized care from a clinician whose entire framework integrates somatic trauma work and sex therapy.
Do you offer sex therapy virtually across multiple states?
Yes. Dr. Aday is licensed in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Indiana and sees clients via telehealth across all eight states, as well as in person at the Coral Gables office. Where you live determines eligibility, since therapists are licensed by state. The approach is the same integrated, nervous-system-paced work whether in person or virtual.