Latest news with #SomaticaMethod
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I'm Virgin Island's sex therapist who gets frisky with clueless lads to teach them tricks in bed… we DON'T fake anything
AS a trainee sex and relationships counsellor, even so much as giving a client hug would be deemed inappropriate and breaching ethical boundaries. So watching Dr Danielle Harel groan with pleasure as she passionately kissed the neck of a timid young virgin, I was shocked. 12 12 It goes against everything you're taught in traditional therapy - but Dr Harel's methods are anything but conventional. She and fellow sexologist Celeste Hirschman are 'hands on' sex therapists and co-founders of The Somatica Method, which combines talking therapy with practical session s to help inexperienced clients get in touch with their erotic side and overcome anxiety and sexual dysfunction. The duo, who showcase their eyebrow-raising methods on the racy new Channel 4 show Virgin Island, also work with sexual surrogates - a therapist the virgins can go all the way with. Both Danielle, a married mum-of-two, and Celeste insist that they experience 'authentic arousal' with their clients during sessions. In an exclusive chat with The Sun, Celeste explains: 'That's one of the things about being able to do this work - I think not everybody can. 'Sometimes, for us, you're really in the moment, and you're feeling the sensations and the connection. 'And if somebody has bad breath, that's part of the coaching. We would need to say, 'Hey, there's a hygiene issue here. You need to make sure that you brush your teeth really well and floss them and use mouthwash.' That's just part of the process. 'But there was authentic arousal and energy for sure throughout the sessions that we did with the different contributors [on Virgin Island].' To get in the mood for the hands-on sessions, the sexologists look for what they find attractive about their client. 'We try to engage with those parts - because there's no point in faking it,' Danielle says. Watch the shocking moment Virgin Island stars practise 'self-pleasure touching' with sex experts in awkward scenes 12 12 12 'Because if we think about really learning confidence, you need to feel it from the other person, because you're learning it through the nervous system.' Virgin Island follows 12 adult virgins as they bravely attempt to tackle the issues holding them back in the bedroom, under the guidance of Danielle, Celeste and their team. Part of the therapy is working with the 'sexual surrogates', who lie naked in front of the group, inviting clients to explore their body. Danielle tells me: ' Surrogates are really trained, skilled practitioners that are there to work with a virgin to teach them skills around, like, how to do oral sex, kissing, all kinds of skills… that might include intercourse as well.' 'My husband loves it' Danielle, who has a PHD in human sexuality and degrees in psychology and clinical social work, insists her husband - who works on tech at the Somata Institute - supports her work. 'Oh, my husband loves my job,' she says, adding: 'He's very big on empowerment and feeling, you know. He's a big feminist.' While Celeste, who is single, loves 'dating and connecting' - and she isn't shy about using her expertise in her own relationships. She says: 'I think it can be a little bit intimidating - and certainly that's been expressed to me - but there's also a lot of interest and curiosity and excitement, and many people express a desire to learn more.' The Somatica Method attracts clients from all over the world, and also provides coaching to train therapists in the technique. Their clients are as likely to find themselves in a steamy embrace with their therapist as a deep conversation. Practical tips include how to smoothly manoeuvre a partner into different sex positions to build confidence, so that clients know what to do once they actually get into the bedroom. 'Some of it is touch, and some of it is working with emotions and sharing feelings,' Danielle explains. 'With a virgin, we would start with boundaries and consent to make sure that they really feel empowered, and they know what they want and what they don't want and how to communicate about that. 'And then we start practising with different kinds of touch skills, flirting skills - sharing erotic energy.' The Method has helped thousands of virgins worldwide, aged 21 to 72, as well as sexually experienced individuals and couples who've lost their sexual spark. And it clearly work for the virgins on the show, as delivery driver Zac, who had the aforementioned steamy clinch with Danielle, enthuses: 'No one's ever said I'm sexy, No one. I'm feeling fuzzy all over." 'People feel so closeted when it comes to sex - they feel so scared,' Celeste says. 'So then starting to see how they react and start to develop confidence and relaxation is really confidence-building.' 'Upping the ante' The sexperts' therapeutic methods are only set to get racier as the series goes on, Celeste teases: 'I don't know how many spoilers we can give, but I will say it continues to escalate and escalate and escalate.' Danielle adds: 'We build foundations, and we build on those foundations, and we keep kind of upping the ante.' It comes as more than a third (36 per cent) of 16 to 24-year-olds and almost one in five (19 per cent) of 16–to 30-year-olds are virgins. 12 Danielle and Celeste reckon the pressure from social media to be perfect and high-expectations set in porn are among the reasons so many adults haven't had sex. Celeste says: 'I think all of those things play a big part, plus the pandemic and the isolation - everybody sitting on their screens - add up to just make people way less able and inspired to go out and connect with each other in real life.' Some critics have accused those involved in the show of 'exploiting' participants with the use of physical touch during therapy. But Danielle and Celeste are keen to stress that a 'huge duty of care' went into ensuring the participants were fully supported throughout. During 'surrogacy' partner sessions, therapists are also present to immediately deal with any issues that arise for participants. Surrogates are really trained, skilled practitioners that are there to work with a virgin to teach them skills around, like, how to do oral sex, kissing, all kinds of skills… that might include intercourse as well Dr Danielle Harel The pair say they also receive referrals from 'conventional therapists' who are unable to help their clients with intimacy issues. 'If somebody's never done touch before, a traditional therapist can't help them at all learn how to touch more sensually,' Celeste adds. 'And there are people who really, really need that in order to go out into the world and be more successful in their erotic lives.' As well as exploring with the coaches, the virgins on the show are also welcome to get it on with one another. Celeste hints at some possible pairings, teasing: 'We get to see some fun, flirtatious moments and connections.' With the show dividing public opinion, Danielle and Celeste seem unfazed by potential backlash. Celeste says: 'There's always critics out there, but we've just seen our work help so many people in their whole personal lives and their sex lives get completely transformed. 'The ripple effect is so profound. Wait until you see the whole series, and you'll see the transformations that happen for these young folks, and it's just so heartwarming.' My view? It's unorthodox, controversial, and goes against every convention of traditional therapy training. But that's not to say there isn't a place for it. And if their results are anything to go by – clients finding pleasure, confidence, and maybe even long-term love – then perhaps they're onto something. At the very least, I'll never look at a clinical role-play exercise the same way again. WHAT TO EXPECT FROM VIRGIN ISLAND The Channel 4 show sees a group of men and women brought together for their erotic awakening. Producers hope the virginal participants will pop each other's cherries. However, if that fails, then they will turn to help from specialists known as 'sex surrogates'. A TV insider said: 'There's never been a TV show that pushes the boundaries quite like this — and probably never will be again. 'The aim is to hopefully have all the virgins find each other attractive, but if that fails then this is the plan B. 'These people are professionals who are constantly on hand for anything that may be required.' Sex surrogates are professionals in the field of intimacy and are often deployed on the advice of medical professionals. Sessions can begin with discussions about intimacy. They then move on to touching which can lead to other sexual practices, with any psychological or physical issues gradually overcome. 12 12 12 12 Virgin Island is available to watch and stream on Channel 4 now.
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Channel 4 racy show offers virgins chance for sex - but boss feared they'd quit
Channel 4's Virgin Island is a "TV first" with its cast being helped by trained therapists to overcome their sexual fears - and maybe even have sex with a professional Channel 4's latest documentary series could be its most ground-breaking and controversial yet - with its sexually inexperienced cast being given the chance to lose their virginity to a trained professional. Virgin Island sees 12 adults, who are lacking in sexual experience and fear physical touch in some cases, head to a luxury retreat for a unique intimacy course in the hopes of overcoming their worries and phobias around sex. Commissioning editor Jonah Weston greenlit the series after reading statistics by University College London that one in eight 26-year-olds were still virgins today. 'Many people applied for the show - literally hundreds - which backed up our hunch that we were onto something,' he says. 'Obviously, duty of care is important to us at Channel 4 so it was a question of the brilliant casting team and psychologists getting the right mix of people who felt representative of what is going on in Britain, but also people that the team felt were able to go through this process. 'You can see how courageous those people were to go on that course, let alone do it on TV. It was really important for us that they were fully briefed for exactly what was going to happen and prepared for those emotions that might come up.' The cast are guided by professional sexologists Celeste Hirschman and Dr. Danielle Harel, who have been teaching their certified Somatica Method of experiential sex therapy for 20 years. While all of the cast take on exercises that aim to raise their self-esteem and overcome their intimacy fears, some are given the option to work with a surrogate partner therapist - a practitioner who can become physically intimate with their client. Celeste explains, 'A surrogate partner therapist works in conjunction with a traditional licensed therapist and then a client. The therapist is there so if anything emotional comes up for the client that they have someone to process it with, and the surrogate partner can go step-by-step through erotic experiences. 'Everything from basic touching to getting comfortable with nudity and then all the way through to manual sex, oral sex and even intercourse, depending on what's needed for the particular client.' Danielle adds that some of the cast arrived on the island wanting to lose their virginity. 'They came in very excited and I think they were looking forward to the experience so they were scared but wanted to get there. It was very much working with each individual's process and checking in on who's ready for what. 'Surrogates were one thing on the island but there are other options as well so it's not like everyone has to go through that.' Virgin Island producer Robert Davis admits that they took a gamble with the show and its controversial methods. 'I was obviously terrified that they were going to leave the island straight away. It's a TV first and nobody really knows what's going to go on,' he says. 'Our biggest worry was how are they going to take to the therapy. What we actually got was a little bit of scepticism at first but gradually as the process went on, they fell more in love with the therapy and it ended up being transformational.' He adds, 'The other thing is that consent was key - they were also in control and they could take it as far as they wanted to or not. That was paramount.' Jonah reveals that some of the final scenes of the series show how much the cast has changed. 'After working in TV for 30 years, that was about the most heartening experience I've ever had. There was not a dry eye on set. These guys designed a brilliant course where these 12 people clearly felt challenged but ultimately safe and looked after.' For Danielle and Celeste, they hope viewers learn a thing or two from the comfort of their sofas. 'I really hope that once they see the vulnerability and bravery and openness that each of these young folks went through on their journeys, they'll be inspired to take their own journey too,' Celeste says. Danielle adds, 'People feel so much shame around sexuality, feeling inadequate, not knowing how to do things, how to seduce and there's no one to ask. You can read lots of books but it's not going to help you because there's something about really having an experience and feeling it in your nervous system. 'In some ways, the audience is going through it with the cast, which I love so much.'
