Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriela Galvan de Antillon M.S., LMHC, BCST, CAP.
Gabriela, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story… I didn’t think as a little girl that one day, I would be a Board Certified Sex Therapist. So, the fact that this is my profession always intrigues many people. My journey really does involve life circumstance and not the constant thought of sex growing up.
When I was in college, I used to backpack every other summer in Europe and Central America. At the time, I was a little unsure of my career path. It was while I was in the Arctic Circle of Norway that I was hiking up a mountain (didn’t want to pay for the lift), and was siting there looking at the midnight sun where I found my calling. I knew I wanted to contribute. However, I was not sure how. It was on this mountain side that I found I wanted to make a difference in peoples lives in the most sacred way. Each of us shares some things in common. One of the most impactful experiences we have is our relationships with each other. They can be the most painful or the most profound and illuminating experiences we have with one another. It was on that mountain in Nippori Norway that I decided to not only major in Psychology, but I would not stop till I had my masters.
After undergrad and grad school, I started to work more in the field of mental health. I was fortunate enough to work with all income levels and diverse backgrounds. Through my work, I was able to see one very common issue that would be brought up at different levels of degree. Sex. Based on this observation and the experience of having many colleagues who were very uncomfortable with the subject, or not willing to ask the right questions regarding this part of their client’s lives, I decided to specialize in Sex Therapy.
I pursued my specialization in Sex Therapy and underwent supervision to become Board Certified by the State of Florida. It’s with this specialization I am able to help my clients as individuals or as couples. This is such an exciting field to be in. I can confidently say that my initial desire to contribute in a personal way is being accomplished.
Has it been a smooth road?
Completely smooth… no. The subject of sex in our western culture (as well as others), is a very taboo subject. Not only that… the subject of sex has been a male dominated. Sex has been dominated by my male view, male experience, and male medical professionals. In history, women dominate the subject of sex mainly when it’s under the theme of prostitution. There are few well known female professionals in the field of sex like Dr. Ruth Westheimer and Dr. Virginia Johnson. Dr. Ruth hit pop culture in the eighties and nineties as a Sex Therapist. Dr. Viriginia Johnson along with Dr. William Masters helped pioneer research into the nature of the human sexual response and sexual disorders mainly in the fifties and sixties. As a female therapist in this field, there is at times an uphill road to be acknowledged as a well versed or expert in a traditionally male dominated subject.
Another bump in the road is that not many people understand what a Sex Therapist does. When many people hear the title Sex Therapist they think that actual sex is involved in a session. Those professionals are Sex Surrogates. Sex Therapists practice verbal therapy to address all different types of sexual experiences and disorders for couples and individuals.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Blue Pearl Therapeutic story. Tell us more about the business.
My business name is Blue Pearl Therapeutic. I chose this name because of the meaning behind the Blue Pearl. In some eastern views, we are able to see a hue of a blue pearl when we are in deep meditation. This blue pearl is said to mean that we have reached our true inner state of enlightenment otherwise meaning the seed that contains the entire universe. It’s also said that during orgasm if we truly release and allow ourselves to let go and enter sexual bliss or orgasmic bliss with we can reach the highest levels with ourselves and partner. This means we have truly surrendered and became open and vulnerable.
This ties with my ultimate goal. I want couples and individuals to experience their devine right in its most pure form. To get past trauma, relationship challenges, pain, performance or any other kind of road block to their experience as a sexual being.
As a Board Certified Sex Therapist, I work with couples and individuals. So basically I specialize in the area of sex. I am most known for addressing male performance whether its organic or non-organic, female sexual desire and empowerment, vaginal pain, couples issues that contribute to lack of sex, and sex after the birth of a child.
One of the things that I hear often from clients is how comfortable I make the subject and doing the “worK” feel. I’m told that its easy to talk to me about sex which helps them over the largest hurtle of the subject is taboo.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Over the next 5 to 10 years I suspect to see a higher influx of younger clients. To be more specific… middle and high school for sure. I already have seen a greater influx of young twenty-somethings coming to my office.
The reason for this is not only technology but more specifically virtual reality being used for sexual experiences. I say this because 95% of my clients who are between the ages of twenty to twenty-five come to see me for performance issues that have been contributed to high definition video porn. Most of them started to watch porn online around the age of nine to eleven.
I also see a larger use of Telehealth. Telehealth is basically being able to talk face to face with a client via video conferencing. It is very convenient, but I still believe some advantages are lost and true confidentially can be compromised when sessions are not in an office.
Contact Info:
- Address: 191 Giralda Ave
Penthouse Suite
Coral Gables, FL 33134 - Website: www.bluepearltherapeutic.com
- Phone: 786-383-2738
- Instagram: bluepearltherapeutic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BluePearlTherapeutic/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-pearl-therapeutic-coral-gables?osq=sex+therapy
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