The Asexual Experience

An article in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy provides a new review of the book, The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality by Julie Sondra Decker (2014). Clinicians too will likely find this book helpful in understanding the asexual experience. Clinicians may also have clients exhibiting no sexual attraction to (or sexual desire for) others and thus may be wondering what approach to take with these individuals. Clinicians may be able to recommend this book to self-identified asexual people, or those who have not yet self-labeled but exhibit little or no sexual interest in others and/or are questioning their sexual attractions to others. It is a straightforwardly written book and one that defines its terms clearly, so it could be recommended to a range of clients, including those without much background in science or clinical terminology. Not meaning this to be an academic book, Decker does at times move into the realm of academe, as she does use some academic references to support some of her points. However, the book could still use an academic nod or two to references addressing, for example, the conceptualization of sexual orientation, including those that include asexuality within a sexual orientation framework. This book also serves as an interesting counterpoint to a highly sexualized Western culture.

For the abstract