This is a part of the Hot Topic podcast series from the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center on Sexuality and Intimacy After Burn Injury. Jennifer Bell Matthews, burn survivor, discusses breaking the taboo around sexuality and intimacy.

Jennifer Bell-Matthews

Sustained a Burn injury in 2010

I think it’s very important to talk about sex after trauma, well, sex and intimacy after trauma because it’s such a taboo conversation. Nobody wants to talk about it and nobody wants to broach the subject because it’s personal. But I feel as though if we’re not talking about it, we’re all thinking about it. And those thoughts just kind of stay there.

So I’d rather have a conversation about it, and even talk to others around me and where are you at with this, because I do feel like support from others who have been there and done that or who are experiencing the same thing you’re experiencing, their opinion is very important, because you’re not in it alone, you’re not doing it alone, you know. It’s like reach out and get some information.

Things are going on around you, things are going on with your body and you don’t quite understand. So I feel like it’s important to have that body of knowledge, whether that’s you reaching out to your friends around you who are experiencing the same thing or group support, you know, whatever you have to do in order to get the knowledge.

Visit https://msktc.org/burn and get the answers you need from experts who conduct innovative and high-quality research, provide patient care, and work to improve the health and overall quality of life for people with burn injury. That’s https://msktc.org/burn.