cover image Therapy, Nudity & Joy: The Therapeutic Use of Nudity Through the Ages, from Ancient Ritual to Modern Psychology

Therapy, Nudity & Joy: The Therapeutic Use of Nudity Through the Ages, from Ancient Ritual to Modern Psychology

Aileen Goodson. Elysium Growth Press, $24.95 (381pp) ISBN 978-1-55599-028-2

Nude group psychotherapy is recommended by the author ``for fast, positive changes in body-image and self-esteem problems.'' Goodson, who interviewed nude patients, nudists and sex surrogates, claims that nudity works wonders for improving communication and eliminating sexual guilt and body shame. A disorganized apologia for nudism dressed up in scholarly garb, this tome is fleshed out with a survey of nakedness in ancient cultures and early Christianity, a tour of nude beaches and parks, and a report on in-the-buff behavior at Esalen and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's ashrams. Reviewing nudity in art and movies, Goodson claims, with scant evidence, that pornography can be a valuable tool in therapy. She writes of infant massage, Wilhelm Reich and Aqua-energetics (nude group therapy in the swimming pool). Goodsen, a sexologist, is a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. (Sept.)