Based on popular essays in New York Times‘ Modern Love and Salon, as well as an Off-Broadway one-person play, The Pleasure Plan is a sexual healing odyssey, a manifesto for women to claim pleasure as a priority, and a love story all at once. Fifty percent of adult women have some form of sexual dysfunction at some point of their lives, preventing them from enjoying vibrant, soul-satisfying sex. … enjoying vibrant, soul-satisfying sex. Such was the case with Laura Zam, who suffered the blame, shame, and embarrassment of feeling bedroom broken.
For her, delving between the sheets meant physical pain, zero desire, and emotional scars from being molested in her early years. However, in her late forties, after meeting and marrying the love of her life, Zam was determined to finally fix her sensual self.
This is her brave and bawdy plan to triage her flaccid romantic life, stepping into a void where intimacy, self-love, and playfulness could be experienced–the full monty of Eros that had been missing from her existence.
The Pleasure Plan is what happened when she decided to challenge her hopelessness. In partnership with her initially reluctant husband, she visited 15 healers and tried 30 pleasure-enhancing methods: from dilators and dildos, to hypnosis and hosting a sex brunch, to cleansing chakras, to making love to her husband in front of a geriatric Tantric goddess.
Packed with humor, heart, and a healthy dose of prescriptive advice, this book chronicles Zam’s insight as she confronts many issues–from mismatched libidos to female erection enlightenment. Throughout this journey, she and her husband grow as individuals and as a couple, both in and out of the bedroom.
Fearlessly honest and full of inspiration, Zam peels back the layers–or covers–and exposes her foibles, insecurities, and eventual wisdom as she excavates past traumas, accepts and embraces her worth, and claims her right to be completely alive.
Today, Laura works as a sexuality educator, wellness coach, and speaker helping other women who suffer from sexual dysfunction, the effects of trauma, or those who would simply like more pleasure (of all kinds) in their lives. She also consults with health care providers so they may better assist their clients in achieving sexual well-being.
While The Pleasure Plan is Zam’s personal narrative, it demystifies pervasive taboos, encouraging women to make pleasure a priority, while teaching them how to claim (or reclaim) the power of their sexual selves. It also shows men how they can support their partners in this #Metoo era.
Healthy, sultry intimacy is a right; it is time for women to learn–through glorious trial and error–how to embrace the sensual side of themselves. . . exuberantly and unabashedly.
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An amazing memoir about one women’s sexual journey. It is so inspiring and encourages others to take steps to improve their sexuality. I would recommend this book for women book clubs!
Laura Zam, author of her autobiography and memoir of “The Pleasure Plan, One Woman’s Search for Sexual Healing” has done extensive research, and spares no expense in getting the answers that she searches for in her “sexual healing”. The genres for this book are autobiography, memoir, non-fiction, and self-help. Her husband is on board and offers emotional and physical support.
Laura Zam has married her true love a little later in life, and always questioned her pain and unhappiness in the bedroom. Laura visited gynecologists, physical therapists, sexual therapists, emotional therapists, and so many more, to research how things could be better for her.
I appreciate Laura’s candid and honest approach to what is going on. Laura does write and journal everything, and also suggests that readers keep a log and answer certain questions of how they feel and respond. There are resources that are mentioned.
Laura also discusses how sexual abuse at an early age, could have played a traumatic part in her reaction to her sexual pleasure. Laura also had spent an excessive amount of money on lingerie and other things. Some of these visits for her private research were expensive.
“The Pleasure Plan” is based on essays that Laura Zam wrote, and an Off-Broadway Production about this. I would recommend this book for those readers who appreciate self-help advice.
The Pleasure Plan by Laura Zam is a very personal medical memoir and a self help book that was exceptionally well written, beautifully expressed, and sensitively addressed women’s sexuality issues. The stories shared are funny and heartfelt, yet deeply personnal. Women’s sexuality is a very important topic – most especially for those women who have suffered any type of trauma. Laura Zam is a sexuality educator that is also a Certified Trauma Professional, and I found her voice in this guide and memoir as the subject matter expert in this topic based on her extensive research, as well as her own personal experiences.
Laura Zam shared very intimate details of her life and relationships including her sexual dysfunction. In doing this, she has made herself very vulnerable and I found this to be such a courageous act to share with her readers. In discussing this topic, many women fear being judged and misunderstood, or maybe it’s a taboo subject based on their religious or cultural upbringing. I commend Zam for her bravery in writing this very important topic that women can benefit from, especially those who feel broken.
The book is presented into three parts and each of the chapter ending has a self-help tip and journal entry prompts to encourage self evaluation and introspection on the topics addressed. An extensive resource and guide is also provided at the end, in the Appendix on a listing of medical professionals that can help such as Gynecologists, sex therapists and even pelvic floor Physical Therapists to name a few.
As a medical professional reading this beautifully written memoir and guide, I highly recommend this book.