Rewriting Desire: Love, Intimacy, and Erotic Possibilities in Narrative Therapy

Love and desire is not just an impulse—it is a story, continuously shaped and reshaped through the narratives we live by, the relationships we nurture, and the cultural scripts that frame our understanding of love and intimacy. "Rewriting Desire: Love, Intimacy, and Erotic Possibilities in Narrative Therapy" invites therapists into an evocative exploration of how narrative therapy can transform the ways individuals and couples experience sex, love, and connection.

In this immersive workshop, we will reimagine intimacy beyond pathologizing frameworks, helping therapists guide clients toward richer, more preferred love stories. Through experiential exercises, therapeutic conversations, and creative narrative practices, participants will learn how to challenge dominant discourses around love, desire, and pleasure, allowing space for couples and individuals to reclaim authorship of their intimate lives.

This workshop will explore:

• How cultural and personal narratives shape love, desire, and intimacy.
• Ways to deconstruct shame and guilt in speaking about love and desire in their intimate relationships.
• The ethical considerations of stepping into intimate witnessing practices in therapy.
• The intersection of identity, power, and agency in the shaping of experiences love and desire.

Blending poetic reflections, transcript analysis, and real-world therapeutic applications, this workshop offers an invitation to therapists to step into a space of curiosity, playfulness, and radical relationality—helping clients rewrite love and desire in ways that honor their deepest hopes for love, intimacy, and pleasure.

Presenters: Sanni Paljakka and Tom Carlson

Dates: May 2nd and 3rd from 10:00 am to 5:00pm

Where: Community Wise Resource Centre, 223 12th Ave SW, Calgary, AB

Cost: Professionals- $400  Students- $200