What If Nobody Is Actually Straight? (A Therapist Explains) | interview with Paula D. Atkinson

In this interview, Tom Bruett(he/him) interviews Paula D. Atkinson (she/her), a queer, liberation-focused psychotherapist based in Palm Springs. They discuss Paula's journey to claiming her queer identity later in life, the gatekeeping she encountered along the way, and why she believes binaries in sexuality, in relationships, and in therapy itself are a lie. Paula shares her philosophy of "infinite permission," her 20-year unconventional partnership, and why connecting to what you actually want is the foundation of everything, including good couples therapy. They also explore body liberation, the Artist's Way, and Paula's podcast, What If Nothing's Wrong With You.

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About Paula:
Paula D. Atkinson is a queer, woo-woo desert witch and a liberation-focused psychotherapist. She has been working for over 15 years with those who suffer from disordered eating, food obsession, exercise addiction, and body hatred. For many years she taught courses on the history of fat phobia and our culture's thin worship as a professor of Weight & Society at George Washington University. She trains professionals, clinics, and organizations in doing less harm in a thin-obsessed world. She has been interviewed for various articles, podcasts and broadcasts, including on NPR, and co-hosts a podcast that explores how psychotherapy conspires with the many systems that cause mental suffering. She is a second-generation yoga teacher, a psychic witch, an artist, and an aspiring DJ! Paula grew up in the Bay Area, lived in DC and NYC for over 20 years, and recently relocated to Palm Springs CA where she is grateful every day for the dry heat, big sky and the desert vibrations.

Connect with Paula:
Website: https://www.pauladatkinson.com/
Instagram: @pauladatkinson
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WINWWY/featured
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pauladatkinson5

Connect with Tom:
website: www.queerrelationshipinstitute.com
Instagram: @queerrelationshipinstitute
Get his book: https://a.co/d/0gtUEAC5