First things first...

THANK YOU for taking a bit of time to share your perspectives on a largely silent subject.

Your stories are important to me; I commit to use your survey responses to advance this conversation amongst a broadening field of helping professionals and sexual health advocates.

A few things to know before we begin:

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this survey is to collect information about sexual experiences as explored by men and women following separation and/or divorce from an intimate partner.

RESPONDENT CRITERIA: For this survey, I am looking primarily at your experience following the permanent end of a significant romantic (versus platonic) relationship, either marital or non-marital, lasting 2 or more years. If you've ever found yourself at the end of any such relationship, I warmly invite you to contribute your voice to this survey.

ANONYMITY: When you complete this survey, you are trusting me with very private information—and I do not take such confidence lightly. To offer you the greatest possible measure of privacy, please do not provide any identifying details about yourself or your former partner(s), such as names or geographic locations (The last question of this survey offers you the option to provide a pseudonym, if you wish to do so.)

TERMINOLOGY: I acknowledge that sex, love and intimacy occur within countless situational configurations, from online encounters to casual hookups to lifelong committed relationships. Within this context, I use the term "separation" to indicate "the permanent end of a significant romantic (versus platonic) relationship”—however you define and determine that for yourself.

IDENTIFIED "FORMER" RELATIONSHIP: When submitting this survey, please focus on the aftermath of one specific relationship. Throughout the survey, I’ll refer to this as your  “former relationship” with your “former partner.” (If you've had multiple relationships that meet the respondent criteria outlined above, I invite you to complete this survey multiple times, once with each separate relationship in mind.)

PERMISSION to OPT-OUT: Not every question I’m asking will feel like an appropriate fit. Each component of this survey is entirely optional; please honor yourself by skipping any line, question or section that feels too invasive or is simply non-applicable.

TIME/SPACE: Most respondents find this survey requires 15–30 minutes, depending on how much detail you choose to provide. The survey is accessible via most smart phones; however, you may find it easiest to navigate from a tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

APPLICATION: This data will be incorporated into a public presentation titled "From Separation to Sexploration: Navigating the Liminal Landscape of Post-Divorce Sex," developed by Gaelyn Rae Emerson, and broadcast on October 17, 2020 by The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health. To register for this free presentation, visit https://www.sash.net/sexual-health-awareness. I'll share this link again at the end of this survey.

Once again, thank you for lending your voice to this topic.

I see you.
I honor you.
I stand with you.
I advocate for us all.

In service and support,
Gaelyn Rae Emerson
CPLC, CCRC, CDRC, ICF-ACC, APSATS-CPC
www.womeneverafter.com

©2020 Gaelyn Rae Emerson. All Rights Reserved.