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Associate Professor Christopher Walling receives the Gina Ogden Curatorial Scholarship for Integrative Approaches to Sex Research and Therapy from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University
Dr. Christopher Walling, an associate professor of Research Psychology in the School of Consciousness and Transformation at CIIS, was recently awarded the Gina Ogden Curatorial Scholarship for Integrative Approaches to Sex Research and Therapy from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. Dr. Walling was one of two scholars awarded the prestigious scholarship: Dr. Marcy Brink, a research fellow at Bar-llan University, was also awarded a scholarship.
The Gina Ogden Curatorial Scholarship for Integrative Approaches to Sex Research and Therapy is awarded to stimulate new ways of building on Dr. Gina Ogden’s integrative Four-Dimensional Wheel (4-D) approach to sex research and therapy, and to carry forward Dr. Ogden’s award-winning work. Scholars are expected to produce a tangible result — an addition to the integrative practice of sex research and/or therapy that incorporates the complex relationships among body, mind, heart, and spirit. Scholarship recipients are also expected to contribute to the organization, preservation, and/or accessibility of Kinsey Institute collections.
Dr. Walling's research project, "An Embodied Psychoanalytic Approach to the 4-D Model," seeks to connect embodied psychoanalysis and the 4-D model. This innovative research will delve into the interplay between body, mind, heart, and spirit within sex research and therapy, using the Kinsey Institute's resources to deepen the understanding of human sexuality, trauma, and healing.
The project underscores the significance of bodily experiences in psychological development and therapy, arguing that somatic experiences are foundational to our psychic structures and relational dynamics. By merging this perspective with the 4-D model, Dr. Walling's work proposes a comprehensive framework that captures the complexity of sexual experiences and identities.
Additionally, Dr. Walling plans to author a book from this research that will advance embodied psychoanalysis, using historical insights, theoretical frameworks, and practical applications to provide new pathways for understanding and healing in human sexuality. He aims to contribute significantly to the discourse on sex therapy and research, promoting a holistic understanding of sexual well-being that bridges mind and body, honoring Dr. Ogden’s legacy.
Dr. Walling said he was inspired to submit his proposal as a means to help his patients move beyond trauma to restoring pleasure.
“As a Clinical Research Fellow at the Kinsey Institute, my research historically has been on the intersection of trauma psychology and human sexuality,” Dr. Walling explained. “I have, however, come to increasingly seek a more integral approach not only to my research but my clinical work as well. I have become ever the more committed to helping support my patients beyond trauma into a life of renewed pleasure, and this scholarship holds precisely that same vision.”
Dr. Walling spoke to the importance of Dr. Ogden’s work and how he’s been inspired by her 4-D model. He said the scholarship is a rare opportunity for academics and scholars to advance integral frameworks in sex research and sex therapy:
“Gina was a pioneer in sexology, and a tireless advocate for everyone’s sexual well-being,” Dr. Walling recalled. “Her contributions to sex therapy via her four-dimensional model have left an integrative legacy in the field that has inspired me for many years.”
Ultimately, Dr. Walling hopes his body of work will help to transform the way we think about integral sex therapy.
“I hope they will find a powerful resource to help restore pleasure, drawing upon an embodied psychoanalytic perspective for an integral sex therapy!”
Read the full announcement here
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