What is swinging? with Dee McDonald
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What is swinging? is this a question you have ever asked yourself?
Tune in to listen to my conversation with Dee McDonald, a psychotherapist, specialising in sexuality and relationships and who has done research into swinging. She helps couples to negotiate different aspects of their lives, when they’ve hit a block, or who want to improve or change the direction of their relationship in some way.
As Esther Perel says: “Most people are going to have two or three marriages or committed relationships in their adult life. Some of us will have them with the same person.”
What is swinging?
It is a boundaried recreational activity – and a fun game for couples. It usually, involves couples playing with other couples. This may be with more than one couple at a time. And it is a way for us to remain emotionally monogamous while exploring new areas of sexuality.
Why would a couple want to swing?
It may seem crazy to want to take a perfectly good relationship and give it some challenges that it doesn’t need to have. Dee suggests it’s like emotional rock climbing because it requires a very stable, solid couple as a foundation. She says this is not for couples who want to try something new in an attempt to fix their relationship.
Most of the time it starts with fantasy – which is gradually explored.
It can be an opportunity for people to explore bisexuality without leaving the relationship.
It can also be a way to spice up sex lives and explore boundaries. Or to satisfy curiosity and break the constraints of societal norms!
Monogamy can be a difficult concept to hold onto FOREVER, but the idea of playing with that can be very different from the heteronormative expectations of long-term relationships.
Dee has great knowledge on this subject and it was eye-opening for me! Let me know in the comments what you thought about this episode!!
