My primary reason for taking this workshop was to find another tool to add to my toolkit.Before this workshop began, I used to get fuzzy once I lost sight of my desire.Now, towards the end of this workshop I feel empowered to speak my desire. I don't need to caretake.Our group had a sweet energy as we came together in our experiences. For me, it was good to not know anyone initially or have an attraction to anyone in the group regardless of orientation and to work with all genders. I was able to have my journey without the cloudiness I feel from sexual or erotic desire. I love those feelings too. I just think it helped me to not have to deal with those emotions in this instance.This course is taught with subtlety and nuance which allows you to really search inside yourself for your true desire.  River is an excellent guide for this journey. She remained attuned to the group and followed where the energy of the group led her. This allowed for a custom experience for all.I had a personal experience of an “aha” moment when I realized how many times I was giving mixed signals with my straight friends. Now I will simply focus on my desire and make a request for my pleasure. If someone has a request for me, then I will go on my journey and find my limits. One of the big benefits of this workshop is the Wheel itself. Language to help me explain all of these inner thoughts.The real-life practices in the workshop helped me to feel the nuance and practice going on my journey.I believe this course is a prerequisite for life and everyone should have this skill. I don't know if it fits under the umbrella of emotional intelligence or some other intelligence but it should be defined in that way in my opinion.There were many tears shed in this workshop but it was a good cry. The word catharsis comes to mind.

My primary reason for taking this workshop was to get to know more about Wheel of Consent before the Like a Pro workshop, kind of a warmup.

Before this workshop began I would say I was a bit reserved with strangers. About mid-way into the workshop, magic happened.

If anyone wants to seed and grow new neural pathways for healing and success, try this workshop out.

It was an eye opening experience to be part of our group with wide emotional challenges and traumatic experiences. Slowly by the end, with River's ability to hold the safe space, every one ended up opening their tender part to see what they were missing all along.

As a teacher, River was amazing, gifted, experienced, a strong and passionate healer on a mission.  I appreciated the way River was not afraid to directly address our mind tricks and old stories.

I learned life inspiring experiences. And I recognize this is an on going practice. This course strengthened my resolve and I feel empowered to inspire and heal people in need. 

I had a great time all along. To future participants, I would say let things flow and do not overthink the situation. Trust River, she will get you flowing.

I primarily took this workshop to help me understand healthy boundaries better, especially my boundaries.

Before the workshop, touch was something I felt I needed and had no choice in needing more, nor in what kind of touch I could both give and receive.

Mid-way through the workshop, I tapped into a part of myself that desired specific touch, in specific ways, and for the first time, I began to feel like I had permission to choose.

In addition, I began to feel safer when touching others. I felt that I could trust them and their directions to guide me to the right touch far more than I have ever trusted people who let me touch them before.

Since the workshop has ended, I have been terrifyingly empowered to discover my true pleasure and desires outside of what I learned from others. I attribute this to the encouragement and celebration of taking my own pleasure.

I also find myself deepening my trust and therefore intimacy with my partner, opening myself up to an inner vulnerability that I did not know existed. The trust came when I practiced setting boundaries as totally free, sacred desires that I now had the right to express no matter the situation or the circumstance.

The group meshed very well to me. We all were committed to the workshop and we all cooperated together to give each other and ourselves the richest experience. Whether I was with a man or a woman, it didn’t matter. We were comrades, taking this journey together.

As a whole, I would say our unity allowed us to raise each other and dive deeper together than we ever would have alone or if there was discord in our group. People felt safe to, and did, share deep personal feelings, cry, laugh together, and generally enjoy the process in an uninhibited way. That’s why we had such an amazing experience.

In the course, we were taught through simple guided exercises in a small enough group that our instructor could tailor the lesson plan and pace to our individual needs as much as to the group's. There was some discussion and lecture but it was always very interactive and free form; allowing us to joke, laugh, and ask questions throughout the spoken part of the course.

The real life practices were the experiential journeys that brought me into my body, into my heart, and into myself. They were the “keys” to the workshop that allowed me to not just think about what we were learning but to both feel them in my body and also feel what comes up for me or how I react when I put these ideas into practice.

River exuded a gentleness confidence, and passion for the material that drew all of us students in from the moment we started the class. During the class, she engaged with each of us individually and tailored the pace of the class to suit what we were ready for in each moment. My favorite part was how she kept the tone light and informal so that the class was as much about having fun with these practices, as it was about learning them. At the end, she felt like a friend as much as a teacher.

I would say that the big benefits for me were two-fold.

1) Receiving permission and encouragement to pursue my own personal pleasure and by extension, to my true desires. Especially important as a part of that is being guided to how to feel those genuine desires in the first place.

2) Experiencing what truly clear boundaries and consensual interactions between people are really like, including how to create those for myself and practice them in my own life. Feeling my right to hold my boundaries wherever “I” needed to in the moment was another revelation for me.

The workshop completely challenged my old ideas of what pleasure was, what I wanted in the moment, and more. In order to keep moving forward in in the workshop I had to move through fear of what I held inside and the utter belief in my own failure should my insides not measure up. Getting through and touching my forgotten truth and bodily feelings was raw, painful, and intense; but I cannot describe the relief I felt at finally being able to “listen” to my self/my body again.

Part way through the second day, during an exercise to “take” my pleasure from an object, I touched a hidden part of me deep inside where my true capacity to experience genuine pleasure was hidden. I then felt how different what I thought I had wanted based on porn, movies, and other societal messages was from what I truly desired inside. It was an incredibly raw, painful, and enlightening experience which, alone, would have made the whole workshop worth it.

My toughest moment was on Saturday when, during an exercise, I felt what I just described above. I did not want to touch these hidden inner parts of myself, much less do it in a circle with a bunch of strangers whom I had met the day before. I kept going though and went through the monumental task of accepting my feelings and then letting them out and sobbing in the classroom for a while. I refused to let go, just as I refused to give up on myself.

This course helped me in so many ways, but personally, I think the biggest was the permission to really value myself. This valuing showed up in the form of discovering and owning what “I” genuinely desired regardless of outside influences, as well as knowing that I had the right and the strength to defend my true boundaries, no matter how much that may bother others.

I recommend this workshop to anyone who is interested in being more deeply connected to their bodies and in having clearer understandings of boundaries. I recommend it because it takes us into a deeper layer of “listening” to our bodies and to others, thusly to the often forgotten parts of ourselves and of our relationships.

To you who will be attending in the future, I only ask that you come into this with respect for something that has more to offer which, despite how simple it may sound, you do not understand yet. Also, the more you commit, the more you will get out of it.

I took this workshop because I wanted clarity on how to determine what I desire and how to ask for it, as well as manage my own boundaries and know when I need to say no.  

Before this workshop began I used to let the other party lead and I would follow, keeping a sharp eye out for my boundaries. I was hyper-focused on how far was too far and how far I wouldn't go and when I would need to say "stop." I hadn't considered that it was valid for me to have specific desires and to ask for them to be fulfilled.   

Learning to say, "I want" was challenging. 

Now, a lot of possibility is showing up for how relationships could be. This applies to all areas of my life. I'm looking forward to using these concepts with my friends to create even more satisfying friendships.  

I always seem to learn more in a group setting. It was difficult to connect with some of the other students, but I appreciated hearing the range of experiences they were having, and it was interesting to see how almost all of them had blocks to using the Wheel as it was intended. It was a good mirror to show me where I was blocked and stuck myself.

The group dynamic helps because I like to express myself. Having other people witness my illuminations is very healing to me. Hearing others' perspectives is also valuable, because I can often see others' blind spots and then investigate where I might have a similar blind spot.   

River is a dynamic, compassionate, clear teacher. She will honor me at the same time that she challenges me to choose an upgraded way of interacting with others. She celebrates the smallest of shifts. I respect, admire, and love her style of teaching and her way of being.      

Shifting out of normal and into extraordinary in just one relationship in my life would be worth it, and the fact is that I can try these tools in every relationship of my life, and use them even in short interactions, say with my massage therapist.     

Being able to feel kinesthetically the difference between the 4 modes of touch solidified the teaching.  

Learning to discover and speak my desires, own them, and interact with others' desires is something not taught to me in schools or by my parents. This workshop filled a huge void, and I believe I can upgrade my life with this concept. 

I had to give up on a lot of myths that weren't working for me, like, "If you love me, you'll just magically know what I want." and that talking about consent beforehand couldn't possibly be fun and it will kill the mood. I felt relief, since these beliefs hadn't been working for me anyway. They had simply been prompting me to wonder what was wrong with ME that they weren't working for me. But what if they're lies and illusions and they don't work for anyone....?    

Giving and receiving to people I didn't know or care about was difficult. It felt like a waste of energy, since I didn't see this partnering as turning into anything significant, for the most part. I kept going because I figured it was good to practice with someone where the stakes are low, instead of practicing with someone where it feels the stakes are impossibly high (which means I'm much less likely to express myself authentically and honor my boundaries).  

Getting clear on the difference between the person doing the action and who it's for was illuminating. Practicing using the specific language helped anchor this concept in my body.  

To future participants I say: Listen to your body to hear what it wants. Ask for more than what you think is "acceptable" if that's what truly sounds wonderful to you. Practice speaking your heart's desire. Get in the habit of honoring your desires.  

My primary reason for taking this workshop was to test myself to see how I would react in a semi-sexual situation with an unknown group.

Before the workshop, my condition has been described as Touch Negative and Sexless. My approach to touch and choice has been limited to a formal dance floor where I ask a partner to dance. Or a career situation, where the touching is professional, handshakes and hugs only if the other person asks first.

About mid-way into the workshop, I gave up trying to fit in and started looking after myself more. What was useful was to see the perspectives of the participants start to change. Even those who had the workshop before or who knew the Wheel were there to try to break a restriction or a limit in their lives.

The group dynamic helped because in human beings we do have a desire for touch, pleasure, company, praise, gratitude, feeling successful, and just feeling good. All of these are difficult to do when we are alone. And when working in the groups, each can assist the other at some level, whether it is simply comfort or listening or giving attention.

Mostly the teaching method was like circuit assembly or building a model, where each component is built, and then the next piece added. In this case, the next verbal cue, consent, limits, and focus on self.

The most telling moment was when I was trying to say "I want" and I could not. I am quite good with words, and can write and talk for a mile, but saying "I want" was very difficult.

A big benefit of the workshop is setting up a group of people willing to talk and try the Wheel. The value I found in the workshop is that everyone came with the intention of learning something about setting boundaries and ending stereotypes.

This course personally helped me on several things. First, it was a test to see how I could react in such a situation. I did this workshop without research, and without heavy preparation. Trust. Trust. Trust it will be fine. Second, this was a strange situation that was going to include touch. Talking is easy. Working is easy. Touching is very hard.

At the end of this workshop I feel successful.

Maybe I am not as untouchable as I sometimes feel.

Everyone can benefit from understanding the Wheel of Consent and what dynamics are involved in all relationships.

It is empowering and life changing. 

I find that learning the Wheel of Consent is a beneficial tool to have in your pocket for any and every social interaction. By having an understanding of your intention, your dynamic, " who the gift is for", can change how you approach any discussion. It can help to navigate a discussion or sexual interaction towards clarity.

I took this workshop because I wanted to dive deeper into the Wheel of Consent and gain experience and tools to use. Now that I’ve taken the workshop, I feel like I have tools and a script in order to approach using touch in every day life and in my own teaching.  

Having the time to dedicate and dive deeper into each quadrant and practice what they mean is beneficial and totally worth it. 

This course is taught through a series of exercises or practices of concepts. As you repeat a practice you gain a deeper understanding of the implications of the exercise. And by last day you literally see how the pieces fit together when the diagram of the Wheel is presented to you.  Having the opportunity to use the tools is always helpful vs just listening to a lecture.  

It's always nice to explore topics in a group setting as others contribute their understandings and their experiences to create a more complete picture of how the Wheel works or how it can be used.  

My aha moment came several days after the workshop when I realized that I grew up in a household where boundaries were not respected and how it had impacted other areas of my life. As opposed to feeling like "i was broken,”, i realized it was a learned thing and also a skill that I could learn and therefore change upcoming behavior and situations. I had chosen to no longer be a victim of my circumstances but was missing pieces of my understanding as to how and why I was contributing to that behavior repeatedly. 

The toughest moment for me was realizing that I have not been an active participant in my life - in the good stuff that has happened and the not so great stuff! And now - I have some tools to use to be able to be more empowered in all my interactions.  

The course gave me the time to explore the information in each of the quadrants, a chance to explore how the language and the actions relate and how they impact my interactions in every day life. 

To future participants I would say: Just do it! It is so worth it! 

The primary reason I took the workshop was to improve sex, and the communication around sex, with my wife. After 20 years, things between us had become, as I like to euphemize, well-practiced. 

Paradoxically, for all of our mutual experience, there was a real lack of communication, a lot of uncertainty, and too much built-up resentment in our sex life. I often wondered who I was touching her for. My wife would sometimes intuit that a certain act was for my benefit, even as I pretended it was for her. So intriguing, but also dangerous!

I wanted to understand more about who I was touching for in a given moment, and gain a better vocabulary for navigating sex and desire with my wife.

I think my confusion surrounding touch began early, like so many, as I fumbled through teenage sexual experience. I learned patterns of behavior, and modeled a staunch lack of communication, which became a sort of cycle.

That lack of communication around sex begat tentativeness, which in turn fostered deep uncertainty. Being uncertain offered me a fork in the road — quietly explore and hope for the best outcome (so many times not even knowing my own definition of a good outcome!), or go out on a limb and develop a language and courage surrounding desire. It seemed easier to make the silent, passive choice!

Taking pleasure though my hands was, ultimately, a big eye opener.

What I have loved most dearly about this work is how slowly it started, almost imperceptible. Delightful no doubt, the touching. But the ramifications of those not-quite-aha moments feel to me now like hurricane lashings brought on by the delicate flutter of a butterfly’s wings. 

Being in the group was helpful to me. We all had different perspectives on the workshop content, but River ensured everyone was heard, and integrated our varied perspectives into the lessons. For me, it was important to begin this type of work in a group setting — I felt supported in my journey. Learning new things in a room surrounded by like-minded people who understood each other.

Afterward, I was able to apply the Wheel practices alone and with my wife. But the group offered such unique support and belonging, which was wonderful.

With regard to River as a teacher, I started with “patient and kind.” Which River certainly is. And then I looked up 1 Corinthians 13:4 because I felt like I was starting wedding vows and, wow, is that passage apropos! River is love!

Seriously — so. much. patience. Holding space for every person in the group. A profound sense of inclusion. Nurturing in the sense of encouraging — and deeply caring about — the growth of others. 

River is also a superlative facilitator. I remember calling River “a born leader” as we gave our exit interviews in-group. And then I felt terrible having used that language because I sense her leadership skills are borne from incredible sacrifice, hard work, tenacity, and attention. A life’s work that isn’t easily encapsulated, or was ever something that “just happened.”

For me the “aha” moment was when I [finally] realized River was going to go from the practice to the theory. It took forever to get to the actual wheel diagram! Aha!

I’d already read a lot about the wheel and dug into Betty Martin’s site before I attended the workshop. I loved the way River led us through the material — first experiencing the different quadrants of the wheel, and what each one awakened in our bodies. Only then did we consume the Wheel theory with our minds. Aha! Perfect! 

To River: thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

I took this workshop to access more pleasure in my body, learn how to give and receive care with more awareness, and help others do the same.

Before this workshop began, I approached touch and choice without the distinction of 'who is this for?' About mid-way into the workshop, I experienced more pleasure in my hands and body! More a-ha's around the difference between giving/receiving, doing/done to.

Now that the workshop is over, I feel empowered. Embodied. Inspired.

The teaching methodology of this workshop is part didactic, part experiential. It is a workshop to empower reconnecting with the pleasure in your body, attention and attunement to others, and negotiating skills in giving and receiving care.

The real life practices in the workshop helped make the lessons real and more embodied.

The group dynamic in this workshop helped. The intimacy and vulnerability of sharing with individuals put pressure on my actual (not just imagined) barriers and deficits when it comes to giving and receiving care. 

I had a personal “aha” moment realizing that I tend to focus on giving pleasure to others, and feel shy when it comes to asking for what brings me pleasure.

My toughest moment in the workshop was probably 'taking' pleasure for myself from a partner that I did not know - it felt very intimate and I felt shy about exploring those boundaries fully.

I realized that I find it difficult to 'impose' what I desire on others unless it's pleasurable for them. 

The big benefits of this workshop are getting clarity around knowing what I desire from feeling it in my body, and how to navigate boundaries and situations where the heat gets turned up in intimacy.

I recommend this workshop to others because having an understanding of who the giving/receiving of care is for changes the way I relate with people and can help heal a world full of people feeling abusive and abused. Also recognizing we need to take responsibility to discover through our bodies what we desire and what our boundaries truly are is important. 

To future participants, I would say: Be willing to touch and be touched, be willing to turn your awareness into your senses and your inner world. Be prepared to ask for what you truly desire.

This workshop helped me personally because I feel more confident to ask for what I want, not take it personally if someone can't/doesn't want to give that, and also set my own limits around giving and receiving.

River is a great teacher in her ability to be relaxed and present, playful and sincere, guiding yet allowing, and helping people touch into uncomfortable places with support and grace.

I hope that this can be taught to everyone!

My primary reason for taking this workshop was to learn the wheel of consent, so I can practice it when working with clients.

This course is taught through experience.  Every class started with solo or partner touching exercises.  After the experience, River taught about where the exercise we did fell on the wheel.

I would say the big benefits of this workshop are learning that an important part of consent is being clear on who the activity is for, practicing naming physical sensations in the body, and learning the difference between what I want and what I am willing to do.

I had watched videos on the wheel of consent before and didn't fully understand it.

Getting to experience practicing the wheel not only helped me to understand the wheel, but enabled me to recognize what being in each quadrant on the wheel feels like in my body. This has helped me be able to easily pinpoint which quadrant I am in in situations in real life.

Even though the course was primarily about touch, I've been able to apply what I have learned to every aspect of my life.  I've started to practice getting clear on my intentions and communicating them, even if it’s just as simple as my intention for wanting to be friends with someone or inviting a friend to coffee.  When I know the intention for the interaction, then i can know if I am actually a yes or not.

I took this workshop because I was seeking a practical tool that could help me better understand myself and the dynamics in my relationships.

There had been so much confusion around giving and receiving and who is doing what for who that it was painful.  

Also as a sex therapist I wanted more practical and experiential tools that I could use to help my clients more effectively and in a way that is more practical and productive than just talking about problems.

 I have found The Wheel to be one of the most practical and helpful tools for both personal and professional use!

Before this workshop I was totally unaware of the quadrants of giving and receiving.  I now realize where my last relationship went so wrong and how much of that was due to us being totally unconscious about consent (or lack thereof).  This lead to a lot of pain and suffering that could have been avoided had we had this tool!

I also have had a big aha moment about my relationship dynamic with my ex husband.  For years, I have felt manipulated, abused and perpetrated by him while never actually realizing that I was actually at fault too for acting from the shadow side of allowing by not having any limits or demanding that those boundaries and limits be honored.  As a result, I have allowed him to just take and take while being too afraid or lazy to stand up for myself and create a different dynamic.

After learning the wheel I have been able to recognize when I am allowing someone to overstep my boundary or dishonor my limit and I have been able to stand up for myself in a very empowered way.

This is so exciting to feel!

What I love about this course is that it is mostly experiential.  Learning the concept of the wheel is fascinating but the rubber only meets the road when you actually get to experience what it feels like for you to be in each of the quadrants.

This is one of the most direct and practical tools for self knowledge and personal growth and healing that I have ever encountered.

It is simple yet absolutely profound.  I am so excited to keep exploring the depths of wisdom and insight available to me through the application of this wisdom in my life.

In truth, everything in my life now looks different as I begin to see things through this wheel.  It is slowly changing the way I communicate, how I ask for or request things of others, and I haven’t even applied it yet to sex - oh the wonders!  LOL

Being in a group dynamic to learn this work is really a gift.  So many people are shy to be in groups or afraid to be seen.  The group space that River created was very safe and respectful.  We always were given the choice to share or not to share, to participate or not and in being given this choice we were learning how to tap into, honor, and listen to our own desire.  

River modeled the concepts of the wheel effortlessly through her teaching style.

From this workshop I have learned to say no, ask for what I want more clearly, and to respect myself much more compassionately and passionately.

If you get a chance to take this workshop with River do it!

It is totally worth the investment of time and money.

River is a fun, engaging and playful teacher.  She creates a very safe and sacred space for her students to learn and grow while exploring sides of themselves that may otherwise be challenging to discover on their own.  River is also very respectful and encouraging of each person’s individual growth process which makes the class also feel very personal even though we are in a group setting.

My primary reason for taking this workshop was to improve communications in my relationship with my partner.

I wanted to take the Wheel of Consent workshop for guidance and practice with asking for what I want, increasing comfort with receiving, improving communication with and understanding of others, and bringing more healthy touch into my life.

I used to approach touch and choice with a lot of fear, uncertainty, guesswork, hesitation, anxiety, you get the picture.

I had a personal “aha” moment when my boundaries were shot all to pieces. I realized this, as well as the importance of setting, understanding, remembering, and respecting boundaries in all relationships.

About mid-way into the workshop, I started having more fun and ease with it. I started asking my body what it wanted, and observing for comfort and insight from others’ bodies. This was a shift from imaging how things would happen and wondering how others were feeling.

After this workshop, I feel lighter, calmer. Like I’ve still got some work to do, but also a much more sensible way to do it. I’m super glad that there’s a community of people who’ve done this work. I plan to check it out and find some practice friends, for sure.

It was reassuring to be around others in our group working on the similar puzzles in their life. I enjoyed working with several different people through the event, it really helped bring depth and texture to what we were learning.

The workshop is taught using an experiential methodology. It starts with exercises right off the bat, then bits of teaching and sharing of experience, then exercises, and so on. It wasn’t until I had a general picture in mind of this wheel thing that it was actually shown and taught. I believe that this made it immensely easier to take in and process what the wheel is. At the very least is was fun this way … kinda like a good mystery novel; getting little tidbits here and there and thinking you might have it figured and and then a twist and then the big reveal.

River is a breath of fresh air, one of my absolute most favorite teachers. She’s as much a guardian as a guide, and builds a sturdy container around her people. She’s also super down to earth, all about conversational learning and available for personal question. Also, whatever you do, be on time to her classes. I’m serious.

This workshop is my new top recommendation for anyone looking to bring more healthy physical touch into their lives, and to improve their communication with and awareness of others.

I took this workshop to learn and grow and improve my relationship with my spouse.

Before this workshop, I approached touch and choice in a random way without much thought, just giving in and letting choices be made for me.

About mid-way into the workshop I started seeing possibilities about a mutually beneficial approach.

My most difficult moments were when my old baggage came up. I just tried to see it as an opportunity to grow.

My biggest “aha” moment was when I learned to check how I feel when deciding what I want as opposed to my default mode of analyzing.

After this workshop, I feel I have new tools. I learned how to get in touch with my desires and how to express them more concisely and how to respect my own limits as to what I am not willing to do.

The course is an experiential learning approach, the knowledge is presented then you put it into practice. The real life practices helped give me confidence in applying what I learned and reinforced it.

The group was amazing and the course is conducted in such a way that I felt totally safe about any of the activities or anything I wanted to share with them. The group dynamic made it fun, we laughed a lot, but were on task and supportive of each other.

What you learn in the workshop can help to improve almost every area of your life.

River is an amazing human being, very authentic and real while very focused in her mission and very knowledgeable on the subject. She understands human nature and how we relate.

I recommend this workshop because you get a clear, simple and practical method of relating to others.

To future participants, I say be open minded and give the method a chance.

I want you to know how much value you brought me AND my relationship in a few weeks. I can't even remember if I experienced any skepticism at the possibility of a few weeks' efficacy, because if I ever did I have since forgotten and it has been replaced entirely by our time together and all that I have begun to stretch and feel into in my own experience. 

Like a cat sitting on a lap, purring and being pet in a warm sun beam, taking a stretch here and there– that's what I would equate to my felt sense of our time together. 

Our work, centered around Betty Martin's concept she calls The Wheel of Consent, was perfectly "unsexy" in that it wasn't mysterious, required no pretending or role play on its surface, and instead required total clarity of what you want and what the intentions behind any interaction are. And in that, it has helped to reframe what I believe is sexy. 

The work we did together was so much more than sexual awakening, or sexual re-awakening.  On the sexual front, we worked to deconstruct the elements keeping me from pleasure seeking, and that has been incredibly liberating. 

The most value I feel like I derived from working with River is how much the work helped me call up more of my own awareness and find more language for what I find, validating my desires and my aversions and giving me language to discuss both more openly, challenging my subconscious need to do the emotional labor for my partner before I've even uttered words about my own desire. It has challenged both of us to take ownership of our own "sexual readiness," taking the burden off my partner to know how to approach me when he has desire on his heart.  I got to see my partner interact in this new world and observe him through this new lens of my own awareness. You call it being in my own power. Like I said, it mostly feels like just being fully awake -- taking all of that energy I was subconsciously putting towards making sure everything is okay all of the time and instead turning it inward to know and be aware of how I feel about something at any given time, especially when it's telling me something is not okay. 

Thanks again, SO MUCH, River. To know you, to know you are working to bring these kinds of revelations to people like me in our community is so inspiring and I hope for and look forward to any ways I can help to get the word out about your important work.

I feel like I’ve learned so much from you in such a short amount of time. I have felt such an awakening since our last session. It’s like finally remembering something that had just been on the tip of my tongue for a long time. Having this language of giving, receiving, servicing, and accepting service made such a difference in how I approach my husband. I’m regaining a lot of confidence. Really looking forward to our next appointment.

River's program is much more than a sexually-related subject. There's even more to it than how humans relate with one another. It's about how you connect with yourself.  I truly believe the lessons should be mandatory when sexual anatomy and education is introduced in high school.

It's knowledge changes your life as every change should be, inside out. I'm forever grateful for it!

After working with you, my girlfriend and I got to know one another much better and spent many sexually intimate hours together. It was wonderful to be with her. These intimate times with her will be treasured forever. This is a unique experience for me, something I have awaited my entire life to enjoy.  It is like nothing I have ever experienced.

River, thank you for helping me achieve this intimate relationship. Without your caring and nurturing this beautiful experience would not have been possible. Your nurturing of me supported this. I am most appreciative. Thank you for being so caring and giving. I really appreciate your confidence and support. I'm starting to feel a fresh sense of optimism about my future. I think my sexual issues were/are causing a larger portion of my pain than I had even anticipated. I think the work we do together is going to improve my life a lot, it already has. Everyone should have someone like you who they can talk to and work on this stuff with.

I want to thank you for all that you have done for me. Not only by doing your part, but the way you have done it. All those little details, compromises and efforts among other things I have noticed you've done in our time working together.

It has been a process, step by step but firm progress, that has brought more self confidence to my person and made my life much more joyful. Thank you for existing.

You have no idea how much I appreciate your work and profession in general. Thank you so much. I got in my truck and realized I needed to move the mirror because I was sitting taller. That's how much of a weight you helped me remove from my shoulders!

I am so proud of myself!

I arranged a safe ... encounter and actually pulled it off.

It was fun, liberating, and a little surreal. I was myself and in the moment.  

I engaged the communication and breathing skills we have worked on. No regrets or negative feelings.

Finally!

Thanks for giving me the insight, skills, and confidence.

What occurred between us today is a life altering experience.  I am so excited to move forward with you on this journey.  You have answered questions that I have been holding on to for forty years.

I realized I have been directing my energy out instead of within.  

Amazing difference!

I’m looking forward to the rest of our work together!

I feel like I need a t-shirt that says "Made by River!"