Edited by Andrew Willett

Written by Tom Kovach

Our Volunteers

Like any nonprofit organization, The Body Electric School depends not only on donations but also on our tireless volunteers. There are a variety of things they help us with. I want to spotlight some of them and thank them all for making Body Electric the thriving community that it is. 

Many people don’t realize that team members at our workshops are unpaid volunteers who show up to help others with their journey. They even come at their own expense. We could not offer the quality experiences that we do without the dozens of skilled and generous alumni.  

We have volunteers who have been running the Heart Circles for many years: Don Shine, Sher, George, and Tim for the Thursday Heart Circle, and Willow, Shai, Special K, and TJ for Queer Heart Circle.

Behind the scenes, John Lee has been helping us improve our database by creating reports we have needed for years. Ellen Klowden proofs all of our weekly emails, and Orenda continues to volunteer for us even after retiring as Marketing Director. Additionally, Robin Parker, a member of the JEDI+ (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Committee, works tirelessly to help us be more welcoming to all people.

Helping with our outreach, Craig Cullinane has been hosting the Erotic Liberation Podcast for three years, along with Kenneth Darby, who has been producing both the podcast and all of our workshop videos. Craig is also hosting our Sacred Sexuality Book Club. 

We also have coordinators and alumni representing us at Pride festivals and conferences. Thanks to Steven Sanders (with help from Aaron Beck and Michael Phelps) in Kansas City; Fredrick Miggins, Johny Sagan/Snowy Wilderness, Reed Vernon Waller, Kevin O’Keefe, and Jason Millhouse at World Pride in DC, along with Max Helache and Shel Ryan; and Paul Johnson, Pete Kokoszka, Reed Waller and David Ahle, in the Bay Area. Alex Parr handed out brochures for us at his local Pride in Michigan, and Michael Severino got Body Electric into First Event in Boston, co-presenting with Suzanne Blackburn. Suzanne also volunteered as President of the Board for its first four years and sends our thank-you notes, and has put immense energy into the women’s and all-genders programs.

Our coordinators Roy Conard and Ken Rozell regularly donate their fees for coordinating to the School and do an amazing job of helping participants have a great experience. Etienne Brammeier, Raine Brown, and Larry DiPietro have also donated their fees for workshops.

Furthermore, our faculty often volunteer for special events and planning, and our Board of Directors volunteers their time and talent to steer the School. I must also thank our editor, Andrew Willett, who helps me sound coherent, and last but not least, Joseph Kramer, who has been working on the school’s history to create an archive.

This is all out of love for the School and passion for its mission. 
Please join me in a heartfelt thank you for helping to make our experiences possible. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact me through this link.

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Deepen Your Practice: Introducing Our New Certification Tracks.

But for many of us, the journey doesn’t end with our own healing. A calling arises to share this work, to hold space for others, and to bring this wisdom into the wider world.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new Certified Training Programs.

These four distinct tracks are designed to guide you from personal practice to professional mastery, whether your path lies in touch, leadership, coaching, or sacred intimacy.

1. Erotic Massage Certification

The School began as the Body Electric School of Massage. This track goes back to our roots and is for those who wish to master the art of touch. It moves beyond technique into the realm of energy and presence. You will learn to cultivate a mindful state that elevates touch from the transactional to the sacred, using breath and subtle energy to facilitate deep healing and pleasure. There will be a men+ (all men and nonbinary people aligned with men’s work) offering by Shai Saliba and an all-genders offering led by Shai Saliba and Suzanne Blackburn.

2. Facilitation Certification

One thing that sets us apart from other modalities is the quality of our facilitators. If you feel called to guide groups, this training provides the practical skills to hold safe, transformative containers. You will learn the nuances of “holding space,” reading group energy, and navigating emotional releases, preparing you to lead workshops with confidence and skill, the Body Electric way. This training track starts with Facilitation 1: Foundations of Somatic Facilitation, formerly known as Foundations of Facilitation. It’s followed by Facilitation 2: The Art of In-Person Embodied Facilitation (an advanced 7-day residential training) and Facilitation 3: Advanced Embodied Leadership for Multiday Programs. 

This comprehensive program is designed to be taken in order, but not necessarily in a single year. Those who enroll in Facilitation 1 will receive a credit of $600 off Facilitation 2. These all-gender trainings will be led by JoJo Bear.

3. Professional Coaching Certification

Coaching and mentoring for embodied work is unique and challenging but deeply rewarding as you help others along their path. This advanced track is designed for practitioners who want to integrate Body Electric principles into a professional coaching practice. You will learn methodologies specifically tailored for clients navigating intimacy challenges, sexual shame, and relationship blocks, all within a robust ethical framework. The offerings will begin later next year. This men+ training will be led by Craig Cullinane.

4. Sacred Intimacy Certification

Joseph Kramer coined the term “sacred intimate” and offered the first training. The school has offered this program as beginning and advanced training.  We felt a more comprehensive journey was needed for this work. This multipart training combines online learning with in-person intensives. It is a deep dive into the foundational elements of a sacred intimacy practice and building with workshops on consent boundaries and agreements to the guiding of clients through healing erotic states. Foundations of Sacred Intimacy starts in January. Those who enroll will get a credit of $150 toward future SI trainings. These trainings will be led by Lizz Randall, Mark Fleming, and JoJo Bear.

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Honoring Our Roots, Growing Our Future: A New Era for Body Electric

For over four decades, The Body Electric School has stood as a beacon for those seeking to reclaim their eros, honor the wisdom of the body, and discover the transformative power of sacred touch. We are proud of that legacy. But a school, like a body, is a living organism—it must move, breathe, and evolve to stay vital.

Today, we are in the midst of a profound renaissance.

We are growing, diversifying, and expanding our programming to meet the needs of a changing world, all while holding tight to the core lineage that makes this work so powerful.

Bringing Back the Best of the Past

Longtime members will remember the deep-dive formats that defined our early years. We heard your requests, and we are answering them.

• The Expansion of the Intensives: We are revitalizing our longer, immersive residential retreats. These containers allow for the kind of deep, systemic unwinding and rebuilding that simply can’t happen in a weekend. We have gone from two or three a year to nearly a dozen.
• Legacy Wisdom: We are actively mining our archives and consulting with our elders to ensure that the original spark of the work—the distinct “current” of Body Electric—remains potent and undiluted even as we modernize. We have brought back John Ballew for Mature Eros in Costa Rica. Joseph Kramer is leading two online workshops, Tending our Loins and Sustained Sexual Arousal. Collin Brown has been co-facilitating Motions in Tenderness. And we have one more BE elder returning to be announced soon.

New Beginnings: Expanding the Circle

While we honor our roots in the gay male community, the call for embodiment is universal.

• Diversifying the Circle: We are thrillingly expanding our all-gender and women’s programming. We are creating dedicated spaces for trans and nonbinary individuals, ensuring that everyone, regardless of gender identity, has a seat in the circle and access to this healing technology. New offerings next year include: Queer PSI, Queer Tantra, and Queer Eros; the free monthly Queer Heart Circle; Erotic Massage Training for All Genders; Erotic Nourishment for Women+; weekly Erotic Practice on Fridays; and Monthly Full Moon Ceremonies. 
• New Certification Tracks: As announced above, we are launching comprehensive certification paths for facilitation, coaching, massage, and sacred intimacy. We aren’t just teaching workshops anymore; we are training the next generation of leaders and practitioners.

A Growing Organization

Behind the scenes, we are maturing as a nonprofit. We are strengthening our infrastructure, expanding our scholarship funds to make this work accessible to more people, and growing our faculty with diverse new voices who bring fresh perspectives to ancient truths.

Whether you are a veteran of the work or brand-new to the path, there has never been a better time to plug into the current. The Body Electric is surging—come grow with us.