HarperCollins Announces Neha Bhat’s Timely New Book on Sex and Sexuality in India

An expert-backed, empowering book on how to navigate issues of sex and sexuality

in a rapidly changing India

UNASHAMED

Timely Truths and Guidance from the Desk of an Indian Sex Therapist

By Neha Bhat

HarperCollins India is delighted to announce the acquisition of a topical book on sexual maturity and sexual wellness in the Indian context – Unashamed: Timely Truths and Guidance from the Desk of an Indian Sex Therapist by Neha Bhat.

Uniquely placed within the shifting landscape of the modern Indian society, this book is a pioneering one as it directly addresses how problems of mental and sexual health intersect and overlap, while also taking into account the unique range of social and cultural realities that shape the Indian experience around sex and desire. Written as a practical guide to help the average Indian understand themselves better, and addressing subjects that are often taboo and tucked away, this is a must-read book by an expert practitioner for readers from across the spectrum of age and gender and will release in 2024.

By tackling the deeply ingrained notion of sexual shame through the powerful concept of ‘self-permission’, and by examining real-life case studies and the psychological underpinnings of sex and desire, Bhat goes beyond the social media-based siren calls to sex-positivity to offer a well-honed and carefully crafted guide for readers to reflect upon and confront their own unaddressed traumas and psychological wounds that have consciously or unconsciously defined their perspective on sex and sexuality, especially with respect to their own bodies.

In the process, Bhat looks at equipping readers with the tools to recalibrate and, perhaps, undo years of misconceptions surrounding sexuality and other long-held belief systems.

Talking about the book, Neha Bhat said, ‘Every day, from my therapy desk, I see that sexuality has been repressed in the larger Indian context. Part of my life’s work is to help people normalize their own sexual expression in relationship to their personal power, to heal from sexual shame and expand their understanding of sexual trauma. This book is intended to be a therapeutic guide for urban Indians living across the world, who think deeply on topics related to mental health, trauma and sexual health. Writing this book has been all about making the intangible tangible, in the realm of sex, sexuality, sexual trauma and sexual health, and I hope it is an aid to all those looking for clarity and a more empathetic and deeper understanding of their sexual selves.’

Bushra Ahmed, Senior Commissioning Editor at HarperCollins India, said, ‘In this disruptive book, Bhat fearlessly confronts the complex and often stigmatized topic of sex and sexuality in modern-day India, offering readers a compassionate and informed guide to navigating this rapidly changing landscape. As a practitioner, Neha has a deep understanding of the intersectionality of mental and sexual health, and she is uniquely placed to tackle the challenges placed by the unique social and cultural realities that shape the Indian experience. I believe that UNASHAMED will be an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to lead a more fulfilling and authentic life, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.’

About the Author

Neha Bhat (ABT, ATR-P), who is also on Instagram under the handle @Indiansextherapist, is a licensed Sex and Trauma Therapist who practices psychotherapy from an art-based, creative-wellness and feminist lens between India and the USA. Having worked in sexual-assault-trauma care at global institutions like the University of Michigan, the Art Institute of Chicago, Rush Medical Centre and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, among others, she employs trauma-focused therapy from a depth-based, multicultural context for people who have survived and perpetrated sexual violence and teaches therapists to use art as a tool of living and coping against systems of oppression. Neha began her career in the theatre, art and film industry in Mumbai and has consulted on various films, documentaries and reality TV shows written around sex and intimacy across various OTT platforms including Amazon Prime, Netflix US and Lionsgate Play. This is her first book.

About HarperCollins India 

HarperCollins India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian Subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2,000 titles across 10 imprints. Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Literature Live! Award, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and Crossword Book Award. HarperCollins India also represents some of the finest publishers in the world including Harvard University Press, Gallup Press, Oneworld, Bonnier Zaffre, Usborne, Dover and Lonely Planet. HarperCollins India is now the recipient of five Publisher of the Year Awards – In 2021 and 2015 at the Publishing Next Industry Awards, and in 2021, 2018 and 2016 at Tata Literature Live. HarperCollins India is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers.

For more information and queries, please write to: Shabnam.Srivastava@harpercollins.co.in