Virgin Island experts respond to show critics ahead of season 2 – and argue why it's not a dating show

Channel 4 is ready to get the nation talking all over again, as its BAFTA award-nominated series Virgin Island returns for an extended second season.

Tonight (27 April), viewers will return to the island as 12 new young people face their intimacy anxiety head on, helped by a group of sex therapists who have surprises that push the participants to confront their sexual issues.

Like in season 1, the participants will experience a hands-on approach to intimacy, guided through the process by surrogate partner therapists, sexological bodyworkers and a newly introduced BDSM coach.

This level of intimacy and conversations around sex on screen came as a shock to viewers last year when season 1 was released, with some people unsure if such a personal journey like losing your virginity should be played out on television for the nation to watch.

The question of whether the show’s depiction of someone’s sexual journey should be shown on television was put to experts Dr Danielle Harel and Celeste Hirschman – co-founders of the Somatica Institute and co-creators of the Somatica method.

“Just thinking about the idea of personal and secretive, I think that’s part of the shame,” Harel told Radio Times. “It’s not like the idea is, ‘Let’s have sex outside on the streets’, that’s not the point. It’s okay to have privacy around sexuality but there’s something so powerful about seeing people’s transformation and helping it transform other people’s lives.”

She continued: “And also, what if we didn’t feel so much shame around sexuality? What if we were allowed to talk about it? People see cooking shows together, why is that not personal?”

The Somatica method is an experiential approach that combines emotional connection with practical tools to build confidence, communication and intimacy.

“Somatica is a method that we really teach people intimacy and relationship skills, because we really believe that you’re not born with those skills. You need to learn them,” Harel explained. “And we don’t have a lot of good examples around how to have good relationships and intimacy and what I think the most amazing thing about Somatica is that we’re teaching intimacy while being in intimacy with our clients.

“So it’s a two side relationship called the relationship lab. We’re sharing vulnerably, we’re sharing with them and giving them feedback lovingly, in the moment, to help them improve the skills.”

This season, thanks to two additional episodes, features new concepts for audiences and the participants alike, including core desires, helping them “embrace and explore their specific turn-ons” during their time on the retreat.

There was also a new workshop that helped the group “own the ‘tease’ and debunk the ‘creep’, allowing them to “feel more empowered in their boundaries and less worried about coming across as ‘creepy'””.

Hirschman explained to Radio Times that she feels as though there is “compartmentalisation” that people are “only supposed to be a sexual being in the bedroom with your partner”.

She added: “What happens when we don’t actually feel that erotic energy and that aliveness flowing through us all the time is that it actually shuts down. And then when it is time to go to the bedroom, nobody has any of it flowing. To be able to feel it and flow it throughout your throughout your body, throughout your life, I think that creates much more lubrication, as we say, for when you are actually ready to have sex.”

Read more:

• Where is Virgin Island filmed? Location of new Channel 4 series
• Virgin Island experts: Meet the new and returning coaches

Last season saw romance spark between participants Viraj and Emma and while that didn’t amount to anything, there is some romance on the horizon in season 2.

But while the series explores sex and relationships and romance does blossom, it is by no means a dating show.

“This is for people’s personal transformation and growth,” said Hirschman. “And they all, especially in season 2, when they kind of knew what was going to happen because they’d seen season 1, they were much more prepared with their own personal goals and issues that they really wanted to work with and have some resolution around.

“So it really wasn’t a dating show. And it’s beautiful because they’re all practicing with each other, and experimenting and trying things and some little love connections can happen. There’s no pressure or goal towards that, but it’s an option as well, which is really nice.”

For Hirschman and Harel, it was important to “set the tone”, explaining: “When we did the pillow talk that you see in the trailer, we’re business partners, we’re not lovers, and we just demonstrate with each other. And we said, ‘Hey, we are not doing it for the purpose of practicing, so try it out, you can practice with everyone.’ It doesn’t define your relationship with them. And I think that created a really important invitation for them to feel safe, to try it out, and to let themselves be themselves.”

Virgin Island returns on Monday 27 April at 9pm on Channel 4.

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