Category: Polyamory

Philly psychiatrists educate on polyamory

Recently, a panel of experts convened at a meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Philadelphia and held a session on polyamory. The session was called "Polyamory (responsible non-monogamy), an emerging relationship orientation/presenting issue: Research and clinical information to improve care," and it was quite possibly the first formal discussion about polyamory at a psychiatry convention.

An article for the Philadelphia Inquirer recounts the session. The experts leading the panel were psychiatrist William Slaughter, sociologist Eli Sheff, and psychologist Richard Sprott. Aside from educating the audience on the meanings of words such as "primary," "secondary," "swinging," and "compersion," the experts also explained that the number of poly folks is increasing and discussed why the poly relationship model is not only acceptable, but successful.

A panel of experts at the American Psychiatric Association meeting in Philadelphia last week said that open relationships between more than two people can work, but it requires a lot of talk about rules, boundaries, and time spent with various lovers.

William Slaughter, a psychiatrist in Cambridge, Mass., who has been treating polyamorous patients for about five years, said they need to have very good communication skills and be especially good at "mentalizing" or understanding others' emotional reactions.

. . . The important point for therapists, she said, is that polyamorous families are "not definitionally pathological." While they don't follow conventional morals, they do establish clear ethical codes that emphasize honesty and treating others well.

Read the rest at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Participate in Poly Party Weekend!

Need an excuse for a party this month? Look no further than Poly Party Weekend! For one weekend (or thereabouts -- June 15 through 17th), the organizers invite you to throw or attend a party celebrating polyamory. After last year's successful 16 parties, Poly Party Weekend is hoping to break their own record.

"Party" is a loose term and can encompass anything: a backyard barbeque, a game night, a picnic, a play party, a coffee house discussion group... whatever. As long as it brings poly folks together, it counts! Best of all, once you submit your event to the Poly Party Weekend website, it will be reviewed and approved for all to see.

Or, if you'd rather just attend someone else's shindig, check the listings on the website for local parties. Right now there are events listed for New Hampshire, Georgia, North Carolina, and Washington, as well as international parties in Winnipeg and Toronto.

Polyday 2012 is two weeks away!

Saturday, June 16th marks this year's Polyday, an annual one-day event in the UK. The event will be held at Dragon Hall, a community center in Central London. The day will begin with workshops and discussion sessions relating to non-monogamy, and in the evening, there will be music and socializing.

One of the organizers describes the event as follows:

Polyday is a one-day annual event where we get the chance to celebrate polyamory, and bring together our ever growing community. There will be a day of workshops, and an evening of chilled out socialising in a safe, comfortable space. It's an opportunity to be yourself without worrying about answering awkward questions about your relationships. You get the chance to meet a whole variety of poly people, find out how they do poly, and share the tales of your own adventures in the exciting lovescape we inhabit. It’s a great experience whether you’re new to polyamory, or a weathered old veteran of ethical non-monogamy.

Find out more at the Polyday website. Tickets are £15 can be purchased online.

Being “open” on Facebook

As a non-monogamous person, what's the best way to handle your relationship status on Facebook? Cunning Minx wrote a post on this issue. It's important to remember, she says, that Facebook's privacy settings are tricky and employers may be able to access sensitive information that you list on your profile. And those aren't the only people who might be able to see it. As she explains,

. . . the internet and social sites such as Facebook have indeed changed things. Your boyfriend’s public open status does affect you in many ways, not the least of which is that now anyone with mutual Facebook friends can discover you are poly. For most people, this might be a public embarrassment or cause some eyebrow raises at the office or at Thanksgiving, nothing more. If that’s the case, no worries. But keep in mind that in addition to your your mom and grandma being able to discover your open status, that bitter ex-husband might also see that Facebook status. And unfortunately, that documentation has been used in child custody cases to argue against a person being a fit parent.

I don't mean to be too gloom and doom here. The point is that since data lives forever online and Facebook has shameful privacy policies, it is perfectly acceptable -- nay, it’s your responsibility -- to discuss public online disclosures of your relationship status in order to protect your own privacy.

Read the rest, and leave a comment about how you navigate social media, on Cunning Minx's post.