Avgi Saketopoulou, "Sexuality Beyond Consent: Risk, Race, Traumatophilia" (NYU Press, 2023)

Psychoanalyst Avgi Saketopoulou re-examines the intersection of trauma, sexuality, and consent in her book *Sexuality Beyond Consent*. She challenges the prevailing clinical focus on healing trauma, proposing instead the concept of "traumatophilia"—an affinity for the wounds that shape human experience. By introducing "limit consent," she argues that true transformation often requires stepping into the risk of being overwhelmed rather than merely seeking safety or validation. The discussion highlights how "ethical sadism" functions as a form of care, compelling individuals to confront their own opacity and the limits of their ego. Drawing on examples like Jeremy O. Harris’s *Slave Play*, the dialogue emphasizes that art and interpersonal encounters can shatter established meanings, creating space for raw, vitalizing experiences that bypass traditional, defensive modes of understanding and allow for deeper engagement with one's own history.