Eight women with unsatisfactory sex lives are in group therapy, each rolling a raisin in their palm. They look closely at the dried and wrinkled object, press it between their fingertips and smell it. They put the object into their mouth, touch it with their tongue and try not to bite or chew it. Finally, they swallow it.
Meditating on a raisin may seem a strange and New Agey way for anyone to get excitement back into their sex lives, but it’s part of an introduction to mindfulness, the practice of bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment. The meditation is being conducted as part of an extensive research project by Dr Lori Brotto, a Canadian psychologist and professor in the Department