In Memory of Dr Gina OgdenIn Memory of Gina Ogden

August 9, 1935 – November 2, 2018

Gina Ogden – feminist, teacher, scholar, mother, grandmother, lover, and lifelong Red Sox fan – has died at age 83.

Gina was curious, compassionate, and beautiful. She was smart and had a keen wit.

Nature was integral to her being and part of her shamanic study and practice. She collected heart-shaped rocks and other stones wherever she traveled. She always stopped for a good sunset. She spent many hours at Walden Pond, and in the summer often took her work to her “summer office” on Singing Beach. When her grandchildren were visiting, the beach trips always included ice cream at Captain Dusty’s.

Gina was a pioneer in the field of sexology and a tireless advocate for everyone’s right to sexual well-being. She wrote 13 books and published countless articles, conducted retreats and trainings internationally, lectured widely, and even appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show. One of her more significant contributions was founding both the 4-Dimensional Wheel approach to therapy and sex therapy and the community that supports its teaching and growth, the 4-D Network (www.4-DNetwork.com). This approach takes into consideration not only the physical, psychological, and emotional aspects of a person’s well being, but also the spiritual. Beloved by her colleagues, she was awarded the highest honors from the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists this past June—the Distinguished Service to AASECT Award. Her website, www.GinaOgden.com, is still up and active.

In January of this year she learned she had terminal cancer. She embraced this as a spiritual journey. By choosing palliative care over more aggressive medical interventions, she opted not to fight the inevitable. She took charge of her care by working closely with the traditional medical community, spiritual advisors, and complimentary healthcare practitioners to be able to live fully until the end. The last 10 months have included a trip to Denver for an AASECT conference; visits from her closest family, colleagues, and friends; and swims in Walden Pond and Plum Cove. Her experience is chronicled in emails she sent to her colleagues and friends and photos taken by her partner.

Gina died peacefully in her home on a warm fall morning with her dear ones at her side. She is survived by her life partner Jo Chaffee; son Philip Saunders and his wife Wendy; daughter, Catherine Saunders and her partner Todd Sabelli; and grandchildren Chris Saunders and Christina Saunders. The family will plan a celebration of Gina’s life for a later date.

In lieu of flowers, Gina has asked those who wish, to make contributions to the Dr. Gina Ogden Curatorial Scholarship Support Fund at the Kinsey Institute Library and Collections, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. You can make a gift by going to the Kinsey “make a gift” page and searching for “Ogden,” or by filling out their pledge form and indicating the Ogden Scholarship Fund.

In the sunshine and the starlight, I will always be with you.

Please share your messages of condolence HERE.

The 4-D Network grew from a simple idea back in the mid-1980s: “What would happen if we asked different questions of our clients—that encouraged them to address how sex feels and what it means in their lives, not just the goals and activities we can count and measure?” This question morphed into a nationwide survey–“Integrating Sexuality and Spirituality” (1997), which now forms the core of the collection of my work in the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University.

The survey responses (3,810 of them) were so extraordinary and diverse that they overflowed any models I could find in sexology or psychology. Enter the 4-D Wheel, an update of an ancient template for spiritual awareness that was expansive enough to hold all these survey responses, and also serve as a dynamic model for teaching.

The Wheel has generated four books so far, along with a third edition of Women Who Love Sex (2007), which had been originally published in 1994, and translated into 11 languages. Two of the Wheel books are for a general readership: The Heart and Soul of Sex (2006), which explores the survey responses—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual, and The Return of Desire (2008), which applies the core dynamics of the Wheel to helping women (and others) discover what they want in sex, love, and intimacy. The latest two Wheel books are addressed to professionals: Expanding the Practice of Sex Therapy (2013) received the AASECT book award. The follow-up nuts-and-bolts workbook, Exploring Desire and Intimacy (2017), boasts a large format and over 50 pages of practices to copy or download. In 2018, look for an updated edition of Expanding… which incorporates the flood of neuroscience that now affirms every aspect of the 4-D approach as optimal not only for great sex, but also great sex therapy.

The Wheel has now blossomed into the full-blown 4-D approach to sex therapy and Network for professionals—with a growing international consortium of certified practitioners. Visit the 4-D Network Website.

Kinsey scholarships

Find out more about the scholarships HERE

Visit the 4-D Network

Find out more about the 4-D Network HERE