Why I Am No Longer a Sex-Addiction Therapist | Psychology Today

"In the 1980s, addiction models were becoming increasingly popular, and Patrick Carnes’sex addiction model tagged onto that wave. Twelve-step groups on behavioral addictions were forming everywhere. The groups, as well as the information, were easily accessible, and clients understood the concept immediately. I became a certified sex addiction therapist, and fully embraced the model until 2010 when I began to see some serious flaws. For instance, ........."

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"Coming Down" by David Gray; a profound metaphor of loving sex

It is an understatement to say that David Gray is, over decades, my favorite rock lyricist, singer, and writer. Impressions of his incomparable mastery of metaphor, his clear passion for his work, and his ability to wrench feeling and emotion from his heart to gift to the listener are nearly without parallel. 

I was once told by one of the dearest people in my life, "You always think about things in sexual terms" .  Well, yes and no.  To me, sexuality is our True Atman.....the Zen of inner majesty...the tension of opposites....the "I AM" ... the Ying / Yang.....and the indisputable proof of  non-duality in our Universe.  When one feels its brilliance in those terms, it never takes on less than a cavernous pursuit of humanity....and becomes the matrix and intersection of the masculine and feminine in the most raw and psychological terms.

Being deeply moved by almost every song and phase of Gray's, I am hard pressed to say which album or song is my favorite of his.  However, his "Coming Down" is  "unplugged" lyrical fertility about the loving sexual act. While it is its own metaphor, it is not an overreach to say that the piece is penetrating in its potency.  

Hidden in the folds of the feminine is also the melancholy reality of objectification in some sex acts...yet the path to that reality is one of the most arresting and experiential portrayals of the power of the sex act  I have experienced, save some of the poetry of Robert Bly.

While it would be best advised to leave to the reader's own imagination the mystery of the allegory , that wisdom is counter-balanced by the desire of this writer to make it easier for you, i.e., to "do some of your own work for you".  But some phrase simplification will do the trick.  You will undoubtedly have many of your own......hence, the genius of David Gray.  So.........

-"tears falling slow":  pre-ejaculation and resulting female quickening

-"the bridge into the river":  the insertion of the lover's penis, in answer to the moist invitation of his lover...

-the "starry veil, ocean of infinity":  the infinite, abundant meeting place within the female...the stars in the dewy sky...and her earth's undulating waves.

-"moon and stars above me":  the moon symbol for the feminine, encompassing mystery,
with its shrouded and diffuse illumination (whereas the sun of the male represents the focused, and piercing male essence and power).

-"I'm trying to spell what only the wind can explain":  the male describes his own creative artistry within his lover's most secret place. It is in one of these moments, and places, where a male is most fierce and expressive. There, he tries to spell the language of his inner god with his organ so,  but then "coming down" creates a grief... for it is then "colder than ever".

-"there's neon melting in the rain":  the increasing detumescence of the man's organ after climax

-"I got a sword to stem the rivers and cut the moon in half"...a phrase which causes one to almost cease breathing, with it's electrifying imagery ... and its utterly potent fresco...

While Gray's stirring lyrical mural is quite sufficient for the language of Eros, the erotic expression of the entire song is exponentially multiplied by hearing his passionate musical rendition, which I have posted below. 

Unsurprisingly.... the album's name is, "FLESH".