About Neha Bhat
Licensed Arts-Based Sex & Trauma Psychotherapist · Clinical Supervisor · Author · Artist · Founder, Sacred Resilience®
Neha Bhat (ABT, ATR-P) is an Indian arts-based sex and trauma psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and bestselling author whose work spans India and the United States.
Her practice brings together depth psychology, expressive arts, somatic inquiry and spiritual reflection to explore sexuality, shame, intimacy and relational trauma. At its heart is an invitation: to work honestly with the experiences we find hardest to name, and discover greater agency, creativity and connection.
press kit
Public Bio (short)
Neha Bhat (ABT, ATR-P) is an arts-based sex and trauma psychotherapist, artist and founder of Sacred Resilience Collective® working across India and the United States, through which she offers therapist training, and immersive somatic arts therapy retreats for sexual trauma & relational healing.
She is the bestselling author of Unashamed: Notes from the Diary of a Sex Therapist (HarperCollins India), a Vogue Best Author Award recipient, and received two UN Laadli Awards for her Healing from Sexual Trauma masterclass. Her forthcoming book, Untangled, is scheduled for 2027.
Her clinical experience includes work with the University of Michigan, the Art Institute of Chicago, Rush Medical Center and Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
She also consults on trauma-sensitive film and television projects and shares public education on sexuality and emotional life as @indiansextherapist.
Selected interviews and features
Neha Bhat wants you to Play
The Dirty Magazine, edited by Gilian Anderson
How Neha is creating a new therapy localized, specialized and catered to the complex Indian context
How Art Therapy Helps with Sexual Trauma Recovery
healthshots.com
In an article titled “Meet sex and trauma therapist Neha Bhat, who heals abuse victims through art”, Bhat discusses her approach to using art therapy to help individuals heal from sexual trauma.
100 Emerging Global Women Leaders
Feminism in India Interviews: In Conversation With Neha Bhat
feminisminindia.com
Bhat talks about art-based therapy, the current state of psychological health in India, and diverse approaches to accessing help.
Therapy is like dating, but without the stakes
Agents of Ishq
Interview with filmmaker, Paromita Vohra
Empowered Women: Neha’s Journey into the field of sex therapy
The Cultural Trauma of PCOS
Setting realistic boundaries in an Indian Family
Being a bisexual Sex Therapist in India
Pink Villa
On Being one of India’s foremost sex therapists
The Pandemic, Sex and Mental Health
GQ India
How bullying can lead to sexual shame
“A therapist shows with real-life examples how being bullied in schools can lead to sexual shame”
Her recently-released book, Unashamed-Notes from the Diary of a Sex Therapist is like a breath of fresh air in a society that often hushes discussions on inter-generational trauma, sex, sexuality, and the intricacies surrounding inter-personal relationships.
Education and clinical experience
Neha’s postgraduate education spans Buddhist-based Expressive Arts Therapy and Art Therapy and Counseling focused on sexual trauma, alongside advanced training in rape crisis therapy.
Her professional experience includes trauma-focused work with the University of Michigan, the Art Institute of Chicago, Rush Medical Center and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, as well as Indian prison systems and trauma care settings.
Across her career, she has worked with more than 5,000 individuals, couples, families, groups and organisations. This includes work with survivors of sexual violence, people who have perpetrated harm, and families navigating complex intergenerational patterns.
CLINICAL Areas of focus
- Sexual trauma, sexual violence and recovery.
- Sexuality, intimacy, desire and shame.
- Relational trauma, interpersonal violence and family patterns.
- LGBTQ+ identity and monogamous and polyamorous relationships.
- Neurodivergence in adolescents and adults.
- Complex grief, anxiety and depression.
Her approach draws on art therapy, somatic practices, Theatre of the Oppressed, and culturally situated understandings of the Indian psyche.
From the arts for social work to psychotherapy and film
Neha began her career in Mumbai’s theatre, art and film worlds as a dramaturg and performer. These experiences sparked her interest in arts-based therapy and continue to shape how she understands the body, expression and emotional life.
Her clinical and creative work explores shared questions: how power and shame shape us, how trauma lives in our relationships, and how expression can open possibilities for healing.
She also consults on films, documentaries and reality television addressing sex and intimacy, with work spanning projects across Netflix, Amazon Prime and Lionsgate Play.
Teaching and supervision
Neha trains and supervises therapists, doctors and wellness practitioners. Her teaching experience includes St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and American institutions including NYU, UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan.
Through professional training, retreats, masterclasses and healing circles, she helps practitioners and participants bring psychological understanding into everyday life.
Writing and public psychoeducation
Neha is the bestselling author of Unashamed: Notes from the Diary of a Sex Therapist (HarperCollins India), which explores sexuality, mental health, shame and trauma in the Indian context. She received the Vogue Best Author Award, and her Healing from Sexual Trauma masterclass received the UN Laadli Award.
Known online as @indiansextherapist, she shares free tools and reflections on sexuality, relationships and emotional life.
Spirituality and the inner life
Neha’s personal spiritual path has included practices within Hinduism and Buddhism. These traditions inform her interest in meaning, symbolism and the relationship between individual healing and collective life.
She values ethical interfaith dialogue and emotionally attentive approaches to conflict, difference and connection.
Watch more conversations on YouTube, or explore her Hindi interviews.