What is Unashamed about?
Unashamed is not a pop psychology book.
“In a country where conversations about sex are even rarer than those about mental health, Neha Bhat’s book, Unashamed: Notes From The Diary Of A Sex Therapist is groundbreaking. It merges these two often taboo topics, offering insights into the complex thinking around pleasure and desire, which shapes the experience of sex.
With a set of inner work exercises and takeaways after every chapter, this practical and philosophical road map to overcoming shame offers a variety of strategies to help readers reclaim their true selves and live more joyous lives.”
Hindustan Times Review
It’s not fluffy self-love
neither is it just enraged activism
It’s therapy that asks for self-effort through curiosity, boundaries, and the messy work of repair.
By tackling the deeply ingrained notion of sexual shame through the powerful concept of ‘self-permission’, and by examining real-life case studies and the psychological underpinnings of sex and desire, Neha goes beyond the social media-based siren calls to sex-positivity to offer a well-honed and carefully crafted guide for readers to reflect upon and confront their own unaddressed traumas and psychological wounds that have consciously or unconsciously defined their perspective on sex and sexuality, especially with respect to their own bodies.
how has Unashamed impacted the global Indian collective consciousness?
#1 Amazon Bestseller in Psychotherapy
#2 Most Gifted in Medicine
#75 Sexuality Books in the USA
Vogue Best Author Award
Proudly celebrated by Mr. Amitabh Bacchan, Ms. Kalki Koechlin, Ms. Ira Khan, Ms. Aarti Tikoo Singh, Mr. Nag Ashwin, Ms. Leeza Mangaldas, Ms. Ruth Vanita and more such highly-accomplished advocates of sexual and mental health.
Unashamed officially toured 17 cities including Goa, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chandigarh, Kozhikode, Hyderabad, Prayagraj, Bengaluru and Ooty in India. And Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago in the US with the support of therapy centers, bookstores and universities such as St. Xavier’s College, Manipal, University of Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Important Conversations around Sexual Trauma with some of the world’s most successful young Global Indians:
Unashamed was invited to various Literature Festivals & Digital Talk Shows across the sociopolitical, religious and spiritual spectrum in India and the US.
– Khushwant Singh Literature Festival
– Lallantop – Sehat Adda, New Delhi
– Manorama Hortus Literature Festival
– Ooty Literature Festival
-The Ranveer Show
-Dostcast with Vinamre Kasaana
-Impact the World with Lee Harris, amongst others
Readers across the world found the book to be practical, candid and courageous. More than its awards and recognition by Hollywood and Bollywood, what Unashamed has been most successful at, is in creating conscious spaces for people of all backgrounds to discuss some of their most taboo topics in the presence of a guide. Critics called it a necessary conversation starter on shame, trauma and reclaiming pleasure especially after abuse or pain.
Bushra Ahmed (centre), Senior Commissioning Editor at HarperCollins India, said:
“In this disruptive book, Bhat fearlessly confronts the complex and often stigmatized topic of sex and sexuality in modern-day India, offering readers a compassionate and informed guide to navigating this rapidly changing landscape.
As a practitioner, Neha has a deep understanding of the intersectionality of mental and sexual health, and she is uniquely placed to tackle the challenges placed by the unique social and cultural realities that shape the Indian experience. I believe that Unashamed will be an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to lead a more fulfilling and authentic life, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”
About Unashamed’s Publishers:
HarperCollins India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian Subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2,000 titles across 10 imprints.
Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Literature Live! Award, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and Crossword Book Award.
The book is represented by A Suitable Agency.
Please keep an eye for Neha’s next book out in 2026!
