How sex toys ease one woman's chronic pain: 'Helps my sleep and mental health'
Watch: Woman says using sex toys help her manage her chronic pain
A woman has shared her unique method of managing the chronic pain she is living with - using sex toys.
Rebecca Evans, 51, from Llwyncelyn, Wales is living with a spinal disease and arthritis, which leaves her in considerable discomfort.
But she says sexual stimulation helps soothe the pain and she has become such an advocate of using sex toys for wellbeing that she has now launched her own range, made from clay.
Evans says using her own sex toys has changed her life immeasurably.
“When I first used them [sex toys], I was pain-free for two hours," she says. "It helps with my sleep and mental health as well.
“I’ve had spinal surgery as I have a spinal disease, last year I had a knee replaced and I suffer a lot from arthritis," she adds.
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Before using sex toys Evans says she was "virtually a lock-in".
“I didn’t go anywhere or do anything," she says. “It’s opened a new avenue in my life."
Her own experiences of using sex toys has now inspired her to want to help others.
"They’ve helped me immensely with my pain and that was the start of it," she explains. "I want to promote them for wellbeing and not just enjoyment.
“People are becoming more aware that [sex toys] aren't sordid things which should never be spoken about, but there’s still a taboo about them and there really shouldn’t be.”
Evans, a ceramic artist, originally had the idea for hand sculpted designs when she got bored of the devices she owned.
She made her first ceramic sex toy in October 2020, when, finding herself strapped for cash, she decided to experiment with materials she already owned.
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The devices were originally made from earthenware clay, before switching to stoneware for its hard-wearing and nonporous properties.
"Stoneware, once it’s fired, is nonporous and very, very sturdy - you can drop it on the floor and it won’t break," she says of her products.
“People don’t realise dildos were originally pieces of stone and then clay - they’ve been used for centuries.
“I use them myself so I know how good and sturdy they are," she continues. "I wouldn’t sell anything which could possibly cause harm and every single one has a letter explaining how to look after it."
She began selling the sex toys on her Facebook page, Dildoramic, and now makes them in custom shapes and sizes.
The unique wares have even featured on TV, after she made one for comedian Sarah Millican who shared the "bangle holder", as it was described on Channel 4's Taskmaster.
Evans says she has also had some weird requests for bespoke sex toys including one dildo with Donald Trump's face on it.
“As well as the request to do one with Donald Trump’s face on it, I've also made one in the shape of a mushroom and another in the shape of an aubergine."
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While she says she "won’t become rich selling them", she "wants to do it as much as I can for as long as I can".
“When people buy from me, I give clients personal support and advice on how best to use them," she continues.
"There are some people who need help with their sex life and even having a sex life.
"This way you can have a connection with the person making a custom item for you rather than buying something mass-produced."
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Evans says having a diploma in psychosexual therapy also ables her to offer advise to her clients.
"I’m always quite happy to talk to people about my experiences and help anyone else who struggles with pain," she explains.
“It’s a drug-free, very pleasurable experience that I would like to share with other people.
Additional reporting SWNS.
