A former actress described her year working as a certified shockwave therapy technician, a role that involved treating hundreds of men for erectile dysfunction (ED), including prominent athletes, tech executives, and celebrities. The job, which she took out of financial necessity, offered a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the vulnerabilities of men from various high-profile sectors.
Kristina Denton, whose experiences are detailed in her upcoming book, "You Don’t Know Dick: How I Healed my Daddy Issues Fixing Broken Dicks," underwent a single-day training seminar in Tucson to become qualified for the role. She explained that the clinic initially hired her as an office manager, but after the owner heard about shockwave therapy, a non-invasive treatment using acoustic waves to increase blood flow, she was quickly trained to administer the therapy.
Denton recounted that many clients paid thousands of dollars for the treatments, often showing significant emotional distress. She described her first client, a mildly famous man struggling with grief after his wife's death, who confessed he felt unable to be intimate with a new partner. This encounter, she noted, revealed that the job was not merely clinical but deeply emotional, involving issues of loss, aging, and self-worth.
The range of clients included retired athletes, tech leaders, and recognizable public figures, some of whom sought treatment discreetly. Denton observed that regardless of their status or wealth, many men felt a similar sense of powerlessness concerning their physical performance. She noted that titles and bravado often dissolved in the treatment room, replaced by an underlying question of adequacy.
Some clients sought treatments for reasons beyond medical necessity. One celebrity, she recalled, inquired if shockwave therapy could enhance his size, despite appearing physically perfect. Another client, a tech company CEO in an open marriage, eventually admitted his wife was unhappy. A Teamster, whose primary concern was pleasing his girlfriend with role-play scenarios, sought help with embodying a character.
Denton found that her background as an actress, rather than formal medical training, equipped her to handle the emotional complexities of the role. She learned to create a safe space where clients could express their fears about aging, relationships, and their bodies without judgment. This ability to inhabit another person's truth without condemnation, she stated, became her most valuable tool.
The experience also led Denton to confront her own unresolved issues with her father, who died shortly after she received her certification. Her father, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and told treatment would cause impotence, had a significant emotional reaction that her sister witnessed. This realization helped Denton understand her father's fear and regret, enabling her to extend compassion to him retrospectively and recognize that she had been extending this compassion to her clients throughout the year.
Ultimately, Denton concluded that while the shockwave therapy machine addressed physical blood flow, her role was to sit with the clients' shame and provide a space for vulnerability. She realized that her life's experiences, particularly her acting career, had prepared her to offer the empathy that many of these men, including her own father, had not received.
