Cloé Canivet is a PhD candidate in sexology and research project coordinator for the TRACE laboratory - Unité de recherche et d'intervention sur le TRAuma et le CouplE. Her doctoral thesis, supervised by Natacha Godbout and co-supervised by David Lafortune, focuses on sexual fantasies among victims of childhood sexual abuse. Cloé has been working on the topic of sexual fantasies since the beginning of her master's degree in 2016 and  seeks to understand  the impact of traumatic experiences on this particularly intimate and personal sphere of sexuality.

Sexual fantasies are imaginary sexual representations (imagined scenarios) that play a key role in the initiation and maintenance of sexual arousal in the individual. They also represent a near universal experience of sexuality. According to psychologist and researcher Justin Lehmiller, 97% of adults in the general population report sexual fantasies. Among the most common themes are: (1) love and passion (2) domination, submission and sadomasochism (3) group sex. As a fundamental aspect of sexuality, fantasies are related to many aspects of psychosexual functioning such as attachment, sexual function (sexual desire and interest), sexual behaviors and sexual satisfaction. Indeed, sexual fantasies are imbued with a psychoaffective charge that  can affect various aspects of sexuality. For example, a relationship characterized by positive emotions, acceptance and excitement about one's fantasies is beneficial for sexual function and satisfaction, whereas a relationship characterized by negative emotions, such as shame and discomfort, can be detrimental to sexual function and satisfaction. In addition, numerous studies point to links between fantasy development and traumatic sexual experiences (e.g., childhood sexual abuse), suggesting that in survivors, fantasies may play a role similar to a defense mechanism, allowing survivors to process their traumas and regain control over their sexualities through the safe world of sexual fantasy. The literature demonstrates that sexual fantasies have multiple functions and are a key aspect of healthy sexuality.