This Woman With Genital Herpes Is Going Viral For Sharing Her Experience And Spreading Awareness

And because Shana didn't know standard STD checks don't test for herpes, she doesn't actually know when she first contracted it. "I thought I knew who I got it from, but because I did not know herpes isn’t usually included in your average STI panel, it is not fair to blame that person because I could have had it for years."

Shana added, "A part of my coaching program is the transformation of limiting beliefs. I love to tell my ladies that if they call themselves dirty, then I believe them, but it is not because of the herpes — I have herpes and I am far from dirty. I require they say it out loud, so they can hear how they talk to themselves — we work to change their self-talk. Next, I have them write it down and get rid of it — say out loud, I am not dirty, I am a sexually responsible adult who knows my status and is able to have healthy sexual communication. The transformation of limiting beliefs becomes my clients' new affirmation list that I hold them accountable to recite to themselves daily. It makes me so sad that the majority of women within the herpes community feel dirty and ashamed."