A 77-year-old bodywork psychotherapist has received an 11-year prison sentence after conviction on five sexual offenses. Gerald Peck manipulated a vulnerable woman seeking help for depression and anxiety by claiming sexual acts could heal her trauma through ‘energy release.’
Sessions Turned Abusive
The victim, recommended to Peck by a friend in 2021, attended sessions where he insisted on removing clothing for skin-to-skin contact to ‘soothe nervous systems.’ Peck claimed her ‘inner baby needed to suckle,’ leading to kissing and escalating nudity.
Sessions progressed to invasive acts, including digital penetration to ‘heal birth trauma’ and Peck performing oral sex on her. He repeatedly urged her to engage in intercourse as a therapeutic ‘energy release.’
Court Sentencing Details
Lewes Crown Court convicted Peck on February 2 following charges filed in October 2024. Judge Mooney imposed the sentence, stating: “The young woman who came to see you believed you could help her at a particularly difficult time in her life. She had every reason to believe she could trust you.”
The judge highlighted Peck’s deception: “All the information you provided to her led her to believe you were a qualified bioenergetics practitioner. That was a lie. You were banned from practising by the Bioenergetics Institute because in the late 1980s you used your position to sexually abuse women under the guise of therapy. Since that date you’ve been nothing more than a charlatan and a fraud.”
Victim’s Lasting Impact
Reading her impact statement in court, the victim described severe consequences: “Gerald Peck caused profound and lasting damage to my mental and physical health, and to every part of my life. More than five years later, I still experience terrifying flashbacks that feel as though I am back in that room with him. I have lived these past five years with constant worry that other women are likely still being harmed by him.”
Calls for Better Regulation
Nogah Ofer, a lawyer at the Centre for Women’s Justice who supported the victim, described the case as “completely outrageous” and noted the challenges in bringing it to trial. She warned: “What is really dangerous is that there are these therapists out there, and they’re convincing clients that sexual contact is going to help them, when in fact it’s incredibly damaging. The lack of regulation of therapists is really concerning for vulnerable people who could end up with quacks. And you wouldn’t expect that if you go to a doctor.”
