Sex therapy is a specialized form of psychotherapy aimed at helping individuals and couples overcome their sexual difficulties utilizing behavioral, cognitive, and psychodynamic principles. Sexual dysfunction can be caused by a medical condition, medications, or a physical issue, but it can also be caused by and/or compounded by related mental health issues or relationship problems.
For instance, even when sexual issues have a physical cause, they can cause emotional distress and tension in a relationship. Therefore, sex therapy can still be helpful for individuals and couples who are coping with changes in their sexual function due to medical reasons. It can also be helpful for couples who are experiencing a mismatch in their levels of sexual desire.
A sex therapy session is led by a specially trained mental health professional known as a sex therapist. Although some people may feel uncomfortable talking about sexual problems, sex therapists are well versed on the subject of sexual dysfunction and are knowledgeable about techniques and methods that can help their patients improve their sexual connections. Effective sex therapists are also good communicators who are trained to help put their patients at ease during therapy sessions.
Some problematic areas that can be addressed in sex therapy are sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, painful sex, satisfaction, and relationship issues. A sex therapist can help their patients identify psychological factors that may be contributing to both sexual and relationship problems and work on these issues whether on an individual basis, in a group, or as a couple.
In sex therapy, people can learn how to approach their specific sexual problems with methods provided by their sex therapist.
For example, men who struggle with premature ejaculation may be instructed on how to use the “start-stop” or the “stop-squeeze” technique to delay ejaculation. Couples dealing with performance anxiety issues may learn how to use sensate focus to improve their sexual connection. Women who experience pain with penetration may discover how to use vaginal dilators to slowly acclimate the vagina to penetration and make it more comfortable.
Sexual problems and their causes are unique to each individual or couple. With the help of a sex therapist, people who are struggling with sexual dysfunction may be able to find ways to improve their sexual health and well-being, which can in turn contribute to improved sexual relationships and even overall quality of life. This is why so many people find sex therapy to be beneficial.
For more information on this topic, please read this publication from The Journal of Sexual Medicine:
Sex Therapy and Combined (Sex and Medical) Therapy
References:
Althof, S.E. (2011). Sex therapy and combined (sex and medical) therapy. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 8(6), 1827-1828. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02306.x
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