Sex therapy is designed to help couples or individuals address personal, interpersonal, medical, or psychological factors that hurt their sexual satisfaction. Sexual health is a crucial part of overall emotional as well as physical well-being. It is a kind of talk therapy, but you probably wouldn’t want to talk about it if you are undergoing a sexual problem. If embarrassment keeps you from getting help, you should know that 31 percent of men and 43 percent of women experience some degree of sexual dysfunction.
The purpose of sex therapy is to help people prevail over their emotional and physical challenges, have a fulfilling relationship and pleasurable sex life. It is designed to find out the cause of sexual issues and reverse them. The list of these issues may include:
- low libido
- erectile dysfunction
- premature ejaculation
- lack of interest
- inability to reach orgasm
- low confidence
- absence of response to sexual stimulus
- unwanted sexual fetishes
- excessive libido
- inability to control sexual behavior
Satisfying and healthy sex life is only natural. Physical and emotional kinds of intimacy are vital parts of your well-being. And when sexual dysfunctions happen, having a proper sex life can be very difficult. Sex therapy might assist you in expressing your sexual challenges and improve your sexual satisfaction.
Work With a Therapist to Address Various Sexual Health Issues
You can choose to work with a psychologist, psychiatrist, or marriage or sex counselor. Whatever you decide, sex therapy will help you with various emotional and physical issues that can get in the way of sexual satisfaction, such as low libido, erectile dysfunction, a history of abuse, or many others. And it will also aid you and your partner in working through any of these issues in an educational and supportive environment.
How Sex Therapy Can Solve My relationship Problems?
There is a number of ways in which sex therapy can improve a couple’s relationship:
- Enhancing couple’s emotional and sexual communication
- Enhancing sexuality and sensuality through sexual exercises aimed to eliminate sexual boredom
- Enhancing the exploration of fantasies, since a neutral outside person could make it easier for a person to reveal their sexual fantasies)
- Enhancing the couple’s understanding of each other’s sexual wants, needs, and desires
How exactly does sex therapy work?
Sex therapy works just like any other type of psychotherapy. You solve your issues by talking through your feelings, worries, and experiences. With your therapist’s aid, you develop coping mechanisms to help enhance your responses in the future so you would have a healthier sex life.
At first, your therapist will talk with either just you or with both you and your partner. The therapist will guide you and help you to process your current goals. During each session, your therapist will progressively push you to better accept and manage your concerns which could be at the core of your sexual dysfunction.
The therapy is meant to offer comfort and encouragement, and you will probably leave your therapist’s office with some homework and assignments to do until your next appointment. If your therapist suspects a physical, sexual concern to be a reason for your dysfunction, they may send you to a medical doctor. In that case, your therapist and the doctor may consult about your symptoms and work together to find any physical concerns that may add to existing sexual problems.
How to know if I need sex therapy?
There could be several reasons for you to see a sex therapist instead of another type of conversational therapist. You can analyze what parts of your daily life are most affected by your current state. If the quality of your life and emotional health are vastly affected by your sexual dysfunction, it might be a good idea to attend sex therapy. Furthermore, if your lack of intimacy and difficulties in communicating with a partner feel like your most serious personal concern, a sex therapist could be your best option.
How to find a good sex therapist?
You can start with a Google or Psychology Today search for therapists around your area. Or you can call a local hospital or community education office since many of such organizations will readily provide information on sex therapists from their hospital network.
Another place to ask is your insurance company. They usually have a list of names of certified sex therapists. You can go through that list until you find the counselor you want.
Some people would like a more personal recommendation. In that case talk with your health care provider, urologist, or gynecologist. They will likely be able to direct you toward a therapist whose style aligns the best with your own.
Or you can just talk to your friends. Discussing intimate details may be difficult for many people, but friends may be able to suggest a doctor you and your partner can confide in.
Things to know before the appointment
When you are ready to start sex therapy, it’s best to keep in mind several things to prepare to choose who to meet for the therapy. First of all, all therapists are unique, and the therapy’s success depends greatly on your communication with the therapist. You should really trust them, and their guidance will help you make it through your issues. If at any point you will realize that you don’t feel comfortable with your sex therapist, it’s better to look for another. For some people, solo sex therapy is an adequate way to address all their concerns. However, for others, having both people present at the therapy will improve satisfaction and set up a stronger connection.
The final thoughts
Fulfilling and healthy sex life is vital to your well-being for a lot of reasons. Emotional and physical elements of a healthy sex life may have far-reaching benefits, such as normal blood pressure, stress reduction, and better heart health. Unfortunately, for many people, sex happens to be a source of worries and anxiety. Sexual dysfunction is the first step to relationship complications, lower self-esteem, and other negative effects. Sex therapy is a way to help individuals and couples pave the way to open and honest communication and healthier sex life.
