How Are Erection Problems Addressed In Sex Therapy?
Erectile dysfunction is one of the sexual dysfunctions that affects the most men. However, luckily, it can be treated effectively both through medicine and sexual therapy based on the findings of Psychology and emotional regulation methods.
In this article you will find a summary of how erectile dysfunction is addressed through psychosexual therapy as well as the factors that can cause this problem.
Also popularly known as “impotence”, erectile dysfunction is the inability to maintain a full erection during sexual activity It is, along with premature ejaculation, the most common sexual dysfunction in men.
erectile dysfunction can be produced or facilitated by a large number of organic alterations ; basically, all those that directly or indirectly affect the physiological process linked to sexual arousal and the triggering of the changes that it produces in the male genitals. This includes injuries from blows, burns or cuts, as well as diseases that damage the nerve cells involved in erection, as well as those that alter the production of certain hormones.
In practice, however, and if we look at the statistics, the pathologies with easily identifiable organic causes with which erectile dysfunction is most associated are cardiovascular diseases and benign prostatic hyperplasia. That is, two phenomena that directly influence the functioning of the genitals (we must not forget that an erection occurs when the cavernous bodies fill with blood) and their surrounding areas.
On the other hand, as we advance, erectile dysfunction It is a problem that is statistically closely linked to age ; It affects around 7% of men under 40 years old, 22% of those over 40 years old, and one in two among those over 70 years old.
However, it would be simplistic to assume that erectile dysfunction is basically a medical problem. Many times the main causes are psychological, and even in cases where there is an organic disease, the emotional alterations usually overlap with the symptoms of the latter. That is why when therapy is offered to men with problems achieving erections, in the first phases great importance is given to determining the cause or causes of what is happening to them, and from there, offering personalized solutions in which no ignore the cognitive, emotional and behavioral processes that play a possible role in the appearance of this phenomenon.
Between the psychological aspects that can cause or favor the appearance and maintenance of erectile dysfunction The following should be highlighted:
How is erectile dysfunction treated in sex therapy?
These are the main areas of intervention in patients with erectile dysfunction, although they are always used or not depending on the specific needs of each person.
1. Psychoeducation and sexual education
Something as simple as inform about aspects related to sexuality, emotion management and healthy habits What must be followed to prevent sexual dysfunctions is very useful to combat erectile dysfunction, especially in cases in which it occurs mainly due to fears and belief in myths that circulate about sex.
@professional(2054172, “Are you looking for psychotherapy services?”)
2. Imagery exercises in therapy
The imagery is based on performing imagination exercises, having previously practiced so that these mental images and their associated sensations are very vivid, very similar to the real world. They allow you to control emotions during the course of key actions, in this case, focused on sexuality and sexual arousal. In this way it is possible to practice managing anxiety and other emotions in a “controlled environment” in which it is easier to start making progress starting from some relatively simple first challenges.
Thus, the fear of the type of experiences associated with erection is being lost Additionally, the patient is trained in the ability to let go of worry about whether or not he or she is getting an erection (these fears often hinder the process) and focus instead on satisfaction.
3. Neurofeedback
neurofeedback It is used in a wide variety of problems caused in whole or in part by poor regulation of anxiety It consists of inducing the patient into a certain mental state while receiving information about his or her nervous activity in real time, thanks to a series of sensors applied to the skin. In this way he learns to encourage those psychological operations that bring him closer to a certain goal, and to discard the rest.
4. Improvement of self-esteem through cognitive restructuring
Low self-esteem is closely linked to sexual dysfunctions, both as a cause and as a consequence. For this reason, it is common for therapy to work to help the person have a more adequate level of self-esteem.
This involves a wide variety of techniques and strategies, but one of the most important is cognitive restructuring, which It consists of leading the patient to question dysfunctional beliefs that they have been holding on to and that have been causing problems replacing them with others that allow us to have a more constructive mentality and not fall again and again into avoiding experiences.
5. Making a calendar of challenges
Between therapy sessions, patients must carry out a series of tasks in their private lives. These goals to be achieved throughout the week are temporally distributed and designed following an ascending difficulty curve and adjusting to the person’s level of progress; Having short-term goals (days or hours away) makes it easier for the patient to feel motivated for continuing to improve.
