In most cases, the health of the love bond What is in a relationship has a lot to do with the way they live their sexuality.
And except in the case of asexual people, sexual life is linked to the way in which the vast majority of people express their affection for the person with whom they are in a relationship; It is not just a matter of pleasure or fun.
Therefore, when a couple going through bad times decides to go to couples therapy, one of the aspects of life that many times they reveal problems is sexuality Let’s see how this connection is established between these two areas of intimate life.
With the passage of time, what we understand by love has changed a lot, to the point that several centuries ago the affection that united two people involved in a couple had very little resemblance to current romantic love. However, the fact that the type of emotional bond that predominates in couples today is conditioned by culture does not mean that it does not make sense, or that it is arbitrary.
In fact, there is a topic that has always gone hand in hand with the experience of love as a couple: sexuality. This set of behaviors and intimate interactions is one of the basic ways of expressing affection in actions and possibly it has been uninterruptedly since before the appearance of language.
It is true that sexual behavior is not used only to express love, but whenever there is love between a couple (except in the exceptions that we have seen in asexual people), there is sexuality. Which does not mean that loving each other a lot implies making love a lot, but it does mean finding a balance in the way we experience sex together; a compatibility that is difficult to describe in words, because it has more to do with chemistry than with rationality or logic.
Thus, if a sexual imbalance arises in a relationship, it is possible that at first nothing significant will happen, but in the medium and long term problems tend to appear. Fears in these cases are common, as is insecurity and even compensatory behavior, which in turn brings more problems. Thus, a chain reaction appears that can be added to other difficulties that the relationship is going through, making it easier for a couple crisis to begin to manifest.
In the same way, relationship problems that in principle have nothing to do with sexuality tend to also “leak” into this area of the relationship, which usually leads to the search for self-satisfaction or boredom in the event that there are conflicts. and arguments, for example, or passivity and fear of failure, if the role of a dependent and submissive couple is assumed, to give another example. In practice, It is almost impossible to completely dissociate sexual relations from the rest of the things that happen in a relationship.
Couples therapy and sexuality
Having seen the above, it is not surprising that many people go to a psychologist looking for couples therapy, when what they really need is a combination of couples therapy and sexual therapy. Ultimately, they are communicating vessels, for better or worse, and When a problem appears in one of these areas, it also affects the other Fortunately, this also means that the underlying problem can be addressed in both ways.
Let’s see how teams of psychologists work to help those who need professional support both in the way they relate to their sexuality and in the way they communicate, live together and express affection in other aspects of life.
What is done in couples therapy?
Couples therapy is a form of psychological intervention carried out in a group of three (the therapy professional and the members of the couple, who attend the sessions at the same time). In this process, A space for communication is created, emphasizing the need not to prejudge and let each person express themselves honestly, and then look for common solutions, on the one hand, and train new habits that strengthen the loving bond.
Thus, psychologists help to adopt the theory of what it means to live well and love each other, but above all the practice, proposing routines and tasks to practice between sessions and that modify both the lifestyle and beliefs of each of the participants. patients, acting both individually and as a couple in constant interaction.
What is done in sex therapy?
Although sexual therapy is independent of the previous one (it can be used in people who do not have a partner), these areas often overlap, as we have seen. This is a service in which the person is helped to improve the fullness of their sexual life both in the company of someone and alone.
It is not only about providing a solution to possible sexual dysfunctions; Even someone without disorders of this type can benefit from the positive effects of sexual therapy, which in most cases are reflected in self-confidence, acceptance of one’s own body and one’s own nudity, a greater predisposition to please both the other person and oneself, etc.
If you are interested in having professional help in the area of couples or in the area of sexuality, make sure you have the assistance of clinics that offer both couples therapy and sexual therapy.
For example, our psychology center in Barcelona, PsicoTools has both individual psychotherapy services and couples therapy, and our team also has an expert in sexual therapy.
If you are interested in finding out more or viewing our contact information, click here.
