Sexual Therapy: What It Is And What Are Its Benefits
Psychologists who are experts in sexual therapy They deal daily with patients who come to their consultations for different reasons: erectile dysfunction, lack of desire or excitement, difficulties reaching orgasm, premature ejaculation… These problems often not only affect the person who suffers from them, but also to your partner.
But talking about sexual problems can be difficult, largely because people in this situation can feel ashamed, guilty, failed, and defeated both in life and in front of their partners. Luckily, sex therapy can help overcome these problems, the suffering they cause, and, in turn, improve well-being.
But…What does this form of therapy really entail? what are its benefits? In this article that we present today we are going to explain the characteristics of this type of therapy and the reasons why it is advisable to go to sexual therapy.
Sex therapy is a type of psychotherapy that can help people who experience difficulties in their sexual and love lives because they suffer from a sexual disorder or are not comfortable with their physical intimacy. Sexual dysfunctions, gender identity problems paraphilias (exhibitionism, voyeurism, etc.), conflicts regarding sexual orientation and even problems derived from sexual abuse, are some of the topics that are addressed in psychotherapeutic sessions.
Sexual disorders or limitations can be multi-causal and there are many factors that can be involved in maintaining the problem. This is why professionals who work with sexual problems treat with psychological or mixed causes (that is, with psychological and organic elements), which means that, often, the intervention to solve this type of difficulties requires multidisciplinary work, in which psychologists, gynecologists, pelvic floor physiotherapists, among other specialists, participate. The therapeutic process can last from two to three months to several years, although the latter is rare.
sex therapy It is often associated with couples therapy since these types of problems can affect both members of the couple when they occur within the relationship. And intimate moments with the couple play a very important role in the unity and stability of the couple and influence the emotional health of its members.
Sexual relations make both partners feel a unique connection, but when this fails, The foundations that support the emotional relationship can be destabilized. Sometimes, the couple can attend psychotherapeutic sessions together when the problem affects both of them.
When to go to sex therapy
According to recent research, approximately 20% of men are dissatisfied with their sex lives and only 30% of women say they are. However, only a third of affected people seek psychological help despite the fact that the benefits of sexual therapy are more than proven.
The most frequent reasons to go sexual therapy are:
It is necessary to highlight that It is not essential to have serious problems to go to this type of therapy, since sexual therapy can also be useful to treat other issues. For example: to vary and enrich the couple’s erotic repertoire or to develop social skills in the field of sexuality. At the beginning of sexual therapy, each particular case is always carefully evaluated to determine the most appropriate treatment.
