Why In The Face Of Sexual Dysfunctions It Is Essential To Go To Therapy
The area of sexuality is basic to psychological well-being and directly influences our ability to be happy.
But precisely for this reason, it is also capable of giving rise to very significant problems regarding our quality of life. In fact, even people who are asexual and who do not experience the desire to have sexual relations or have a partner can develop forms of discomfort in this facet of their lives: insecurities, doubts that lead to feelings of guilt, etc.
Luckily, therapeutic strategies have now been developed that can help people overcome these types of disorders. In this article we will focus on the psychological aspects behind sexual dysfunctions and we will see why it is important to go to therapy to solve the latter, sexual dysfunctions
The importance of going to therapy for sexual dysfunctions
Sexual dysfunctions are recurrent phenomena that appear during sexual relations and that prevent their enjoyment or directly generate discomfort and/or pain Furthermore, they can have physical, psychological or both causes, and it is very common for those who suffer from them to believe that their problem is organic in nature but in reality it is fundamentally mental/emotional.
On the other hand, there are sexual dysfunctions that affect both sexes, and others that only affect women or men, as they are linked to their genitalia. In any case, many of them share several aspects.
There are two ways in which health professionals treat sexual dysfunctions On the one hand there are medical interventions, which aim to resolve organic problems, and on the other, forms of intervention based on behavioral and psychological processes. Here we will focus on this last type of intervention.
Common sexual dysfunctions in consultation
These are several of the sexual dysfunctions that are most commonly treated in a psychological, sexual and couples therapy center like ours, UPAD Psychology and Coaching.
On the other hand, we must not forget that there are other psychological alterations related in a more indirect way to sexuality but that are also capable of affecting it greatly (for the worse) As we will see, both the latter and sexual dysfunctions can be treated: in the case of sexual dysfunctions, through sexual therapy, and in the rest of the cases, in individual psychotherapy or couples therapy. Psychologists can be trained in these three areas, and in fact, many of us are.
The different aspects of emotional-sexual life addressed in therapy
These are the main levels at which problems or unmet needs may appear both in the area of sexuality and in the area of emotional life and social interactions in the context of intimacy.
All these elements can participate in the appearance of sexual dysfunctions (through psychological dynamics and learning that we internalize and that we do not realize), and luckily, they can be addressed and overcome through sexual therapy, psychotherapy and couples therapy.
This first point has to do with a basic aspect especially during youth: the need for sexual education All people should be able to have information about sex, its positive aspects and its risks, that is in line with scientifically obtained knowledge and that is far from the myths and prejudices that often circulate through society.
Furthermore, this information must reach both people who initially have doubts and knowledge gaps, as well as children and adolescents. In this way, the chances of unfounded fears and other forms of dysfunctional anxiety that can lead to problems in people’s sexual lives are reduced.
2. Doubts, insecurities and discomfort about one’s own sexual identity
The way in which our own perception of our sexual life interacts, on the one hand, with the development of our self-concept (the conception of the “I”), on the other hand, can give rise to very harmful forms of discomfort.
This occurs in part due to historical stigmatizations directed against ways of experiencing sex that deviate from the normative, and today it is clearly reflected, for example, in discrimination against non-heterosexuals, which persists to a lesser or greater extent even in societies considered progressive.
3. Inability to fully enjoy sex
In this group of problems we find the symptoms of sexual dysfunctions and psychological disorders that interfere with sexuality from experiences linked to pain or lack of enjoyment in the act, such as anorgasmia, vaginismus or erectile dysfunction, to paraphilias that are capable of putting people in situations of danger and/or social exclusion.
In many aspects, the emotional (referring to relationships) cannot be separated from the sexual Therefore, it is common for problems in a couple’s life to manifest in both areas at the same time. Taboo topics that arise in relational dynamics, asymmetries in each person’s expectations, insecurities with one’s own body in front of another, fear of showing oneself vulnerable or imperfect…
Are you interested in going to therapy?
If you are thinking about going to therapy to improve any aspect of your emotional-sexual life, whether through sexual therapy or individual psychotherapy or couples therapy, contact our team of professionals.
In UPAD Psychology and Coaching We offer services that cover all aspects of well-being that have to do with emotional, sexuality, mental faculties and patterns of behavior and interaction with others, and we serve both in our center located in Madrid (in the neighborhood de Argüelles) and through online therapy sessions.
On this page you will find more information about us.
