Sexual Desire, Intimacy & Orgasm
These articles dive into the ways people long for, avoid, negotiate, and rediscover erotic connection across the lifespan. They explore online flirtations, porn use, and the realities of aging bodies, as well as the impact of trauma, culture, and gendered expectations on sexual desire. These essays, interviews, and case studies highlight erotic intelligence, the role of fantasy in couples therapy, and the ways clients can bring mindful, embodied practices into their homes. Clinicians will find nuanced guidance for discussing sex without preconceptions, busting common myths on sex and sexuality, differentiating compulsions from exploration, and helping partners cultivate intimacy and pleasure that feel emotionally safe and mutually chosen.
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Asking a client about sex doesn’t need to feel intimidating or awkward—but it is important for all therapists to do. Read more
Many women struggle with orgasm in heterosexual relationships. Here are seven strategies therapists can use to empower female clients to feel more pleasure. Read more
Observe relationship expert Esther Perel in action as she helps couples navigate infidelity, incompatibility, and the impacts of childhood trauma. Read more
It takes practice and courage to attune to a couple’s sensitivities and insecurities regarding sexual fantasies, but the payoff can be worth the clinical... Read more
Great sex over the long term is not about how much you want sex; it’s about how much you like the sex you’re having. Read more
What if we viewed differences in how much two partners want sex as an attachment issue, not one of desire? Read more
You don't have to be a sex therapist to help your clients with diminished sexual desire. Read more
Tammy Nelson shares the journey of how she became a leading expert in the field of sex therapy and what she learned about couples and intimacy along the way. Read more
Having an erotic craving that seems shocking to a partner doesn’t have to be a death knell for a relationship. Read more
Pleasure-taking connects women to their bodies, roots them in the present, and fosters resilience. What could be blocking today's women from such a seemingly... Read more
Plenty of therapists have internalized the common misconception that at a certain point in our lives, humans are no longer interested in sex and intimacy. Read more
For some couples, staying home together during COVID improved their sex lives. But many have reported the opposite experience. Now that re-entry is here, what... Read more
Lockdown provoked a wide range of emotions among partnered people, including an increase in anxiety, fear, loneliness, boredom and frustration. It’s been... Read more
Our relational lives are undergoing a radical shift, says couples therapist Esther Perel, bestselling author of The State of Affairs and Mating in Captivity... Read more
Many traditional approaches to couples therapy are built on the assumption that if you help a couple clear up the emotional issues in their relationship, sex... Read more
Sex therapist Suzanne Iasenza talks about a three-part process that helps couples free themselves from the rigid narratives about sex that keep them from... Read more
Sex and relationship therapist Stephen Snyder talks with Psychotherapy Networker's Lauren Dockett about three simple things to do when you find yourself... Read more
It's not always easy to get men to talk about intimacy and sex. But according to renowned sex therapist and author Esther Perel, there's a way to weave... Read more
You may not be a certified sex therapist, but that doesn’t mean you have to shy away from helping clients with their sexual issues. Read more
Couples therapist Esther Perel has been recognized as one of the world’s most original and insightful thinkers about couples, sexuality, and the peculiar... Read more
Despite the undeniable harm that porn can do, we therapists need to bear in mind a fundamental fact: the overwhelming majority of people exposed to it don't... Read more
Esther Perel called on the Symposium audience to challenge the various myths, especially those about male sexuality, that get in the way of deeper relational... Read more
Over the years, I've worked with many couples who complain bitterly that the other kisses or touches, fondles, caresses, strokes the "wrong" way. These couples... Read more
By questioning some of the fundamental premises of traditional marriage, couples therapist Esther Perel has become, at least for the moment, psychotherapy’s... Read more
Even if we believe that tender intimacy is the gold standard of erotic communication, can’t attachment be expressed in other ways? Read more
What does it take to restore physical intimacy to a failing relationship? In this video clip, Susan Johnson, the originator of Emotionally Focused Couples... Read more
Therapists too often ignore the importance of the longstanding, often unconscious stories that partners carry with them into their sexual relationship. Helping... Read more
If you’re like most couples therapists, you know how to help partners communicate more clearly, handle conflict with less uproar, and connect more... Read more
Since many of us grew up in sexual silence, therapists need to ask more probing questions for good couples therapy. Read more
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