Can Somatic Therapy Help with Sexual Issues?
How to go beyond just talking about sex
2 min read
For many people, even those who willingly seek out therapy with the intention of improving their emotional well-being, talking about sex can be difficult. Some are reluctant to bring up the topic in therapy, using vague language to obliquely refer to their love lives. Others perhaps feel freer to discuss sex more openly, but might be uncertain as to how therapy can help with frustrating patterns and habits.
Traditional forms of talk therapy tend to be cognitively focused, which is not conducive to processing anxiety related to sexuality. As any sexual active person likely knows, getting caught up in your head during sex can take away from the enjoyment of the act and the connectedness that it stimulates. In our bodies, in the present moment, is where we tend to want to be during sex, not up in our heads worrying.
Somatic therapy, a type of therapy focused on treating stress-related diagnoses and trauma, has an overt interest in paying attention to the experience of the body. Due to this mindful, body-centered approach, somatic therapy can be an effective way to address and resolve a host of issues related to sex.
As Avi Klein, Clinical Director at Downtown Somatic Therapy in lower Manhattan, wrote in a recent article in Cosmopolitan magazine (read here), “Anyone who is struggling with issues around sex could benefit from becoming more aware of their anxiety or other emotions that are getting in the way of feeling pleasure and relaxing into the body”.
Our bodies are containers for our stories, and often the stories contained within our bodies differ from the stories we carry in our minds. When we encounter a frightening event or are subjected to a traumatic experience, that experience lodges in our bodies. People who have experienced trauma - not just sexual trauma - might find that their bodies react to sex in curious ways.
Perhaps you find yourself feeling uncomfortable during sex but cannot figure out why, or you find yourself drifting or losing focus, or feeling rigid or tense. Few people have been encouraged to step out of their thinking brains and into their feeling bodies. Somatic therapy often starts with becoming oriented and sensitized to how your body reacts physically in different situations.
“Anyone who is struggling with issues around sex could benefit from becoming more aware of their anxiety or other emotions that are getting in the way of feeling pleasure and relaxing into the body.”
Various Somatic Therapy modalities, such as Hakomi, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, AEDP and others, encourage and assist people with paying attention to their embodied, felt sense, which can enrich pleasurable experiences and promote a heightened awareness of what you really enjoy.
If you are struggling to find pleasure or enjoyment in your sexual life, please consider reaching out to Downtown Somatic Therapy to schedule a free consultation with one of our talented therapists.