Sex Therapy

What is Sex Therapy?

Sex therapy is a speech therapy practice based on mutual dialogue, sharing and reconciliation. People in therapy communicate to determine which of their medical, psychological or personal problems has become a problem in their sexual life.

Sex therapists are licensed psychologists, doctors or psychiatry specialists trained in this field.

How is Sex Therapy Applied?

During the session, many problems that may cause problems with sexual life are evaluated by the therapist. Conditions such as the degree of sexual desire, whether there is any physical problem that may prevent sexual intercourse, dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse) or the presence of chronic diseases that will prevent the maintenance of a healthy sexual life can be counted as examples of topics that can be examined during speech therapy.

As in other psychotherapy techniques, sharing of experiences, concerns and feelings takes place during the sexual therapy session. During the session, the therapist can meet with the couples simultaneously or separately.

At the end of each session, a future with a healthy sex life is gradually approached. The sexual therapist continues to direct the sessions in order to first accept the problem that is the source of sexual dysfunction and to raise awareness, and to take steps to control this problem.

After the session, the sexual therapist can give the couple various assignments, such as reading a book about sexuality or healthy communication exercises.

At the same time, some psychological test applications can be applied to investigate whether emotional problems can be the source of sexual dysfunction during sexual therapy sessions.

If it is determined that the problem that causes sexual dysfunction is caused by a physical problem during the session, the therapist directs the people to the branch that has the solution to this problem.

What are the Benefits of Sex Therapy?

Sex therapy is a type of psychotherapy that is usually completed in a short time. While the underlying cause of the problems related to sexuality can be determined in a short time during the session, steps can be taken to solve it, while the detection of some problems may take longer. The variation in the duration of sexual therapy is due to the complex nature of sexual problems.

Conditions such as stress, anxiety or depression should not be ignored as they may be related to sexual life.
The foundations for a successful therapy session can be laid through mutual trust and good communication. At the same time, sharing of people’s concerns about sexual activity during therapy can improve the understanding that couples show towards each other.
In men, the realization of an erection following sexual arousal occurs with increased blood flow to the penile region. As the increased blood flow fills the spaces in the penis, enlargement and hardening occur in the penis.

Erectile dysfunction, which is a problem encountered in 4 out of every 10 men aged 40 years, is a condition that is detected twice as often in men aged 70 and over. Erectile dysfunction can occur due to physical or psychological problems.
One of the situations in which sexual therapy benefits men is erectile dysfunction. The couple’s participation and the spouse’s efforts to be a part of the solution are among the factors that will contribute to the success of the sessions.

In cases where stress is the cause of erectile dysfunction, sexual therapy sessions with the joint participation of the couples usually result in positive results. The success rate is lower in therapy sessions with the male’s participation alone.

One of the problems that negatively affect sexual life in men is premature ejaculation, that is, premature ejaculation. In premature ejaculation, people do not have control over the time of ejaculation and cannot delay this situation. There is no set time frame for premature ejaculation and if the couple sees this as a problem for their sexual life, a solution should be sought. Although premature ejaculation is a condition that is evaluated independently of the duration of sexual activity, the occurrence of ejaculation in the first 3 minutes of sexual intercourse has a diagnostic importance for this problem.

Premature ejaculation may occur in approximately 1 in 4 men. The only permanently accepted treatment approach for premature ejaculation, which is a common problem in all societies, is to gain control over the act of ejaculation through sexual therapy.

Sex therapy sessions for the solution of premature ejaculation take an average of 3 months. Once the person has control over his ejaculation with sexual therapy, this situation can continue throughout his life.
Approximately 40% of adult women encounter a problem that may lead to sexual dysfunction at some point in their lives. Generally, the underlying cause is loss of sexual desire or problems with the orgasm phase.

Anxiety (anxiety) is usually detected on the basis of sexual problems that occur in women. In the presence of expectation or performance anxiety about sexual activity, sexual functions are negatively affected. With sexual therapy sessions, it is aimed to control the anxiety that causes a decrease in sexual arousal in women.

One of the causes of sexual dysfunction in women is vaginismus. Vaginismus refers to the contraction of the muscles in the vagina region, which does not allow sexual activity to take place. While this situation is present, sexual intercourse to be attempted is very painful and may cause a feeling of fear towards sexual activities.
High success rates have been achieved with 10 sessions over a period of approximately 120 days in people who apply to sexual therapy sessions with the complaint of vaginismus.

Problems related to the orgasm period is another problem that is successfully addressed in sexual therapy sessions. The orgasm phase in sexual activity is an important phase for a healthy sexual life. If this problem is not handled correctly in women who have complaints about orgasm, it is a situation that should not be ignored because it is considered risky in terms of different sexual dysfunctions and relationship problems in the future.