The story of sex in committed modern couples is one that often tells of a dwindling desire that includes a long list of sexual alibis, claiming to explain the inescapable death of Eros. The absence of fantasy, the proliferation of pornography and affairs, as well as a lack of understanding of the nature of erotic desire all contribute to the predicament. This workshop examines the cultural pressures that shape domesticated sex and the puzzling inverse correlation between greater emotional intimacy and the loss of sexual desire.
This workshop will explore the assessment of the functioning of couples in their sexual life, their daily interactions, and their individual and jointly arrived at value systems. The techniques of this assessment, the combination of couples’ and individual partners’ interviews will be followed by an overview of alternative therapeutic strategies.
Almost 20% of people of a child-bearing age suffer with infertility. Hypnotic interventions are a powerful short-cut to treatment. Attendees will learn how to use creative thinking and hypnotic protocols to develop personalized scripts to use with clients.
Therapists who perform marital and sex therapy often become “vanilla-ized” by conservative and moralistic values espoused by the psy- chotherapy industry. Through a series of permissive group inductions attendees will reconnect with their erotic self. They will also engage in future foreplay regarding potential erotic selves. By more fully experiencing the erotic self, therapists will be more effective in working with sexually diverse clients who desire consensual BDSM, kink, fetish, and multi-partner experiences.
It is said that one in three couples experience a sexual desire gap, a difference that often wrecks havoc in every aspect of marital life. When you add to this the compelling statistic that one out of ten couples has a sexless marriage, it's easy to understand why so many couples are losing tough both literally and figuratively. A marriage that is void of healthy intimacy and physical connection risks divorce and/or infidelity. Learn what you can do to help couples bridge the desire gap and bring passion back to marriage, and also help couples heal from infidelity.
Topical Panel 05 from the Evolution of Psychotherapy 2005 - Sexuality
Featuring Albert Ellis, PhD; Otto Kernberg, MD; Michele Weiner-Davis, MSW; and Jeffrey Zeig, PhD
Moderated by Camillo Loriedo, MD