Dual Sex Therapy - Premise, Techniques, and Advantages

What Is Sex Therapy?

Sex therapy is a form of talking and psychological therapy like any other therapy. However, its focus is on the factors influencing or impacting sexual satisfaction. These factors include everything from personal influences to medical and psychological illnesses to interpersonal issues like relationship problems.

What Is Dual Sex Therapy?

Dual sex therapy focuses on two premises, both of which are directed at the idea of two members rather than one:

• The Couple as a Unit: Therapy for sexual issues cannot be limited to the affected individual alone. Dual sex therapy views the couple as a unit. This means that for sex therapy to be effective, the couple must regard themselves as a team where both members benefit from sessions. Treatment would include talking, counseling, and exercises that lead to more satisfying sexual lives.

• The Dual Therapist Team: To adequately address the issues faced in the sex lives and the relationship of their patients in general, the therapists provide treatment in a dual-therapist role - a male and a female therapist work together to provide adequate therapy and counseling for the couple. Masters and Johnson proposed the concept of dual sex therapist teams. They highlighted that it would be difficult for therapists to fully understand the inherent difficulties, thoughts, feelings, and sexuality in members of the opposite sex - resulting in less attention and satisfaction for that member of the couple and skewing the therapeutic perspective. They suggested that a two-member team (opposite sexes) treat the couple together, which would result in a more effective therapeutic intervention.

What Happens in Dual Sex Therapy?

• History: The first step in dual sex therapy is to obtain a thorough history from both patients. This includes medical history, lifestyle factors, psychological ailments or indications, relationship history (both previous and current relational histories with their partner), and cultural backgrounds. This part of the therapy must be conducted for both partners but separately from each other.

• Conjoint Review: The couple is then reviewed together, where therapists assess them based on past therapy they may have undergone, their current relationship, their goals with treatment, and their individual and joint motivational factors to undergo therapy and make changes.

History-taking is the most vital part of therapy, as this is how therapists can obtain a clearer picture of the relational factors and psychosocial perspectives that govern couples. They can also identify concurrent illnesses that may be responsible for the patient's presenting complaint or rule them out if none exist. This would help customize therapy in accordance with the unique needs of both individuals and the couple as a unit.

The chief focus is to understand the sexual value system of either partner. This would provide a view of the psychosocial beliefs and values they have been following for years that may require unlearning.

What Are the Techniques Used in Dual Sex Therapy?

Once the history taking part is complete, the therapists then move the discussion to actual therapeutic techniques that can be followed. The couple is invited to join the conversation, called a roundtable session. Therapists provide the patients with a review of their current difficulties and the conclusions drawn from their evaluation and assessment. A treatment plan is formulated and described to the couple.

The first step is the introduction of attitudes:

• Here-And-Now Approach: The couple is advised to focus on the present moment rather than worrying about their past or future.

• Radical Self-Responsibility: The couples try to apply the skills the therapist has taught them without focusing on how well their partner performs them.

• Communication Skills: The couples are taught more effective strategies for communication. In addition, they are introduced to relationship skills, including identifying and opening up about their feelings and arriving at a mutually beneficial solution that considers their differences and relationship dynamics.

While these techniques are helpful and required for successful therapeutic intervention, the principal technique used is that of sensate focus.

Sensate Focus- This is a form of sex therapy that improves sexual intimacy and communication between partners through the medium of touch - that is, touching and being touched by partners. It has consistently been identified as one of the most effective strategies in sex therapy over the years. Sensate focus comprises three skills that are taught to and practiced by the partners:

• Touching for Oneself: This component hinges on the principle that sexual responsiveness is usually self-focused and sexual arousal occurs because of the sensory information gathered from touching or looking at the partner or by having the partner do the same to them. The underlying idea is that pleasure comes from within the self, but responsiveness to one’s partner is what contributes to a mutually successful relationship.

• Physical Sensations: This aspect is also referred to as touching for interest rather than pleasure. The goal of touching is not the outcome (pleasure or successful arousal) but the sensations experienced during the touching process itself. This negates the demanding nature that some people attribute to sex and instead allows them to focus on the experience and enjoy it.

• Redirecting Attention: There is a natural inclination to think about how the sensations experienced can contribute to their pleasure - and a need to provide sexual and emotional feedback. In such cases, therapists may encourage their patients to divert their attention to the physical, sensational aspect rather than straying mentally.

Once the focus on self has been completed, the partners are then initiated into touching sessions with each other, where the principle of physical sensations is still the primary focus. The sessions progress to include manual stimulation, better communication between partners, and reduction of anxiety by observing the arousal experienced by the unaffected partner regardless of the sexual dysfunction in the affected partner - this provides reassurance and enhances the experience. Over time, and with practice and proper instruction and attendance, the couple will see a positive change.

What Are the Advantages of Dual Sex Therapy?

• The Conjoint Approach: The inclusion of both partners, regardless of who is affected, ensures that the couple works as a unit to understand how they can achieve sexual pleasure through their efforts and mutual understanding.

• Transference: Transference is when feelings are redirected from the intended recipient to a third party - in this case, the therapist. Dual sex therapy is about the relationship between partners rather than their relationship with the therapist. This means that the possibility of transference may be reduced.

• Ethical and Legal Protection: As a team, the co-therapists can provide an ethically and legally safe space for both partners.

• Prevents Misinterpretation: The presence of therapists of both sexes will ensure that any issues raised by individual partners are fully understood and less likely to be misinterpreted.

What Are the Difficulties Encountered in Dual Sex Therapy?

Co-therapy may result in some struggles between therapists, which can lead to fractured inter-relationships. This can affect their treatment of patients. These difficulties include:

• Power struggles between therapists.

• Countertransference: Countertransference usually refers to when the therapist’s feelings are transferred to the patient. In this case, however, countertransference is between therapists who transfer their feelings onto each other.

• Communication Difficulties: Inhibited communication between therapists due to discomfort or self-imposed barriers.

• The Erotic Component: Given that they are working to establish a better sexual relationship between couples, co-therapists may begin to perceive their co-therapist as sexual experts or as oversexed individuals. This is especially likely if one or both members lack confidence in their sexuality.

Conclusion:

Dual sex therapy has formed the cornerstone of sex therapy since its introduction. The technique has seen high success rates and the development of better emotional and sexual relationships. Couples interested in sex therapy or individuals seeking for treatment for sexual dysfunction can rest assured that dual sex therapy will help them find success and provide them with sex life-altering changes.