A young patient at Maze Women’s Health is perplexed that the passion she had felt early in her marriage has cooled. What happened to the strolls under perfect skies and the rides to the stars? Psychologist Israel Charny sees “normal” marriage as a relationship intrinsically laden with conflict and considers husbands and wives to be each other’s “intimate enemies.” We have to compromise …
Continue ReadingNo “Normal” Down There
Why is it that so many of us go through our lives without looking deeply at our sexual self? There are few aspects of our lives that produce as much shame as sexuality, and the need to be “normal.” Society has created this mythical notion of what is “normal” or “ideal.” The normal weight, the …
Continue ReadingNipplegasms are Real
I am always looking for new and interesting ways to educate patients on how to have orgasms with non-intercourse sex (as that is indeed how most women have orgasms.) Positions, play and exploration are all great ways to explore erogenous zones, but sometimes it is helpful to have a little more direction. A patient recently …
Continue ReadingWhy Couples Therapy Needs To Talk About Sex
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard of a couple in couples therapy with a therapist who never asked about sex, let’s just say I’d have many, many dollars. Yes, therapy should begin where the client is, and if a couple goes to therapy for a specific issue supposedly unrelated to sex, …
Continue ReadingOctober is Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, But Where is the Purple?
October is both breast cancer awareness month as well as domestic violence awareness month. For many years now October has been filled with walks and runs to raise awareness for breast cancer research , buildings lit up with pink lights, and beautiful pink ribbons women and men proudly display on their t-shirts, hats, cars, etc. …
Continue ReadingDouble-standard, double-trouble.
A man in his late 50’s goes to see a therapist for stress. After sitting through a few sessions, he finally musters up the guts to tell her what’s really bothering him. “So, I’ve noticed that since I turned 50, my libido has slowly disappeared.” The therapist, whether trained in sexual dysfunction or not, will …
Continue ReadingLinkedUp: A new dating app.
As a sex therapist I spend a lot of time counseling single people about how to find good partners. That’s gotten a lot easier since online dating has radically increased the number of people to choose from. But online dating has its disadvantages. It’s great if you’re just looking for a hookup or casual fling. …
Continue ReadingGoing oral.
In her new book An Intimate Life, sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen Greene (the one portrayed by Helen Hunt in The Sessions) describes her work with a man who has been unable to get an erection with his wife. After much exploration, it is discovered that the source of his problem is a very simple one: …
Continue ReadingThe spillover effect.
One of the common myths around sex is that it is just one compartment of a relationship. In other words, if everything else in the relationship is good — you get along well, have similar values, enjoy spending time together — then that can overcompensate for what is lacking sexually. However, I have seen time and time …
Continue ReadingFeelings, colors and your body.
As a therapist I sometimes ask a patient where in their body they feel an emotion. By identifying the feeling in one’s body we can sometimes get more connected to ourselves. The experience can be both grounding and validating. Several studies have come out recently proving that there is some universality as to how and …
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