What is Sex Therapy like?

[Heather34]

Hi ladies. There is an excellent blog that I encourage you to follow:

http://theapprehensivevagina.wordpress.com/

Today, the author posted about her experience with Sex Therapy.

http://theapprehensivevagina.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/sex-therapy-round-1/

It is very well written and gives the reader a real-life account of the feelings and emotions that may occur from attending Sex Therapy as well as the tremendous benefits received.

Excerpts include:

“I met the therapist, Amy, who was a pretty and bubbly young woman I assumed was just a few years older than me. She introduced herself, welcomed me into her office and didn’t seem at all surprised when I began blubbering like a baby as soon as she said, “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself.” Here we go again!

This went on for weeks and weeks. It was like clockwork– every single time I walked into that room, I felt my chest burning, my hands sweating, my lip quivering and then the tears flowing. I didn’t cry for the whole hour, I was usually able to pull myself into a light sob and sniffle after about 15-20 minutes of talking.

What I started learning through these sessions was that A.) I was not crazy. B.) I was not alone. C.) I had options.

A.) Amy taught me to not be ashamed of the way I was feeling or the fact that I was going to therapy. As tough as it was to feel all of those raw, heart-wrenching emotions each week, I was slowly feeling more confident and more in control of my feelings. I was going through some ridiculous shit, of course I was going to feel overwhelmed! My boyfriend and I hadn’t talked to anyone about this, of course we were going to feel detached! My body was associating sex with pain, of course I was going to tense up at the thought of it! I wish it didn’t take me so long, but I was finally beginning to not only understand my feelings, but also learn to communicate them better (and without crying as much). I was not incapable of having sex, it just didn’t come to me as easily as it did to others.

B.) Amy opened my eyes to a whole demographic of the population that I didn’t believe existed. People who couldn’t have sex, people who couldn’t stop having sex or people suffering from the numerous other forms of sexual dysfunction. People like me. And she had not only heard stories or read about those people in her college textbooks…she had talked to those people RIGHT THERE. They had sat in the same chair as me and maybe cried, maybe screamed, maybe didn’t say a word…but they were there. They EXISTED! They lived in the same city and went to work and rode the bus and went grocery shopping just like me. She told me stories of other couples who faced similar difficulties and the small successes they learned to appreciate. I was not alone. Even though I tried telling myself that many, many, many times, it had never sunk in like that before.

C.) Amy forced me to explore my options. She seemed just as pissed off as me when I told her stories about the gynecologists who had ignored the cause of my pain. On the other hand, hating them and carrying resentment wasn’t getting me anywhere. She gave me names and numbers of people to call and places to go. She told me that the therapist who founded the center was married to a gynecologist and that if anyone would take the time to acknowledge and understand someone’s sexual pain, it would be him. She gave me the information for another place in the city that specialized in pelvic and sexual health. I couldn’t believe places existed that would be on my side! Why did all of these resources seem so secret and far away?”

Ladies, what have been your own experience with therapy post-vaginismus treatment? Would you recommend it to future patients following their procedures?

[Heather34]

Hi all. For those who have received Sex Therapy either pre or post-procedure, would you recommend it to others reading this right now. Why or why not?